Friday January 16, 1981
Sports Arena, San Diego, CA-with American Spring (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys first show of 1981 was a family affair. American Spring opened the concert and Dean Torrence joined the band for encores of “Barbara Ann” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” However, Bob Laurence, of the San Diego Union, opined that while the 10,000 in attendance had a blast, there were major problems with the show. He noted that Dennis was “quite disoriented, carrying on with inappropriate clowning, and in ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ bashing the drums with considerably more abandon then the song called for” and was replaced midway through the show by Bobby Figueroa. He also commented that “Too often the harmonies that once flowed through their throats so effortlessly were ragged and strained, particularly and disastrously in a few songs where vocal smoothness was most needed: ‘Good Vibrations,’ ‘Little Surfer Girl’ and ‘Sloop John B.'” Jack Williams of the Evening Tribune noted that Brian sat “impassive, bored all but motionless behind a white grand piano and a haze of cigarette smoke…Dennis Wilson, the Beach Boys can go on without you and you too Brian-near comatose state that you’re in onstage-because the music you created endures. It crosses generations. It withstands the years, the trends, the faltering falsettos, the shrinking coastlines and burgeoning waistlines.” The photo was taken the next night at UC Davis.
Saturday January 17, 1981
Rec Hall, University of California, Davis, CA-with American Spring (8:00 PM Show)
A near sell-out crowd attended this show. Duncan Strauss, of the Davis Enterprise, noted, “The group played mostly early hits like “Surfer Girl,” “Help Me Rhonda,” ‘Surfin,’” ”Wouldn’t It Be Nice,’ and ‘Surfin’ USA.’ The strong sense of nostalgia and the infectious rhythms of most of these classics-and the large number of people onstage contributing vocals-helped to obscure the fact that many voices in the band, most noticeably Love’s and Brian Wilson’s, have seriously deteriorated. For their vocal sound, the Beach Boys have always felt more is better. Saturday night, more was essential.” Mick Martin of The Sacramento Union noted that the group sounded good but seldom strayed from the Endless Summer hits. “And that was the only regrettable thing about the show. Several songs from their latest albums, such as ‘Some of Your Love’ (From Keepin’ the Summer Alive) ‘Good Timing’, ‘Sumahama’ (both from LA Light album) and early 70s highlights like Sail on Sailor and Funky Pretty, for example, deserve to be featured, if only as proof of their continuing artistic growth.”
Sunday January 18, 1981
Selland Arena, Fresno, CA-with American Spring (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys performed in Fresno for the first time in seven years (I was not aware of this concert when I wrote my book). A full house was in attendance and David Hale of the Fresno Bee noted that the crowd was excited and appreciative: “There were at least three ovations in the first act alone, with the crowd applauding the opening bars of every favorite and it was the first time I can recall seeing a rock concert for which most of the audience spent the entire second half on its feet. And why not? It was vintage Beach Boys music with a western twang (that fitted the stetsons affected by Love and Carl Wilson) that sounded right off the records…The five (plus a handful of supporting players) seemed ready to play all night (only Brian Wilson, Buddha large, chain-smoking and utterly impassive, seemed unmoved by the general chaos). Until they shut down after about ninety minutes, they reeled off a dizzying collection of hit songs, most of them from the mid-60s, with little patter and a minimum of horseplay.”
Monday January 19, 1981
DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
The group took part in the inaugural festivities for President Reagan. 3,000 young Republicans, including two of Vice President Bush’s sons (one of whom was the future President George W. Bush), paid $40 a piece to see the group play a “concert for youth.” Miss America Susan Powell introduced them after singing an A Cappella version of “America the Beautiful.” In addition to playing the concert, the Beach Boys served as honorary chairmen of the entertainment committee at the Vice President’s reception Monday afternoon at the Smithsonian.
Thursday February 12, 1981
The Summit, Houston, TX-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
The group began a twelve-day tour with Randy Meisner of the Eagles. Former keyboard player Sterling Smith was now in Meisner’s band and the group invited him to play “Lady Lynda” on piano at the shows. Ed Carter, Bobby Figueroa and Mike Meros accompanied the group.
Bob Claypool of the Houston Post lambasted the group’s poor performance. He opined that "The Beach Boys have finally crossed the line that separates strong, continuously creative rock groups from the so-so oldies bands, the guys who just don't have anything new to offer anymore...These days the group doesn't even try to do new material, things from their recent albums (unless of course, you count Chuck Berry's ‘School Days’). Nope they just trot out the oldies, the surf music that made them famous in the 60s...Trouble is they can't even do those warhorses the way they used to.”
Friday February 13, 1981
Frank Erwin Center, University of Texas, Austin, TX-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados
The Beach Boys were a big hit at UT. The Cactus Yearbook noted, "The continuous applause begged for song after song and spectators would not let the show close after the Beach Boys rendition of Berry's 'I Get Around' and 'Surfin' Safari.' An encore of 'Good Vibrations,' 'Barbara Ann' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun' promised that the 'sunshine style' of music would never set."
Saturday February 14, 1981
Assembly Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
After canceling concerts in 1976 and 1979, the group returned to Baton Rouge for the first time since 1973. David Foil of the Advocate reported, “The songs are almost impossible to resist. And classics such as ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’…‘Sloop John B,’ ‘Help Me Rhonda’ and ‘Surfer Girl’ left the crowd up and dancing: so did the medley of surfing songs and the even more hardcore medley of car songs (‘Little Deuce Coupe,’ ‘The Little Old Lady From Pasadena.’)."
