Saturday January 4, 1975
HIC Arena, Honolulu, HI (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys opened the year with a concert in Hawaii, after which they took a few months off for vacation. Mike, who stayed in Hawaii for a few weeks with his fiancée Sue Damon, told Penny Anderson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, “Touring around the world as the Beach Boys do is really exhausting. The pace and pressure of the grind, plus the lack of a stable life style, gets so bad that people can actually flip out from it all.”
Friday March 21, 1975
Community Center Arena, Tucson, AZ-with Honk (8:00 PM Show)
To prepare for their first shows in over two months, the group scheduled two days of rehearsals (March 19 and 20) at Caribou Ranch prior to flying to Arizona. The flight was not uneventful. Ron Altbach recalled, “Dennis and I flew to Tucson on a charter flight and we sat next to each other and we’re talking about stuff. But he insisted on smoking, and he was arrested when we got to Tucson. It was just Dennis being Dennis.” Larry Fleischman of The Tucson Daily Citizen declared the show that night “the greatest performance this town has ever seen.” He went on to gush, “there were moments last night when absolutely everything was perfect. Like on ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ when the entire crowd did the high harmony line so loudly that the entire place reverberated. Or on ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ the first surprise of the evening when the entire joy of that song made the audience stand as one. Not even early feedback problems could mar the show.”
The opening act for this show and the following two concerts was Honk, a band from Laguna Beach California that achieved fame when their music was featured on the soundtrack for the 1972 film Five Summer Stories.
Saturday March 22, 1975
Tempe Stadium, Tempe, AZ-with Elvin Bishop and Honk (1:30 PM Show)
The Beach Boys played before 10,000 people at this show, with support from Elvin Bishop and Honk. Mike Tulumello of the Arizona State Press noted, “Their hair is longer, their faces are fuzzier and their voices contain a bit of gravel but the Beach Boys are still alive and kicking!…The concert wasn’t as refreshing as a day at the beach but for someone stuck in Tempe over spring break, it wasn’t a bad substitute.”
Sunday March 23, 1975
UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA-with Jesse Colin Young and Honk (1 PM Show)
Over 27,000 fans turned out for this concert on the UC campus. Michael Jensen of the Pasadena News declared, “Beach Boys concerts are lively, bringing the audience to its feet, not for one or two songs, but, every one. Sunday was no exception. Despite the soggy ground, the crowd rose to its feet. It was the Beach Boys sound that did it and everyone loved them.” Though it wasn’t evident to fans, Ron Altbach recalled that there was a lot of tension between Mike and Dennis. “When we played Santa Barbara, Dennis rode his motorcycle up to the gig drunk and showed up late. Mike just didn’t get it at all. What was the fun of ruining the Beach Boys? From Mike’s point of view, Dennis was just so unpredictable. Mike didn’t get the whole rock star thing. He was much more professional and disciplined about the whole thing.”
Friday March 28, 1975
Memorial Stadium, Daytona Beach, FL-with Honk (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys began a short Southern tour, accompanied by Jim Guercio, Bobby Figueroa, Ron Altbach, Carli Munoz and Billy Hinsche. While the set leaned heavily on the usual oldies, there were a few surprises, including some less played Beach Boys songs like I’m Waiting For the Day and Hushabye. The shows on this tour still included closer Jumping Jack Flash.
Saturday March 29, 1975
Civic Center, Lakeland, FL-with Honk (8:00 PM Show)
The photo of Dennis is from 1975 but may not be from this show.
Sunday March 30, 1975
Hollywood Sportatorium, Hollywood, FL-with Honk (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys returned to play another show at this rowdy indoor venue (where they’d appeared the previous April) in Hollywood (now Pembroke Pines) Florida. The Sportatorium was about 26 miles away from Miami and was torn down in 1993. The Beach Boys played here one more time in 1977.
Tuesday April 1, 1975
Indianapolis Fairgrounds Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN (6:30 PM Show) and Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY-with Billy Joel (7:30 PM Show)
Billy Joel opened up for the Beach Boys on a number of dates on this tour. Joel had recently released his third LP Streetlife Serenade and had a hit single “The Entertainer.” However, he was still not a big enough name to headline shows in many parts of the country. Joel would continue to occasionally open up for the Beach Boys till the summer of 1976.
Wednesday April 2, 1975
Civic Coliseum, Knoxville, TN-with Billy Joel (8:00 PM Show)
Thursday April 3, 1975
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, GA-with Billy Joel (8:00 PM Show)
Steve Burns, of the University of Georgia’s Red and Black newspaper, had attended every Beach Boys local concert since 1972 and walked away from this show just as impressed as on previous occasions. He gushed, “What can you say about a band that…comes out to a wild crowd of 10,000 plus and, for more than two hours, roar through every hit they ever had.”
Friday April 4, 1975
Civic Center, Charleston, WV-with Billy Joel (8:00 PM Show)
Over 7,000 fans turned to see the Beach Boys and Billy Joel. The group proved so popular with the crowd that they were called back for two encores and even that wasn’t enough. Mike finally told the crowd, “Okay we’ll stay till we sing them all.”
Saturday April 5, 1975
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC-with Billy Joel (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys took the stage in Greensboro at 10 PM, after a long opening set by Billy Joel. They launched into Sloop John B. Mary Beth Gooley of The Sentinel reported that “As their performance progressed, so did the audience’s reaction. Each song brought more clapping, louder cheers and shouts of approval. Songs such as Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda and I Get Around had people on the floor dancing the shag and just bopping to the music. Others, such as Surfer Girl and Waiting For the Day (that You Can Love Again) seemed to grab the audience by the heartstrings…. As floods of people poured from the exits and spilled into the parking lots, it was obvious that the Beach Boys magic had charmed today’s teenagers the same as it had 10 years ago.”
Sunday April 6, 1975
Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC-with Billy Joel (8:00 PM Show)
According to the Charlotte Observer, “There was wave after wave of Beach Boys standards, from the opening with ‘Sloop John B’ to ‘Help Me Rhonda’, ‘Sail on Sailor’ and ‘Surfer Girl.’ And the crowd which had milled and fretted for part of the opening act-pianist composer Billy Joel, who was onstage for an hour, was on its feet and dancing for the Beach Boys.”
Monday April 7, 1975
William and Mary College, Williamsburg, VA-with Honk
A capacity crowd turned out for this concert. Wayne Studer of The Flat Hat noted, “On the slower selections like ‘Surfer Girl’ or ‘Don’t Worry Baby’, Love, Jardine and the Wilsons once again demonstrated what Rolling Stone’s Arthur Schmidt meant a few years ago when he called the Beach Boys ‘rock’s only choir.’ Their voices, similar to begin with, blend in such a way that their incredibly tight harmonies lend to many of their songs an almost spiritual air.”
Tuesday April 8, 1975
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA-with Honk (8:00 PM)
I was not aware of this concert when I wrote the book The Beach Boys in Concert (with Jon Stebbins).
Thursday May 1, 1975
Municipal Auditorium, Austin, TX-with Flo and Eddie and the Turtles
This was a special warm-up Beach Boys concert to gear up for the Chicago tour. Chicago were not present at this show. Tickets were only given out to fans attending the University of Texas. Jim Guercio (bass), Bobby Figueroa (second drummer/percussion), Ron Altbach, Carli Munoz and Billy Hinsche (keyboards/ pianos) accompanied the group on the tour. Road manager Rick Nelson was also on this tour. The photo was taken by Ed Roach during rehearsals at Caribou Ranch, which took place from April 23 to April 29. Despite the rehearsals, Susan Barton of The Austin American Statesman commented that their were many technical problems at this show. She noted, "There was considerable shambling about the stage, apparent confusion on what tune should hit at what time, and a few truly gutless renderings of song material. Dennis Wilson did a wretched vocal on 'In the Back of My Mind,' prefacing it with unnecessary and gratuitous surliness. The five tackled an old Four Freshman number, making a point that it would be sung a cappella, without instruments. They should have kept their mouths shut, both in announcing and executing it. The tricky tune was sung very badly out of tune. The problem was obvious to all except those with tin ears encapsuled in heavy metal."
