Performing up to 150 shows annually, The Beach Boys remain one of the hardest working groups in show business – but tonight was the first time they’d ever played the Sydney Opera House – as they joked – “it may have taken us 50 years to play this beautiful venue – but it hasn’t even been around as long as us!”
To call them the Beach Boys might be a bit facetious, considering only Mike Love and Bruce Johnson remain a part of the name – but the heart and soul is certainly still there – and their new backing band (accompanied in style by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) are a pure talent unto themselves.
The vocal harmonies that made the band such a sensation remain a part of their live performance, although it was almost so perfect that I’m not convinced that Love and Johnson weren’t lip syncing! I trust that’s taken as a compliment.
While I can’t say that the overall experience was quite as special as the first time I heard the songs live (by Brian Wilson in 2008) it was certainly more along the lines of what I expected a Beach Boys concert to be like. To have the Symphony back them up was truly sensational; hearing songs like “Kokomo”, “Good Vibrations”, “Surfing USA” and “Wouldn’t it be Nice” accompanied by such a rich sound – and yes, all the hits were there – was a once in a lifetime experience I’m honoured to have experienced.
The setlist, which was closed out by “Fun, Fun, Fun” – was a sing along virtually from start to finish, with plenty of Pet Sounds thrown in to keep us all happy. If you’re a fan of the Beach Boys, you would not only have left satisfied – but you would have pinched yourself along the ride, saying “I forgot just how many hits these guys had!”
Matching the setting, they put the show together as one would a stage show; there was an overture to each half of the set, performed by the Symphony, with a light intermission in between. They even had a Playbill at the merchandise table. Naturally, it would have been perfect had Brian Wilson been there, too – but such is the path each member has made for themselves. To still have the privilege of hearing the songs live 50 years later, there really is nothing we can complain about. We just need to keep dancing, keep singing along, and they’ll keep playing to their legions of fans.
All in all, it was a night of great fun in a beautiful setting, with the music that we still can’t get out of our heads all these years later. Although, I really do wish that companies like “The Good Guys” would stop ruining their music by association. Ugh.
