By David Beard

On Monday, May 22, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, and The Beach Boys band took the stage at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, NC, to perform for a nearly sold-out audience. Love, now a spry eighty-two years old, and Johnston 81, brought their usual and pleasant reservoir of youthful energy to the performance, but as many times as I’ve seen The Beach Boys on tour over the years, it’s now taken on a different personal and reflective quality because I’m older, and this time there was something different to see because there were two new band members: drummer Jon Bolton, and lead guitarist John Wedemeyer.

Recently, on Sunday, April 23, former music director and lead guitarist Scott Totten announced on Facebook that he was no longer with the band, which was followed by a sharing of Scott’s post on Mike’s official Facebook page, which also stated that drummer John Cowsill was departing. It was also announced that Brian Eichenberger [Ike] would be taking over the role of music director and that Keith Hubacher would take on the responsibility of assistant music director. From there, Bolton and Wedemeyer were added to the new touring group. Bolton’s Facebook page then posted a video snippet of the new iteration rehearsing for the upcoming tour with John Stamos in attendance. In the post, Bolton thanked Stamos for getting him the gig as the new drummer. So, even though I’d seen more than my share of previous iterations of the touring band, my level of interest was piqued.

And when I saw Mike and company were coming to Charlotte, I knew my son Ethan wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t take him to see his favorite band. So, Ethan, me, and my good friend and ESQ assistant editor Ron Kohl, went for an evening of “Fun, Fun, Fun.” As cheesy and cliché as that might sound, that’s exactly what we did.

The show’s setlist is what I consider to be standard fare for a Beach Boys show with only a few deep cuts. The exceptions were Bruce’s enchanting “Disney Girls,” the doo-wop-infused “Good To My Baby” from 1965’s The Beach Boys Today! album, and “Then I Kissed Her” from Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). After the show, I told Ike that I enjoyed the way his vocals blended with Bruce’s on “Disney Girls” [singing ‘Church, bingo chances and old-time dances’], he noted it was the first time that they performed it with the new iteration of band members and were ‘trying things out.’ There were plenty of other nice moments in the evening’s performances, and lead guitarist John Wedemeyer fit right in with a perfectly intuitive balanced level of expertise and fun. Uniquely, this is possibly the first time in a great while that I felt that the players were a pure blanket of musical and harmonic support to Mike & Bruce, which was oddly and unilaterally familiar and foreign.

It was familiar in that Tim Bonhomme held down the ship from his keyboard position, Randy Leago’s playing on sax was spot on, Ike brought consistency to the front of the stage, handling the load of soaring falsettos with polished ease, and Christian Love’s mellower vibe shaped the on-stage group dynamic nicely. But it was different in that Keith Hubacher was feeling every bass note constantly playing off Bolton … Keith and Jon were spark plugs. And Bolton – as described before the show by Tim to Ethan – has the nickname of ‘Lightning Bolt’ because he’s full of energy.

Bolton’s snare drums rest mostly below his high hats and bass drum. When he plays, his entire body shifts downwards with every beat. It’s as though Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Dennis Wilson, and Animal [from the Muppets] had a child. I’m not kidding. Jon plays ‘off the beat’ fills like Ringo, clubs the drums like Dennis and Keith, and his ‘kid in a candy store’ smile is infectious. If you weren’t having fun during the show, all you need do is look at Jon. Problem solved.

Throughout the night Bolton’s energy permeated the stage on “Rockaway Beach,” “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man),” “Don’t Worry Baby,” as well as many others, but when the band took the stage to begin the second set, it was his singing on “California Dreamin’” – with his wonderful Denny Doherty-esque tenor – that really got my attention. It was memorable.

So, while I am writing a review about a touring unit I’ve seen perform live more than any other band, I still found myself reflecting on what it meant for me personally after all these years to go to these shows and experience this music. As I stood watching Ethan dance down the aisle to join others of all ages who had risen from their seats, it was simple … there’s no escaping the pure joy the music brings.

I can still remember when I was in my early twenties singing along to “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)” wondering what it would be like when I became twenty-four or twenty-five years old. Now, I remember those years fondly, but I wonder where the time has gone. I’m also reminded of the words to “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” where the lyrics opine about being older so ‘we wouldn’t have to wait so long,’ and now that time has long since passed. One elderly couple, two rows in front of me slowly danced and kissed one another on the lyrical cues throughout the performance of “Then I Kissed Her;” it was very sweet.

So, check the tour schedule, give yourself a break for a couple of hours, enjoy the timeless music created by The Beach Boys, and be thankful that we have Mike & Bruce carrying on in the spirit of the other members in having a good time and spreading musical cheer. The show will leave you, your family, and your friends, filled with “Good Vibrations.” Again, cliché, but true.

Ethan, of course, loved every minute of it, and if you go to have a good time, you will too. Time is the constant, and there’s no escaping getting older, but you can go to ‘get away from it all’ any time Mike and company come to town.

©2023 David M. Beard/All Rights Reserved
©2023 Daniel Coston Photography