Sunday February 15, 1981
Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
The set list for this show consisted of: 'California Girls,' 'Sloop John B,' 'Darlin,' 'School Days,' 'In My Room,' 'God Only Knows,' 'Do It Again,' 'Surfer Girl,' 'Surfin,' 'Surfin' Safari,' 'Catch a Wave,' 'Long Tall Texan,' 'I Write the Songs,' 'Lady Lynda,' 'Don't Worry Baby,' '409,' 'Shut Down,' 'Little Deuce Coupe,' 'Help Me Rhonda,' 'Be True To Your School,' 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' 'Rock and Roll Music,' 'I Get Around,' 'Surfin' USA,' 'Good Vibrations,' 'Barbara Ann,' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun.' The Photo was taken the previous day at LSU.
Monday February 16, 1981
Bicentennial Center, Salina, KS-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados
A sell out crowd of 7,600 fans attended this show. Promoter Rich Lindeman paid the group $40,000 to appear. The Salina Journal declared, "Playing all the hits that made the Beach Boys famous during the 1960s, the rock and roll band had the audience on it's feet a large part of the evening." Indeed, fans were so enthusiastic that they literally ‘brought the house down.’ The stomping and applause caused part of the ceiling and lighting fixtures to fall down.
Wednesday February 18, 1981
Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State University, Ames, IA-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys last appearance at Iowa State in 1972 was one of the most poorly received shows of their career, since they refused to play the oldies the crowd wanted to hear. By 1981, however, things had changed. Bob Steenson of the Iowa State Daily noted, “Most of the concert was devoted to a medley of early BB hits; with very few selections from more recent albums. There were only minor problems with the performance, including occasional mixing problems, feedback squeals and a coughing attack by a morose Brian Wilson during his falsetto solo in ‘Don’t Worry Baby.'"
Thursday February 19, 1981
Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados
8,500 fans turned out for this show and Al put them at ease right away by announcing, “We’ll play all the old stuff. That’s what we’re all here for anyway.” Leland Rucker of the Kansas City Star reported, “The group has given up trying to do anything else, of course. Nobody listened when the Beach Boys tried to say something besides ‘Fun, Fun, Fun.’ Except for ‘Lady Lynda’ from the LA Light album, all the material was pre-1966. The highlight, of course, was the appearance of head Beach Boy Brian Wilson on grand piano. Although he wrote every Beach Boys classic, he managed only a squeaky ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ during the show. Still it was his forceful piano work that held the rest of it together."
Friday February 20, 1981
Barton Coliseum, Little Rock, AR-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
Although the BBs had survived the tumultuous period of 1977-1979, tension within the band continued. A major disagreement centered on the live act. Carl Wilson felt his creativity was being stifled. Pianist Ron Altbach told me, “I always felt that Carl wanted to be a rock and roll guy. He wanted to be able to play rock and roll and be able to improvise. But, playing in the Beach Boys is like playing in an orchestra: you have a part. I mean, he had fun playing the car songs and all that but it wasn’t challenging to him.” Carl was particularly annoyed by the greatest hits only sets. He told Washington Post reporter Geoffrey Himes, “I’d like to see a variety of the later, more artistic stuff. And I think changing the arrangements around now and then is very helpful.” He also was irritated by the unwillingness to rehearse, which he blamed on the band’s belief that no one in the audience cared if they weren’t perfect. Carl commented, "The Beach Boys show puts itself on. All we have to do is show up. We can do a real turkey of a set, and people will come back and say, 'That's the greatest show I've ever seen.'" Carl, however, found himself basically alone in his views. By 1981 his brothers had been all but incapacitated by their addictions and Mike and Al had come to terms with being primarily an oldies act and felt they should give the public what it wanted. The February tour would be Carl's last with the group for over a year.
Saturday February 21, 1981
Gulf Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, MS-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
TThe BBs made their first appearance in Biloxi. Reviewers Lori Ramsay and Allison Brown of the Biloxi Star Herald seemed unaware of the BBs history. Indeed, they were under the impression that the band had broken up in 1964 and was making a comeback attempt!! They noted, “It is hard to believe the music our mothers and fathers danced to can be so popular with the teenagers today.”
Sunday February 22, 1981
Mabee Center, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
David Averill of the Tulsa World noted that the group’s vocal skills had “deteriorated a bit over the years” and that Brian’s voice was “a shell of what it once was” but still argued that they “put on a whale of a show…Mike Love strutting around the stage in a white suit and white cowboy hat. Dennis Wilson keeping a simple but rock-hard beat on the drums. Carl Wilson showing occasional flashes of the old tenor voice and playing those familiar guitar licks. And most of all there were the lush vocal arrangements and soaring falsetto harmony, just like Brian worked it out back in the early 1960s. Who cares that the trademark falsetto now is provided by some of the four musicians who back the Beach Boys on organ, electric piano, bass and percussion.”
Monday February 23, 1981
Greyhound Arena, Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
This concert was a huge disappointment for the student activities committee that organized it. It cost $47,000 to stage and only 1868 tickets were sold, bringing in barely $19,000. However, the people that showed up had a blast. Greg Peretti, of the Portales News-Tribune, reported, "The group played for almost an hour and a half, performing all of their old classics such as ‘Be True To Your School,’ ‘Surfin' USA,’ ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ and ‘Rock and Roll Music’...the crowd, many of whom were toddlers when the Beach Boys started their careers, stomped, clapped and roared their approval with the beginning of each number."
Tuesday February 24, 1981
University Arena, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM-with Randy Meisner and the Silverados (8:00 PM Show)
About 6,000 fans turned out for this show. Kathleen Raphael, of the Santa Fe New Mexican noted, "One surfing hit followed another. The crowd yelled for rock n roll and the Beach Boys sang it...There was even a touch of country. Mike Love, decked out in cowboy hat and emulating a man on a horse, sang the group's version of 'Long Tall Texan.' The Beach Boys promised 26 songs and after an hour and 15 minutes of music with one encore they gave the crowd just that.'
A touching moment at this concert provides evidence of Dennis’ big heart. Sterling Smith recalled, “The Beach Boys were in the middle of their show and the Randy Meisner Band was leaving and Dennis saw that I was waving goodbye and he stopped playing the drums and came over and gave me a big hug and said ‘It was an honor to be on the same stage with you.’ That was nice.”
Sunday April 5, 1981 to Saturday April 25, 1981
Carl Wilson Solo Tour
Carl was unhappy about the decision not to go into the studio in 1980. Mike felt it was far more fun and profitable to tour. In the fall of 1980 Carl recorded a solo LP titled Carl Wilson. He saw it as a challenge to the group to wake up. He told reporter Paul Green, "I was hoping that this album would encourage the guys to get off their butts and really want to make some great records. It’s gotten so the act really hasn’t changed-our in person act-really hasn’t changed in three or four years. It’s time we did something different and maybe this album will be the spark that leads to that.” When the album was released in March 1981 Carl put together a band with ex-brother in law Billy Hinsche and Jerry Schilling’s wife Myrna Smith (formerly of the Sweet Inspirations, who had backed up Elvis in the Vegas years). That April, Carl and his band played a series of nightclub dates. John Daley played lead guitar, Gerald Johnson was on bass and Alan Krigger played drums.
Those that attended hoping to hear their favorite Beach Boys tunes were in for a disappointment. They were treated to an uncompromising set that included only one old song, "Long Promised Road." Carl was excited to do something different, but many critics expressed reservations. Lynn Van Matre of the Chicago Tribune noted, "The accent understandably is on new material. Most of it, unfortunately, is more or less a washout. The songs, with lyrics by Smith and melodies by Wilson, aren't awful by any means...but most are pedestrian and totally unmemorable. So is Wilson's stage presence, which works fine as a part of the Beach Boys but comes off as woefully lackluster for someone fronting a band…With tickets going for $10.50, one expects a bit more."
The full list of dates was: Park West, Chicago (April 5-two shows at 730 and 11 PM) Center Stage, Detroit (April 6) The Agora, Cleveland (April 7-with local band The Generators-During day Carl appeared on local TV show “Afternoon Exchange”), El Mocambo Club, Toronto (April 8-two shows at 7 and 11 PM) Paradise Club, Boston (April 10), My Fathers Place, Roslyn, Long Island NY (April 11-two shows at 8:30 and Midnight) Emerald City, Cherry Hill, NJ (April 12) Bottom Line, NY (13-two shows at 830 and 1130 simulcast on WNEW Radio) Carl solo on the Tomorrow Show-late night on NBC TV-He performed songs from the album with his band, including “Heaven” and the single “Hold Me” and was interviewed by host Tom Snyder. (April 14) The Bayou, DC (April 15-two shows-with Bob Duncan Band as opening act), The Agora Ballroom, Atlanta (April 16), The Poets Club, Memphis (April 17-two shows), The Agora, Dallas (April 19-Midnight show), The Agora Ballroom, Houston (April 20-with The Sirens-one show at 9 PM), The Roxy, LA (April 23-two shows-Dennis attended in a tux, Brian was also there, along with Mike and Bruce and the Rovell sisters) Old Waldorf, San Francisco (April 25-Two shows). The photos come from Carl's appearance at the Bottom Line in NYC (by Bobby Crabb) and his show at the Roxy in LA on April 23 (by Ed Roach).
Friday May 1 and Saturday May 2, 1981
Valley Forge Music Fair, Devon, PA (Two shows on Friday at 7:00 and 11:00 PM and on Saturday at 8:00 and 10:00 PM)
These four shows marked the first concerts without Carl, who had just completed his first solo tour. The Beach Boys assumed he would be back for these dates but he decided to take a longer leave from the group. To make up for his absence, Ed Carter moved over to guitar and newcomer Ernie Knapp was added on bass. Knapp recalled, "I was from west LA and I knew their long-time bass player and (backup) drummer, Ed Carter and Mike Kowalski. Whenever Ed and Mike were off the road with The Beach Boys, we’d get together and write songs and do-little gigs together around LA. I started getting tied in with The Beach Boys through them and by playing first with a group called ‘American Spring’. Then (in 1980) Carl Wilson decided to do a solo album and take a year off and tour on his own. And so, my friend Ed saw that coming up, and... sat me down at his house and said, “Ernie, here’s the bass parts for the show.” And I had my little cassette running and he played every single song, the bass parts for it. I’d kind of tap my foot to keep the time going and he’d hum the vocals just to cue it through the progressions. It was incredible! He gave me all the bass parts for the whole show, straight from Brian Wilson, to him, to me. I went home and I practiced them aand got them down. And then I was really disappointment because Ed said, “Well, Carl, canceled his thing so it’s not happening.” So, you know, that was that and I kind of forgot about it. And then, like six months later, I got home one day and there’s a message on my machine saying, “Ernie, if you can be in New York in three days you got the gig." And then they had a guy deliver a live tape of a whole show, exactly as they did it, a show they had done just a couple of weeks before. I practiced with that for like for 24 hours straight and got on a plane and the next day just walked in. We did a sound check, did like three songs just to kind of get together, and then started doing shows!!"
