Start date April 24, 2012 End date September 28, 2012 | Legs 4 Leg 4 | |
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No. of shows 50 in North America13 in Europe5 in Asia5 in Oceania73 in total Associated album | ||
The 50th Reunion Tour was a 2012 world concert tour by The Beach Boys, an American rock band. The tour marked the first time since 1965 that founding member Brian Wilson had performed on a full tour with the band, although from 1965 to 1996 he did join them in select shows and appearances. The tour also marked the first time that The Beach Boys had played at the Hollywood Bowl since 1967, having sold it out both times. Brian Wilson stated that this Beach Boys tour, and the album associated with it, That's Why God Made the Radio, which was released in June 2012, is dedicated to the memory of his two brothers: Carl who died of cancer in 1998, and Dennis, who drowned in 1983.
Contents
Background
Before each show, the band invited fans who purchased a special ticket in to watch their sound check and to briefly meet the band and get a photo taken with them.
Prior to the tour the band made their first public appearance together since 1996 at the Grammy Awards. A month later the band performed the US national anthem along with their classic hit, "Surfer Girl" at Dodger Stadium prior to the team's season opener and a few days later gave a performance and interview segment on SiriusXM which was aired on the sixties channel on May 26, 2012 during an entire four-day weekend devoted to the group. During the tour the band made various television appearances on their off days including an April 29, 2012 segment on CBS Sunday Morning, a multi-performances and an interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on May 7, 2012 and a May 16, 2012 interview and a special one-hour performance on shopping channel QVC where they also promoted and sold copies of the new album. On May 18, 2012 the band appeared for an hour-long interview on Charlie Rose Show and performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno June 7, 2012. Throughout June and July, PBS aired a 90-minute performance by the band featuring footage from their May 2, 2012 show in Florida. On June 15, 2012, the same date they played a show in Maryland, the group appeared in New York on Good Morning America for an 8 A.M. performance. A 2-hour documentary titled The Beach Boys: Summer's Gone is due to be aired at some point during summer although a date and channel have yet to be announced. According to Mike Love during the band's QVC performance in which 20,000 copies of the new album were sold, a DVD package of the band's tour will also be released at some point.
During the group's June 2, 2012 show they were joined onstage by the group, California Saga which is an eight-piece group made up of the children of Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine. California Saga, which includes both Wendy Wilson and Carnie Wilson of the chart topping group, Wilson Philips, joined the Beach Boys for a performance of "Friends" while Justyn Wilson (son of Carl) and Matt Jardine (son of Al) also joined on "All This is That" with Wilson singing his father parts. The group also opened the June 3, 2012 show with a 20-minute set consisting of Beach Boys songs.
At the group's June 3, 2012 performance at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California, they were joined onstage for the last few songs by Dean Torrence, surviving member of Jan and Dean. Bruce Johnston stepped away from his keyboard to take photographs from the front of the stage of Torrence singing with The Beach Boys.
As for what the future holds beyond the tour, Mike Love stated that "We're looking at our present and future. I think we're going to be doing this again with Brian for a long time." Wilson even said he is already thinking of the next Beach Boys album, which he would make after the tour. "This time I would like to do some rock n' roll", Wilson says. "I would like it to be a bit harder and faster" Wilson said.
In late June 2012, Mike Love confirmed the Beach Boys would be playing some dates in the Southern USA in October 2012 although the lineup would feature only himself and Bruce Johnston and include a different backing band than the current one. Love said that these shows will not be part of the concert series of the reunion tour. According to Brian Wilson, he had no idea Love planned these tour dates. Wilson stated that he is having a lot of fun on the reunion tour, that it is blowing his mind and he would love to do more touring with the band when these dates are finished and record more music.
