Beach Boys still cruisin' after all these years

Beach Boys, from left, Mike Love, David Marks, Brian Wilson,

Bruce Johnston and Al Jardine gather around piano to sing at

recent Eugene, Oregon, concert.

It's cool when you can attend the 50th anniversary concert of your favorite rock and roll band. I've been a Beach Boys fan since they began playing Southern California shows in 1961-62 and I was at their outdoor concert in Eugene, Oregon, just a few days ago.

When I see those guys on stage -- or look in the mirror -- I realize that five decades has passed quickly . . . and that times change. Over the years the Beach Boys have had their ups and downs, but haven't we all. Along the way two founding band members have died, brothers Dennis and Carl Wilson.

Music has enriched my life . . . and the Beach Boys have always hovered at the top of my playlist.

The band originated in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, Calif., where my cousins Tommy and Marlene grew up. I lived just a few miles away in Torrance. Several beaches mentioned in the song "Surfin' USA" were nearby.

One of my first 45 rpm records was "Surfin," the Beach Boys' debut single on the small independent  X Records label. That was just before they signed with Capitol and became a national sensation with songs about surfing, sunshine, cars and racing.

As a young teen guitar player, I remember going to an early Beach Boys show at a local recreation hall. Either the place was full or we didn't have admission money,  so we stood outside and listened to the music as it reverberated through the doors. Beach Boys songs were a radio mainstay when I was young . . . "Surfer Girl," "409," "I Get Around," "Little Deuce Coupe," "In My Room" and more.

During the 1960s the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Beach Boys sold tons of records and played concerts all over the world. But it was Dec. 29, 1974, when I got to see my first Beach Boys show . . . in Long Beach, Calif. The band was enjoying a resurgence in popularity and were playing to sold-out halls everywhere. Brian Wilson wasn't touring with the group at the time, so his brother, guitarist Carl Wilson, and cousin, singer Mike Love, led them through "Good Vibrations," "Do It Again," "Sail on Sailor," "California Girls" and more.

Beach Boys Jardine, left, Love, left center, and Carl
Wilson, far right, play Bicentennial show in July 1976

at Anaheim Stadium in Southern California.

The  most fun I had at a Beach Boys concert (until last week, that is) was on July 3, 1976 -- the big Bicentennial Fourth of July weekend gala at a packed Anaheim Stadium, home of the California Angels baseball team. Supporting acts included the groups America and Santana, plus skateboard and stunt flying shows . . . and, of course, fireworks.

In a review for the Palos Verdes Peninsula News, I wrote that the Beach Boys played 27 songs that evening. What I remember, too, is a sea of people in the double-decked grandstands and shoulder-to-shoulder on the playing field, laughing, dancing and cheering with every song.

In fact, dancing in the upper deck became too spirited. Urgent scoreboard messages warned the cheap-seat crowd to stop dancing because the undulating upper deck was straining the stadium structure.

During the show Beach Boy guitarist Al Jardine sported a red, white and blue Uncle Sam top hat (see photo above), which matched the festive mood and was appropriate for the patriotic occasion.

I've been to a few other Beach Boy shows and I've had fun sharing their CDs with my kids as they were growing up. That's why I jumped at the chance to see 'em again when I heard their 50th anniversary tour was stopping at the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Eugene on July 14.

Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks were backed up by a team of fine musicians. They enthusiastically performed 46 songs . . . most crowd favorites with several tunes from their new hit CD, "That's Why God Made the Radio."

The all-ages audience was loaded with Baby Boomers and their purpose seemed clear . . . to have fun. The evening turned into a giant sing-along as the Beach Boys played one familiar tune after another. My wife Pam and I were right in there singing and dancing, too.

There was an underlying message to the Boomers at this concert. We're older now and time becomes more precious with each passing day. That's why it's good to celebrate life and to have fun, fun, fun!

Beach Boys entertain audience during recent 50th Anniversary

concert tour stop in Eugene, Oregon. (Photos by Ken Palke)