As one would expect, the next two hours were filled with the classics. Be it the surf songs ("Surfing Safari," "Surfing U.S.A."), car songs ("409," "Little Deuce Coup"), songs about the girl ("Help Me Rhonda"), or relationship laments ("Getcha Back," "When I Grow Up to be a Man") the enthusiastic crowd was dancing in their seats, the aisles, and the lawn to the classic rock sounds.
One of the things that most impressed me was the truly multi-generation crowd — those in attendance ranged from early teens to those in the sixties, seventies, and even older, proving the music itself is not only family friendly but appealing and relevant no matter the age of the listener. Case in point, my teenage son accompanied me, and had just as much fun as I did.
The set-list was heavy with songs from their recent compilation The Warmth of the Sun, including "Wendy" and a not often heard live "Disney Girls." Both saw Bruce Johnston taking lead vocals. Fans of Full House were given an extra special, and rarely seen live, treat when Stamos took center mic to sing "Forever" the Dennis Wilson-penned song that saw a resurgence after being featured on the long-time hit show (though it's Wilson's version that appears on the Warmth of the Sun CD). Stamos also treated the crowd to "Good Timin'," a song originally sung by Carl Wilson.
In a recent press release about the release of The Warmth of the Sun, Mike Love was quoted as saying, "I’m really proud of this collection of songs and the body of work it represents. I’m honored to know that the music of The Beach Boys has stood the test of time in the form of album sales and sold out concerts… It’s great to be in the Billboard Top 40 with our new collection. After all, we started in the ‘60s and now we are in our 60s!” It's almost hard to believe this band and the music has been around that long when you see the energy Love, Johnston, and the rest of the band deliver it with and it was certainly a treat to hear some of these songs that have not been a part of their live set for awhile.
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