Friday May 2, 1975
Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, TX-with Chicago and Flo and Eddie and the Turtles (7:00 PM Show)
Capitol Records continued to capitalize on the group’s renewed popularity. They followed up the mega-hit Endless Summer album with another compilation of old hits titled Spirit of America that was released in May 1975. It reached number eight on the Billboard charts. Warner/Reprise got in on greatest hits package bandwagon with an LP titled Best of the Beach Boys/Good Vibrations that reached a respectable number 25 on Billboard. These releases reminded old fans how great the Beach Boys were, and also caused a new wave of fans to fall in love with their good time sounds. The success of these records made the Beach Boys/Chicago tour one of the year’s hottest draws.
The two groups had appeared together on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking Eve TV program and hit it off. Chicago bassist Peter Cetera recalled that they came to the conclusion that “it would be kinda nice to have two groups on the same bill who were both big draws. So we worked it out where we could have a finale with both groups playing together, but something other than just a jam session.” Ron Altbach was enlisted to write out charts so the Chicago horns could back the Beach Boys during their set. The group was enthusiastic about the tour, which gave them a chance to make the kind of money they’d seen CSNY grossing the year before. Chip Rachlin was thrilled because he knew “that tour couldn’t miss if you tried. I mean combined the Beach Boys and Chicago had forty top ten records.”
The opening concert of the 21-date “Beachago” tour went on for five hours with long delays between acts. While two delays were simply opening show technical problems, the need to reset the stage between the Beach Boys’ and Chicago’s sets led to the inclusion of a 35-minute intermission at future “Beachago” shows. A female tightrope walker and a man specializing in flagpole stunts traveled with the tour and performed during intermission.
While the majority of critics who attended concerts on this tour walked away impressed, Houston Post reviewer Bob Claypool was underwhelmed. He found the delays so interminable that he left to write his review before Chicago played. Claypool felt the Beach Boys set, “had a very erratic start, musically but the high harmonies tightened up eventually.”
Saturday May 3, 1975
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX-with Chicago and Flo and Eddie and the Turtles (7:00 PM show)
It was agreed that on this tour the Beach Boys would play first, followed by Chicago, and finally the two groups would come together for the last hour. For Chip Rachlin, the highlight was when Dennis came out each night to sing “You Are So Beautiful.” He recalled that at rehearsals, “The group discussed singing a few numbers with Chicago at the end of the show and then saying ‘Thank You. Good Night.’ Dennis said ‘No, I want me and (Chicago keyboardist) Bobby Lamm to get up and sing ‘You Are So Beautiful’ together,’ which was a big hit for Joe Cocker.” Dennis, and others, have claimed that he co-wrote the song with credited author Billy Preston. Rachlin recalls, “I said ‘you’re out of your mind! Why would you do that? First of all there may be no one left in the hall. Why would you do that?’ And Dennis just said ‘Watch.’ Anyways, the opening show went great and the Beach Boys were great and the audience wanted more. So the house lights went down and Dennis came out and introduced Robert Lamm and I’m thinking to myself ‘Dennis is currently dating Robert Lamm’s former wife (Karen), this is already pretty nuts.’ And then it literally brought the house down. It just was a spectacular moment and he was right.” The song proved such a crowd pleaser that Dennis sang it at virtually every concert he appeared at for the next five years.
Kim Martin of the Dallas Times Herald declared that at the Cotton Bowl the “Beach Boys rarely achieved exceptional moments, did well to maintain, and far too many times failed at that.” Martin blamed the poor performance on “technical problems, especially with sound mixing” which caused the harmonies to be drowned out by the instruments. She noted, “by their third tune, ‘In My Room,’ the musicians, most notably Mike Love and Carl Wilson, were looking at each other with distinct signals of uneasiness in their movements. The high vocals, meanwhile, trailed off inaudibly for the audience.” However, Martin conceded that the crowd had a good time and stayed on their feet cheering for the whole last part of the show in which the two bands played together. The photo may not be from this show but is from this tour.
Sunday May 4, 1975
Myriad Arena, Oklahoma City, OK-with Flo and Eddie and the Turtles (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys headlined this concert, attended by close to 10,000 fans. Edwin Maloy of The Oklahoman reported, “’Little Deuce Coupe’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘In My Room’, ‘Do It Again’ and ‘Help Me Rhonda’ might be anthems for a happier, quieter, more peaceful time, but the mood is still catching. Sing-alongs on ‘Rhonda’ and ‘Vibrations’ were easy to join because everyone was having such a good time-except possibly the police security and ushers who were more than busy with enthusiastic fans.” The photo of Dennis was taken on this tour but not necessarily at this show.
Saturday May 17, 1975
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO-with Chicago (3:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys arrived in Kansas City on Friday and held a sound check that night to insure they wouldn’t experience the technical issues that marred the opening shows of the tour. Jess Ritter of The Kansas City Times noted, “the sound was for the most part favorable, the Beach Boys pumping a big bass sound from the walls of amps on the massive stage.”
The band was certainly pumped up at these shows. Bobby Figueroa recalled, “The Beachago tour was wonderful. I was a big fan of Chicago and played a lot of their music in the nightclubs. So to stand at a microphone with Peter Cetera and trade parts with him was really great. Because here was one of my heroes and I know Carl admired his voice quite a bit too and that’s saying something. And Bobby Lamm, Terry Kath and the rest of those guys were fantastic musicians. So playing together with them and hearing that music live was really great. But what stuck out in my mind was the encore, where we came out together as one huge band and sang each other’s songs. I think it set a mark for doing shows like that. I don’t think anyone had done anything quite like that before. You had hits coming out your ears! By the time you left that theatre, you were just overwhelmed.”
Sunday May 18, 1975
St Louis Arena, St Louis, MO-with Chicago (7:00 PM Show)
More than 16,000 fans turned out for this concert. Dick Richmond of the Post Dispatch declared it a big success because “the two bands complement each other. The Beach Boys basically concentrate on vocals and tight harmony. Chicago, which has a number of hits such as ‘Saturday in the Park’ and ‘Harry Truman’ that are vocals, are mostly inclined toward brass dominated instrumentals…so the end result was that of a band supporting vocalists, the number of which ranged from one to 12 depending on the song.”
For the encores, the two bands played “We Can Make It Happen,” “Harry Truman” (accompanied by fireworks), “California Girls,” “Fun, Fun, Fun” and a highly charged version of “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day.” However the audience refused to leave and stomped and chanted ‘we want more” until the bands returned to the stage. Dave Schmitt of Concert News reported that “Mike Love led the total entourage back out for the final encore. The unexpected treat, ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ with Love drove the fans crazy. Strutting his stuff he dragged the mike across the stage, ripped off his shirt and amply pleased the crowd while both groups played right up till the house lights went on.”