Bobby Figueroa on drums and Mike Meros on keyboards rounded out the band. Bobby Figueroa recalled the period sadly: “I felt a tremendous loss when Carl left because he was the trail boss. He was the one who kept everyone together on the road and at the shows. So, it was up to us to maintain that and I just felt like there was big piece missing. It wasn’t the same.”
Sunday May 3, 1981
Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh, PA (Two shows at 8:00 and 10:00 PM)
The group enjoyed playing the intimate Stanley Theater. Mike commented to the audience, "Isn't it nice to be in a place like this, where you can actually hear and see?" The degree of Brian's involvement in the band continued to attract press attention. Cameron Cohick of the Fort Lauderdale News noted that after producing 15 Big Ones and Love You, Brian's involvement in the studio had declined and that he had seemed less interested in participating in the live shows. Dean Torrence had noted in July 1980 that "We really feel for Brian in his present situation, where he is not being listened to." He agreed that Brian didn't seem to be doing as much as he could with the Beach Boys. "That's the point. It's because Bruce Johnston thinks Brian's a numbskull and I think Bruce Johnston's a numbskull to think that." However, in early 1981 Mike argued things had changed. "As a matter of fact, Brian has written a lot of songs in the last several months and we're planning an album project for them called Brothers, Cousins and Friends. And he's singing a lot more onstage, he's leading usually on five or six songs. 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' 'God Only Knows,' 'Good Vibrations,' 'Don't Worry Baby' and 'Sloop John B.'"
With Carl absent, Brian was indeed called upon to sing more, though many critics felt that his hoarse, cracked voice (exacerbated by his chain smoking cigarettes) was a far cry from his 1960s peak. The band tried to encourage him. As he was singing “God Only Knows,” Mike interrupted to ask the crowd, "Can he sing or what?" Bill Stieg of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that the group "didn't do a single song post 1966 and the sellout crowd loved every minute. From the opening 'California Girls' to the triple encore of 'Good Vibrations,' 'Barbara Ann' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun,' the theater was one big happy summertime party." The photo was taken at Valley Forge on May 1.
Monday May 4, 1981
Hershey Park Arena, Hershey, PA
The photo was taken two days later in Fort Meyers.
Wednesday May 6, 1981
Lee County Civic Center, Fort Myers, FL
In their first Fort Myers appearance, the group played for 7,300 people. Amy Youngblood of the News Press commented that sound problems marred the concert. "The Beach Boys sounded like they had rehearsed for 20 years for Wednesday's show but the sound technicians must have been recruited from Tibetan monasteries. Brian Wilson threw his hands up in disgust and stalked off halfway through one song because no sound was coming from his keyboard. The four-part harmony in Don't Worry Baby came out in three parts-either a mic conked out or a technician did. But the energy that consumed the Beach Boys radiated out and enveloped the audience in such a powerful grip that people looked shocked to see the Arena instead of Malibu Beach at the end." Apparently, Mike invited audience members to join the band at a nightclub called Urban Cowboy later that night. Mike was absent but Bruce, Ed Carter, Ernie Knapp and Bobby Figueroa showed up and played with the bar band-Shotgun Willie for a while. The photo was taken the next day at Lakeland.
Thursday May 7, 1981
Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, FL (8:00 PM Show)
Kelly Scott of the Tampa Bay Times was impressed with the Beach Boys' Lakeland concert and argued that recent reviews that suggested that 'Brian looked lobotomized on stage' and 'they don't care anymore' were wrong. Though she admitted that 'the singing was at times spotty and the vaunted harmonies sometimes were not harmonious', she still felt that 'when the switch was on and the harmonies blended with a dreamy, viscous quality, there could be no greater complement to a pop song....Brian Wilson is a vital part of the show. And although he and the others are getting older, no one in the teeming Lakeland audience would say after the bopping 1 hour and 15 minute show that the Beach Boys don't care. The show was delivered with verve, genuine good feeling and fine vocal and instrumental musicianship. With Carl Wilson absent, one of the nice surprises was Brian Wilson stepping in to sing lead on songs that included God Only Knows, Wouldn't It Be Nice and Sloop John B. ...Thursday, Brian was a massive but impassive figure parked at his piano, his bearded, deeply lined face pasty colored and clammy. Wearing a sloppy white shirt, royal blue warmup pants and running shoes, he came onstage smoking a cigarette his voice doesn't need. His delivery was painfully rough and flat at first and he struggled in spots of all the songs he sang. But he valiantly climbed up to falsetto ranges in the achingly sweet Don't Worry Baby and he carried off the encore of Good Vibrations in good voice. For longtime followers, seeing the group's troubled pop genius taking such an active role in the live show was remarkable."
