San Diegoans Have ‘Fun, Fun Fun’ During Two-Hour Show On Memorial Day Weekend
By Kevin Wilkerson, San Diego Blogger
It was “Fun, Fun, Fun” until the concert curfew time took the band away.
And then there were fireworks.
The Beach Boys played Petco Park – home of the San Diego Padres – in a live, in-person, yes-we-can-attend show on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. It was the first of a series of bands playing there this summer.
PubClub.com was there, seated (and, well, standing and dancing) along the first base side not far from the stage, which was set up on second base. This is a review of the show, the atmosphere and the Beach Boys.
The atmosphere was one of free-wheeling fun. People were dancing in front of their seats and some even up and down the aisles.
The crowd was sparse. Only half the stadium seats were available because of COVID capacity restrictions. There were rows of empty seats, at least down low. It would be nice if the Padres would remove the safety screens behind the dugouts and home plate. Yes, you can see through them but “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” if they were not there at all?
This was the not the Brian Wilson version of the Beach Boys. Al Jardine was not there, either. But lead singer Mike Love was and he carried on with the timeless songs of the band’s eternal music.
From a critic’s point of view, the familiar harmonies of the original band were missing on many songs, tho they cranked it up on certain classics like “Help Me Rhonda,” Barbarann,” “Fun, Fun, Fun.” “Sloop John B,” “California Girls,” “I Get Around,” “Surfin’ USA,” “Don’t Worry Baby” and many others so familiar to fans.
There was a bit of somewhat modern hipness to it when of Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath took over the stage. He seemed a bit out of place, quite frankly, trying to rev up the audience like he would at a rock concert, not truly understanding the Beach Boys crowd just wanted to hear the band’s iconic songs.
John Stamos, who has been a part of Beach Boys concerts for a few years now, mostly sang and played and did give a short speech recognizing military members and veterans.
In the end, everyone was smiling even more than they were when it all began as the “Good Vibrations” lasted into the Gaslamp night, well past the final harmonic lyric.
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