Saturday February 20, 1971
Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA-with the Flame and Flash Cadillac (8:00 PM Show)
As 1971 began the Beach Boys faced numerous challenges. Their record sales had plummeted to an all time low. They still attracted large audiences in the heartland, but college aged music fans on both coasts had forgotten them. In many circles they were regarded as a passé oldies act. Bands like the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin were far more popular and influential with young people. The Beach Boys recognized that they would have to tour more heavily than they had in recent years if they wanted to get the word out that their band was no longer about Little Deuce Coupes and striped shirts. 1971 would see them crisscross the country while playing dozens of concerts at major colleges and universities. Jack Rieley convinced the group that they needed to follow up the good reviews they received at the Big Sur Folk Festival and the Whisky A Go Go by completely revamping their stage act. As Bruce explained at the time, “we’re building our stage show from about forty-five minutes to ninety and leaving a lot more room for solo spots.” The Beach Boys abandoned the “greatest hits” sets for good and instead focused on presenting more recent material and deeper album cuts. The hits were reserved for the end of the show, which was now divided into two separate segments. The group would play one set, take an intermission, and return for a second set. Daryl Dragon recalled, “They started doing that because they got cold. Cool bands played long shows. Jack was telling them, ‘The Stones play two hours so you need to also.’”
For the Beach Boys first concert of 1971 Daryl Dragon, Ed Carter, two percussionists and a five-piece horn section, accompanied them. They played for ninety minutes, giving the group more opportunity to showcase their newer music, while also satisfying the crowd’s insatiable demand for oldies. The expanded set list included “Heroes and Villains,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Country Air,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Cool, Cool Water,” “God Only Knows,” “Vegetables,” “Good Vibrations,” “Surfer Girl,” “I Get Around,” “Riot in Cell Block Number 9,” Merle Haggard’s “Okie From Muskogee,” “Caroline No,” “Tears in the Morning,” “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring,” two songs by Dennis (“Forever” and “Barbara”) and a cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” (sung by Bruce). According to Todd Everett of the Los Angeles Free Press, “To nobody’s great surprise (although slightly offensive to the group’s artistic instincts) most of the applause came for the old numbers…The group’s ensemble vocalizing was generally more interesting than their solos. In this respect, Brian’s presence was sorely missed; his high, pure voice is one of Southern California’s natural wonders…Bruce Johnston’s two numbers, the original ‘Tears in the Morning’ and Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ were quite nicely done. Dennis Wilson, with two numbers of his own, also did well.”
Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times remarked, “The focus in the Beach Boys’ music is always crisp. The songs move forward with economy and direction. There is no flashy, self defeating, self indulgence in the music.” Hilburn, however, was aware that the group was trying to change their image and commented, “They should stick to business between songs rather than slow down the pacing by unnecessary chatter. And there’s no reason they should waste their time allowing Bruce Johnston to sing Elton John’s ‘Your Song.’ The group has too much at stake now not to make every moment on stage count.” John Ingham of Creem magazine didn’t mind the chatter, which he wrote was “both lengthy and humorous” but did take the Beach Boys to task for being “lazy and complacent.” He noted they played nothing they had been working on since Sunflower and that their arrangements stuck closely to the old recordings, “never bothering to explore the harmonic possibilities or use the instrumental complexities or subtleties. Instead, the horn section creates volume without texture, within which the band works as a rhythm unit. Through all this only Daryl Dragon’s piano work provides any musically excellent quality.” The reviewers also noted that Brian attended the show and stood backstage watching the performance. Mike repeatedly tried to cajole him onto the stage, even getting the audience to chant his name, but Brian stayed put.
Wednesday February 24, 1971
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY (8:00 PM Show)
The real Beach Boys comeback began with their now legendary Carnegie Hall concert on February 24. It was a return to New York City, where the Beach Boys were now a mostly forgotten relic. The show was set-up by two enterprising young men named Michael Klenfner and Chip Rachlin. Klenfner was employed as a security guard at the Fillmore East, while Rachlin worked as a booking agent with Bill Graham’s Millard Agency, which operated out of offices above the Fillmore on Second Avenue. The two men shared a common passion for the Beach Boys and approached Graham about booking them. Graham, still smarting from his very negative 1968 experience with the group, told Klenfner and Rachlin that there was no way he’d ever let the Beach Boys play at the Fillmore again. However, he gave them permission to try to find another venue if they wished. They secured two other partners named Carl Apter and George Brown to help supply the financial backing and formed a company called KRAB Productions. Rachlin then called American Productions in Los Angeles to arrange a contract. The group agreed to play the shows for a flat fee of $9,000, which included travel expenses. Carnegie Hall was secured for two concerts though tickets for the second show failed to sell and only one performance took place.
The group flew into New York on February 23, 1971 and taped a live interview for influential radio station WNEW. DJ Pete Fornatelle was a huge Beach Boys’ fan and heavily promoted the show. He also emceed the concert. Chip Rachlin informed him that the group did not want to be referred to as an oldies act and that he shouldn’t mention surfing or their old image. However, Fornatelle had no intention of abiding by these dictates. Instead, he walked on stage on February 24 carrying a surfboard and announced, “Growing up wouldn’t have been half as much fun without these guys. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Beach Boys!” Rachlin, who refers to the show as “the moment that changed my life,” recalled, “The lights came down and the opening song was ‘Heroes and Villains’…and they brought the horn section out and it sounded so much like the album… Everything you’ve read was true. They were that fucking good! The vocals were perfect…it was amazing. I don’t know what we expected. I’d been so busy working on the show and trying to con our way and get stories in the newspapers. I hadn’t thought about what it would sound like and why we were doing a show in the first place.”
Ed Carter (bass), Daryl Dragon (piano), and Dennis Dragon (extra percussion) accompanied them, along with a five-piece horn section. The set list for the Carnegie Hall concert consisted of “Heroes and Villains”, “Help Me Rhonda” (with Carl on lead), “Aren’t You Glad”, “Cottonfields”, “Okie From Muskogee”, “Country Air”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “Vegetables”, “Cool Cool Water”, “Lady” (sung by Dennis), “Forever” (sung by Dennis), “Darlin”, “Caroline No”, “Riot in Cell Block No 9”, “Tears in the Morning” (sung by Bruce), “Your Song” (sung by Bruce), “You Still Believe in Me”, “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring”, “Sloop John B”, “In My Room”, “God Only Knows”, “Good Vibrations”, “California Girls”, “Surfer Girl”, “It’s About Time”, “I Get Around” and “Johnny B. Goode.”
Afterwards, the band returned to the Chelsea Hotel, where a writer from Crawdaddy interviewed them. Carl commented, “I enjoyed the concert very much tonight, especially the second half. The first half was all right. I was having fun. I always dig it but the second half was really nice.” Bruce remarked, “Carnegie Hall knocked us out. Performing is such a beautiful thing. It’s just as beautiful as making a record. You may be recreating songs you’ve recorded but it goes way past that. I would rather make records recording live than going into a studio because I think I’m a better performer creatively when I’m juiced up and really performing.” While in New York they were also interviewed by blues singer Barry Goldberg. A film of this interview is in the possession of Brother Records. A portion appeared on a DVD release in 2012
Thursday February 25, 1971
Agora Auditorium, Columbus, OH
This was the first of numerous concerts that the group played for promoter Jim Koplik’s Peace Island East. He recalled, “I was a big Beach Boys fan and they were not that popular at the time. So, I just booked the show at the Agora, which was directly across the street from OSU (Ohio State University). A lot of northeast kids go to Ohio State and the Beach Boys were always popular in the northeast. I recall that it was a beautiful day in late February. It was like 70 degrees outside and I filled the place up. And (as a result) I got very friendly with the group, because they were shocked at how well they did.”
Sunday February 28, 1971
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA-with Seals and Croft (7:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys played one more important east coast show in Boston before heading back to California. Charles Giuliano of the Boston Herald declared “the Beach Boys, minus leader Brian Wilson, produced a masterful concert of more than two hours…and a smashing success on every level…For me the best moment was when Bruce Johnston offered a solo of ‘Tears in the Morning,’ from Sunflower…He followed it with a fine rendering of Elton John’s ‘My Song.’ I could have enjoyed an entire evening of Bruce Johnston and his piano.” While Giuliano loved the show, he noted that the crowd was resistant to the group’s inclination to play newer material. Whenever a song ended, there were screams from all over the hall for “Good Vibrations,” and “I Get Around.” The Beach Boys were determined not to give in to nostalgia and refused to play these songs until the end of the show. Bruce yelled to the crowd at one point “This isn’t a rock and roll revival, so cool it.” Mike fended off the requests with plenty of sarcasm as well.
Former Beach Boy David Marks was attending music school in Boston and recalled, “I hadn’t seen those guys in a year or two and I was curious to see what they were like. So, I bought a ticket to the show and when I went to hear them and it made me feel kind of sad. Brian wasn’t there, and they had all these horns and stuff. I don’t know what I was expecting…it just seemed so different, so I split. But before I made it through the lobby, I heard someone yell, ‘Hey Dave!’…and I turned around and it was Dennis. With the show still in progress, somehow, he found me. I asked him ‘what are you doing off stage while the band is still playing?’ and he told me he was “looking for chicks.’” Dennis convinced Dave to come say hello to the others, and he ended up joining them onstage, playing guitar on “Surfer Girl” during the encore. On March 1 when the Beach Boys returned to New York to tape a TV appearance on The David Frost Show, David was invited to attend, though he did not appear on camera. The group performed “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Cool, Cool Water.”
Before they headed back west they made one important decision: they signed with the Millard Agency. Chip Rachlin had been so impressed by their performance at Carnegie Hall that he decided he’d love to become the Beach Boys’ booking agent. After discussing it with his boss, Herb Spar, he flew out to Boston and met with them backstage. The Beach Boys allowed Rachlin “on their bus, which was just a bus, no luxury coach, it was like a Trailways or Greyhound.” Over drinks, he learned more about the inter-group dynamics, of which he was only dimly aware. As Rachlin recalled, there was some confusion about exactly whom he had to sell the idea to: “I spent time with Mike and he told me he was the leader of the band, and I spoke to Dennis, who said ‘make sure you always come to me.’” After awhile, however, he realized that it was Carl whom he really needed to convince. “Carl and I started to connect just because he was the businessman and not the crazy (although everyone was kind of crazy).” Rachlin urged Carl and the others to sign with the Millard Agency and allow him to be their main booking agent. “I explained to them that I wasn’t a promoter by trade and that we had a small agency. I was really hammering home the Bill Graham connection, the Fillmore. I explained that we should put them in colleges, just to break the mold. Do what we did at Carnegie Hall…Early the following week, I got a telegram from Rene Pappas of American Productions giving me ninety days to represent the band. So…whatever I was going to do, I had ninety days to do it.”
Early March 1971
Terminal Island Federal Prison, San Pedro, CA
Bruce mentioned that they had played at this venue recently in a late-March 1971 interview. The exact date is currently unknown. The photo shows Brian in the studio in the spring of 1971 during the Surf’s Up album sessions.
Friday April 2, 1971
Porterville College, Porterville, CA-with Moses, American and the Flame
1500 people attended this show, which was opened by two young local bands before The Flame took the stage, minus Brother Fataar, who was ill. The Flame was in the midst of recording their second LP, which was produced by Beach Boys engineer Steve Desper. Unfortunately, the album was never released and the group broke up that summer. The Porterville Evening Recorder noted that, “The Beach Boys sang many of their songs from their hit records and they introduced some new ones that will be on future releases. During the evening they would often include some of their early surf songs, which not only brought them fame but was a step in the development of early pop rock music. At the end of their performance, a standing ovation brought them on stage once again for more of their sound.”
Monday April 12 and Tuesday April 13, 1971
Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles, CA-with If and Uriah Heap
The Beach Boys returned for two more nights at the Whisky a Go Go. Although, Brian did not join them, David Marks sat in with the group. He recalled, “When I was hanging around with the guys in Boston, Mike Love had convinced me to come back to California and rejoin the band. So I thought about it… and when I finally got there I was hanging out at Brian’s place and Carl was there. Carl wanted me to play the bass and I said ‘No, I’m not going to join the band and be the bass player.’ But I sat in with them at the Whisky.” The photograph by Earl Leaf may be from this residency (in the Nov 4, 1970 Whisky photos-Carl had a beard and Bruce had a mustache).
Thursday April 22, 1971
John F. Kennedy Coliseum, Manchester, NH
This was the first date of the Beach Boys “comeback” tour of the Northeast. In addition to their horn section (which included trumpeter Terry Jones and saxophonist Sal Marquez), other musicians on this tour included Jeff Kaplan (bass), Daryl Dragon (piano) and his brother Dennis Dragon (extra percussion). Jon Parks accompanied the group. Chip Rachlin had quickly booked the group into a series of east coast venues, mostly college gymnasiums. To save money the group traveled on a chartered Trailways bus. The Beach Boys were usually promised a $1000 guarantee and a percentage of the profits after the promoter recouped their expenses. However, they were no longer the solid draw that they’d been in the 1960s. A number of promoters had trouble selling tickets on this tour. Nevertheless, the tour was important. The group demonstrated that they were determined to rebuild their fan base and would do whatever it took to restore their standing in the rock world.
A tape of this Manchester show exists. The set-list consisted of “Heroes and Villains”, “Do It Again”, “Help Me Rhonda”, “Aren’t You Glad”, “Cottonfields”, “Okie from Muskogee”, “Vegetables”, “Cool Cool Water”, “Lady”, “Forever”, “Riot in Cell Block 9”, “Caroline No”, “Tears in the Morning”, “Your Song”, “You Still Believe In Me”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “God Only Knows”, “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring”, “Good Vibrations”, “California Girls”, “Surfer Girl”, “I Get Around”, “Sloop John B”, “Barbara Ann” and “It’s About Time.”
Friday April 23, 1971
Davis Gym, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA (8:30 PM Show)
According to Chip Rachlin, of 3000 available tickets for this concert only 1100 were sold. Despite the low turnout, the group gave it their all. But Dean Landew of The Bucknellian wasn’t buying the Beach Boys attempt to change their image. His review was typical of criticism the group encountered over the next three years. While they fought to avoid becoming a singing jukebox, audiences often refused to accept anything else. Landew commented, “So their hair got longer and they swapped their Good Humor suits for other clothes…and they do dope and meditation and they probably have got groupies too, but didn’t you hear the same old band of last decade? …Some of their old stuff is done over so it’s slower and sort of funkier, like ‘Help Me Rhonda,’ but wasn’t it great to hear ‘I Get Around’ again like it really used to be? …They don’t have to change. They shouldn’t.”