Friday May 8 and Saturday May 9, 1981
Sunrise Musical Theatre, Sunrise, FL-with John Day (Two shows on Friday at 8:00 and 11:00 PM and on Saturday at 7:00 and 10:30 PM)
Camerine Cohick of the Fort Lauderdale News noted that the Beach Boys were his favorite group but complained that the group had now become an oldies act. He noted, “Nearly half of the 21 songs in the set were from the years 1962 and 1963, only four were from after 1965 and only one, Do It Again, came from as late as 1968. All of which suited the nostalgia minded crowds just fine. …The release of the early hits-collection Endless Summer in 1974 probably ruined the Beach Boys forever as anything but a nostalgia act. Once that album put the oldies back in the public consciousness, the demand for them has been so great that the group’s superb later work…has been slowly phased out of the shows. Friday that phase out was shown to be complete. One has only to remember the depth and richness of Beach Boys’ show, in the early 70s, to see how routine and predictable the current version is and how limiting. The older shows were infinitely varied with songs from a ten- or twelve-year span offering contrasting moods, colors, tempos and textures. The recent songs gave context to the early ones and vice versa. The variety just made everything sound fresher and better. The current show doesn’t stack up.”
Cohick snagged an interview with Brian on Saturday. Asked if Carl was returning soon, Brian commented: "I don't know. He says he is coming back but I don't trust him. I think he likes what he is doing on his own." When asked if he liked Carl's album, Brian stated, "I didn't like that too much. One or two tracks were ok but most of it (shakes head). I liked Dennis's album though!" Asked if he might do one himself, he said "No I would never do that. Because there is always the possibility that it would fail. I wouldn't want to take that chance. I wouldn't want that kind of karma." The writer expressed to Brian that Love You was his favorite album and Brian stared at him with "a look of alarm and disbelief."
Sunday May 10, 1981
O'Connell Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (8:00 PM Show)
Friday May 15, 1981
Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA (5:30 PM Show)
This show took place prior to a game by the California Surf of the North American Soccer League. It marked one of the first times the band performed in conjunction with a sporting event. C. P. Smith of the Orange County Register reported that they “turned in a generally mediocre performance. Those harmonies aren’t so easy to achieve anymore and cracked, off-key renditions of ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ and ‘God Only Knows’ were particular low-points Friday night.”
Saturday May 16, 1981
County Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA-with Glen Super and the Dreamers (Two shows at 1 PM and 7 PM)
Dave Hardy of the SB News Press noted that the Beach Boys vocals at their evening show (a benefit for the Love Foundation) were "weak" but "the concert was still great fun. Girls screamed, people spontaneously danced and jumped up and down and the audience sang along to such familiar tunes as Help Me Rhonda and Good Vibrations. In short it was all a concert should be. ...I don't think anyone was levitated by transcendental meditator Mike Love but Dennis Wilson jumped on top of the piano during Help Me Rhonda. They only did a few slow songs: In My Room, Surfer Girl and Bruce Johnston sang his I Write the Songs. The rest of the songs were upbeat, classic Beach Boys oldies...but not much was recent-not even Lady Lynda as the show crescendoed. The enigmatic Brian Wilson...played the piano, stoically puffing on a cigarette. Suffering from a sore throat, he declined to sing most of the night despite the ardent overtures of Mike Love. 'I'm shot' Brian would say shaking his head and holding his hand to bearded throat. Still he was coaxed into four-part harmony for the start of School Days. And he did a 'one, two, three, four' to lead off Good Vibrations, but that was it. His high vocal harmonies were sorely missed. With Carl Wilson missing no one else could remember the verses to Don't Worry Baby, except someone in the front row, who coached Al Jardine through the song. "well we got through it' said Mike Love as he and Al laughed it off. So did an understanding crowd. Even when they could remember the lyrics, the Boys voices didn't sound too good. Surfer Girls sounded like a bunch of partying fraternity boys trying to sound like the Beach Boys ...but the group made up for it instrumentally." The photo is by Dennis's great buddy-the late Ed Roach. In my book I printed the photo reversed and I have now corrected it.
Sunday May 17, 1981
Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA (Two shows at 2:00 and 8:00 PM)
Playing five shows in one weekend took a toll on the band, still struggling to make do without Carl. Just as at the previous night in Santa Barbara, there were plenty of bad notes and cracked voices during the Concord shows. Indeed, Bruce called out, “Where's Carl?” in mock desperation while he struggled to handle the lead on “God Only Knows.” Brian took a more active role, but Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Chronicle reported he was not up to the challenge: “The eldest Wilson grinned a lot. Sang very little and badly, played inaudible cling-cling-cling on piano and obliviously performed yoga neck-rolls. Vocalist Mike Love explained that Wilson suffered from a sore throat, but neglected to mention that the condition has apparently lasted almost ten years now.” The photo was taken on May 15.
Tuesday May 26, 1981
4th Annual National Cheerleading Championships, Fontainebleau Hilton, Miami, FL-hosted by Victoria Principal and Andy Gibb
The group (minus Brian and, of course, Carl) performed on the beach for this televised event . Each member introduced themselves to the TV audience. Thus Mike looked into the camera and said, “Hi I’m Mike from Santa Barbara” but Bruce only got out “Bruce from Pacific Palisades, Calif”…before a jovial Dennis shoved him out of the way and yelled in a hoarse voice “Dennis from Venice” to great applause. They played a fun ‘Be True to Your School” and appeared again during the closing credits to sing “Surfin’ USA.”
Friday May 29, 1981
Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME-with Frankie and the Knockouts (8:00 PM Show)
Bobby Figueroa, Ed Carter, Ernie Knapp and Mike Meros accompanied the group on this fairly disastrous ten-day tour, which garnered the band some of the worst reviews of their career. Pete Parisi of the Portland Press Herald attended the opener and commented, "Whether it was a shaky start, or just early in the tour rustiness, the group took a good part of the show, some would say the better part-before it began to click. But once the Golden Boys of Sixties rock began reeling off their countless classics singing the praises of sand, sun, fun, surfboards and parties they had the 7,000 or so on hand dancing in the aisles, or at least standing and singing along.”
Many fans blamed the band's troubles on Carl Wilson's absence from the group. The Beach Boys were initially charitable about Carl's solo aspirations. When they went on the road in mid-May, Mike told reporters the group was playing without him because they didn’t want to sit around at home but that he’d be back soon. However, in late May when the next tour rolled around, Carl was not back. He’d made the decision to spend the summer touring as an opening act for the Doobie Brothers. Carl stated, "I haven't quit the Beach Boys but I do not plan on touring with them until they decide that 1981 means as much to them as 1961. The making of the album and the first tour were scheduled around the Beach Boys activity. I wanted to be free to do my solo thing as well as tour with the group. But by the time my tour ended in late April it was becoming clear that things weren't going to work out way I hoped. Three issues I have raised remained unchanged." The group continued to be resistant to rehearsing and showed no interest in going into the studio. Carl was also at odds with the band over the decision to play long residencies in Tahoe and Vegas, which he felt was very “un-rock and roll.”
Saturday May 30, 1981
Civic Center, Hartford, CT-with Frankie and the Knockouts (8:00 PM Show)
11,794 people turned out for this concert. A disappointed Colin McEnroe of the Hartford Courant noted that "Brian...spent most of the evening in a zombie-like-state puffing a succession of cigarettes while absent-mindedly playing the piano and gazing off into the wings.” Nor did the band get much help from Dennis. According to McEnroe, he spent most of the show “hurling cups of water and verbal abuse at the roadies, throwing his drumsticks to the floor in disgust, and generally suggesting, through his angry and rather bizarre behavior, that his brief association with Charles Manson was not an entirely isolated phenomenon." The photo was taken on May 29.
Sunday May 31, 1981
Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY-with Frankie and the Knockouts (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys continued to struggle in Carl's absence, which required Brian to take more leads. It was clear to many observers that Brian was not in any condition to take his place in the spotlight at this time. Jim Bisco of the Buffalo News compared this performance unfavorably to one he’d witnessed the previous April and placed the blame solely on Brian. He noted that he “didn't come anywhere near the melody of 'Little Surfer Girl.' He butchered brother Carl's big song 'God Only Knows.' He sounded like the worst Gong Show contestant trying to hit the high notes on 'Don't Worry Baby,' a little-sung hit in concerts. And 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' wasn't by the time he plowed through that beloved opening.”
Monday June 1, 1981
Civic Center, Providence, RI-with Frankie and the Knockouts (8:00 PM Sh0w)
Gregg Krupa of the Evening Bulletin argued that the group was sluggish in the first half of the show “and by the time a somewhat lamely performed surfing medley…was complete, the audience seemed to sit back and wait for the surf to break…They waited a while. …Brian Wilson put the sun behind the clouds with his incredibly hackneyed, atonal vocals on Don’t Worry Baby. Brian’s voice remained well out of tune, even for him, the rest of the night, except when the malaise was briefly interrupted in Surfin USA, late in the show. Things really didn’t get going until grey-bearded vocalist Mike Love gave the boys a stiff, figurative boot in the Bermuda shorts. ‘We’d like to get a few classic automobiles out of the garage now,’ he began, introducing a car medley. ‘No problem. There’s no problem with the audience. I wonder about the GROUP!’ The car medley…brought much of the audience to its feet, where it remained for most of the last half of the evening.”
Tuesday June 2, 1981
Community War Memorial, Rochester, NY-with Frankie and the Knockouts (8:00 PM Show)
About 7,000 fans turned out at the 10,000-seat War Memorial. While noting that there were "some fine moments" in the show, Jack Garner of the Democrat and Chronicle couldn't help but notice "Those famous and intricate Beach Boy harmonies were missed more than they were made and some of the lead vocals were thin or downright flat...Drummer Dennis Wilson …didn't even try to sing onstage. Though his drumming was strong and contemporary, he also acted a bit erratic by throwing down his sticks and quitting in the middle of 'Surfin' USA.' (A support percussionist took over the drumming chores for the last few tunes of the hour and a half set.)"
Thursday June 4 to Sunday June 7, 1981
Westbury Music Fair, Westbury, NY-with Glen Super (One show on Thursday and Friday at 8:30 PM and two shows a day on Saturday and Sunday)
The group concluded their east coast tour with a four-day, six show stand at Westbury Music Fair. The group's appearance at this smallish venue was viewed by critics as illustrating their commercial decline. During the engagement, British guitarist Adrian Baker sat in with them. A Beach Boys fan, he’d recorded a medley called “Beach Boys Gold” with his band Gidea Park that had become an unexpected hit in the UK in 1981. When DJ Roger Scott of Capitol Radio interviewed the Beach Boys that spring, he played them a “Happy Birthday Brian Wilson” recording Baker had made. The group was impressed by his vocal prowess and invited him onstage at Westbury. Baker recalled, “I played the songs and sang harmonies until Bruce told me to watch out for the song ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ because Brian might not be able to sing it. Brian was playing his white grand piano but he was not feeling so well that night. Normally he would sing the song ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ but that’s what Bruce was getting at! He wanted me to sing it…I jumped to my microphone as fast as I could and sang the song. Mike Love congratulated me and the audience was quite appreciative. The show came to an end, and I was feeling pretty strange but it was a fantastic experience!” The appearance was an audition and Baker was invited to join the group for their next tour.
Saturday June 20, 1981
Poplar Creek Music Theater, Hoffman Estates, IL-with Glen Super
The group embarked on a two-week tour with Ed Carter, Bobby Figueroa, Ernie Knapp, Mike Meros and newcomer Adrian Baker. Bobby Figueroa recalled, “Adrian was real learned and a cool guy to play with. He had a (Beach Boys) medley type thing out and I was amazed at how well he did it. He toured with us for a while and did a great job.” The opening date at Poplar Creek showed Carl’s absence had not affected ticket sales. The group nearly sold out the 17,000-seat venue. The photo of Brian was taken during the Pine Knob residency that followed this show.
Sunday June 21 to Tuesday June 23, 1981
Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI-with Glen Super (One show each night at 7:30 PM)
Over 33,972 fans turned out for the three-day stand at Pine Knob. The band was still adjusting to a new lineup and John Laycock of the Windsor Star, commented, "Technically speaking they didn't play all that well. I've heard bar bands with half as many members get more fidelity out of these numbers. But never mind. By now the songs have their own life. They have such independent presence they let Mike Love serve as front man with his hoarse voice, mincing around the pristine white stage in front of the matching white instruments. And they let Brian Wilson sit like an unhappy Buddha at the baby grand, chain smoking and staring at the keyboard. "
Wednesday June 24,1981
Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta, GA-with Glen Super (Two shows at 7:00 and 10:00 PM)
OveOver 10,000 fans attended the Beach Boys' two shows at Six Flags amusement park. Andrew Slater of the Atlanta Journal noted that the group performed no songs at the first show that postdated Good Vibrations and postulated that this surrender to nostalgia was one reason for Carl's absence. "Without Carl, the group's densely clustered vocal harmonies, once the hallmark of its style, sounded a bit shallow. Lead vocalist Mike Love tried to hold things together, while some newly acquired support musicians attempted to recreate the style that made the original band's hits so pleasing. During God Only Knows, Brian Wilson sang in place of Carl but Brian...had difficulty delivering the pristine lead vocals required to execute the song properly. Brian sat like a buddha behind his white piano, slapping the keys with spasmic spurts. His lead vocals on Don't Worry Baby were not entirely on target but were good enough to please the audience. And this was true of most of the set. It was the songs that were cheered, not how they were played or sung." The photo was taken at Pine Knob a few days before.
Thursday June 25, 1981
Starlight Musicals, H. U. Brown Theater, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN-with Glen Super (Two shows at 6:30 and 9:30 PM)
The Beach Boys management booked them into the small outdoor H.U. Brown Theater rather than the Fairgrounds. While attendance was good, the shows were disappointing. Bruce commented that the audience “sat on its hands.” The Indianapolis Star noted that the instruments drowned the vocals out and that the decision to play only the early hits created a set that was repetitious and monotonous and "there was no production. They simply came out and did their thing. Little fanfare, little talk and no attempt to establish rapport with the overflowing crowd-they do that with their music." Beach Boys' fan Zach Dunkin of the Indianapolis News called the shows "sad and embarassing" and "by far the worst" of the group's appearances in Indiana that he had witnessed. He noted that harmonies were ragged and singled out Brian as the main culprit. Dunkin noted, "Brian took a masterful tune of his own...Don't Worry Baby and destroyed it. The vocal range of the song as it was originally done is completely beyond Brian's deteriorated vocal capacity (the cigarette smoking at the piano does not help). ...Brian the one-time musical genius sits at the piano like a zombie at times while other members of the band continue to patronize him, just as they have been doing since his return to the stage four years ago. ....Backstage after the show Mike Love admitted the band missed Carl but noted that there were plenty of people onstage capable of subbing for Carl. There are no capable substitutes for Carl...and a Beach Boys tour without him is a farce."
Friday June 26, 1981
Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH-with Glen Super
A capacity crowd of 19,010 fans turned up at Blossom but only came to life when Dennis claimed the piano and the band leapt into “Be True To Your School” 18 songs in. Jane Scott of the Plains-Dealer blamed audience coolness squarely on the band. She commented, "The group hasn't changed much with the times…Love moved more or less like an older man and the overall effect was stilted…A big drawback, ironically, was the mastermind of the group, Brian Wilson. He sat glumly at the piano, almost as if hypnotized. 'C'mon Brian,' one of the group yelled to him when he should have started to play. When he did sing a song, God only knows it was a mistake. His voice was rough and tuneless."
