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Post by dauber on May 31, 2022 12:10:36 GMT -5
The Mrs. and I caught the Al Jardine Family & Friends show at the Des Plaines Theatre outside of Chicago this past Friday nite. Some overall thoughts and observations:
- Apparently the Des Plaines Theatre is historic. Strange how despite living in the Chicago area for all but eight years of my life, I never heard of the place. It's small, and...not much to it. It doesn't seat many, and there's not much to look at there. Kinda reminded me of Caesars Atlantic City -- they built a giant room and then said, "Let's toss a few statues in there to make it look like we put some kind of effort into it." I mean, it's not a BAD place, just...not the most exciting venue.
- We sprang for second-row seats. It's weird...with the venue's permanent seating, the front row is a good 20 feet from the stage, but they set up two rows of folding chairs right in front of the stage, so in the second row we were like seven feet from the action.
- Band: Rob Bonfiglio on guitar (no Probyn), Debbie Shair on keys, Bobby Figueroa on drums, Ed Carter on bass, with Matt and Al playing guitar and hand percussion as the occasion demanded.
- There was an unannounced, un-introduced opening act, a young guy named Michael McInerney, who walked out with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. He did a bunch of '60s covers -- "Going Up the Country," "Runaway," "Gloria," and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head, and an original called "Resurrection Mary," possibly the most cheerful, upbeat song one could possibly write about that whole legend! He had a lot of spunk and seemed to do a good job of waking up the audience. (Sure beats the comedic juggler I saw open for The Beach Boys in 1996.) Something I found very odd: he did "That's Alright," in the key of E, but sang it as if he left it in the original key of A, if you can follow me. (Basically, if you were to isolate Elvis's vocal, but under it play in a completely different key...) Judging from his Facebook page, he's a fan like the rest of us (there are a couple of videos of him singing while wearing the famous "Help Me, Rhonda" shirt). The Mrs. and I wondered at first if it was just one of the guitar techs who decided to take the opportunity to just sing a few songs, especially because it took a while for the house lights to come down and a spot light to appear!
- After McInerney left the stage, Ron Onesti, a local promoter who books shows at the Des Plaines Theatre and a couple of other local venues, had to come out on stage and talk to the crowd. I've seen him a couple of times before -- he likes calling attention to himself! My wife and I like to call him "Boss Vic Koss." (IYKYK) He talked about how it was Memorial Day weekend and how he wanted everybody to acknowledge heroes in the crowd -- starting with teachers, then first responders, then the military. And then he said something like "Let's acknowledge one hero that doesn't get much recognition -- our flag!" (Seriously, dude? Do you ever step outside anywhere in this country and see the rampant flag worship unique to our nation?!) And he played a video of James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett doing a guitar duet of "The Star Spangled Banner." My wife and I like to poke fun at Onesti, but the thing is, he gets s**t done. His venues seldom have a day that doesn't have SOMETHING going on, unlike a few other truly historical theaters in the suburbs that sit vacant most of the year. :/
- It was a fun show, but...very spotty. Al missed a LOT of cues, and he looked pretty irritated when he did (in fact, I noticed that with Al recently during Brian's shows, too: if he'd make the slightest little imperfection, he'd look kind of grumpy-old-man pissy; kinda reminds me of my dad in that way!), and it almost looked like Matt was trying to tell him to just relax, let it go. I think Bobby ended a few songs sooner than the rest of the band expected, too! "Fun, Fun, Fun" was in E-flat, but I think Al was expecting it to be in E, judging by his fretboard fingering, and I think he was even singing in E!
- The star of the show was CARNIE -- which is kind of what we were expecting! I would pay to go to this show again JUST for her!
- Lineup was mostly hits -- pretty much the lone exceptions being "Wake the World" and "Add Some Music." I was surprised they didn't do "California."
- Upon introducing "Help Me, Rhonda," Al said that the song is supposed to be performed in C-sharp, but they were going to do it in C. "Who plays stuff in C-sharp?!" he said. (You'd think after all these years he'd know that Brian is Brian!)
