The Beach Boys at Ravinia: Uncle J bangs the drums
"Hey Dad, who are those guys playing with Uncle Jesse?
It was the summer of 1994. We were living in Tustin, California (The OC). The city put on a balloon festival and the free entertainment was a concert by the bands "America" and "The Beach Boys." Playing drums that night was "Full House" star John Stamos. That led to the above question from my then two year old daughter.
Last night "The Beach Boys" played at Ravinia with Stamos again with the band. This version has Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and a bunch of musicians we don't know. No Al Jardine. No Blondie Chapman. No Brian Wilson.
But, that's okay because this group played all the songs us baby boomers grew up with and loved. The set list includes the hit tunes about surfing, cars and girls in bikinis. It really is a night of "Fun, Fun, Fun" until Ravinia and city of Highland Park turn on the lights and took the music away.
The band, led by Love, looks like they're having a good time up on the stage. It's easy to go along with them. It's more of a night to party and remember the good old days than it is a night to get into the music. There's lots of visuals, which brings back memories of the Beach Boys and our own heydays.
Love and Johnston has assembled a group of talented musicians to help them out. Stamos goes back and forth between playing his red, white and blue guitar and the drums. Only a few times did I look at him and think "Full House." While they do a great job, you can't help miss the days of the originals.
So to my now adult daughter who was wondering who are those guys are playing with Uncle J....the question is just as relevant now as it was two decades ago. But, "Don't Worry, Baby", everything turned out all right.
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