Saturday April 24, 1971
Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC-with the New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Grateful Dead, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Mountain (3:00 PM Show)
This outdoor concert began at 3 PM and lasted until one in the morning. Steve Emerson of The Chronicle was impressed by the Grateful Dead and Mountain and argued, “The Beach Boys were clearly outclassed in such company…After an hour or so of apologizing for the heavy changes the band had gone through, meaningless guru statements by Mike Love, a lot of wasted time, and some mediocre to poor recent songs backed up by a useless horn section, they realized that if anything was to be accomplished, they would have to play their old songs and forget about the irrelevance Love wanted to attribute to them. ‘Surfer Girl,’ ‘Good Vibrations,’ ‘Sloop John B,’ and ‘I Get Around’ brought the house down and capitalized on a common level of experience felt by all in the stadium. Jerry Garcia was clapping along, rocking and yelling ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ backstage.”
Sunday April 25, 1971
Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA (3 PM Show)
When I wrote my book, I was not aware that the Beach Boys played on campus in Lynchburg. According to the student newspaper, the Beach Boys were paid $1000 up front and received 90% of the gate. The group paid for all of their own expenses.
Tuesday April 27, 1971
Fillmore East, New York, NY-with the Grateful Dead and the New Riders of the Purple Sage (8:00 PM Show)
As part of their effort to gain counter culture credentials, the group made a legendary guest appearance at a Grateful Dead concert. The group was apprehensive about what sort of response they’d get from the rabid Dead-Heads. But Chip Rachlin recalled that “When they came out and everyone realized that this was not a joke and they weren’t just on a bad trip, it started in the back of the hall. This one clap, became two, became a hundred, became literally a wave and it was a stunning aural sensation, which just sort of reverberated through the hall.” Rachlin watched the show from the mixing booth and was joined briefly by Bob Dylan, who was friends with the Dead and had come to see them perform. He turned to Rachlin during the Beach Boys’ performance and exclaimed, “They’re fucking good Man!” The BBs played “Searchin’” and “Riot in Cell Block Number 9” in tandem with the Dead, then on their own they performed versions of “I Get Around” and “Good Vibrations” before the Dead rejoined them for “Okie from Muskogee” and “Johnny B. Goode.”
Prior to this appearance, the BBs taped another appearance on the David Frost TV Show in NYC, which aired on May 7 (the photo is from that appearance). The group sang ‘Forever,’ ‘Lady’ and ‘Vegetables’ and Dennis discussed his upcoming movie release Two Lane Blacktop, which was in post production at the time. Unfortunately, it appears that the footage was erased but an audiotape of the appearance exists.
Wednesday April 28, 1971
Lowell Auditorium, Lowell, MA-with Mist (8:00 PM Show)
The group performed for 2,500 fans at this concert sponsored by Merrimack College. They were paid $2,000 and promised 90% of the gate.
Thursday April 29, 1971
Loew’s State Theatre, Providence, RI-with Swallow (8:00 PM Show)
Friday April 30, 1971
Painter’s Mill Music Fair, Owings Mill, MD (8:00 PM Show)
Promoter Lawrence Steinbach slashed ticket prices in half and got the Beach Boys to take a 50% cut in their fee but a disappointing turnout of less than 1,000 people attended. The concert began with “Heroes and Villains,” and included performances of “Good Vibrations,” “Cotton Fields,” “Vegetables,” “Riot in Cell-block No. 9,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Okie from Muskogee,” “I Get Around” and “Little Deuce Coupe.” Washington Post reporter Tom Zito declared the concert “an almost perfect evening of harmony and rhythm.”
Saturday May 1, 1971
May-Day Peace Demonstration, Potomac Park, Washington DC-with the Tayles, Charlie Mingus, Linda Ronstadt and Phil Ochs and Springfield College, Springfield, MA (evening Show)
Thousands of young people descended on Washington for a week of anti-war protests and planned to spend the weekend camping out in Potomac Park. Jack Rieley convinced the group to perform a free Saturday concert at this politically charged event. More artists were scheduled to play the following day but the D.C. police kicked the demonstrators out of the park on Sunday morning. This event was filmed and a portion of it can be seen in the 1985 American Band documentary (the footage was silent, so music was overdubbed on it for the film). That evening the Beach Boys traveled to Massachusetts to play at Springfield College. A tape exists of this show, which I was unaware of when I wrote my book.
Sunday May 2, 1971
Paris Cinema, Worcester, MA-with the Psychedelic Magician and American Standard (Three shows at 4:00, 7:00 and 9:30 PM)
The group played any and all jobs that they were offered and checked their egos at the door despite sometimes-spotty venues and less than glamorous accommodations. One infamous appearance was at the Paris Cinema. The Beach Boys were initially booked to appear at Trinity College on this date but high overhead forced the cancelation of the show.The group were promised a $5,000 guarantee for these shows in Worcester, the highest pay they received on the low grossing tour. However, they received quite a surprise when they arrived at the venue. According to Chip Rachlin, “Carl called me at my mother’s house and said ‘Are you familiar with this theater?’ I said, ‘yeah, it’s about 900 seats.’ Carl said ‘They run pornographic films and strip shows.’ I said ‘yeah.’ He said ‘I just thought you’d want to know.’ He was very polite, but said ‘Please don’t do this again.’”
Tuesday May 4, 1971
the Dome, CW Post College, Brookville, NY (8:00 PM Show)
Eric Lesselbaum of the CW Post Pioneer raved that after hearing the Beach Boys “it is obvious that they are perhaps the tightest and most masterful harmonizers in rock ‘n’ roll…The show was separated into two sets. The first included most of their rock stuff with an outstanding version of Merle Haggard’s ‘Okie from Muskogee.’ The other feature of the first set was a 1953 tune, originally done by the Rockets, (Riot in Cell-Block No. 9) that let the brass section loose and exhibited the old-style Beach Boy vocals. The second set opened with an acoustic tune sung by Carl Wilson that proved his fine solo ability as well as making it obvious that big brother Brian Wilson is a great songwriter. Bruce Johnston followed with two solos at the piano, the second of which was the best version of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ that I’ve ever heard. Following this came the rest of the band and all the oldies but goodies, from ‘Help Me Rhonda’ to ‘Good Vibrations.’” The only thing that marred the night was that Dennis apparently got drunk and walked offstage during the show. The photo was taken two days later at SUNY New Paltz.
Thursday May 6, 1971
State University of New York, New Paltz, NY-with Happy and Artie Traum (7:30 PM Show)
The Beach Boys continued to fight the audience’s demand for oldies, which the group usually saved for the big finale. Bruce commented to journalist Tony Kornheiser, “If that would have to be the main part of our show, I don’t think we’d go on the road anymore. We felt that we have new things that will really turn a lot of people on. We do the old stuff as encores. We don’t want to be the Chuck Berry Revival. We know where that’s at. That’s dying.”
Friday May 7, 1971
Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA-with Taj Mahal and Boz Scaggs (8:00 PM Show)
Despite the great bill (the great Boz Scaggs, who’d recently departed the Steve Miller Band for a solo career and blues legend Taj Mahal opened), the turnout for the concert at the Spectrum was small but those that attended were enthusiastic. Mark Russell of the Lehigh University Brown and White gushed that the Beach Boys “were able to play any song they ever recorded perfectly-that includes ‘Sloop John B’, ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘Help Me Rhonda…I could have listened to them for another two hours.”
