As a technology instructor I am constantly talking to my students about Internet Web Portals. These are key Web sites that serve as a central collection point for information and services.
I was researching The Beach Boys on the Web this past week when I happened upon the Portal: The Beach Boys from wikipedia. It’s a central clearing house of knowledge and information about America’s greatest rock and roll group.
My only issue with Portal: The Beach Boys is that in the wikipedia Music Portal, The Beach Boys are not a sub-category, rather their information section is considered a Page. I’d like to see their content elevated to a sub-category level in the future
My music dream came true last night. I finally got to see The Beach Boys live in concert with Brian Wilson. It was the most entertaining and comprehensive concert I ever saw. The love in the room was genuine between artist and fans. The warm harmonies of The Beach Boys melted in my soul all night.
The evening was split into two parts, Beach Boys the early days and post 1965. The concert was inter-woven around several musical themes, beach music, doo-wop, cars, Pet Sounds, and of course the hits.
There were also six songs that were completely new to me, which I loved hearing. I love when a music artist reaches deeper into their catalog and features songs they believe strongly in performing for their audience.
Mike Love made a special point to thank and appreciate the Mohegan Sun audience for being the first concert date to sell out for the tour. You couldn’t help but feel that this energized and further validated The Beach Boys tour plans.
Brian Wilson sat at a beautiful white grand piano. His presence was commanding and respectful. I watched him intently all night long. I enjoyed seeing him wave to the audience and blow them a kiss at one point. His happiness could be felt strongly throughout the evening.
The second set started with The Beach Boys standing around Brian Wilson on piano singing their rich harmonies, “Add Some Music To Your Day“. The feeling of The Beach Boys commiserating in the studio came across as I reflected on countless studio session photographs I have seen over the decades. The closeness they all warmly share was the perfect way to begin the second part of the show
You could feel the love and sentiment for Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson as they were included in the evening’s music vision. I was struck by the Dennis Wilson video segment. The inclusion of Dennis Wilson singing “Forever” as the group joined in gave me goosebumps. I especially liked how last night’s show came full circle for us as the live concert footage of Dennis Wilson was filmed the last (and only other) time we saw The Beach Boys live in Central Park in July of 1971. This formed a magic connection with The Beach Boys across space and time.
It was especially poignant that Brian Wilson was watching his brother Carl sing “God Only Knows. The sentiment in his face spoke of his heart for Carl. I really love the religious aspect of The Beach Boys. Their music is a vessel of God to us. It was loving to share Carl Wilson with a live appearance and the video memories as part of the evening.
If I had to choose one song of the 45 songs they played for us that was the most memorable the one I am still hearing in my heart would be “Heroes and Villians” from The Smile Sessions. The lush studio recording techniques were recreated admirably. I was spellbound throughout the song.
They fit the new single from the forthcoming new studio album, “That’s Why God Made The Radio” in perfectly. It matches and accents their sound magnificently. Here is a YouTube Video a fan shared of that point of the show.
They played The Beach Boys song I wanted to hear most as the first of the three song encore, “Kokomo” and it sounded grand.
We left feeling very satisfied and fulfilled by this momentous night of music by America’s greatest rock and roll group, The Beach Boys.
The Beach Boys’ Set List
Part 1 – 22 Songs
“Do it Again,” “Catch a Wave,” “Hawaii,” “Don’t Back Down,” “Surfin’ Safari,” “Surfer Girl,” “Please Let Me Wonder,” “You’re So Good to Me,” “Wendy,” “Marcella,” “Then I Kissed Her,” “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” “When I Grow Up (To be a Man),” “Cotton Fields,” “Be True To Your School,” “Disney Girls,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Little Honda,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” “409,” “Shut Down,” “I Get Around”
Part 2 – 20 songs
“Add Some Music to Your Day,” “California Dreamin’,” “Sloop John B,” “Wouldn’t It be Nice,” “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times,” “Forever,” “Sail on, Sailor,” “Heroes and Villains,” “In My Room,” “All This is That,” “This Whole World,” “God Only Knows,” “That’s Why God Made the Radio,” “California Girls,” “All Summer Long,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” “Rock and Roll Music,” “Do You Wanna Dance?” “Barbara Ann,” “Surfin’ USA ,”
Tonight at Mohegan Sun we pay witness to The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour. Last time we saw them was Central Park in 1971, without Brian Wilson and David Marks…
Larry Marano/Getty Images
This is the song I am most eager to hear of the 40+ songs they will perform tonight. I believe it is set listed as an encore song.
Today is the 31st anniversary of the passing of legendary global mystic and visionary, Bob Marley. His music and spirit lives in all of us, flowing ever stronger.
I have listened to Bob Marley with renewed hope and purpose the past few days. He reaches deep inside my consciousness. I keep hearing his lyrics as he’s urges me to answer my convictions, to “Strive for More”.
The main building of the School of Visual Arts on East 23rd Street in Manhattan, New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Laurie Anderson continues to break through to new plateaus in the artistic landscape where art meets technology defined by minimalism and expression.
I recall that in the early 80s I was just beginning my 30 year technology career as a programmer/analyst. I was looking for new musical horizons and intellectual influences. Laurie Anderson hit the music scene with “O Superman” and her début recording, Big Science. My music psyche gained a new dimensional level with the sounds and textures she created on our behalf
I am impassioned to learn that Laurie Anderson was the commencement speaker for the School of Visual Arts Class of 2012 which took place at Radio City Music Hall today. It wasn’t that long ago that our son, Matthew graduated from SVA(2008) as a graphics design major. His commencement was also held at Radio City Music Hall.
Her companion project is an art exhibition coördinated with the School of Visual Arts and Vito Schnabel. This will be the first exhibition of the Laurie Anderson’s paintings in New York. On display will be a new series of paintings that bring the scale of the theater onto the canvas. I hope we can get down to NYC to see her visual art on display.
BOAT
MAY 12 – JUNE 23, 2012
126 LEROY ST NEW YORK, NY 10014
Painting is like improvising in music. Making these big gestures feels like playing the violin. So many of my projects lately have become screen based or extremely theoretical. I wanted the physicality and scale of painting. Making paintings is the closest I’ve come to making songs. Even though they take up a lot of room I love them as unwieldy things. Much of my work comes from the theater world where sets are enormous. In fact, these paintings seem a bit on the small side.
Boat is based on the art project when Laurie Anderson stayed in A Room for London, a one-bedroom installation above the River Thames, from 24 – 25 March 2012. On the last night of her residency, she made a new sound piece, a radio show streamed live from the Room.
This week also brings another significant recognition of Anderson’s work: she has been named the first-ever distinguished artist-in-residence at EMPAC, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The residency provides Anderson with access to space, technology, and support for creative experimentation and brings her into ongoing dialogue with students and faculty at Rensselaer.
Laurie Anderson first came to EMPAC as a resident artist in 2009 to complete work on Delusion, a complex series of stories about longing, memory, and identity commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. Elements of the piece are featured in Anderson’s latest album,Homeland, released on Nonesuch Records in June 2010. At EMPAC, Anderson was able to try new ideas and integrate the diverse, multidisciplinary elements of the work, including music, visuals, altered voices, and electronic puppetry. Based on the success of the extensive working relationship between Anderson and EMPAC, founding Time-Based Arts Curator Kathleen Forde and Director Johannes Goebel proposed this new opportunity.
“It’s such a great honor to be the first distinguished artist-in-residence,” says Anderson. “Working with the crack technical and production teams and having access to EMPAC’s spectacular spaces and resources is such a dream. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”
We saw the stage début of Michael Moore at The City Winery last night as he capped off a celebration of artists who will be appearing on the Occupy This Album 4 CD recording. He was an energizing force for the core Occupy participants who assembled in the house.
Thank You Sandi Bachom for filming this segment and adding to our memories of this historic event.
The Occupy This Album Record Release Party was a two and one-half hour celebration of the Occupy movement. Music and art now establishes an important voice for Occupy.
We witnessed a diverse cavalcade of artists with unique performing styles and textures. Reflecting today on who we saw and heard, as several performances were striking and novel.