Friday May 23, 1975
“Together Concert”, Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA-with Chicago and Honk (6:00 PM Show)
50,000 fans piled into Anaheim Stadium to see this show, which promoters dubbed the “Together Concert”. Honk were supposed to open the show but did not appear because of the sudden resignation of their lead guitarist, so the Beach Boys took the stage at 6:15 PM, while it was still light out. While admitting that the double bill attracted fans of both bands, Michael Jensen of the Pasadena Star News had no doubts that “the Beach Boys showed up Chicago that night.” The audience response to the Beach Boys was so strong that stadium officials had to go up to the second and third levels and ask fans to stop dancing and jumping for fear that the whole stadium structure might collapse. In addition to the big Beachago encore, the shows on this tour featured a segment where Chicago came out during the Beach Boys set to help them perform God Only Knows, Surf's Up and Darlin. Robert Lamm sang the lead on Surf's Up.
Amongst those present for this concert were Brian Wilson and his family. While still in his reclusive phase, he was convinced to come check out the tour. Photographers took numerous pictures of him backstage, looking overweight and scruffy (the photo shows him walking with the group). Carl later recalled that Brian was taken aback by the fact that so many young people, most of who hadn’t even been born when the group started, knew every word of their songs.
Saturday May 24, 1975
“A Day on the Green”, Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA-with Chicago, Bob Seger, Richard Torrance and Eureka (1:00 PM Show)
Over 55,000 fans attended this concert and a festive atmosphere permeated the Coliseum. Kathie Staska of The Hayward Daily Review declared, “The Beach Boys have been stealing concerts away from headliners for many years now and Saturday afternoon was no different… The Beach Boys did a different musical set than they did last year and worked harder on their older material like ‘Surfer Girl’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘Sloop John B’ and ‘I Get Around.’”
Saturday May 31, 1975
“World Series of Rock”, Municipal Auditorium, Cleveland, OH-with Chicago (2:30 PM Show)
The Beach Boys flew into Cleveland on Friday and Carl was whisked off to radio station WMMS, one of the sponsors of this mega show, where he acted as guest DJ. In the music memoir The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio, Music Director John Gorman fondly recalled that the appearance “was one of those once in a lifetime magic moments. Sadly it wasn’t taped-the machine was down for repair.” Unfortunately, Carl allegedly had too good a time with the radio crew, as did Dennis who ended up getting drunk with the DJs at a nearby bar. The next morning Gorman was told that Mike was furious at him because Dennis could barely hold up his head and Carl was so out of it that he had uncharacteristically “told Love to take his TM and shove it.”
Despite this backstage drama, the 35,000 fans that attended on Saturday afternoon didn’t notice a thing. Jane Scott of the Plains Dealer praised the concert as “3½ hours of just plain great vibrations” and declared that “the happy harmonies and get down boogie beat of the Beach Boys and the soaring jazz-rock sounds of Chicago were a fine blend…The Beach Boys scored most heavily with their earliest hits such as ‘Surfin’ Safari’, ‘Help Me Rhonda’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ and ‘Good Vibrations.’”
Sunday June 1 to Thursday June 5 and Saturday June 7, 1975
Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL-with Chicago
The Beachago tour sold out five nights at Chicago Stadium and a sixth night was added. The shows were the highpoint of the tour. Chris Charlesworth of Melody Maker reported that it was obvious to all that, despite the fact that Chicago was nominal headliner, it was the Beach Boys who were the audience favorite. However, he argued that it was when the two bands joined forces at the end of the show that “the concert truly came alight.” Variety opined that the Beach Boys’ performance suffered from atrocious sound and threw some of the blame on “their needlessly intricate nine pieces which turned some songs like ‘Heroes and Villains’ and ‘Good Vibrations’ into extended shouting matches.” However, it concluded, “their onstage presence is so strong that the handful of satisfying renditions of songs like ‘Surfer Girl’ and ‘In My Room’ seemed enough.” On a more negative note, the Chicago Tribune accused Dennis of being inebriated when he went onstage, while Variety declared that he “gave the show a black eye with his senseless ramblings.” Such behavior was still something of a rarity in 1975, but was also an ominous sign of troubles to follow in the ensuing years.
Thursday June 12 to Sunday June 15, 1975
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY-with Chicago
The Beachago tour had no problem selling out four nights in New York City. For the Beach Boys it was a major triumph. In 1971 they’d struggled to sell out tiny Carnegie Hall and now four years later they were able to sell out four nights at Madison Square Garden. Jim Guercio was singled out for managing the Beach Boys back to prominence, but in a TV interview he declared, “The Beach Boys did everything. The Beach Boys had the hopes and dreams and the talent and the music. They’ve always had it. The only ability I tend to have is that I can help people achieve what it is they want to achieve…my talent is making everybody ten feet tall.” The elation over the tour’s success added to the festive vibe of the concerts, which many people, including Chip Rachlin and Rick Nelson, view as the highlight of the Beach Boys’ performing career. The group played with an intensity and commitment to the material that they’d seldom display so fully again. Mike, usually dressed in a flashy gold lame’ jacket and turban, hit his stride as a front man. Always comfortable in front of large crowds, he seemed exuberant on the tour. He told Cleveland Scene reporters Mark Kmeztko and Cliff Michalski, “The two groups are very complimentary to each other; both do vocal harmonies. Chicago has good percussion and horns. We add to each other. Some of our stuff together has been really outrageous-10 or 12 people singing at one time. Blowing people right out of the stadium.”
Portions of one of the New York appearances was filmed for a TV special hosted by Tom Curtis called Fun, Fun, Fun. The Beach Boys were seen performing “Feeling Stronger Everyday” and “Fun, Fun, Fun” with Jim Guercio on bass in a NY Rangers’ jersey. Bobby Figueroa recalled the Garden shows fondly, “We rocked Madison Square Garden! We put cracks in the walls. People were jumping around and getting into the music. When New Yorkers like you, they really like you! The audience was really into us every night we were there, but we deserved it because we sounded really good. I really believe that.”
Saturday June 21, 1975
Wembley Stadium, Wembley, England-with Elton John, Joe Walsh, the Eagles, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and Stackridge (11:30 AM Show)
The group took a break from the Beachago tour and flew to England on June 16 to perform one massive U.K. show attended by 72,000 people. Although Elton John was the headliner, reviewers were adamant that it was the Beach Boys, making their first U.K. appearance since 1972, who were the real stars of the day. New Musical Express declared, “In soccer terms, it was Elton John 1, Beach Boys 3. Where the Beach Boys, with their close harmony, good time sounds and gospel of nothing more profound than the joys of teenage love, immediately connected with the audience, Elton John seemed obsessed with piano dominated, moody music and was for most of the time on a cloud of his own.” One reason for this view was that Elton John chose to play his new album in its entirety, rather than more familiar songs. Chris Welch reported in Melody Maker, “it was the Beach Boys who stole the show… They went through the mother lode of their repertoire from ‘Help Me Rhonda’ and ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ through to ‘Sail on Sailor’ and ‘Surf’s Up.’ The audience was on their feet for the entire set.”
Bobby Figueroa recalled, “That show was when I realized how powerful the Beach Boys were internationally. It also showed how good we were. Here we are with the Eagles, Elton John in his prime, and Rufus, which I really liked, and I get up with the Beach Boys and just hear this thunderous recognition from the audience after every song…It was amazing that there were so many great bands at that time making their mark. And we could go up against any one of them and just blow them away.”