- The first Wilson Phillips song that Wendy, Carnie, and Matt sang together was "Impulsive." Holy CRAP, did their harmonies just ring out so freakin' tight! Honestly, it's a good thing I was sitting down! Just blew me away! They also did the obvious "Hold On" and the not-so-obvious "Monday Without You."
- The Rutherfords were in the crowd! I didn't see them, but Carnie mentioned they were there. (I only heard her mention Daniel, but my wife said she also said Marilyn was there -- she might very well have said that, but the sound wasn't all that great from where we were sitting, so we couldn't make out half of what anybody on stage was saying, despite being in the second row.)
- Al said that "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Don't Worry, Baby" were recorded on the same day. Uhhhhh....
- The one real complaint I had about the show: there was a Fireglo Rickenbacker 12-string (a 360, I think) on stage the whole show...and it was never touched. COME ON, MAN! Those things NEED to be heard! It was the second concert in a row I went to in which there was a Fireglo Rick 12-string on stage but never played -- same thing happened at the Nesmith-Dolenz show in Milwaukee back in November. Is this...a new trend of something? "We're bringing this for show; no touch!"
- After the show while my wife and I went to the deck to retrieve our car, we saw that Carnie and Wendy were right there about ten feet from our car outside of the deck chatting with fans. We thought of checking it out, but naaaaaah, we just wanted to get home and maybe grab some grub (which we did; thank you, Superdawg!)...
Really, it was a nice way to kick off the summer! It's not as tight a show as you'll get with the other Beach Boys factions, but fun nonetheless.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jun 1, 2022 4:23:46 GMT -5
The 'devil' with live recordings and YouTube video/audio is that it can give no indication of how great a show is, or sometimes show
how terrible it was and it can be the same show. The above clip shows what I hear in Dauber's opinion of what he was seeing in regards to Al. Al here seems to be 'struggling' actually, and he looks confused playing a song he has done for nearly 60 years! He seems lost, and I suspected his guitar playing has been 'sloppy' for a long time, there's many other clips going back
some years now that show that his playing is not one of his many strengths.
Unfortunately here in this clip, his amp being right in front of whatever device is recording him, is showing the full
'plonkyness' of Al's playing these days, and why you seldom here him in the mix on professional recordings. He tries with enthusiasm to play along to the classic intro of 'Fun Fun Fun', missing every other note.... but thumbs up for trying. It's hard to believe a guy who could prolifically play once, now almost sounds like an 'amateur' learning how to form chord shapes.
The majority of the performance has him looking somewhat 'confused' and 'lost'. This is a song he should know backwards in his sleep.
By the end of this, it appears Al seems clearly exhausted, and who wouldn't be at 79 years of age! This is only one performance, who knows how much sleep or rest he had, to which all of this becomes very important with age. So many things could have been working against them on the night.
We all know Al can still break out the top notch vocals when duty calls, but how does it effect somebody his age and touring/working? My thoughts are only speculative, but I'm a little worried in what I'm seeing watching Al here... I do hope he is Okay.
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Post by dauber on Jun 1, 2022 9:42:30 GMT -5
Thing is, though, this is really nothing new...been seeing it with Al for years. (And actually, he looks a LOT more coordinated in that video than what I saw on Friday.)
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smugly
Grommet
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Post by smugly on Jun 14, 2022 2:58:05 GMT -5
Got to see the group in Des Plaines IL. I had a great time. Got to meet and speak to Al. I also got to meet Ed Carter which was a lot of fun. He's a very, very nice man. Great performance! I wonder if we will see anything from the same group in the future, I'd love to see them again.
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Post by Steve Mayo on Jul 29, 2022 17:45:33 GMT -5
Awesome, I live in Cincinnati, I will be there. I think I saw these dates on Al's website, but now they are not there, and Ludlow's Garage never had the show up. Anyone know if they are still happening? just got this email
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Post by Matt H on Jul 29, 2022 18:34:17 GMT -5
I think I saw these dates on Al's website, but now they are not there, and Ludlow's Garage never had the show up. Anyone know if they are still happening? just got this email Yeah, I will likely buy tickets.