Saturday May 8, 1971
University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT
The photo was taken the previous day in Philadelphia
Sunday May 9, 1971
State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY (8:00 PM)
John Gregory of the Cardinal Points reported, “Musically, the Beach Boys are ingeniously, primitively sophisticated, backed by a strong five-man horn section and Dennis’ pounding drums… The Beach Boys are a sophisticated good vibrations group, with an amazing endurance record. As their advertising says ‘the Beach Boys are better than ever.’”
Tuesday May 11, 1971
Manley Field House, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY-with Peter Yarrow (8:30 PM Show)
This show was a benefit concert to aid the Berrigan Brothers Defense Fund. Anti-war activist Phillip Berrigan and his brother, Catholic Priest Daniel Berrigan were Syracuse University alumni, who were charged by the government, along with six other individuals, with plotting to kidnap Presidential aide Henry Kissinger and blow-up government heating tunnels in Washington D.C. The Beach Boys appearance at this event showed their support for the anti-war movement, though whether they truly had strong convictions or were simply trying to gain counter-culture credentials is debatable.
Dennis had to return to California to record voice-overs for Two Lane Blacktop, which was due to be released soon. Dennis Dragon filled in on drums. A tape of this show makes the rounds. The set list consisted of “Heroes and Villains,” “Do It Again,” “Darlin,” “Aren’t You Glad,” “Cotton Fields,” “Vegetables,” “Okie From Muskogee,” “Cool, Cool Water,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Student Demonstration Time,” “Caroline, No,” “You Still Believe In Me,” “Sloop John B,” “Your Song,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls,” “Surfer Girl,” “I Get Around” and “It’s About Time.” The group was in great form though the audience occasionally showed impatience when newer material was played and Mike had to lecture them a few times.
Thursday June 24, 1971
Celebration of Life Festival, McCrea, LA-Bands that were scheduled were Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, BB King, Amboy Dukes, Boz Scaggs, Canned Heat, Chuck Berry, Country Joe McDonald, Flying Burrito Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner, It’s a Beautiful Day, John Lee Hooker, Melanie, Ravi Shankar, Richie Havens, Sly and the Family Stone, Taj Mahal, Chambers Brothers, Ballinjack, Kate Taylor, Eric Burdon and War, Buddy Miles, Delaney & Bonnie, and the Dixieland Jazz Band (Beach Boys did not appear)
The Beach Boys were scheduled to play on the fourth day of this weeklong rock festival (June 21-28) but apparently the festival turned into a giant debacle and most of these artists, including the BBs, did not play.
Saturday June 26, 1971
Beggars Banquet Festival, Borough of York Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada-with Blood Rock, Steppenwolf, Bread, Chilliwack, Alice Cooper and Lighthouse (12:00 PM Show)
The BBs had been busy working on Surfs Up and also had to deal with the unexpected injury of Dennis. On June 11, in a drunken accident at home, he put his right hand through a pane of glass, severing crucial nerves in his hand and wrist. Doctors told Dennis that he’d probably be unable able to play the drums again. Mike Kowalski took over drums, with Dennis Dragon also along on extra percussion. Other musicians that played on this tour included Daryl Dragon (piano), Luther Coffee (bass), Sal Marquez and Mike Price (trumpets), Joel Peskin and Roger Neumann (Sax), Glen Ferris (trombone) and Carli Munoz (extra percussion). Munoz was an accomplished keyboardist and would soon become a long-term member of the backing band following Daryl Dragon’s departure in late 1972. Jon Parks was the Beach Boys road manager on this tour.
According to the Toronto Globe, this all day concert event was marred by a “thoroughly inept electronics system, which prompted John Kay, leader of Steppenwolf to suggest a ‘public lynching of the owner of the PA system after the show.” Since many of the acts were loud rock bands, the Beach Boys more mellow sounds were served best by the sound system.
Sunday June 27, 1971
Fillmore East, New York, NY-with Country Joe McDonald, Albert King, the J Geils Band, the Allman Brothers, Edgar Winter’s White Trash, Mountain (9:00 PM to 4:15 AM)
Chip Rachlin worked hard to land important bookings that would show the Beach Boys off to audiences that were ignorant of how good they were live. At times the Beach Boys and their management were their own worst enemies. When Rachlin and Klenfner managed to get the group on the bill for the closing concert of the Fillmore East, Rachlin recalled “Jack Rieley nearly got them thrown off by insisting that they close the show, even though you had J Geils there and you had the Allman Brothers there. The Beach Boys were lucky to be on the show and we had to work very hard to convince Bill (Graham) to put them on the show and then for Jack to take the idiotic position that they had to close the show. Klenfner showed his disgust with Jack in the lobby of the Fillmore, with the glittering lights and all the beautifully lit Fillmore posters. Klenfner threw Jack into a glass case and said he would kill him if he didn’t change his mind…He told him ‘If we go to Bill with this request he’ll throw you out of the theater, so don’t hurt the band by being such a jerk!’ We won that one.”
Fans who bought tickets were only expecting Albert King, the J Geils Band and the Allman Brothers but Graham surprised them by turning the night into a giant seven-hour celebration of rock with numerous surprise guests, including the Beach Boys. They group played one 45-minute set, in-between performances by Mountain and Country Joe McDonald. It consisted of “Heroes and Villains”, “Do It Again”, “Cotton Fields”, “Help Me Rhonda”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “Your Song”, “Student Demonstration Time”, “Good Vibrations”, “California Girls”, “I Get Around” and “It’s About Time.” Billboard called it “a remarkable set” which delighted the “nostalgic audience.”
Wednesday June 30, 1971
Theatre Maisonneuve, Place Des Arts, Montreal, QB, Canada (Two shows at 7:00 and 10:00 PM)
The Beach Boys arrived in Montreal on Monday and spent two days relaxing. Dennis re-joined them, with his arm in a cast. He would not play the drums regularly again until late 1974 and instead wandered the stage, singing harmonies and occasionally playing piano. Boredom set in fairly quickly, as Dennis needed the drums as an outlet for all his manic energy and he seemed lost without them. His close friend Ed Roach confided, “That was when he started to have problems because he wanted to be center stage with Mike and he didn’t have that emcee thing that Mike had that made the group so phenomenal on stage. So that’s when Dennis started to get…well he would get absolutely blotto before going on stage because he thought he’d be funnier like that and he didn’t feel as self-conscious but it wound up making him look more self-conscious. That was when he lost his power within the group. Once the accident with his hand happened, he was drinking like I’d never seen before.”
Thursday July 1, 1971
Kingsbridge Armory, Bronx, NY-with Alice Cooper, Ike and Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, Wilson Pickett, Kate Taylor, Voices of East Harlem, Hooker N’ Heat, 30 Days Out, Illusion, Powerhouse and J.F. Murphy
The group played on day three of a weeklong International Youth Expo.