Tuesday June 24 to Saturday June 28, 1975
Capitol Centre, Landover, MD-with Chicago
Over 100,000 people turned out for the five-night stint at the Capitol Centre. Even President Ford’s children were in attendance and Susan Ford invited the Beach Boys to the White House for a special all access tour (seen in the photo). The set remained the same for all the shows, with the exception of June 27. Chicago bassist Robert Lamm broke his leg that day while playing basketball and had to miss the concert, so the Beach Boys were asked to expand their set. The audience that attended that night was treated to extra songs, including “Marcella”, “I Can Hear Music” and “You’re So Good To Me.” Tom Basham of the Baltimore Sun noted that when the Beach Boys joined Chicago onstage at the end of the show “the energy level in the Capitol Centre climbed higher and higher through ‘Saturday in the Park’, ‘California Girls’, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ and “Feeling Stronger Every Day.’ Guitarist (Terry) Kath and Carl Wilson were sizzling, riding over the wave of sound generated by the screaming fans and the smoking bands. Spirits soared up to the roof and exploded into a two minute standing ovation on the last notes of ‘Stronger’ at 12:18. At 12:20 the bands were back and finished the show with a power version of ‘Jumping Jack Flash.”
Portions of one of these shows was filmed for the Fun, Fun, Fun TV special, including rousing performances of “I Get Around”, “Catch a Wave” and “Good Vibrations.” Mike Love and Jim Guercio were also interviewed backstage by Tom Curtis. In addition, TV cameras captured producer Phil Ramone, stationed in the Washington Bullets’ locker rooms, taping four of the shows (June 25-28) for a possible live album. Alan Boyd, custodian of the Beach Boys archives, stated that in his opinion these are some of the best live performances by the group that he’s heard. Unfortunately, the album was never released due to the political difficulties that always ensue when opposing record companies are involved.
Sunday June 29, 1975
Schaefer Stadium, Foxboro, MA-with Chicago (8:00 PM Show)
This outdoor Beachago concert attracted over 62,000, making it, at the time, the biggest crowd to attend a concert in New England. By contrast, only 35,000 had turned out for the Beach Boys 1973 appearance at the same venue. As tickets cost ten dollars, the show netted $620,000. William Howard of the Boston Globe noted that the two groups were "equally well received at the Schaefer Stadium concert yesterday." He commented, "Sloop John B, Do It Again, Help Me Rhonda, In My Room, Sail On Sailor, Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe got things moving as the early summer dusk set in around the stadium. Mike Love, resplendent in his gold and silver spangled jacket, assumed his usual role of spokesman/cheerleader for the Boys, coaxing the receptive crowd to clap almost continuously, cooling them off between numbers, then starting all over again...the pied piper of Foxboro. Here is a group that is obviously proud of its past. It reeled off 19 songs spanning all phases of a long and successful career, all performed with adolescent enthusiasm and genuine style...All night long it was nothing but Good Vibrations."
Tuesday July 1, 1975
Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA-with Michael Murphey (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys took a break from the Chicago tour to headline a few shows of their own. 19,500 fans attended this concert. Matt Damsker of the Evening Bulletin reported that the “concert hit a soaring pace, on its collective feet from the first notes, as the Beach Boys delivered strongly and euphoniously-the simple favorites, ‘Surfer Girl’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’, ‘Sloop John B’, ‘California Girls’ balanced against the later, more sophisticated ones, ‘Sail On Sailor’, ‘Heroes and Villains’, ‘Good Vibrations.’” Opening act Michael Murphey was then basking in the success of his album Blue Sky-Night Thunder, which produced two hit singles, 'Carolina in the Pines' and 'Wildfire.' The photo was taken at Wembley on June 21.
Thursday July 3, 1975
Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI (Two shows at 3:00 and 7:30 PM)
The Beach Boys were paid $50,000 to appear at Summer Fest. The concert was marred by bad weather, which caused technical problems and led to stops and starts. Nevertheless, the Milwaukee Sentinel commented that the group “demonstrated again that they are clearly masters at what they do…a crowd of about 30,000 stood, clapped and stomped as the band breezed through familiar yet still exciting renditions of ‘I Get Around,’ ‘Surfer Girl’ and ‘California Girls.’” A planned fourth of July Beachago show at Coldwater HS Athletic Field in Coldwater, Michigan was canceled at the last minute because the town apparently thought that the concert 'would attract the wrong element.' The photo of Dennis is from 1975 but may not be this show.
Sunday July 6, 1975
Hughes Stadium, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO-with Chicago
37,000 fans attended the closing show of the Beachago tour and, according to the Rocky Mountain Collegian were treated to “almost four hours of familiar hits from the past, some present-day rock professionalism, and a good excuse to sit all day in the very warm sun.” The biggest surprise of the show was the guest appearance by Elton John, who was recording at Caribou Ranch and was invited to the concert by Jim Guercio. Elton joined the Beach Boys for “Barbara Ann” and returned with his band for the big finale.
Friday July 25, 1975
“Klondike Days Festival,” Edmonton Coliseum, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada-with Tim Moore (Two shows at 5:00 and 9:00 PM)
An estimated 24,000 fans turned out for these shows, which were part of the “Klondike Days” festival, a ten-day event with numerous big name entertainers including Johnny Cash and Dionne Warwick. Despite problems with the sound system, audience response to the Beach Boys was extremely enthusiastic. At both shows they were called back for two encores. The Edmonton Journal reported, “Fans did more than applaud. They tuned in to the good vibrations flowing from the stage. They danced, sang along, stomped, hooted, cheered and in every way enjoyed the best show yet in the Coliseum. It was just a great evening of musical fun.”
Saturday July 26, 1975
McMahon Stadium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada-with Tim Moore (8:00 PM Show)
Randy Hutton of the Calgary Herald was one of 14,000 in attendance at this outdoor show and was chiefly struck by the youthful makeup of the crowd. He remarked that “observed with some detachment, the concert was a hilarious set of contradictions. A rock and roll group, that a dozen years ago created a new style of rock and roll, now parading its aging wares before an audience nostalgic about something it was too young to remember.” The photo is probably 1975 but not this show.
Sunday July 27, 1975 to Tuesday July 29, 1975
Montana State Fair, Great Falls, MT (One show each night at 8:00 PM)
Denise Mort of the Great Falls Tribune noted that, "As soon as the Beach Boys turned on the surf power, the applause from the auditorium was as highly amplified as anything on the electronically equipped stage could match...The Beach Boys....earned their reputation that has placed them on the charts with a repackaged LP called Spirit of America by keeping the stage electric throughout a stunning performance."
Sunday August 10, 1975
Balboa Stadium, San Diego, CA-with Jesse Colin Young and Pure Prairie League (1:00 PM Show)
Over 20,000 attended this show, a far cry from the measly 2,000 that had shown up when the band performed in San Diego in 1971. Donald Harrison of The San Diego Union noted that the crowd “responded enthusiastically to the downright insistent beats of such past favorites as ‘Help Me Rhonda’, ‘Surfer Girl’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’, ‘California Girls’, ‘I Get Around’ and ‘Good Vibrations.’ After hearing a 15-song set on such favorite Beach Boy topics as surfing, cars and girls, the fans applauded and brought back the rock group for ‘Barbara Ann’, ‘Surfin’ USA’ and ‘Fun, Fun, Fun.” The photo is from May 23 in Anaheim.
Monday August 18, 1975
Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, IA-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys began a 16-date tour accompanied by bassist Putter Smith, Carli Munoz, Billy Hinsche, Bobby Figueroa and Ron Altbach. Road manager Rick Nelson and engineer Steve Moffat were also probably on the tour, as well as Jason Raphalian and possibly business manager Steve Love. Putter Smith had last played a full tour with the band in early 1974 but he informed me that Jimmy Guercio had put him on a retainer and "he told me 'when I can't get away from my booking thing (with Chicago, etc) you will come out and play (bass). So I was on retainer for over a year. There was a period...when I never worked a gig but I was getting paid $200 a week. But then he wanted me to fly out to St. Louis one time (possibly May 18) and I couldn't, so that was the end of the retainer!"
