The Beach Boys were in Toronto on Tuesday night, playing less the part of legendary rockers and more the role of ringleaders in an 11,000-person sing-along. The crowd on hand at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, most of whom had clearly grown up on the band, happily served as back-up vocalists, lending their voices to an anthology of Beach Boy classics.
The 48-song set contrasted sharply with much of the live music blasting across Toronto on account of last week’s North by Northeast festival. Where NXNE offered a wide variety of raw, boundary-pushing acts, The Beach Boys were nothing if not safe, reliable and familiar.
Even with Brian Wilson back in tow for the current tour, the group didn’t break from its deep roster of crowd pleasers (the only exception was a post-intermission playing of new single “That’s Why God Made the Radio”). “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and “Help Me Rhonda” all got the crowd out of its seats before a show-closing rendition of “Surfin’ USA” wrapped up the performance on an energetic – albeit predictable – high.
The fans on hand played their role as well. On top of the sing-along participation, the colorful Hawaiian shirts, flowing sundresses and beach balls made for an unmistakably summery atmosphere (the clear, balmy weather certainly helped).
As with any Beach Boys concert, there was no shortage of bright colors on display, but also plenty of gray (which is to be expected for a band that has been performing for 50 years, with a similarly-aged fan base).
Instead of being the unspoken elephant in the room, the senior status of the “Boys” was a point of humour throughout the night: at one point, vocalist Mike Love announced that it was “time for an intermission followed by a nap.”
Despite the jokes, age simply wasn’t a factor on this night. The band wasn’t exactly bouncing around on stage alongside their back-up musicians, but then again, that wasn’t their style back in the ‘60s, either.
For the long-time fans on hand, there were no surprises or gimmicks — just the easy-listening music they came for.