Mike Love of The Beach Boys performs in concert at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., on Friday, June 1, 2012. (Ray Chavez/Staff)
Is there anything more quintessential SoCal than the Beach Boys at the Hollywood Bowl?
It’s indeed the perfect pairing of two of Los Angeles’ most notable music icons — which is why fans were so excited when it was announced that the heroes from Hawthorne would be playing three nights, July 2-4, at the 101-year-old venue.
The run adds to the lengthy history between the two entities, dating back to the first time the group played the Bowl, in 1963. Head Beach Boy Mike Love dubbed the 60-year stretch nothing short of a “miracle” during the band’s highly enjoyable concert on Monday night (July 3).
Following the Bowl run, the group heads north to perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on July 6, mountainwinery.com. It also performs July 5 at Vina Robles in Paso Robles and July 7 at the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, ticketmaster.com.
The band was at the Bowl as part of this year’s July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular — one of Los Angeles’ most beloved summertime traditions — and, as such, was joined onstage by the mighty Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted in joyful fashion by Thomas Wilkins.
. @TheBeachBoys deliver hit after hit at @HollywoodBowl pic.twitter.com/zPZFWbU9DH
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 4, 2023
The Beach Boys were also joined by actor and occasional band member John Stamos, who is still best known for playing Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom “Full House.”
“Because of the (writers) strike, I think he is more available to us than usual,” Love said of Stamos.
The TV star certainly earned his keep onstage, splitting his time between playing guitar and banging on a drum kit (both of which were done up in red, white and blue) as he worked hard to both engage the crowd and cheer on his fellow musicians. He even sang lead vocals on one song — “Forever” (from the 1970 Beach Boys’ album “Sunflower”).
The group sounded brilliant, especially with the accompaniment of the full orchestra, as it opened the show with “Do It Again” from 1969’s “20/20” and then raced even further back in time for the title track off of the 1962 debut album “Surfin’ Safari.”
“Disney Girls (1957)” was a definite highlight, featuring sweetly nostalgic lead vocals from Bruce Johnston and providing plenty of space for the orchestra’s string section to softly soar. The second half of the show featured a flurry of top-tier fan favorites, with the group at one point stringing together “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “California Girls,” “Barbara Ann” and “Help Me, Rhonda” — aka, a half dozen of the best pop-rock songs ever written — in a row without ever really pausing to take much of a breath.
The group closed the main set with the masterpiece “Good Vibrations” and then left the stage so that the symphony could provide a patriotic soundtrack for the brilliant overhead fireworks show. Then, as the rockets’ red glare faded from our eyes, the Beach Boys returned to serve up one more dish of “Fun, Fun, Fun.”
Fireworks and "Fun, Fun, Fun" as the legendary @TheBeachBoys celebrate Fourth of July at @HollywoodBowl pic.twitter.com/wXaGOnkF5E
— Jim Harrington (@jimthecritic) July 4, 2023
Setlist:
1, “Do It Again”
2, “Surfin’ Safari”
3, “Catch a Wave”
4, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
5, “Surfer Girl”
6, “Don’t Worry Baby”
7, “Little Deuce Coupe”
8, “I Get Around”
9, “Be True to Your School”
10, “Getcha Back”
11, “Darlin'”
12, “Disney Girls (1957)”
13, “Forever”
14, “God Only Knows”
15, “Sloop John B”
16, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”
17, “California Girls”
18, “Barbara Ann”
19, “Help Me, Rhonda”
20, “Kokomo”
21, “Good Vibrations”
Encore:
22, “Fun, Fun, Fun”
Originally published at Jim Harrington