Friday July 2 and Saturday July 3, 1971
Schaeffer Music Festival, Wolman Skating Rink, Central Park, New York, New York-with Ike and Tina Turner, Boz Scaggs, Kate Taylor and Carly Simon (One show at 8:00 PM each night)
These two concerts were filmed for the ABC TV special Good Vibrations from Central Park. The film crew insisted on capturing two shows to insure they had good footage. Director John Moffitt had the musicians wear the same outfits both days to create the illusion that they had only filmed one show. The Beach Boys performances of “Heroes and Villains,” “Okie from Muskogee,” “Forever,” and “It’s About Time” appeared in the program, along with footage of the other artists. The clip of Dennis singing Forever has been frequently used in documentaries. The Beach Boys spent the rest of July completing the Surfs Up album.
Wednesday September 22, 1971
Ramada Inn, Portsmouth, RI
With Carl’s draft related legal problems finally over, the group embarked on a ten-day tour. As part of the terms of Carl’s settlement, they displayed a 20×8 foot banner with the slogan “We Win” above the stage, encouraging people to register to vote at booths set up in the halls. The group featured over fifteen musicians on stage for these concerts. Not only did the Beach Boys bring along a five-piece horn section with them (composed of Joel Peskin, Roger Newman, Sal Marquez, Glenn Ferris and Mike Price), but they also recruited Ricky Fataar, of the recently disbanded Flame, as a percussionist/drummer, along with Daryl Dragon (keyboards), Ed Carter (bass), Mike Kowalski (drums) and Bobby Torres (extra percussion). Carl’s brother-in-law Billy Hinsche also came on this tour, mostly to sing harmony. Billy remembered the tour fondly as “a very special time for me as I had moved to the next level in my musical experience and career. I had gone from being in Dino, Desi and Billy to being in the Beach Boys and it felt good. I was very proud and honored to be included in their band.”
The Beach Boys opening show at a Ramada Inn was sponsored by Roger Williams College. The Newport Daily News noted, “They opened some people’s eyes, as does their new album Surfs Up… The group has grown so much since the surf days. The new songs sometimes utilize four keyboards at once in a concert. …Overall, the group puts on a great show, and parts of their album are brilliant.” The Beach Boys were not impressed by the venue. Al told a reporter from The Quill that his ear was ringing from all the noise because, “The room was acoustically ill suited for us. All that sound in such a small room is just not good. There should be a law providing minimal acoustical standards for any place where concerts are to be held.”
Thursday September 23, 1971
Music Hall, Boston, MA-with Boz Scaggs (8:00 PM Show)
A disappointing crowd of less than 2,500 people turned out for this concert. Critics agreed that fans that stayed home missed a great show. Charles Giuliano of the Boston Herald reported, “The music leaned toward new works which saw Bruce Johnston and Carl and Dennis Wilson singing solos that proved to be the most moving segments of the exquisite evening…. The artistry of the Beach Boys blossomed in the second set with the masterpiece ‘Surfs Up’ providing an emotional pivot for the program. Bruce Johnston scored with his ‘Disney Girls’ and Carl was superb with ‘Caroline.’ California conquered Boston as the set climaxed with a rocking encore of Johnny B. Goode.” Michael Nicholson of The Globe expressed slightly less enthusiasm but noted that “Carl Wilson was surprisingly good on guitar, and Mike Love’s talks kept things loose. The new stuff like ‘Surfs Up’ and ‘Student Demonstration Time,’ and the old stuff like ‘Heroes and Villains’ and ‘Do It Again’ worked out fine. Dennis Wilson, absent on drums because of a hand injury, contributed the great, great song ‘It’s About Time,’ and sang to his own piano accompaniment (in darkness because of his embarrassment of playing alone) a beautiful song to his wife, Barbara.”
Friday September 24, 1971
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY (Two shows at 7:30 and 11:00 PM)
Seven months after their triumphant show at Carnegie Hall, the Beach Boys returned. Prior to the shows, they held an afternoon press conference at the Hotel Navarro (see attached photo). Nancy Lewis reported in New Musical Express, “The conference was held for the purpose of dispelling all fresh rumors that the group was falling apart. And also to announce the good news that Carl Wilson has emerged triumphant from his five years of legal wrangling with the draft board.” The break-up rumors were caused by reports that Dennis had clashed with Carl and pulled his songs from the Surfs Up album. The appearance of both brothers at the conference put an end to any breakup gossip.
As was now their custom, the band played two sets with a short intermission in-between. The first set consisted of “Good Vibrations,” “Take a Load Off Your Feet,” “Don’t Go Near the Water,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Darlin,” “Student Demonstration Time,” “Cool Cool Water,” “Long Promised Road,” “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B,” and “It’s About Time.” The second set began with Mike reading a poem about TM, followed by performances of “Feel Flows,” “Disney Girls,” “Looking at Tomorrow” and “Caroline, No.” Dennis then performed a solo piano version of “Barbara,” before the group concluded with “Surf’s Up” and “Heroes and Villains.” They had to be pleased by fan reaction at these shows. They were called back on stage numerous times for encores, where they played the oldies “Do It Again,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “I Get Around,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Help Me Rhonda.” Fred Kirby noted in Variety, that the band pulled out “Surfin USA,” which they had not played in years for their fifth encore. “Carl Wilson took vocal lead as he had for most of the show aided by some of the finest vocal blending around. The encore followed an updated version of ‘Help Me Rhonda,’ which the Beach Boys had done during a late set jam with the Grateful Dead at Fillmore East last spring.”
Saturday September 25, 1971
Fieldhouse, Villanova University, Villanova, PA
4,000 people attended this show. Frequent calls for older songs were met with promises that “This is a long show and we’ll get to that.” The audience accepted the message stoically but the group were frustrated by the crowd’s unwillingness to embrace their new music with the same fervor as the oldies. Nevertheless, Jack Correia of The Villanovan reported, “As had been promised…after an excellent hour of Surfs Up recordings that included ‘Disney Girls (1957),’ ‘Student Demonstration Time,’ and ‘Surfs Up,’ the Beach Boys came back and rocked the building with surf music. ‘I Get Around’ and ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ brought the audience to a state of pandemonium. Then ceaseless chanting and pounding brought them back again for (‘Sing-a-long’) ‘Surfer Girl,’ a new arrangement of ‘Help Me Rhonda’ and ‘Surfin' USA.’”
Sunday September 26, 1971
State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY-with Boz Scaggs
Tuesday September 28, 1971
Keaney Gymnasium, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (8:30 PM)
Wednesday September 29, 1971
Taft Auditorium, Cincinnati, OH (8:00 PM Show)
Mike O’Connor of the Journal News called the resurgent Beach Boys, “the hottest act in the business” but took them to task for pretending that it was their new music that was attracting the fans. “They’re playing games with themselves and their fans…Carl and his cohorts literally demolished an audience playing three encores and performing for a total of two and one half hours. But it wasn’t anything from their newer albums that crazed the throng. You guessed it, ‘Little Deuce Coupe’ and ‘I Get Around’ blew the place down…Why did the Beach Boys have to force their current styles on us, when we came to hear ‘Surfer Girl’?”
Thursday September 30, 1971
Warner Theater, Erie, PA (8:00 PM)
This concert was sponsored by the student union of Behrend College. Carol Hughes of the Behrend Collegian declared, “The old songs ‘Do It Again,’ ‘I Get Around’ are the same as they always were, full of action and fun. They contrast sharply with the new Beach Boys sounds and together made a show that pleased everyone at Warner. The concert made it very obvious that the Beach Boys could teach harmonically orientated groups such as Crosby, Stills, and Young and the Jefferson Airplane quite a few tricks.”
