Last weekend I took a nostalgia trip with one of my all-time favorite bands, The Beach Boys, live at Cliff Castle Casino Stargazer Pavilion. I’ve been a fan of The Beach Boys since my teenage years; and their performance of Good Vibrations initiated a wave of memories that left me hankering for more.  Flash backs included channeling my high school self as a spirited sixteen-year-old pom-and-cheer girl dressed in uniform honoring code in favor of  Be True to Your School

Joined by other like-minded players at the Cliff Castle Casino on that breezy evening we lined up for some Fun, Fun, Fun, as we were transported from Arizona’s Verde River Valley, just North of the Bradshaw Mountains, to the golden beaches of  Southern California.

The show featured original Beach Boys Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, along with the very talented supporting musicians who superbly recreated the sound and feel of the original recordings.  The wind-blown evening helped conjure the coastal California landscapes eternalized in so many of the the band’s Top-10 hits — sixteen, count ‘em,  including four number one anthems of American youth.

The Beach Boys can still pull off a major concert with the smooth finesse of riding a crest of a wave that encourage others to ride along. The playful arm-waving, head nodding audience was treated to all the classics:  Surfin’ USA, Help Me,Rhonda, Kokomo and God Only Knows, that sounded as fresh as the slapping surf.

After more than five decades of touring, Jeffrey Foskett, Brian Eichenburger, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill and Scott Totten joined Love and Johnston to carry the tunes that left us awash with memories.  With songs this glorious, the evening turned into as one long singalong.  It sure was nice – to hear the familiar sound and to find that The Beach Boys continue to perform with the same ebullience that marked their explosive debut over 50 years ago.  

~ Stacey Lane, Black Canyon Bullet

To learn more about upcoming concerts at the Stargazer Pavilion at the Cliff Castle Casino visit; www.cliffcastlecasinohotel.com