The Beach Boys LIVE! at Ocean City Music Pier

By Spotlight Central. Photos by Love Imagery

Music lovers are ready to catch a wave in Ocean City, NJ this Monday, August 5, 2024 evening as The Beach Boys present the first of four Endless Summer Gold concerts over a two-day period at the Ocean City Music Pier.

Formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, the group’s original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson; their cousin, Mike Love; and their friend, Al Jardine. In 1965, singer/songwriter Bruce Johnston joined the group so that Brian — the group’s main composer, arranger, and producer — could spend more time in the recording studio.

The Beach Boys went on to sell over 100 million records and receive more than 33 RIAA Platinum and Gold record awards. They have been honored at the Grammys with a Lifetime Achievement Award and are also Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

Dennis Wilson passed away in 1983; his brother, Carl Wilson, died in 1998; and until recently Brian Wilson performed with Al Jardine in The Brian Wilson Band. But with more than five decades of touring experience on their resume, The Beach Boys — currently fronted by Mike Love and Bruce Johnston — have performed more live concerts than any other major rock band in history.

Inside the historic Ocean City Music Pier auditorium, the house lights dim and the screen behind the stage comes alive with video highlights of The Beach Boys throughout the decades.

Music lovers stand and cheer as the current members of The Beach Boys — lead guitarist John Wedemeyer, woodwind player Randy Leago, bassist Keith Hubacher, keyboardist Tim Bonhomme, drummer Jon Bolton, and rhythm guitarists Christian Love and Brian Eichenberger — take the stage along with long-time member Bruce Johnston on keyboards and Beach Boys founding member Mike Love on lead vocals.

Opening tonight’s set with “Do It Again,” Love, 83, sings, “Well, I’ve been thinking/‘Bout all the places we’ve surfed and danced” as heads bop to the tune’s infectious rhythm.

The lyrics to “Surfin’ Safari” appear on screen, and the audience happily joins Love in singing, “Let’s go surfin’ now/Everybody’s learning how/Come on and safari with me.” The band follows up by performing another pair of surfing songs including “Catch a Wave” and “Hawaii” before cruising into a potent rendition of “Don’t Back Down” which has the crowd cheering and applauding.

“Thank you! We appreciate it!” exclaims Love, before explaining, “The Ramones did our ‘Surfin’ USA’ so we got even by doing ‘Rockaway Beach.’” Six-part vocal harmonies and Randy Leago’s bari sax playing are featured on this rockin’ Ramone’s tune before the band dives into “Surfin’ USA” where the crowd claps and sings along as Love leads them in singing the song’s iconic “Everybody’s goin’ surfin’/Surfin’ USA” refrain.

Music lovers sway their cellphone flashlights in time with Love as the band serenades the ladies in the house with “Little Surfer.” Mike’s son, Christian, follows up by handling the lead on a bouncy new Beach Boys’ tune, “Sum Sum Summer,” and the show continues with an upbeat rendition of “Getcha Back” which features drummer Jon Bolton energetically twirling his sticks.

Bolton handles the lead vocal chores on the rockin’ “Darlin” before Mike Love and Brian Eichenberger’s voices contrast nicely on “When I Grow Up to Be a Man.”

For the intro to “Be True to Your School” Love asks the instrumentalists to help him find his starting note and once he finds it he proceeds to hold it on the song’s first word, “When…”.

Continuing with “…some loud braggart tries to put me down,” Love gets the crowd cheering as images of cheerleaders appear on the screen behind him.

Eichenberger sings the high tenor part on the ballad, “In My Room,” and follows up with a top-notch rendition of “Don’t Worry, Baby” where he impresses with his expressive falsetto voice.

The band shifts into a medley of Beach Boys’ car songs including “Little Deuce Coupe,” “409,” “Shut Down,” and “Little Honda,” before Love and Co. have music lovers on their feet singing, clapping, and dancing to the group’s 1964 chart topper, “I Get Around.”

The band provides a tribute to original Beach Boy Carl Wilson as they perform Carl’s signature song, “God Only Knows,” with Christian Love artfully handling the lead.

On an upbeat rendition of “California Girls,” Love substitutes the line, “I wish they all could be Ocean City girls,’’ before he and the band continue with The Beach Boys’ arrangement of the The Mamas and The Papas’ 1965 hit, “California Dreamin’.”

Music lovers sing along with the band on “Sloop John B” and smile as Eichenberger’s smooth falsetto fills the auditorium on his contemplative interpretation of “Wouldn’t it Be Nice.”

Long-time Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, 82 — the Grammy-winning composer of Barry Manilow’s “I Write the Songs” — sings lead on “Do You Wanna Dance.”

Then, audience members stand and sing along to a swinging version of “Barbara Ann” which has Johnston and Love dancing with style at the front of the stage.

Christian Love leads the crowd in singing the “Help me Rhonda/Help, help me Rhonda” refrain of “Help Me Rhonda” on an arrangement which features six band members swaying in line while Randy Leago plays a bari sax solo. On the band’s all time best-selling single, 1988’s “Kokomo,” the audience joins in singing and swinging to the tropical lilt of the music.

Finally, Bruce, Mike, and the Boys rock the Ocean City Music Pier with a highlight of the show — a stunning live performance of The Beach Boys’ 1966 musical masterpiece, “Good Vibrations” — which leaves audience members standing on their feet before the group wraps up with dynamic encores of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” and The Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun.”

As concertgoers exit the auditorium, several comment on tonight’s performance by The Beach Boys. Exclaims Laurie from Ventnor, “I thought the show was fabulous — they played for 92 minutes straight and their songs made me feel young again!” Jane from Ocean City agrees, adding, “The Beach Boys were really great! I knew all the songs and was singing right along with them. Mike Love and Bruce Johnston did really well, too; they’re in their 80s and they put on a fun and amazing show!”

Attending her first concert ever, Cassidy, 5, from Baltimore, MD, declares, “The Beach Boys were really good!” Adding, “I play the drums, the guitar, the ukulele, and the keyboard,” Cassidy reveals, “I knew a bunch of songs like ‘Kokomo,’ ‘Fun, Fun, Fun,’ and ‘Help Me Rhonda,’ which is Pop’s favorite.” Explains Pop, Cassidy’s grandpa, “We love the Beach Boys! We come to see them every time they’re here — this is probably our fifth or sixth time — and this show was made even more memorable when the guitar player tossed his guitar pick over to Cassidy.”

Lucille from Philadelphia asserts, “Seeing The Beach Boys at the beach was so much fun! The show brought back a lot of memories and I had a great time!” Matt from Mantua concurs, revealing, “It was my first time seeing The Beach Boys and they were great! Of course, I wish the original brothers Dennis, Carl, and Brian Wilson were here to join the party, but I couldn’t believe how many great hits they played — it was astounding!”

To learn more about The Beach Boys, please go to thebeachboys.com. For information on upcoming performances at Ocean City Music Pier — including The Machine Performs Pink Floyd on August 19, Let’s Sing Taylor — A Live Band Experience Celebrating Taylor Swift on August 20, and Graham Nash on August 26 — please go to ocnj.us/SummerConcertSeries.