The set list for this tour, with an occasional surprise thrown in, consisted of: “Sloop John B”, “Do It Again”, “In My Room”, “Help Me Rhonda”, “The Trader”, “Sail On Sailor” (Sung by Billy Hinsche), “California”, “Heroes and Villains”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Catch a Wave”, “Surfer Girl” (Sung by Dennis), “Darlin’”, “California Girls”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “I Get Around”, “Good Vibrations”, “You Are So Beautiful”, “Barbara Ann”, “Surfin’ USA” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” The stage setup on this tour (which had been the same at most shows since mid-1974) continued to consist of a green astroturf rug, two large palm trees, some potted plants and a wicker chair that Mike occasionally sat on." The accompanying photo shows the BBs with the opening act Ambrosia, an LA band that had scored hits with "Holding On To Yesterday" and "Nice, Nice, Very Nice."
Tuesday August 19 and Wednesday August 20, 1975
Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
The BBs played a two day residency at Pine Knob near Detroit. The first night alone attracted over 10,000-fans. Christine Brown of the Detroit Free Press noted that the BBs "recreated the relentless beat and complex harmonies that accompanied the carefree high school years of both those who knew the surfing, cruising life and those who just lived it in spirit. I Get Around, Surfing USA and Little Deuce Coupe and all the Beach Boys classics, sound problems or not, pulled the audience to its feet and kept it there for Fun, Fun, Fun.". The photo shows a program given out at these Pine Knob shows. Brown noted that Mike Love was dressed 'in a bright yellow suit with a rainbow of ribbons cascading from his waist.' Mike noted in an interview before the show that "I never was one to go onstage trying to look filthier than the next guy. When you're making millions of dollars, like we have, you should give the audience something to look at. It's fun singing and acting up. We've made scads of money doing it and I think we should try to make people happy." The reporter noted that Mike was accompanied by his "Fiancee" Linda Sue Oliver and that they drove to the gig with Al and his family, practicing silent meditation on the car ride.
Thursday August 21, 1975
Dayton Hara Arena, Dayton, OH-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
Bassist Putter Smith (most famous for playing Mr Kidd in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever) had mixed memories of touring with the Beach Boys. He believed that there was a 'caste system' on the road and felt that the main Beach Boys seldom interacted with the 'non-family' band members, who lovingly referred to themselves as "the scumbags." According to Smith, prior to the tour, "Jim Guercio would call me when they were on the road and he'd begun to express some contempt for 'The Boys', as he referred to them, and their behavior. Things that I noticed too...like when food was put out, their would be the spread for the Beach Boys and then there'd be the food for the rest of the band (and it wouldn't be the same)....Carl was a good guy though...I felt like when you were talking to Carl, he was really paying attention...He was interested in the music...but some of the other guys....it was silly shit."
Friday August 22, 1975
Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, MI-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys played their first-ever show in Kalamazoo. Frank Blossom of The Kalamazoo Gazette noted, "They opened with Sloop John B, then went directly into Do It Again and Help Me Rhonda...but it wasn't until the third or fourth song that the Beach Boys seemed to settle down. The volume on the first few tunes was louder than it should have been, causing some acoustical distortion in the stadium...About halfway through the first set, Mike Love introduced a song as 'our first hit' and the band eased into the opening vocal harmonies of Surfer Girl. It was this song that the concentration of these musicians was most intense-years of hard work and a genuine love of music were unmistakable. It's exactly this sincerity and dedication, professionals entertaining themselves as much as the audience, that has rewarded the Beach Boys with a permanent place in the world's record shops."
Saturday August 23, 1975
Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys were scheduled to play one concert in Pittsburgh on August 29th, but demand was so great that this show was added. Tickets sold out in four hours, making it the fasting selling show in Pittsburgh history. The audience was incredibly enthusiastic, though as usual more for the oldies than anything new, and Pete Bishop of The Pittsburgh Press noted that “aside from the slower numbers (‘In My Room’, ‘Surfer Girl’ and Dennis Wilson’s rendition of ‘You Are So Beautiful’) and a couple less familiar ones from the Holland album, every song-every song-was an everybody up, clap along, sing along, cheer along, do-the-bump along.” The photo of Mike was taken the night before in Michigan.
Sunday August 24, 1975
Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown, PA-with the Captain and Tennille
The Beach Boys reunited with their former band mates Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille, who were now enjoying success as the Captain and Tennille with their smash hit Love Will Keep Us Together. The photo was taken the next day in New Haven, bassist Putter Smith is on the left.
Monday August 25, 1975
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT-with the Captain and Tennille (8:00 PM Show)
Tuesday August 26, 1975
Civic Center, Hartford, CT-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
Wednesday August 27, 1975
SPAC, Saratoga, NY-with Ambrosia (7:00 PM show)
26,892 people turned out at SPAC. Though he complained that they only did three songs from Holland, Scott L. Powers of the Troy Times-Record reported, “The Beach Boys gave a dynamite show, rendering true to the record imitations of all their old hits…The execution in most places was perfect, and in the case of songs like ‘California Girls,’ a little update work made the song stand up, even to today’s musical tastes. For the most part, Brian Wilson’s songs have stood the test of time. Not many writers can say the same.” The photo of Carl was taken on August 22.
Thursday August 28, 1975
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY-with Gary Wright (8:00 PM Show)
Demand for tickets was so great that a second show was added for September 1. The set consisted of “Sloop John B”, “Do It Again”, “In My Room”, “Help Me Rhonda”, “The Trader”, “Sail On Sailor” (Sung by Billy Hinsche), “California”, “Heroes and Villains”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Catch a Wave”, “Surfer Girl” (Sung by Dennis), “Darlin’”, “California Girls”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “I Get Around”, “Good Vibrations”, “You Are So Beautiful”, “Barbara Ann”, “Surfin’ USA” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” The crowd was in the mood to let loose but many were intimidated by over-zealous security who shined flashlights in fans’ eyes when they stood up to dance. Tony Kornheiser of Newsday reported, “Beach Boys’ drummer Dennis Wilson finally had enough and grabbing a mike, he shouted at the crowd, ‘Hey, what is this? Stand up…I said stand up.’…The guards were beaten. And the people never sat down until the concert was over.”
Friday August 29, 1975
Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys played a second show in Pittsburgh, less than a week after their previous appearance. Jack Kegg of the Cumberland News commented, "Last Friday the veteran California combo held the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in the palm of their hands. Kids from 12 to 20 sang each note of 'Catch a Wave,' 'Help Me Rhonda' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun.' It gave this writer a funny feeling to see kids who were not more than three years old in 1964, when the Beach Boys had hit after hit, screaming for their favorite song like it was recorded yesterday!"
Saturday August 30, 1975
CNE Grandstand, Toronto, ON, Canada-with the Stampeders (Two shows at 7:00 and 11:30 PM)
Over 44,000 fans turned out for these sold-out shows, emceed by Wolfman Jack. Robert Martin of the Globe noted, “All the audience wanted was hot sand and smoking tires. Whenever they got off that well-worn track, to play, for example, a couple of numbers from Holland…the crowd was polite but uninterested. The reaction of the audience was obviously not unexpected. Carl Wilson, who sang the Holland songs, said ‘Thank you for listening’ as though he had encountered some audiences that have howled him down with cries of old favorites. There were lots of those.”