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Post by Steve Mayo on Jul 29, 2022 18:47:03 GMT -5
I just got two myself. Never been there to see a show. Kinda excited about seeing this show. I’ll sneak in a digital recorder and record the show. Never know how they turn out but maybe i can get a pretty good audio recording. I recorded many beach boys/solo shows over the years.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 30, 2022 4:21:34 GMT -5
Oh my... (copied from another forum)
"From the California Mid-State Fair Facebook page:
CONCERT UPDATE – Due to circumstances related to Covid-19, Al Jardine, Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson will not be appearing at the Al Jardine Family & Friends concert being held tonight, July 29 at 8:00pm on the Frontier Stage.
The concert will, however, go on as scheduled and will feature Al’s son, Matt Jardine. Matt Jardine has toured for many years with both The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. Matt has received rave reviews from both fans and critics for his stunning lead vocals on songs like God Only Knows, Don't Worry Baby, and Surf's Up."
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Post by Matt H on Jul 30, 2022 9:56:56 GMT -5
Oh my... (copied from another forum) "From the California Mid-State Fair Facebook page: CONCERT UPDATE – Due to circumstances related to Covid-19, Al Jardine, Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson will not be appearing at the Al Jardine Family & Friends concert being held tonight, July 29 at 8:00pm on the Frontier Stage. The concert will, however, go on as scheduled and will feature Al’s son, Matt Jardine. Matt Jardine has toured for many years with both The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. Matt has received rave reviews from both fans and critics for his stunning lead vocals on songs like God Only Knows, Don't Worry Baby, and Surf's Up." I can’t believe that people would be happy going to the show without the 3 most famous people being there.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 30, 2022 10:16:30 GMT -5
Oh my... (copied from another forum) "From the California Mid-State Fair Facebook page: CONCERT UPDATE – Due to circumstances related to Covid-19, Al Jardine, Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson will not be appearing at the Al Jardine Family & Friends concert being held tonight, July 29 at 8:00pm on the Frontier Stage. The concert will, however, go on as scheduled and will feature Al’s son, Matt Jardine. Matt Jardine has toured for many years with both The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson. Matt has received rave reviews from both fans and critics for his stunning lead vocals on songs like God Only Knows, Don't Worry Baby, and Surf's Up." I can’t believe that people would be happy going to the show without the 3 most famous people being there. I know, and probably most wont know until they actually turn up to the show that the main 'headliners' will not be present. What a 'ClusterF@ck' for the rest of the band..... My heart and soul goes out to Matt Jardine right now, the saving troubadour in all of this right now. Really tough times all round.
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Post by Matt H on Jul 30, 2022 10:38:53 GMT -5
I can’t believe that people would be happy going to the show without the 3 most famous people being there. I know, and probably most wont know until they actually turn up to the show that the main 'headliners' will not be present. What a 'ClusterF@ck' for the rest of the band..... My heart and soul goes out to Matt Jardine right now, the saving troubadour in all of this right now. Really tough times all round. Agreed, they are putting Matt in a tough spot.
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Post by filledeplage on Jul 30, 2022 11:09:16 GMT -5
I know, and probably most wont know until they actually turn up to the show that the main 'headliners' will not be present. What a 'ClusterF@ck' for the rest of the band..... My heart and soul goes out to Matt Jardine right now, the saving troubadour in all of this right now. Really tough times all round. Agreed, they are putting Matt in a tough spot. So, Matt was with the BBs for a really long time, and knows the music and “the stories.” He could call in a couple of reinforcements such as his brother Adam, who has a great voice, and Rob, Carnie’s husband who is quite versed as well. Or, the Cal Surf guys. BB music talent abounds, all around. 🎸🎶🎹🎤🪘🏄♂️
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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 30, 2022 19:38:20 GMT -5
I hope Al is okay.