Love stated in July 2012 that "There's talk of us going and doing a return to the Grammys next year, and there's talk about doing another album together. There's nothing in stone, but there's a lot of ideas being floated around. So after this year, after completing the 50th anniversary reunion, we'll entertain doing some more studio work and see what we can come up with and can do in the future." Love said that Wilson and producer Joe Thomas had over 80 hours of material recorded much of it culled from material they were working on around the time of Wilson's 1998 "Imagination" album that "were always songs he had earmarked for the Beach Boys." He further added that the label is stoked about what is happening and is pushing for more music and more tour dates. With the previously mentioned PBS special and live DVD in the works, Love added that a network t.v. special is also in the works for the fall of 2012.
The band also announced plans to release their 51-song performance from Red Rocks on DVD although nothing was officially confirmed. One hour of live soundboard audio, primarily from the Grand Prairie, Texas performance, is available for free download on the National Public Radio web site.
Doin' It Again, an hour-long documentary which featured a new biography, new interviews with the band and footage from the tour and which also aired during the summer on PBS, was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in August 2012. The Beach Boys Live in Concert: 50th Anniversary was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in November 2012 and features a performance by the band from July 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. The release featured a heavily edited performance which was cut down to sixty minutes and only twenty one of the fifty songs performed at the concert were featured leaving some fans angry that the full show wasn't released. A 41 song, 2-CD set titled Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour was released in May 2013.
Setlist
The set list for the tour, which varied from show to show, consisted of around 48 songs (with final shows reaching 50 or more songs), divided into two sets, an intermission and an encore. At least one song from every Beach Boys album was performed with the exception of songs from Friends, Love You, Keepin' the Summer Alive and Summer in Paradise. (The title track of Friends was performed during the June 2, 2012 show by California Saga, but nothing from the album has been performed by the Beach Boys.) As stated before the tour, the two singles and "Summer's Gone" from That's Why God Made the Radio were performed, the latter at the two London shows at the end of the tour.
Lead vocals were shared among all five band members, some of the backing band, and Carl and Dennis Wilson, featured via isolated vocal tracks and video singing "God Only Knows" and "Forever", respectively. On rare occasions during the tour's American leg, Brian took over lead vocals on "God Only Knows", and he did so regularly during the European leg, where the band toured without a projection screen. During the performance on 8 May at the Beacon Theater, Dennis' vocals malfunctioned on "Forever" shortly after the song began; John Stamos, who sang a remake of the number on Summer in Paradise, came on stage impromptu and covered lead vocals. Bruce Johnston, who performs his signature song, "Disney Girls (1957)" at nearly every show, has also taken over lead vocals on "Wendy". David Marks, who did not sing lead vocals during his original tenure with the group, provides lead vocals on "Getcha Back" and alternates lead vocals with Mike Love on songs such as "Hawaii" and "Don't Back Down". Like he did during Brian's absence from years of touring, Al Jardine provides lead vocals on a few of Brian's songs, notably "Wouldn't It Be Nice". Three of the band's backing musicians also provide lead vocals during the performance; Jeff Foskett takes the falsetto leads of "Don't Worry Baby" and shares the lead of"Why Do Fools Fall in Love"with Scott Totten, Darian Sahanaja covers Carl's lead on "Darlin'" and Scott Totten sings "Ballad of Ole' Betsy" and "Let Him Run Wild" as well as Why Do Fools Fall in Love
a California Saga, an eight-member group featuring the children of the Wilson brothers, Love and Jardine performed the song during the Beach Boys June 2, 2012 show.
b Performed for VIP Nation "ultimate VIP package" and "soundcheck package" ticket holders.
c Partially performed on 7/4/12 in Utah as an intro to "Fun, Fun, Fun".
Tour dates
Personnel
The Beach Boys
The five Beach Boys who participated in the reunion were founding 1961 members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, 1962 addition David Marks and 1965 addition Bruce Johnston.
Founding members and Wilson's two younger brothers Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson died in 1983 and 1998 respectively. They were both featured during the concerts, performing with pre-recorded vocals on video with the remainder of the band doing the harmonies live on stage.
Supporting musicians
Special Guest Appearances
a Nicky Walusko became ill part way through the tour and left.
b Members of California Saga, a group made up of the children of Beach Boys members Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine.