The Beach Boys are coming. They’re only playing one show in the UK in 2025, at least it’s only one until this one sells out and “because of exceptional demand” they announce another one, and you might think that, as a long time Beach Boys fan, I have a keen desire to be there. Away with you.
They are playing a show at the Engelfield Estate in Reading on 20th July, as part of the Heritage Live series of shows, also featuring Canadian crooner Michael Bublé and … checks notes … Welsh rockers The Stereophonics. My preference would be to see none of these shows but if I was forced to see any of them the Beach Boys, or rather the remnants of the Beach Boys, would be a long distant third choice.
I refer to the remnants of the Beach Boys because 83 year old Mike Love is the only remaining original member of the band, although you can make a convincing argument to call Bruce Johnston, a mere junior at 82, a Beach Boy since he joined in 1965. Of the original group, only Brian survives of the three Wilson brothers and before he developed dementia he fell out with Love donkeys’ years ago and Al Jardine still performs solo on a regular basis. Love owns the touring Beach Boys moniker and they play a huge setlist every night of classic songs but frankly if I want to hear them done properly, without the benefits if autotune and lip-syncing, I’ll play the albums. I have better things to do with my time and money than to drive to Reading to hear what’s basically a tribute band belting out Help Me, Rhonda.
I am not knocking Love or Johnston for adding to their respective pension pots by touring well into their dotage because, as we know, there is a huge audience for heritage acts, or versions of them, and if thousands turn up for a singalong, who am I to deny them their couple of hours of fun?
To add to the “fun”, support will be provided by 1960s sensation Lulu (76) and David Essex (77) so I think we have a fair idea of the audience the promoters are looking to attract. People of, as Gregg Wallace might put it, a certain age. Well, you know what? Good luck to them. This old codger is going to see the elderly popular beat combo outfit Toto in early 2025 so I have nothing to brag about. Sometimes, it’s nice to be in that safe space of hearing music you already know well and not be challenged to listen to something new and, frankly, dangerous.
I suspect Mike Love and his touring jukebox will be with us until he drops, even if the audience declines with age, as it obviously will and perhaps one day he will be playing Dog and Duck down the road. I am certainly not suggesting for one moment he should stop or be stopped. And if you are off to the Engelfield Estate you’ll probably love it, even though the sound of summer, for which the Beach Boys are famous, will be marred by heavy rain and wind. It is Reading, not California, so when you are singing the Warmth of the Sun, make sure you’re raincoat and brolly is close at hand.