Sunday August 31, 1975
Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
Over 18,000-fans turned out for this show and as usual they wanted to hear the old Brian Wilson favorites. Doug Pringle of the Gazette noted, "Sloop John B got the show off to a great start but it was Help Me Rhonda that had the crowd on their feet and dancing. It was to remain that way, except for a few songs from the Holland album that had the crowd waiting politely for the show to start again...Musically the band, which included five additional musicians, was not as together as it might have been and there were times when the famous Beach Boys harmonies were far from perfect. But I'm sure no one there cared. For a Beach Boys concert is good vibrations all the way. If there was a high point, it was the string of California Girls, Wouldn't It Be Nice and Good Vibrations that closed the show. The crowd, however, wouldn't let them go and they came back for a three song encore, including Surfin USA. That still wasn't enough for the ecstatic crowd and they came back one more time for Fun, Fun, Fun."
Monday September 1, 1975
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys returned to the Nassau Coliseum for a second night due to demand. While he was in New York, Mike gave an interview to Newsday and noted that the group planned to record a new album that fall. He noted, "We've already got about 50 tunes written among us and the only reason we haven't done an album sooner is because we have been touring so much that we haven't had any time. Another thing we'd really like to do is make an album with Chicago." In fact, the album wouldn't really be recorded till the spring of 1976 and would not appear till that summer. The photo was taken on August 22.
Tuesday September 2, 1975
Great American Music Fair, Syracuse, NY-with the Doobie Brothers, America, Jefferson Starship, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Stanky Brown (12:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys ended their summer tour with an appearance at this 12-hour show promoted by John Scher. Bad weather turned the fairgrounds into a giant puddle of mud and delays led to the group not taking the stage till 11:30 PM. The Syracuse Post Standard noted, “By that time, many concertgoers had given in to the increasing cold and wind and gone home. But for those who remained, the Beach Boys played the best of the surfing music they’ve made so popular over the past several years, including ‘Sloop John B’ and ‘Help Me Rhonda.’” This was Putter Smith's last show with the Beach Boys. He commented, "The money they were making (at that time) was ridiculous but I only made $800 a week! Elvis paid $2500 a week! I said to them I can’t go out again for that pittance! When they called me for the next tour-I said, 'Remember what I said about the money?' They said, 'were you serious?' Ridiculous!"
Saturday October 25, 1975
ACC, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys were supposed to play at Northwestern University on October 24. The opening act, Ambrosia, actually took the stage but the Beach Boys never took the stage because Mike was stranded in Indianapolis and could not make it to the gig. Hence, the Beach Boys agreed to play Northwestern in November and the tour opened in South Bend instead. For this tour, Mississippi native Elmo Peeler replaced Ron Altbach on keyboards and Jim Guercio took Putter Smith's place on bass. Making their fifth appearance at Notre Dame, the group received a gleeful reception from the "Irish" audience. Patrick Small of the Observer noted that the Beach Boys sounded under rehearsed and “ragged" but also admitted that “the harmony on the softer songs was at times magnificent, particularly ‘In My Room’ and the end of ‘Heroes and Villains’ with the exquisite ‘ahs’ backing Al Jardine’s vocal.” However, Small was troubled by some things that he witnessed. He commented, with some regret, that many album cuts had been abandoned and that “Their live act has evolved into oldies night, which isn’t surprising since they haven’t recorded an album of new songs in almost three years…All that was heard was the tried but true verses that stimulate nostalgic excitement.” While the entire band had agreed on the set changes that Guercio had suggested in 1974, there was a clash brewing within the band over whether this was temporary or a long-term career path.
Sunday October 26, 1975
Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
6,000 fans turned out for this concert. Bill Turque, of the Michigan Daily, wrote that while the group ran through all their hits and kept the crowd happy, “there was the inescapable feeling that something was missing. The gleeful abandon of youth had given way to a plodding listlessness suggesting the onslaught of middle age…Road fatigue seemed to be corroding their shows. The airy vocal harmonies were just not quite as tight as they used to be, with newcomer Billy Hinsche…the chief offender, nearly sending ‘California Girls’ down the tubes with his off-key singing.”
Monday October 27, 1975
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, IN-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The set included “Sloop John B”, “Marcella”, “Do It Again”, “The Trader”, “In My Room”, “Heroes and Villains”, “Surfer Girl”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Catch a Wave”, “California Girls”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “Help Me Rhonda”, “I Get Around”, “Good Vibrations”, “Barbara Ann” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” Estel Gibson of the Indianapolis News reported that a near capacity crowd, “sang along on most of the old favorites including ‘In My Room’, ‘I Get Around’, ‘Be True To Your School’, ‘Help Me Rhonda’ and ‘California Girls.’ ‘Barbara Ann’ woke even some stoic faces over 30 and brought them to their feet to clap along.” The photo is from the autumn of 1975 but may not be from this show.
Tuesday October 28, 1975
Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN-with Ambrosia (7:30 PM Show)
Keith Badman listed the Beach Boys at playing in Champaign, Illinois in his book and I accepted that information as valid. I have since discovered that the Beach Boys were in Fort Wayne on that night instead. The photo was taken on October 30. Karen Koyanagi reviewed the show for the News Sentinel and noted, "The Beach Boys are no longer boys. But no matter. The enthusiastic crowd included rocking, rolling, stomping teenagers who were probably in knee highs when the Beach Boys were young enough to be boys, as well as those former teenagers who grown up as their idols had. And they were rocking and rolling and clapping too. The group...performed the songs it had developed way back when, including Sloop John B, Help Me Rhonda, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Surfer Girl and Surfin USA. And they were all performed with natural show-stopping enthusiasm-urged on by a crowd who seemed to know the tunes as well (if not better than) the group. This was fortunate since a poor sound system muffled many of the lyrics."
Wednesday October 29, 1975
Horton Fieldhouse, Illinois State University, Normal, IL-with The Eddie Boy Band
I was not aware of this show when I wrote my book. Lynn Zipfel of the Vidette noted that "The high spirited crowd literally ate the Beach Boys entertaining performance up with a spoon. And Mike Love, Carl and Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine, plus their additional musicians, seemed to be having as much fun as their audience. Starting off with Sloop John B, the Beach Boys primarily did songs from the mid-sixties, when they were at their zenith. Now in their comeback, the only evidence of change was their appearance-their beards and the 70s glitter of Love's hat and Carl Wilson's guitar strap...Needless to say it was a professional concert, with each polished number retaining its original freshness. The concert never dragged, even when they played their unfamiliar material, which displayed another mellower side to their music. 'Trader,' a song from their album Holland, which featured Carl Wilson on keyboards, was excellent."
Thursday October 30, 1975
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys were paid $20,000 to perform by the S.A. Concert Committee. The group also requested an organic Chinese dinner (which was cooked backstage and delivered to their dressing room), a carpeted stage (which the Committee was unwilling to obtain and which the group themselves ultimately provided) and alcoholic beverages (which were not provided due to University regulations). The stage set up (including carpet and potted plants, lights and amps) was shipped to the University on Wednesday and Crew Manager Jason Raphalian oversaw the set-up on Thursday.
In what was to become an increasing refrain in reviews by more knowledgable critics, Mike Clancy of the Columbia Daily Tribune noted, "To judge by last night's concert, the Beach Boys haven't lived in the 1970s. The few songs from more recent times, such as Sail On Sailor, were evidence of the Beach Boys continuing proficiency, despite the band's relatively old age of 14. Yet, as if the group remembered the scene a few years back at Brewer Fieldhouse, when the nostalgia-struck audience did its best to keep the Beach Boys from playing newer material, the band did not stray from songs in which all recognized the first chord. The crowd wildly danced and added a strong vocal touch to Good Vibrations, even though songs such as Barbara Ann are an embarrassment to the band's power and are better left undisturbed in rock and roll heaven."
