4/20/2013 Beach Boys, Good Life Festival at Encanterra, Queen Creek, AZ


 8 years ago today...

April 20, 2013 - Queen Creek, AZ

The Beach Boys, at least a few of them, brought Fun Fun Fun to the Good Life Festival at Encanterra.
This was the Mike Love / Bruce Johnson touring version of the Beach Boys, an alternative band to the Brian Wilson / Al Jardine group that tours under Brian's name. Love and Wilson have feuded over the years and their disagreements have ended up in lawsuits and court appearances.
Love is a jerk, and demonstrated it on this night, a show that I worked as part of the production crew. He wasn't particularly pleasant to the staff or sponsors, nor the VIPs that paid for meet/greet opportunities. I got a small grin from him when I suggested that his nephew Kevin Love threw the best outlet pass after a rebound in the NBA.
Part of the show includes running a gaggle of girls on stage to dance and sing along to "California Girls." I found it funny that when Mike stuck a microphone in a girl's face to sing along, most of them did not know the words, as they weren't even born when the song was popular.
I got the setlist from the show that was planned out to 55 minutes. Brian Wilson's group is a moving slice of nostalgia and a look back and his creative genius. Mike Love's band is a cash-grab in my view, monetizing the legacy of his talented cousin.



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