Saturday June 27, 1981
Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN-with Glen Super (8:00 PM Show)
This concert was a fill in date scheduled only 12 days before. Thanks to radio advertising the band still attracted a full house of 7,527 fans.
Sunday June 28, 1981
Carowinds Palladium, Charlotte, NC-with Glen Super (Two shows at 3:00 and 7:00 PM)
Elaine Westarp of The Charlotte News reviewed the first of two shows at Carowinds Amusement Park and noted, "Harmonies faltered occasionally at the one hour and fifteen minute performance but by night's end the band seemed to be having as much fun as the audience. Except for a few added selections, like Bruce Johnston's I Write the Songs and the Beatles' rocker Back in the USSR, the night concert was vintage Beach Boys. ...By concert's end Sunday, even some of the grandmothers in the audience were singing along."
Tuesday June 30, 1981
Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, Charleston, SC-with Glen Super (Two shows)
The Beach Boys appearances in Charleston were slow sellers, though the first concert ultimately sold out. John Burbage of the Evening Post noted that the group was not in great shape vocally. "Those of who came to hear the harmonizing that made the band so great were disappointed. But apparently that's not why most of the people in the audience came. They wanted to have a good time and for them the concert was 'fun, fun, fun' to cop a phrase that kept ringing in our ears as we left after the show. Almost everyone there knew the lyrics to all the songs and most of the members of the band, especially Bruce Johnston, gave them to us with heart. I must add that it was heartening to see Brian Wilson there behind the piano. Brother Carl was off doing a solo album somewhere. Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine were also there, though the hair on their heads wasn't. Dennis had gotten a haircut and Mike and Al kept their pates covered with baseball hats."
Wednesday July 1, 1981
Civic Center, Huntington, WV-with Glen Super (8:00 PM Show)
7,688 fans turned out for this show, 742 seats short of a sellout. Dave Peyton of the Herald-Dispatch reported, “They sang the songs that made them famous-from ‘Little Surfer Girl’ to ‘Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann.’ Brian Wilson, who usually sings lead on only one song ‘Sloop John B,’ sang lead on ‘God Only Knows’ as well as ‘Don’t Worry Baby.’ Few people thought Brian was in perfect form last night, but those close to the troubled performer said he was better last night than on most nights.”
Saturday July 4, 1981
Washington Mall, Washington, DC (6:00 PM Show)
For the second year in a row, the group played a free concert in Washington. Prior to the gig, Mike and his manager Dan Parker made the rounds, speaking to the press and promoting Hawaiian Tropic Suntan Oil. Mike told reporter Lloyd Grove, "This is not a flag waving thing. Its just summertime, that's all, and that's a natural time for the Beach Boys. Sure it's also sort of a message for the rest of the world. They can see and hear something positive and wholesome instead of a lot of politics and economics. People like to have a good time and forget about their troubles. That explains the whole show...What Bob Hope was to his generation, I hope the Beach Boys will become to this generation...We want to create an atmosphere of positivity."
Over 400,000 people were present when the group took the stage. Geoffrey Himes of the Washington Post admired the spectacle but was less than impressed with the event as a musical performance. He noted that they only played two songs recorded after 1968 (“Lady Lynda” and “I Write the Songs”) and that with Carl gone, Dennis mute on drums and Brian banging inaudibly on a piano and only occasionally singing an off key vocal, "this left the show in the hands of Al Jardine, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, who seemed to have little feel for a great musical legacy. They cloaked around and undermined beautiful songs like 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' with sloppy arrangements. They also passed over a long list of superlative songs to sing such weak selections as 'Long Tall Texan.' The show was simulcast on Q107 FM and is not a great listening experience.
Sunday July 5,1981
Queen Mary Parking Lot, Long Beach, CA-with Hosts Wolfman Jack and Charlie Tuna, Rick Springfield, Three Dog Night, Jan and Dean, Pablo Cruise and John Sebastian
The group flew across the country to take part in another free concert to celebrate America's birthday. Television Producer Marty Pasetta (whose previous credits included Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii) took charge of filming the event for a TV special titled Good Vibrations Over America. 51 television stations and numerous radio stations across the country broadcast it live. Mike dreamed up the special. He told the LA Times, "We want to give something back to the people." Unfortunately, a long flight from Washington and hours waiting backstage in the hot sun took a toll on an already extremely fragile group. Many fans and critics believe the show was the band's all time worst performance. Carl, watching it on TV while touring with the Doobie Brothers in Michigan, called it "painful” and commented, “It made me feel real bad to see the guys, because they looked like they'd been on a plane all night. But I think it's inexcusable to not communicate the song as best you can. When you're a professional musician and people have learned to love what you do and have paid money to come see you, I think you're obliged to make a real good delivery." Certainly, Brian’s strained vocals on “Don’t Worry Baby” were less than stellar and the band’s playing was frequently sloppy. There were, however, some fun moments. Jan and Dean joined the band for “Barbara Ann” and hosts Wolfman Jack and Charlie Tuna sang along for closer “Fun, Fun, Fun.”
