Hey Beach Boys fans, who would you rather go see live: Brian Wilson and his band, or cousin Mike Love and his band?
Team Brian: You get an all-star lineup of a composer in the same league as Beethoven and Gershwin, former Beach Boy Al Jardine, and legendary everyman Blondie Chaplin. Also included in the package is a larger-than-life backing band, both in sound and quantity. The last of the Wilson brothers may be immensely physically fragile amid his troublesome past, but even the coldest of people can’t help but get chills when that quivery voice croons out God Only Knows.
Team Mike: The more corporate version of The Beach Boys, featuring the original lead singer, and semi-original member Bruce Johnston. Their setlist consists of 30 mostly earlier songs per night, and Mike, whose voice has remained fresh for his age, does a damn good job keeping up with the times. (he’s a frequent user of autotune when remaking those timeless Beach Boys jams for his own solo credit.) But when the nasal-voiced frontman hits the stage, note that he almost always wears his own merchandise.
Remember back in 2012 when Brian and Mike put their differences aside, and conducted a Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour with Jardine, Johnston, and David Marks? Well, it’s very likely that in 2021, they’re gonna do it again. (I’m so sorry.)
In a recent interview, Chicago Concert Reviews asked Al Jardine what it would take to get the group back together. He confirmed that there’s probably no need for negotiations as such. “Oh, it will happen. We’ll probably do about 20 or 30 [shows] together next year…That’s the 60th anniversary next year.” he announced.
Supposedly, Mike Love has also expressed interest in celebrating the California quintet’s big 6-0. In his own less-recent interview, he expressed that his first concern was if Brian is up for it. “I hate to see him in bad shape, because [he’s] my first cousin and we did such great things together and stuff.”
So will the hatchet be buried, yet again? Brian, among many others, has expressed much disinterest towards his cousin in the last few years, but music is what keeps him going. Despite everything Mike put him through, hopefully he can, somehow, find it in his heart to sing with him one last time. Just so we can see those five together again in the flesh.
Heck, if a tour does happen, maybe John Stamos will show up. Or even better, Blondie Chaplin.
Josh Bradley Live 