Friday October 1, 1971
Clowes Hall, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN
The Indianapolis Star declared “There were a lot of ‘Good Vibrations’ at Clowes Hall last night…We expected to hear a lot of the group’s contemporary sound…Not only did they oblige us with ‘Don’t Go Near the Water’ (an anti-pollution offering) and ‘It’s About Time,’ but also an old favorite thrown in, every other song. And did the audience dig on it? You bet your sweet dune buggy!”
The Indianapolis News added that the Beach Boys opened the show with Good Vibration but, “the first show stopper came with Bruce Johnston’s Disney Girls…Johnston took everyone back with him and drew the first really sustained round of applause of the evening. Just before the group performed the epic Surf’s Up (Love called it ‘the most important piece of music we have ever done’), Love read a poem that he said he wrote in March 1968 when the Beach Boys were in Rishikesh, India with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi…Then came Surf’s Up with Brian Wilson’s music breathing life into Van Dyke Park’s stream of consciousness lyrics. For all the feeling lead vocalist Carl Wilson put into it, the audience response was disappointingly light. Its' appetite for nostalgia unsatisfied, the audience drew the group back for three shouting, stamping, clapping encores. For the first half of their third encore, the Beach Boys did the down-tempo Surfer Girl. After a few bars, a couple in their mid-twenties rose from their seats midway back in the center section, embraced fervently and began to sway to the music. ‘This is for the couple in the 35th row,’ said Love to cheers of approval. They closed the show with Chuck Berry’s Johnny B Goode. The crowd screamed for more until the curtain made it clear the encores were over.”
Saturday October 2, 1971
Athletic and Convocation Center, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN (8:30 PM Show)
8,000 people attended the Beach Boys second concert appearance at Notre Dame (they’d appeared on campus in May 1966). To stave off the catcalls and screams for “Surfin' USA,” Carl announced at the start of the show, “We’re going to be here for a long time, so relax. We’ll get to everything.” From then on, the concert proceeded smoothly. Nevertheless, Mike George of the Notre Dame Observer argued that the audience, while respectful, was waiting for oldies. “Mike Love set the mood for the celebration during the first encore saying, ‘you know the words, sing along. You’re part of this.’ And so, we sang along: To ‘California Girls’, to ‘I Get Around’, to ‘Fun, Fun, Fun,’ and especially to ‘Surfer Girl.’…We enjoyed being kids again. We enjoyed it so much that we brought the Beach Boys back from the dressing room three times to help us.” Following this show, the band spent the night at Randall’s Inn. On Sunday they headed to Chicago to catch a flight home to L.A.
Saturday October 23, 1971
“People’s Concert”, Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, AZ-with Taj Mahal, Woodlord Haven, Joe Benthencourt and Miguel (12:00 PM Show)
This was a benefit show sponsored by radio station KRIZ and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board, with the proceeds going to CODAC (the Council on Drug Abuse Control). The Beach Boys played for a minimal fee and closed the six-hour outdoor concert. Over 15,000 people showed up, despite overcast skies. Voter registration booths were set up at the venue and the group made personal pitches from the stage encouraging people to register. The group offered one-dollar refunds to any fan who presented their voter registration card at the gate. Carl told the Arizona Republic, “The idea is to get everyone involved. If people don’t like things the way they are, then voting is the only way to make things that are unfair fair and bad things good.”
Friday November 5, 1971
Gymnasium, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT (8:00 PM Show)
To promote Surfs Up the Beach Boys embarked on a 17-day east coast tour. In addition to the musicians who’d played with them on their recent shows, Jeff Kaplan joined the band on electric piano, replacing Billy Hinsche.
The group was paid $7,000 to perform during Homecoming festivities at Fairfield University. All 2,350 tickets sold and Al remarked that the crowd was one of the most enthusiastic he ever performed for. Dennis took a prominent role, performing the rarely heard “Celebrate the News” and a great new song, that he finished that afternoon during rehearsals, called “I’ve Got A Friend” (which, though performed in 1971 and 72, never appeared on a Beach Boys album). Dennis also briefly took over drumming duties, for the first time since May, on “God Only Knows” and “Sloop John B.” which only irritated his slowly healing hand.
Chuck Frissora of the Fairfield Free Press & Review reported, “The Beach Boys harmonized, blended and rocked on home some of the best vibrations this place will ever hear.” He was particularly impressed by Carl’s contributions, noting that “Carl, apparently a bit edgy and nervous at first, dominated, arranged, and guided the group through their entire repertoire…It was Carl’s version of ‘Caroline No’ that provoked genuine sensitivity in a tremendous rendition of a most beautiful song.”
Saturday November 6, 1971
University Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA-with The Byrds (8:00 PM Show)
This double bill featured the two most popular L.A. bands of the mid-sixties and expectations were high among the 10,000 plus fans that turned out. The Byrds played a strong set, sprinkling their new songs amidst their hits. There was then an intermission while the stage was reset for the Beach Boys. Unfortunately, the celebratory mood was quickly broken. The audience refused to be patient and repeatedly interrupted the group with requests for oldies. Audiences unwilling to give their new music a chance undoubtedly frustrated the group and things reached a boiling point at this show. Fifteen minutes into the concert, a fan yelled out “Play Barbara Ann”, just as the group was about to perform a new song. A frustrated Mike lost his temper and proceeded to lecture the audience on their behavior. From then on there was tension in the Hall though opinion was divided on who was to blame.
A scathing review by Bob Ramsey of the Cavalier Daily blamed the Beach Boys for refusing to give the audience what it wanted. He ripped the group for introducing songs with “long awkward pauses” and odd comments like “My wife left me two weeks ago” and took Mike to task for launching into a long rap about meditation. When the group finally played the oldies at the end of the show, Ramsey was still unsatisfied. The encores were “the final insult. The Beach Boys left the stage…and forced us to beg them to come back and do each of their three (or was it four) big hits. I found myself… screaming approval at a bunch of people at whom I was very pissed off. Ten thousand screaming dentists were forced to extract each encore from five men who knew exactly what the audience wanted and had for three hours angrily refused to give.”
University student Michael Cascio offered a very different viewpoint, placing the blame on the crowd. He argued that rock concerts were no longer an opportunity to simply listen to music, but instead had become social events in which the audience insisted on having equal billing. “We want oldies’ they shrieked; hardly embarrassed when the group made it very plain again that they did not need to be told what to play. The loud mouthing kept up, and the audience was not satisfied until the Beach Boys did ‘oldies’ in a deserved (if only for sheer stamina) encore.”
Sunday November 7, 1971
McDonough Arena, Georgetown University, Washington DC (8:00 PM Show)
The set list consisted of “Good Vibrations”, “Don’t Go Near the Water”, “Darlin”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “Disney Girls”, “Long Promised Road”, “Student Demonstration Time”, “God Only Knows”, “Take a Load Off Your Feet”, “Sloop John B’, “It’s About Time” and “Surfin USA”, followed by an intermission. Then the band returned and played “Cool, Cool Water”, “Lookin’ At Tomorrow”, “Barbara”, “I’ve Got a Friend”, “Okie from Muskogee”, “Surf’s Up”, “Heroes and Villains”, “Do It Again”, “California Girls”, “I Get Around”, “Help Me Rhonda,” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.”