First artist we got our groove on with was Taj Weekes & Adowa, funky reggae party, alright. A little later we caught the legendary David Amram for the first time. His music is timeless and he is a wonderful multi-instrumentalist.
Much credit goes to Jason Samel, founder and executive director at Music for Occupy. We are grateful recipients of free tickets for last night’s event.
Jason, I placed our pre-order this morning, can’t wait to get the Occupy This Album 4 CD set.
God willing, we’ll be attending the Occupy This Album Record Release Party tonight at the City Winery at 155 Varrick St in NYC, doors open at 7PM, where we will hear live music by DJ Logic, Michael Moore, Immortal Technique, Nanci Griffith, David Amram, Richard Barone, My Pet Dragon, Matt Pless, Ace Reporter, Chroma, Fear Nuttin Band, George Martinez and The Global Block Collective, Jennie Arnau, Rejectionist Frong, Greg Smith and Broken English, Los Cintron, and a couple of surprise guests. (We wonder who they will be appearing and performing for us, this is always the fun part, anticipating who will show up as surprise guests…).
We will see the début singing performance of Michael Moore tonight. He will be performing his Bob Dylan track, “The Times They Are A Changing”. There will be lots of new artists for us to get to know and enjoy. Let’s all support this very important cause.
Artists on the album include:
Ani DiFranco, UNKLE, David Amram, Joan Baez, Tom Chapin, Willie Nelson, Rain Phoenix, Patti Smith, Anti Flag, Girls Against Boys, Garland Jeffreys, New Party Systems Featuring Kyp Malone, Yoko Ono, Amanda Palmer, Dar Williams, The Mammals Featuring Pete Seeger, David Crosby & Graham Nash, George Martinez & The Global Block Collective, Jackson Browne, Yo La Tengo, The Guthrie Family, Matt Pless, Filmmaker Michael Moore, Mogwai and More!
The event will be hosted by the DJ’s of Occupational Hazards on WBAI 99.5 FM, John Murdock and Joey Gay!
Should be a rocking time with classic hits from America’s greatest group. Here is a snapshot of the concert poster I took on my iPhone from the Mohegan Sun Electronic Poster Board.
We watched the HBO Special last night, the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The show was taped at the Cleveland Public Hall in Cleveland, Ohio on April 14th. It was a very entertaining and well-coordinated event. I like that it was held in a huge arena in Cleveland because it allowed many more fans to attend than the annual event at the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom permits.
I wanted to watch this event primarily out of respect for Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys who had passed away on Friday. It was a sharp contrast to just see the two Beastie Boys approach the podium and accept their induction award. They read a message from Adam, MCA who was too ill to attend. It really reached my heart what he wrote for them both. So sad to lose MCA as we did.
Highlights of the event:
John Mellencamp inducting Donovan. I loved the enthusiasm John Mellencamp expressed for Donovan. Mellencamp brought with him to the podium his personal copy of Donovan’s vinyl album, Fairytale which I dug seeing him do.Donovan’s induction has been way over due.
Bette Midler inducting Laura Nyro. Her love and genuine emotion for Laura Nyro’s music affect epitomized how Laura Nyro won my heart as a music fan. So glad to see Laura Nyro finally recognized for her talent.
The Guns and Roses music segment hit it perfectly. “Sweet Child of Mine” with Slash playing those chords and notes on his Gibson Goldtop guitar really did it for me. Axl Rose’s decision not to attend and accept his award was truly his blunder.
I was moved to see the members of various groups like The Miracles, The Flames, Bill Haley and the Comets, Gene Vincent’s Blue Caps on the same stage, acknowledging their awards and admiration of their fans. You could so feel the love and mutual respect for these pioneers of music.
Flea’s acceptance speech was my favorite acknowledgement of the night.The Red Hot Chili Peppers live music segment was the performance highlight of the evening. They played my favorite song, “By The Way”. Their energy levels are amazing.
Occupy This Album, a 4 disc compilation of music by, for, and inspired by, the Occupy Wall Street movement and the 99% available May 15th, 2012. Preorder this bundle now to receive the following: Occupy This Album CD and a MFO Shirt.
Today is the 31st anniversary of the passing of legendary global mystic and visionary, 
