The iconic California group The Beach Boys, touring without founding member and creative virtuoso Brian Wilson, further cemented its legacy during a show Sunday in Savannah, Georgia, when they produced harmonies previously unheard in modern music, albeit unintentionally.
During “Surfer Girl,” “I Can Hear Music” and “Kokomo,” the hearing aids of two octogenarians on stage emitted sounds that transformed each rendition into an instant classic. The layers of pitch were so poignant, in fact, that two dozen women fainted – more than twice the typical number during shows when John Stamos is on drums.
The fickle medical devices also sparked a rekindled interest by the band in creating new, experimental music – “as long as it’s profitable,” a stern Mike Love clarified in the tour bus after the show.
The frontman added that what happened on stage also got him thinking about merchandise the band could sell.
“Unfortunately we’d look like copycats if we came out with custom hearing aids, because that area’s already been staked out by Gene Simmons,” Love said. “But I think there’s an opening for us – a wave we can ride, if you will – with noise-canceling headphones that you never have to charge; just replace the ear pads with seashells.”
In Beverly Hills on Monday, Wilson was spotted out at lunch by a reporter who asked him about what had transpired across the country the day prior. While Wilson seemed uninterested in hawking any products, he did leave the door open to playing with some of his old bandmates. “Maybe Mike will be better now that his hearing is going,” he said. “Just look at what I was able to do with one good ear.”
Whether or not the group reunites, the Savannah performances were not only notable in and of themselves, but for how they encapsulated wisdom applicable to musicians of all abilities: It’s never too late to start writing, and great things sometimes happen by accident. Plus, that show has already spurred creative activity from one of Wilson’s peers; word is that Paul McCartney’s next single will include a bottle of prune juice as percussion.