A fan that attended the concert recalled, “The show looked sold out. I was surprised. They opened with ‘Good Vibrations’ and played for 2 hours with an intermission. Mike was cracking his usual lousy jokes ("Take a load off your feet by elevating your consciousness!"). Dennis had a solo spot (‘My Friend,’ and ‘Barbara’). Bruce Johnston asked people to register to vote (a registration booth was out front). Dennis played drums during the encore of hits. Carl had a cowboy style jumpsuit on and Mike also had a jumpsuit. Someone in the crowd kept yelling out ‘Don't Back Down!’ (Jack Reilly had admonished the crowd at the beginning not to request songs until the encore). Mike introduced ‘Cool, Cool Water’ by saying ‘Imagine you are in Brian Wilson's recording studio.’ Mike played a Theremin like device during the songs that needed it and used it as a siren during ‘Student Demonstration Time’. It was a riveting show.” The Washington Star noted that legendary bluegrass banjo player Earl Scruggs’ sons Randy and Gary were playing nearby and came out to sing “Okie From Muskogee” with the band.
Tuesday November 9 and Wednesday November 10, 1971
The Dome, CW Post College, Brookville, NY
Fans that attended the second of two shows at CW Post witnessed quite a different performance from those who attended the first night. Dennis’s hand injury clearly frustrated him, as he could go no longer play drums for long. In addition, he had shown some mercurial behavior in recent months; such as pulling all his compositions from the Surfs Up album. Earl Leaf alleged, in his regular column in Teen Magazine, that a major cause of Dennis’s “emotional dive” was that his wife Barbara temporarily left him and threatened divorce. Whatever the reasons Dennis’ demons flared up at the Wednesday concert.
Sachs Gore of the CW Post Pioneer reported that Dennis “appeared to be slightly disorientated and wandered around the stage muttering things like ‘a girl who I love…a baby nine months long, divorced, married, now let me try that again.’ The high point of the night came when he wandered on stage and announced that the Beach Boys were donating the proceeds of the concert to poverty, whereupon Bruce Johnston replied, ‘Our own.’” The reviewer noted that, in contrast, the night before, “Dennis, if I may call him that, was ‘into’ the music, but the only difficulty encountered was a faulty electric piano, whereupon he arose, and sat himself down with no more than a ‘hell’ or something to that effect. And Carl Wilson stood on the side of the stage smiling, not as though the world was ending (as he seemed to think on Wednesday night as he rushed to the limousine after the end of the second encore). It was unfortunate.” As a result of this incident, Dennis flew home to get himself together. He was not present for the remaining November shows. Since he was no longer relied upon to play the drums, his absence was not difficult to fill. But his sudden departure from the tour led to renewed rumors in various magazines that he was leaving the group.
Thursday November 11, 1971
Memorial Field House, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA (8:30 PM Show)
The group showed up an hour late but a crowd of 2,700 greeted them warmly. Greg Harris of the Indiana Penn noted that “The harmony could not, of course, have been as clean as on their records but, all things considered, the effect came across well…Songs like ‘Student Demonstration Time’, ‘Surfin USA’, and ‘Okie From Muskogee’ received standing ovations even though they were in the middle of the program. The Boys were called out to do two encores…in which they did a total of five numbers. Included among them were I Get Around, Help Me Rhonda and Fun, Fun, Fun, which literally drove some students up the wall…smiles were beaming from every direction, which seems to indicate the concert was somewhat of a success.”
Friday November 12, 1971
Central Theater, Passaic, NJ (Two shows at 8:00 and 11:30 PM)
Saturday November 13, 1971
Dillon Gym, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (Two shows at 8:00 and 11:00 PM)
The Beach Boys first Princeton University concert was a sell-out and an 11:00 PM show was added. While the group’s harmony was unified and tight, members individualism was on display Carl wore a blue Nudie cowboy shirt decorated with butterflies, Mike opted for bib overalls and an old Stetson hat and Al wore an old ‘bush’ hat and ascot. Asked about Dennis’ absence, Mike replied, “Dennis went home. He wasn’t feeling well. He’d cut his hand and he was just getting back into playing the drums and then he OD’d or something…He didn’t OD. I take that back. He wasn’t feeling well and rather than take planes and all that, he decided to go get well.” Another fan then called out ‘Where’s Brian?’ and Mike replied, ‘Brian’s at home… Brian’s in the music.”
Alan Edwards of the Trenton Times was impressed by the set, which included “a breathtakingly lovely ‘Surf’s Up’, medium oldies like ‘Darlin’ and ‘Sloop John B’ and one or two surprises like ‘Okie from Muskogee,’ which they proudly mentioned they’d jammed on with the Grateful Dead at the Fillmore. But the encore was what it was really all about. ‘California Girls,’ that state’s unofficial anthem, and then the most orgiastic version of ‘I Get Around’ imaginable, everybody on his feet, dancing, and singing and grinning in pure ecstasy. The group returned for a second encore, playing a new arrangement of ‘Help Me Rhonda’ and then the ultimate Sixties song, the one all the shouted requests had been for, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun.’”
Sunday November 14, 1971
State University of New York, Fredonia, NY
According to Dave Dockey of the Fredonia Leader, “response to the new songs was mixed-perhaps due to unfamiliarity in the audience and could also be attributed to the fact that several songs from Surf’s Up…were performed at a slower tempo than that of the album…If anything was accomplished that evening, it happened with the old songs. Through a double encore of hits such as ‘Help Me Rhonda’, ‘California Girls’, ‘I Get Around’ and ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ the crowd came alive- dancin’ and movin’ –with the sounds of good feeling all over.”
The Buffalo Spectrum reviewer was more excited at the newer material, noting that Carl sang two songs: “The first was Long Promised Road and it is one of my favorites off the last album. The other song was an acoustic guitar solo of a beautiful Brian Wilson song called Caroline No. Carl has an incredibly peaceful feeling surrounding him and listening to him provided at least a moment of peaceful harmony for me…Bruce did a song from the last album called Fantasy World and Disney Girls. Bruce called it a song of innocence but it always reminded me of the same type of innocence of a Randy Newman song. Perhaps it can be termed a song of lost innocence but clearly written by someone who views the subject somewhat tongue in cheek. Bruce gave such a nice performance (Al even applauded) that it’s too bad he didn’t sing a second song.”
Tuesday November 16, 1971
Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA (8:00 PM Show)
Wednesday November 17, 1971
Arie Crown Theatre, Chicago, IL (8:00 PM Show)
Thursday November 18, 1971
Arena Annex, St Louis, MO (7:30 PM Show)
About 3,000 fans attended this show at the small arena annex. Thomas Newsom of the Post-Dispatch noted, “The tumultuous conclusion of the concert was preceded by a solid repertoire that took more than two hours to perform and featured the Beach Boys famed intricate harmonies washing over driving rock beats. Surf’s Up…proved to be a fine ethereal piece with a little melody that dances through the head after the song is ended. Its essential message celebrates a return to childhood…The song Surfin USA reminded one of how long the Beach Boys have been around. After an eclipse in the late 1960s they have resurfaced on a new wave with a polished professional sound that should attract more than 3000 persons.”
