We went to see Al Jardine’s Family And Friends show at the brand new Des Plaines Theatre Friday Night.
First of all, let me say that this place is BEAUTIFUL!!! Absolutely stunning … and with bar/restaurants bordering it on each side, a most convenient one-stop shop for a thrilling night of entertainment. (Owned by Ron Onesti, who’s been making magic at The Arcada Theatre for decades now, a brand new 1920’s Speakeasy will be opening upstairs here in Des Plaines, too, over the next few weeks.) It is the ultimate in theater-going experience … HIGHLY recommended.
We had SO been looking forward to seeing this show …
It was a last-minute add to the schedule as Al was able to slip in a few more appearances before taking off for the summer as part of the Brian Wilson tour. (Brian is touring with Chicago this summer … and, thanks to our FH Buddy Tom Cuddy, we’ll be going to that show as well.)
Onboard were his son Matt, who flawlessly handles all of the falsettos, and Wendy and Carnie Wilson, Brian’s daughters, who made up two-thirds of the hit making trio Wilson Phillips, who scored three #1 hits of their own in the early ‘90’s. A four piece band (which includes Carnie’s husband Rob Bonfiglio and long-time Beach Boys Touring Band Members Bobby Figueroa and Ed Carter, along with keyboardist Debbie Shair) supply the backing for what can only be described as a lesson in harmony-driven music.
Prior to the show, Ron commented that he can’t imagine a single person anywhere in the world today that doesn’t like Beach Boys music. It’s universal and has touched us all in some way … perhaps the ULTIMATE in “Feel Good Music” that we keep talking about here in Forgotten Hits.
And yet, despite all of the elements in place to provide the perfect concert experience, I cannot lie … a good percentage of this show was often painful to watch. (And I hate to have to be the one to say it … because I love ALL of these people and all of the music they have so enriched our lives with over the years.)
As such, this was an extremely difficult review to write … and I have actually held off running it for a few days now, trying to word things exactly right so as not to, in any way, insult the integrity of this music … and the efforts to present it.
But even with all of that having been said, unfortunately, we have to kick off this review as:
Review in a Word: Heartbreaking
And for several reasons
First of all, the far less than capacity crowd was a huge disappointment … this could only have been considered to be a VERY hot ticket … Al, family and friends only did a handful of shows … and the fact that it made to Chicago at all is really quite amazing. There should have been a full house turn-out for this show … and (as described above) what a GREAT place to experience a show of this stature. It is absolutely heartbreaking that more fans didn’t show up for this concert event. You missed the opportunity to see pure magic on stage, provided by music legends.
Secondly, Carnie inspired many a tear in the audience when she dedicated “God Only Knows” to the families of all the grade schoolers who were gunned down this past week in yet another senseless school shooting tragedy. (We didn’t think she would make it thru the song without shedding a few of her own … but she did a great job.) How sad that our world has degenerated to the state it’s in right now … what has our nation become? Heartbreaking.
But the saddest part of all was Al’s lack of ability to stay focused and on task throughout the evening.
I saw Al (with his son Matt) at Chicago’s City Winery about four or five years ago and he put on an excellent performance, narrating his way through Beach Boys History and playing loads of examples along the way. There were a couple of times where he drifted off script and Matt had to reel him back in to focus on the plan at hand … but Friday Night it felt like he was gone more than he was with us … and that’s a real shame … because when he WAS with us, he was brilliant … funny, witty, and providing great vocals where and when he could remember the words. (Everyone on stage had the lyrics in front of them, set up on music stands for reference … but even that didn’t seem to help.) On far too many occasions, he would just stop singing all-together and look to his son Matt for help, nodding for him to step in and take over the lead vocals. One might even go so far as to say that Matt Jardine carried the show for most of the night.
