The Beach Boys perform live at Marymoor Park
There were good vibrations all around at Marymoor Park when The Beach Boys took the stage as part of their America’s Band Tour on Sunday, August 27. The concert featured 38 songs including Beach Boys classics Surfin’ USA and Kokomo as well as covers of songs by the likes of the Ramones and the Mamas & the Papas.
Founded in California in 1961, The Beach Boys are one of the most iconic and influential bands in American history. They popularized California surf culture with over 100 million records sold worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.
The original members of the band included brothers Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Mike Love, 82, is the only original member currently on tour.
Marymoor Park’s outdoor concert venue was a lively setting on a warm summer evening. Leisurely lines preceded the venue’s many food stalls, including a taco truck, wood-fired pizza, hot dogs, and an espresso stand.
The venue was divided into two seating areas. Rows of pre-set chairs defined the front section. The back was open lawn seating, where families and friends set out picnic blankets and lawn chairs to take in the show. Concertgoers sported Beach Boys shirts as they browsed the food vendors, mingled with fellow fans, and set up the perfect viewing point to eagerly await the Don’t Worry Baby performers.
The band was met with lively cheers as they stepped onstage singing Do It Again in their signature harmonies. The Beach Boys gave a special introduction to their drummer, Jon Bolton of Auburn, who was excited to be playing a hometown show. Bolton received an enthusiastic welcome and gave an energetic performance to match.
People of all ages enjoyed the concert and its nostalgia. Some were fans because their parents or grandparents had introduced them. Others had loved the band since their youth.
Concertgoer Rob Pollack, 69, has been a fan since the early 1970s. He saw the band in the early stages of their career and even remembers them leaving the stage mid-song when he was in college after a poor reception from the crowd. But for Pollack, Sunday’s concert brought back good memories of his youth.
“[They are] just a tie to youth, and no matter how old you get you still feel 20 years old [watching them],” Pollack said.
Another longtime fan, Cathy Meade, 69, said The Beach Boys were the first concert she took her children to.
The Beach Boys continued playing through the night, immersing the crowd in music with songs like Getcha Back and Help Me Rhonda. Like conductors, the band led the audience in song, pausing to let them take lead vocals during the chorus. On the lawn, the grass became a dance floor while fans swayed and spun to 409.
As the sky darkened and twinkle lights lit up around the park, the show paused for intermission. Fans lined up for snacks and struck up conversations with each other over The Beach Boys.
The second set started with God Only Knows and Pisces, which Love dedicated to George Harrison of The Beatles.
At one point, a drone surprised the band as it flew over the crowd, to which Love joked, “Elon can you hear me?”
The Beach Boys ended the night with the upbeat Fun, Fun, Fun, a fitting farewell after a night of nostalgia.
For information and tickets to Marymoor Park’s remaining summer concert lineup, visit Marymoor Live.