Friday November 19, 1971
Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, MI (8:30 PM Show)
Although they performed to a half empty auditorium, John Weisman of the Detroit Free Press declared that the Beach Boys put on “an exquisite concert.” He noted that “’Don’t Go Near the Water’ and ‘Student Demonstration Time,’ based on ‘Cellblock No. 9’ with new lyrics by Love, were marvelous…Then came Bruce Johnston’s ‘Disney Girls (1957)’…the dreamy, fragile poetry of this song is simply incredible. Bruce sang in a solo spotlight. The only other lights onstage were the red ‘on’ bulbs from the amps. It gave a fantasy like setting to this 1957 sense-memory exercise. There were old favorites too. ‘Good Vibrations,’ ‘Sloop John B,’ ‘Surfin’ USA’ and many more, all greeted with enthusiastic applause.”
Saturday November 20, 1971
Music Hall, Cleveland, OH (8:30 PM)
The group received a rapturous reception from Cleveland fans that demanded three encores. Mike told the audience “This is ridiculous. But we love every minute of it.” Jane Scott of the Plains Dealer commented, “The Beach Boys have left the beach and they’re no longer boys… Their songs have progressed and deepened and their later lyrics are poetic and intricately woven. Their old ‘Riot in Cell Block No. 9’ had new words to it, ‘Student Demonstration Time,’ and other references to May 4, 1970 at Kent State.”
Sunday November 21, 1971
Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN (Two shows at 8:00 and 11:00 PM)
The Beach Boys played two enthusiastically received shows. Michael Anthony of The Star reported, “With sound problems abounding-excessive feedback and too much bass, the lyrics were not always clear so that the best numbers were up-tempo:Student Demonstration Time, Cottonfields and Okie From Muskogee. But there were still some lovely moments: Bruce Johnston’s vocals on ‘Disney Girls’, ‘Caroline No’ sung by Carl Wilson, as well as the group’s contrapuntal ‘Good Vibrations.’”
Monday November 22, 1971
Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, WI (Two shows at 7:00 and 10:00 PM)
Neither of the two Milwaukee shows was a sellout. The first concert attracted 2,000 fans and the second only 1,300. However, the group soldiered on. According to Dean Jensen of the Milwaukee Sentinel, the Beach Boys made a “mockery of pronouncements about the fleeting fame of rock artists…(and) showed here Monday night that, after ten years, they’re still making big waves with audiences.” Jensen declared that “the most brilliant solo performances were turned in by Bruce Johnston with his nostalgic glance back at his youth, ‘Disney Girls’ and Carl Wilson with ‘Surf’s Up,’ a poetically and melodically lavish song written by his brother, Brian, and Van Dyke Parks.”
Friday December 3, 1971
Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA-with Elvin Bishop and Seatrain (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys returned to Long Beach to celebrate their tenth anniversary. The turnout was smaller than promoters had hoped for, but the 8,000 fans that attended witnessed a special show. The group, including Dennis, took the stage at 11 PM and opened with “Good Vibrations,” “Don’t Go Near The Water” and “Darlin.” The rest of the set consisted of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, “Long Promised Road”, “Student Demonstration Time”, “Disney Girls”, “Take a Load Off Your Feet”, “Sloop John B”, “Surfin’ USA”, “It’s About Time”, “Cool, Cool Water”, “A Day in the Life of a Tree”, “Lookin’ At Tomorrow”, “Caroline No”, “I’ve Got a Friend”, “Okie From Muskogee”, “God Only Knows”, “TM Poem”, “Surf’s Up”, “Do It Again” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.”
Jeff Sherwood of Staff Magazine reported, “For nearly 100 minutes, the group served up a tasty offering of songs from their past and present which never failed to be anything below what one might expect to hear from one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands ever to be reckoned with.” A tape of this show reveals that Carl gave one of his most beautiful performances of ‘Caroline, No’ while Dennis’ ‘I’ve Got a Friend’ was equally mesmerizing. The highlight of the concert was the surprise appearance of Brian, who emerged from the audience to perform “A Day in the Life of a Tree” with Jack Rieley. It’s possible Brian might have been convinced to perform a few more numbers but unfortunately, Long Beach police forced the show to end at 12:30 AM due to city curfew laws.
Sherwood enjoyed the show but noted that, “Bruce Johnston seemed rather upset that the old songs were what the audience wanted to hear. He repeatedly informed the audience that the group had grown up and wants to do the new songs, while the other members of the group seemed more than happy to oblige their long-time fans. Johnston came on stage around five minutes after the others and said he was late because ‘it takes a long time to shoot up.’ This humor was usually met with an appropriate silence. He also said ‘Can you dig it’ no less than a dozen times and even what seemed to be a very unprofessional antisemitic remark that seemed to shock a few people including some of his own group. What Johnston adds to the group musically doesn’t hardly compare with what he takes away from them on some other levels.”
Saturday December 4, 1971
Sports Arena, San Diego, CA-with Elvin Bishop and Seatrain (8:00 PM Show)
The Beach Boys first San Diego concert since 1968 only attracted 2,000 people. Those that attended heckled the group when they performed anything other than oldies. Performances of “Don’t Go Near the Water” and “Surf’s Up” received a tepid response, while “Surfin’ USA” and “Darlin” were greeted enthusiastically. At one point, the band got the audience to join in singing happy birthday to Dennis, who turned 27 that day. He performed “I’ve Got A Friend” on piano for the crowd. Frank Green of the San Diego Union trashed the group’s attempts at relevance and declared their music passé. He commented, “The Beach Boys should begin to realize that their era is over and that they have been unable to make the transition from the music of the 60s to that of the 70s. The group is far too old to be singing such juvenile ditties as ‘Surfer Girl’, ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ and ‘Sloop John B.” The photo shows Mike backstage with his new wife Tamara Fitch.
Sunday December 5, 1971
HIC Arena, Honolulu, HI-with Elvin Bishop (8:00 PM Show)
This show was canceled, allegedly because one of the Beach Boys was ill.
Friday December 10 and Saturday December 11, 1971
Winterland, San Francisco, CA-with Stoneground and Mason Profitt (One show each night at 8:00 PM)
The Beach Boys reunited with promoter Bill Graham for two nights at Winterland. Kathy Mackay of Earth Magazine captured the backstage scene. Fred Vail, Steve Love and Jack Rieley were all milling about, as wine flowed freely. Mackay cornered Dennis, who was accompanied by an amply endowed young lady named Monica, and asked whether Brian was the group’s leader. Dennis replied, “We don’t really have a leader. We’re equal you know-brothers. Yes, we’ve stuck together because we’re a family.” Dennis also discussed why none of his compositions were on the last album: “I didn’t write any of the songs on the Surfs Up album. I really wasn’t into it that much. I’m a little tired of rock ‘n’ roll. I like blacks…I’m working on a symphony now, I just got it together a couple of days ago.”
Dennis Hunt of the San Francisco Chronicle was disappointed that the band “insisted on doing material from their latest album, Surf’s Up, which consists mostly of thoughtful, sluggish songs characterized by pretentiously intricate arrangements.” Phillip Elwood of The Examiner, however, argued they didn’t play enough new material. He commented, “The Beach Boys are at the point of confronting themselves. Do they move ahead, perhaps losing some of their loyal old followers, or do they try to straddle the years and satisfy some of the people all of the time, mixing old and new. I’d vote for progress, leaving the past to accumulate dust in the microgrooves. The Beach Boys are much too together to want to waste their energetic inventiveness on musical nostalgia.”