Al even tripped up his signature Beach Boys tune, “Help Me Rhonda” by starting to sing it before the familiar guitar intro opened the song, causing Carnie to comment, “Well, now that you’ve given them a sneak preview of what we’re going to do next, why don’t we do it with the intro this time.” (Let’s face it, Al didn’t sing a lot of leads with the band … this was really his biggest solo shot … but over the passing of time, I just have to say (and I’ve said it before many times and I will say it again), that of the remaining Beach Boys out there still singing these hits, Al’s voice is by FAR the strongest and most on point of any of them. Unfortunately, his ability to prove this point came and went throughout the night and he spent most of the evening simply looking lost. When asked to introduce the band, he said, “You introduce the band … I can’t remember any of their names … I’m 80 years old!” … a humorous moment for sure … but, unfortunately, also a very true one.
We hate to see our heroes grow old and lose the magic that so enriched our lives …
I love the fact that Al still wants to perform these songs after so many years. (I mean, let’s face it … he’s a guy who could legitimately reflect back and say, “Damn … I coulda been a dentist!!!”) So it is painful to watch … and it was evident that this has been happening … and likely worsening for a while … and Friday’s show was perhaps one of the worst examples of just how far it has come. It is a real shame that this had to play out in front of a live audience.
Carnie seemed to be the most aggravated by the way it was slowing the pace of the show and made a few comments to this effect along the way, egging Al to continue on, “maybe without the introduction this time … less words … let’s skip the talking.” They also had a few sound issues along the way, which didn’t help relieve any of the stress the artists were feeling on stage.
And yet, ALL of the members on stage (their drummer and bassist have been part of The Beach Boys Touring Band for 40-50 years!) just showed how much love and respect they have for the man and the legacy he helped to create. (One has to wonder what this summer’s tour will be like when he reteams with Brian Wilson … who himself seems completely disengaged during his live performances. It is sad to think, from a fan’s perspective … especially one who genuinely loves these guys the way that I do … that they now appear to be being wheeled out and propped up in front of a live audience just to keep the brand name alive when they obviously are no longer of the right state of mind to do so. Couple this with all the rigors of traveling all over the world and one has to wonder “Can this really be any fun fun fun for them? Do they get ANY enjoyment out of this anymore? And how healthy can it be?” I mean, I get it … “The smell of the greasepaint and the roar of the crowd” have been a motivation for artists since the beginning of time … but these guys honestly don’t look like they’re having ANY fun up there!
I go back to what I’ve said so many times before … and reiterate that Kenny Rogers may have said it best … “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em … know when to walk away.”) Let the legacy stand … don’t damage the memories.
All of that being said, the show was by no means a wash-out …
In fact, the Wilson Phillips material sounded great … we were fortunate enough to see them a few years ago at The Genesee Theatre (with Chynna onboard) and it was an outstanding show. Wendy, who didn’t command the lead vocals very often within the trio, stepped front and center stage to sing a few tunes Friday night, including their debut #1 single, “Hold On.” The harmony that Wendy and Carnie Wilson provided throughout the night made for pure bliss while showcasing the incredible volume of music written by their father, of which they are clearly very proud. They offer great service to this material, performing it with love and affection … as well as perfection.
There were a few stand-out performances scattered throughout the evening … the previously mentioned “God Only Knows,” a beautiful reading of “In My Room” and the early kick-off tracks of “Do It Again” and “Darlin’” were all top notch. (And, as Ron said earlier, who DOESN’T love Beach Boys Music?!?!)
While I can certainly give them an “A” for effort, can you really give them a “C” for execution when there was absolutely no way to possibly control the outcome? It just doesn’t seem fair.
Sadly, this is a struggle they’ll have to deal with for as long as they try to keep this show on the road. Prepare yourselves for some rough waves ahead. (kk)
[Very special thanks to Luciano Bilotti for providing the photos seen in today's piece - he has been the photographer at Ron Onesti's theaters for years now ... and his brilliant work ... and Ron's kind support ... is always appreciated. - kk]
