I was posting about California girls, so here is the Beach Boys only one time in Italy (2003), with one difference: I was there :). In those years we were going to loads of concerts, I was really a gig animal, now I'm not even going to Noel Gallagher's - ...unthinkable, time ago.
It was 8 years ago in a November cold and rainy day - not really the California scenery :), more an English one. So you needed a lot of enthusiasm to go there. The venue was the Mediolanum Forum (capacity: more than 10,000), but I've read about only 2,000 people were there. So probably this was also the Beach Boys last time in Italy :), but there were some rumours about them coming again soon. On stage: surfboards, palm trees, it was nice to see. The people were not really young, especially in their 40s or 50s with their wives - so we were an exception :).
"Please welcome...America's band!" There were only 2 original Beach Boys survivors, Bruce Johnston and Mike Love (in Hawaiian shirts and cap, continuously "giving a five" to the people), plus 6 other good musicians, 'cause Brian Wilson, author of their best songs, was touring alone (the other two Wilson brothers are not with us anymore). Johnstone had to sing in falsetto voice that was originally sung by Carl Wilson - not really an easy task (that was probably the best falsetto ever), in songs like the masterpiece "God only knows" (the "perfect song", according to Richard Ashcroft and Paul McCartney, "best song ever written", Pet Sounds influencing the Beatles).
I recorded the concert on a tape, so I've got another little piece of history. They played about 35 songs (!), even if some of them are short, of course almost all of them were big hits (the only famous one they didn't play was "I can hear music").
"California girls", "Surfin' U.S.A.", "Wouldn't it be nice", "Sloop John B", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Fun Fun Fun", "Do you wanna dance?", "Dance,dance,dance", "When I grow up (to be a man)", "Then I kissed her", "I get around", "Surfin' Safari", "Be true to your school", two sweet ones like "Surfer girl" and "Don't worry baby", "God only knows", "California dreamin' " (by the Mamas and the Papas), "Why do fools fall in love" (by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers), "Rock'n'roll music", "Good Vibrations", "Barbara Ann" (big roar from the crowd), "Kokomo", "Help me Rhonda", "Little Honda", "Summertime blues", etc.
A very good performance and the people were enthusiastic and dancing (even onstage, 3 girls with 1 boy per time). Now we can say we've been to a Beach Boys gig :)
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