Friday October 31, 1975
Lloyd Noble Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK-with Ambrosia (8:00 PM Show)
The Sooner Yearbook argued that the band put on a "lousy show" at the University and "cheated its audience." The reviewer noted that, "It ran through a sound system somewhat smaller than what the Allman Brothers Band used here two months earlier, three keyboards, two guitars, a bass guitar, drums, a percussion set-up that included tympani and seven voices. Needless to say, it was distorted and fuzzy. The sound reeked of blown speakers. And although there is an emotional appeal to songs like Surfin USA and Surfer Girl, emotional appeal solely, the group used only three numbers from the 1970s and seven since 1966. But the audience ate it up to a fault, swooning over songs, they'd only heard on oldies weekends and 'Endless Summer.' And perhaps that is why the Beach Boys have in the last year or so used less and less new material in their concerts. Their finest moments musically, during Trader from the Holland album, was their worst moment as far as crowd response goes."
Saturday November 1, 1975
Allen Fieldhouse, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS-with the Eddie Boy Band (8:30 PM Show)
This show attracted a capacity crowd of 13,332 people. Tim Bradley of the University Daily Kansan wrote that “a standing, whooping, whistling ovation greeted the stars, and from there, the Beach Boys blitzed through a polished all-oldies set to an exhausted, sweat soaked encore that had the audience bouncing up and down like pistons.” Marshall Fine, of the Lawrence Journal World, argued that the audience was too undiscriminating and that “the Beach Boys’ harmonies, their mark of distinction, were sloppy, off key and even embarrassing.” However, he placed most of the blame on a lousy sound system rather than on the group and admitted that “while mistakes were numerous, the nine-member group acquitted itself stunningly on several tunes, including ‘Catch a Wave’, ‘Darling’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘Barbara Ann’ and ‘Fun, Fun, Fun.’”
Sunday November 2, 1975
Civic Auditorium, Omaha, NE (7:30 PM Show)
11,300-fans turned out for the BBs annual visit to Omaha. Dana Parsons of the Omaha World Herald noted, “For a group that hasn’t had a major hit for several years, the Beach Boys still possess powers far beyond those of mortal musicians. The answer as to why that’s true was locked up somewhere in those 21 songs they performed that told of hot-rodding surfing chasing girls and being a teen-ager. Nostalgia you say? How can an 18-year-old be nostalgic about 1962? No, the Beach Boys charisma goes beyond mere remembrance of bygone years. Their success may have been summed up by a 20-year-old girl who said she thought the Beach Boys were better than Chicago, who set the auditorium attendance record of 11,300 on Oct 8. When asked why she said: 'I don’t know I just feel happier.' The Beach Boys always represented fun and they still do.”
Monday November 3, 1975
Civic Center, St. Paul, MN-with Little Feat and the Eddie Boy Band (8:00 PM Show)
15,800 fans attended this tour ending show. Michael Anthony of the Minneapolis Tribune commented, “They’re so good that one is willing to forget that the band hasn’t produced any new material in years…Onstage, the group doesn’t achieve quite the vocal finesse, the Four Freshmen sound, it achieves in a studio (But no other group does either). Still, the blend was almost perfect in ‘I Get Around’ and the solo vocals, especially from the increasingly rotund Carl Wilson on ‘Sloop John B’ (the opener) and ‘Good Vibrations’ were excellent.” The photo of Carl is not from this show.
Saturday November 15, 1975
McGaw Auditorium, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL-with the Eric Carmen Band (Two shows at 4:00 and 9:30 PM)
These concerts were originally planned for October 24, but were rescheduled. They were the first dates of a 16-day swing through the Midwest, East Coast and South. The accompanying musicians consisted of Ed Carter (bass), Elmo Peeler (synthesizer), Bobby Figueroa (percussion), Carli Munoz (organ) and Billy Hinsche (piano). The set included a few surprises, including “Take a Load Off Your Feet (Pete)” and Chicago’s “Wishin’ You Were Here,” which was sung by Dennis. The full setlist consisted of: "Sloop John B", "Do It Again", "Help Me Rhonda", "Be True to Your School", "In My Room", "Take a Load Off Your Feet", "Sail On Sailor", "Surfer Girl", "I Get Around", "California Girls", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Surfin' U.S.A.", "Good Vibrations", "Wishing You Were Here", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Barbara Ann", and "Fun, Fun, Fun". Opening for the group was the Eric Carmen Band. Carl commented to Jane Scott of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "I've met Eric Carmen several times. We played with his Raspberries group. I really like him. His playing actually shows up better on stage than it does on record even."
Sunday November 16, 1975
Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI-with Eric Carmen (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys were on top of the world again. Their August-September tour had grossed over 2 million dollars and drew huge crowds. Spirits within the group were high. When Jane Scott of The Cleveland Plains Dealer asked if he could imagine breaking up, Carl replied, “I don’t know. All I know for sure is that you never know. But right now we’re having too much fun. And as long as people like us we’ll be out there.”
Monday November 17, 1975
Barton Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY -with Eric Carmen (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys returned to Cornell University for the first time since 1972 and played to a crowd of 5,000-fans at Barton Hall. Kathleen Sullivan of the Ithaca Journal noted, "But while three years ago they insisted on playing music newer than the surfer cult music for which they are famous, last night they played an almost unbroken string of oldie hits...Though three years ago I was slightly annoyed that they pushed new material on good oldies time, I was disappointed last night that they seemed to have stopped pushing in new directions." Sullivan also argued that the group sounded "lethargic and slightly bored" during the first few numbers but that they picked up the pace and enthusiasm when they launched into California Girls. However, she commented that "the once characteristic vocal structure...never quite established itself. Part of the problem was the absence of strong high falsetto once provided by Bruce Johnston. But the vocal backup seemed atrophied all night. Balancing factors were provided by the instrumental riffs, much matured since the old days and by the self-ironic, chest-baring lead vocals of Mike Love."
Tuesday November 18, 1975
Civic Center, Providence, RI-with Eric Carmen (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys opened a little before 10 PM with “Sloop John B” and played for an hour to a capacity audience. Tony Lioce of the Providence Journal reported that the band wasn’t “as tight or quite as polished as they were the last several times they played here” and threw most of the blame on Dennis’ drumming, “which was rudimentary at best. And a few times, he lost the beat completely which didn’t really do much as far as a tight and polished sound was concerned.”
Wednesday November 19, 1975
Boston Garden, Boston, MA (Two shows at 6:30 and 9:30 PM)
The set at this show included “Sloop John B”, “Do It Again”, “Help Me Rhonda”, “Be True To Your School”, “In My Room”, “Take a Load Off Your Feet”, “Sail on Sailor”, “Surfer Girl”, “I Get Around”, “California Girls”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “Surfin’ USA”, “Good Vibrations”, “Wishin’ You Were Here”, “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Barbara Ann” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” While in Boston, Carl gave an interview to Jane Scott and noted that they hoped to have an album out early in 1976. "We've got about 50 drafts completed and we're down to choosing them now." He noted that he enjoyed Dennis's tune Rainbows. "Dennis wrote it and sings on it. It will remind you of country and bluegrass a little." He also noted that he'd been working with Ricci Martin, son of Dean and brother of his future wife Gina Martin. "We did a record, 'Stop, Look Around.' It should surface on Capitol in January. I've known Ricci quite a while. He came over to my house and played the song he'd written and really blew my mind. It has a lot of heart and feeling....I also cut a track with Ricci and Peter Cetera of Chicago. We just did it for fun, but who knows?"
