Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!!!!!

[Franz E.]

Mid America's Funfest, the best Corvette event of the year. Cars as far as the eyes could see and the ultimate icon of the sixties car generation "THE BEACH BOYS". They played continuously for two hours and every song got better than the one before. Mike and the entire Mid America family certainly deserve our congratulations for a spectacular event: Corvettes, The Beach Boys, for us "older" dreamers the ultimate wave and a Hobie long board.

Thanks, Mike

[mike cobine]

Re: Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!

Corvettes + Beach Boys = what a natural!

hmmm, wonder how anyone having the biggest Corvette bash ever could have missed on something so obvious?

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!

Franz-----

The Beach Boys were the featured entertainment at the National Corvette Museum Grand Opening event more than 10 years ago, now. In fact, that was the last time I saw them. Carl Wilson was still alive and part of the band then. Since then, of course, Carl passed away and, at that point, there were none of the Wilson brothers as part of the band. Al Jardine and Mike Love were, then, the only original members.

Since then, I think that the band has further "split up" and there now may be 2 Beach Boys bands touring. At least, that's what I've heard. Were both Mike Love and Al Jardine part of the Beach Boys that you saw at Funfest?

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to see Jan and Dean in one of their last performances before Jan passed away. It was part of the "Summer Concert" series on the beach stage of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. A summer evening on the beach at Santa Cruz with Jan and Dean----it doesn't get much better than that. A lifelong memory, to be sure.

[John H.]

Re: Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!

I booked the Beach Boys for one show at the Viper Owners' Invitational in Orlando in 1997 (for $160K), and booked them again for a black-tie fund-raiser dinner (1200 people) for the Karmanos Cancer Institute we held in the Viper plant in 1998 (for $250K). Not many of the "original" Beach Boys left, but their booking price follows the same trend as the midyears

[Franz E.]

Re: Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!

Hi John: I'm sure you can apply the same analogy to midyear Corvettes. Not many left with the original parts but they still bring a sparkle to your eye, in passing on the freeway. The same can be said of "The Beach Boys", with Dennis and Carl playing upstairs, Brian continuing to search for his identity, leaving Mike Love, Bill Jardine and late comer Bruce Johnson to continue performing to sold out audiences across our country. The first time I saw the Beach Boys was in Southern California in the sixties, I was driving Fred Milne's saddle tan/tan 63 coupe. Today, I still own a 63 Coupe and enjoy The Beach Boys more than ever. They're ambassadors for the 60's generations love of cars, music, surfing, racing, romance and a host of others. They may no longer all be there but the music hasn't changed, you need to listen a bit closer.

[Mike G.]

Re: Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!

Joe: if you haven't already checked it out, you MUST visit Jan & Dean's official website to read their amazing story. Includes some fascinating stuff on the early Beach Boys too. There's even a catalogue of all their cars, mostly Stingrays, including a picture of the wrecked '66.
What a trip down memory lane for anyone from SoCal in the '60s!!

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!

Franz-----

One thing I forgot to mention was that for the Corvette Museum Grand Opening the Beach Boys concerts were an "extra charge" item, with seperate tickets required. I don't recall what the charge was. However, normally tickets for a Beach Boys concert run in the $40-100 range, depending on the venue. So, the fact that Mike is including this free of charge as part of what I understand is a free event is really spectacular. If he keeps this sort of thing up he'll soon have the premier Corvette event for the country.

[Collin MacDonald]

Re: Corvette's + The Beach Boys = A Great Time!!!!

How really cares about the specifics...the Beach Boys or should we know call them Beach Men were fantastic....the entire event was great and my wife and I enjoyed every minute of this event....only part that was a bear was the 700 mile drive one way from VA to IL....but it was worth it...Mike Y. and Mid America Family did a great job....