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Post by monolithic on Jul 31, 2022 1:48:53 GMT -5
Here's a clip that shows that the gig did indeed take place:
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 31, 2022 3:12:28 GMT -5
Here's a clip that shows that the gig did indeed take place: Very interesting! Actually, I would have found the gig quite interesting, the just 'not knowing' what is going to happen next aspect of it. A lot of empty seats just the same, in which they could have cancelled the show completely, but chose the 'show must go on' attitude. Good on em' for that! Guitar solos for in 'In My Room'? why not.... sorting out the arrangement while the show is in play? yeah, why not. Well done to the troop for soldiering on, it's very honorable.
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Post by AGD on Jul 31, 2022 3:47:16 GMT -5
Very recent Facebook post from Alan confirms he's tested positive for Covid.
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Post by filledeplage on Jul 31, 2022 8:46:26 GMT -5
Here's a clip that shows that the gig did indeed take place: Looks like Randell, Ed Carter and Bobby Figureroa to me. The show must go on! 🎶🎹🎤🎸🎷🪘🥁
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 31, 2022 10:07:39 GMT -5
Honestly, with more and more performers getting COVID, why are audiences even going to these crowded places?
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on Jul 31, 2022 10:20:08 GMT -5
Honestly, with more and more performers getting COVID, why are audiences even going to these crowded places? Because Covid-19 is never going away and we have to figure out how to get on with life and treat it like we treat a flu outbreak.
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malibu
Grommet
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Post by malibu on Jul 31, 2022 11:59:20 GMT -5
Exactly. Live life to the fullest.
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nater
Kahuna
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Post by nater on Aug 1, 2022 2:11:24 GMT -5
I agree with the sentiment we must try to live life as normally as we can, with everyone taking the risks they assess are worth it for them. Cause this thing is likely never going away.
Anywayyy....
I hope Al gets better. He seems to live very healthily so I'm expecting a recovery
That show without him and the girls did go ahead after all. And from videos and reports, it still seems like it was a great time overall. There are plenty of BB/J&D tribute bands made up of current/past touring members, with this one being essentially a Cal Saga show, and all of those groups are outta sight. Looks like Matthew and Randell were leaders in making the show go on. Kudos to all of those musicians: the music sounded great and they made the best of a difficult situation.
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rjm
Kahuna
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Post by rjm on Aug 1, 2022 3:06:59 GMT -5
Honestly, with more and more performers getting COVID, why are audiences even going to these crowded places? Because Covid-19 is never going away and we have to figure out how to get on with life and treat it like we treat a flu outbreak. Try telling that to people who have long Covid.
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Post by Al S on Aug 1, 2022 4:13:34 GMT -5
Let’s get back on topic.
The topic is Alan (Jardine) On Tour 2022!
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Aug 1, 2022 5:13:17 GMT -5
Let’s get back on topic. The topic is Alan (Jardine) On Tour 2022! Which in this case, is about a month away, but without Carnie and Wendy. Mon August 29 Al Jardine and his Endless Summer Band City Winery Chicago, IL Thu September 1 Al Jardine and his Endless Summer Band Main Street Crossing Tomball, TX NOTE: Carnie & Wendy Wilson will not be appearing at this show
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Post by Al S on Aug 1, 2022 5:19:08 GMT -5
Let’s get back on topic. The topic is Alan (Jardine) On Tour 2022! Which in this case, is about a month away, but without Carnie and Wendy. Mon August 29 Al Jardine and his Endless Summer Band City Winery Chicago, IL Thu September 1 Al Jardine and his Endless Summer Band Main Street Crossing Tomball, TX NOTE: Carnie & Wendy Wilson will not be appearing at this show Nice one, Rick!!! Hope you Gringos get behind this tour - guys like me and Rick would die for Al to blow through a regional winery near us. Anyone got the skinny on how Al is touring, logistically speaking? Is he jetting in, or hitchin’ a Wagon and following the sun?
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