Thursday November 20, 1975
State Farm Arena, Harrisburg, PA (8:00 PM Show)
Friday November 21, 1975
Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY
The Beach Boys played in Niagara Falls for the second year in a row to a sell-out crowd. Dale Anderson of the Buffalo Evening News argued that their music had not dated. "Endless summer rockers like Help Me Rhonda, Surfin USA, Little Deuce Coupe and Fun, Fun, Fun still sound fresh and vital. So do the Four Freshman style ballads like In My Room, Surfer Girl and Wouldn't It Be Nice. But a second year of touring without any new Beach Boys material finds them favoring the pop hits and the distant past, slighting the rich inventiveness of the Heroes and Villains period and virtually ignoring their most recent recordings." The photo was taken on November 24, 1975.
Saturday November 22, 1975
Convocation Center, Ohio University, Athens, OH-with Magic (8:30 PM Show)
The Beach Boys attracted a large crowd at Ohio University. The Athens Messenger noted, "While the Beach Boys offered Good Vibrations onstage, their fans picked up on the good times to gyrate in their seats!"
Sunday November 23, 1975
Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH-with Dave Mason and Eric Carmen (7:30 PM Show)
Eric Carmen and Dave Mason, previously of Traffic, preceded the group on stage but the majority of the 14,250 fans were there to see the Beach Boys. Cliff Radel of the Cincinnati Enquirer declared that “from the first notes of the opener ‘Sloop John B’ to the finale ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ an hour and 15 minutes later, the audience was on its feet, standing on chairs, screaming and dancing in the aisles.” The photo was taken the next night at Richfield Coliseum and shows Elmo Peeler and Dennis.
Monday November 24, 1975
Richfield Coliseum, Richfield Township, OH-with Dave Mason and Eric Carmen (8:00 PM Show)
Jane Scott of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted that despite the cold weather, 'it was sunny and warm' in the Richfield Coliseum for the big indoor concert at Richfield Coliseum (midway between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio) featuring Eric Carmen, Dave Mason (of Traffic fame, who was touring on his new album Split Coconut) and the BBs. She noted, "At first the group seemed more rigid than in their stadium concert this summer, but they gradually warmed up. Love swung his many ribboned tambourine and even tried a flamenco. Guitarist Billy Hinsche, Carl Wilson's brother-in-law, was featured on a song or two. The band wound up with their 1966 hit Good Vibrations and vibrated with Barbara Ann."
Wednesday November 26, 1975
Mid South Coliseum, Memphis, TN-with Eric Carmen (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys were scheduled to play in Frankfort, Kentucky on November 25 but the show was canceled due to poor sales. A crowd of 8,000 attended the concert the next night in Memphis. Jess Bunn of the Press Scimitar reported, “After opening their two-hour set with ‘Sloop John B,’ the Beach Boys rock n’ rolled on and on through past hits like ‘Be True To Your School,’ ‘California Girls,’ ‘Good Vibrations,’ and ‘Little Surfer Girl.’… The crowd let the band know its’ music is still appreciated in Memphis by calling for an encore with a standing ovation.”
Thursday November 27, 1975
Boutwell Municipal Auditorium, Birmingham, AL-with Eric Carmen (7:30 PM Show)
Friday November 28, 1975
Carolina Coliseum, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC-with Eric Carmen (8:00 PM Show)
Pat Berman of the Columbia Record was unimpressed by the Beach Boys. He noted that, "The lightweight but potentially entertaining music of the Beach Boys requires a high-spirited, slightly ironic delivery to be effective but unfortunately the group seemed unwilling or unable to muster the vitality needed for Friday's concert in the Carolina Coliseum...Except for occasional signs of recognition by singer Mike Love, the band seemed oblivious to the audience. California Girls, Surfin USA, Help Me Rhonda, Little Deuce Coupe and others were trotted out and disposed of as expeditiously as the selections from a jukebox."
Saturday November 29, 1975
Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, FL-with 75% the Outlaws (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys played their first Jacksonville concert in some years. The opening act was the southern-rock band The Outlaws, who had that year with "There Goes Another Love Song."
Sunday November 30, 1975
Sports Stadium, Orlando, FL-with Eric Carmen (8:30 PM Show)
Jim Lax of the University of Central Florida Sandspur attended the show in Orlando and noted, “The Beach Boys opened with Sloop John B and ended with Barbara Ann. In the middle they sang the old favorites, California Girls, I Get Around, Do It Again, Help Me Rhonda and a wild rendition of Surfin’ USA. They also sang some of their less famous but still devastating tunes, Be True To Your School and Little Deuce Coupe. The big hit by Chicago ‘Wishing You Were Here” (which was originally recorded with the Beach Boys doing backup) was also done, this time entirely in the Beach Boys brilliant style. Their vocal harmony as well as their onstage antics had the crowd clapping and almost screaming applause from the moment the Beach Boys made their entrance up until the curtain call when they sang three encore hits. The Beach Boys were accompanied by six additional musicians including Eric Carmen in the final number of the performance.”
Saturday December 13 and Sunday December 14, 1975
Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC, Canada-with Cecilio and Kapono (One show each night at 8:00 PM)
The Beach Boys began a west coast swing with Hawaiian duo Cecilio and Kapono. The set was heavy on oldies, with only a few recent numbers included. However, they did give a nod to the Beachago tour, performing Chicago’s “Wishing You Were Here”, and concluded shows with 'Jumpin’ Jack Flash,' back in the set after a long absence (though this was the last tour the song was performed on). Nick Collier of the Vancouver Sun declared, “The reaction of the audience to tunes that are only slightly younger than they are was almost fanatic. They stood, clapped, swayed and sung through ‘Help Me Rhonda’, ‘Surfin USA’, ‘Be True To Your School’, ‘I Get Around’, ‘Surfer Girl’, ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, ‘Sloop John B’, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ and ‘Barbara Ann.’”
Monday December 15 and Tuesday December 16, 1975
Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA-with Cecilio and Kapono (One show each night at 8:00 PM)
The group filled the Seattle Center for two nights, playing for close to 30,000 people. The setlist for these shows consisted of Sloop John B, Do It Again, Help Me Rhonda, In My Room, Sail On Sailor, Take a Load Off Your Feet (Pete), Wishing You Were Here, Surfer Girl, Heroes and Villains, Be True To Your School, Catch a Wave, I Get Around, California Girls, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Surfin' USA, Good Vibrations, You Are So Beautiful, Little Deuce Coupe, Barbara Ann, Fun, Fun, Fun and Jumping Jack Flash. Andrew Meyers of the Everett Daily Herald noted, "Drawing upon a wealth of material and utilizing the vocal harmonies for which they are famous, they succeeded in picking up an interested but uninvolved audience from a point along the road and driving them to a place bordering on ecstasy."
Wednesday December 17, 1975
Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR-with Cecilio and Kapono (8:00 PM Show)
Over 11,000 fans attended the last show of 1975. It was Carl's 29th Birthday and the band wheeled out a cake with burning candles at the beginning of the show. The audience sang happy birthday to him and he then blew out the candles before strapping on his guitar. The high spirits remained for the rest of the night. Oregonian critic John Wendeborn noted that the band played “as if it were 1965 all over again. ‘I Get Around’ and ‘Barbara Ann’ elicited more noise from the audience than any crowd in recent memory…It was a highly entertaining concert, one which sent most of the crowd (if not all of it) home still singing and humming the songs many of the fans had sung along with inside the Arena moments before.”