By BAILIE MYERS
For Amarillo Globe-News
The iconic Beach Boys are making their way to Amarillo for a pair of shows on Saturday.
The performances are part of the legendary group’s “50 years of Good Vibrations Tour.”
“Good Vibrations was the big hit of the ’60s,” said Mike Love, a founding member of the group. “It’s so great to see the songs you did so many years ago still have the same enthusiasm among the crowd at our concerts.”
Love and Bruce Johnston lead the band, which also includes Jeffery Foskett, Time Bonhomme, Brian Eichenburger, John Cowsill and Scott Totten.
“We are obsessed with recreating those songs you’ve always heard on the radio,” Love said.
In 2013, the group released “Sounds of Summer,” a triple-
platinum album with more than 3 million copies sold. Along with its companion album, “The Warmth of the Sun,” the band made a renaissance in the music world.
Love thinks the lasting effect their music has had on hundreds of thousands of fans is nothing short of amazing.
“We see multiple generations turn out to our shows, and I think that’s awesome,” he said. “For those in my generation, it’s nostalgic … but for younger people just discovering the music, it’s like going back in time.”
Though this isn’t the first time the Beach Boys have played in Amarillo, Love said the concerts in smaller markets are always special.
“People really respond,” he said.
The evening concert sold out so quickly that the promoters asked the group if they would be willing to perform a matinee. Love said the answer was an absolute yes.
It will be the first chance for many Texas Panhandle residents to set their eyes on the legendary group.
“I’ve been a fan since I was a little girl,” Amarilloan Christina Bettag said. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw they were going to be in Amarillo.”
Bettag will join several family members at the concert, thanks to pursuing a package deal of tickets after they were initially sold out.
The astounding turnout is evidence of the Beach Boys’ mass following to this day.
Though the group is celebrating the major success of their records in the ’60s, Love said they are in awe of the blessings in the present.
“(The ’60s were) a rich musical time,” he said. “We still have the benefit of the foundation that success built.”
How to go
■ What: The Beach Boys — 50 Years of Good Vibrations Tour
■ When: 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday
■ Where: Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St.
■ How much: $35 to $90
■ Information: 806-378-3096
A Beach Boy’s bio
Mike Love, the Beach Boys’ longest-serving member, is releasing a memoir next month coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the band’s hit “Good Vibrations.”
“Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy” goes beyond that immortal hit. Love discusses his five-decade tenure with the group, recalls various bandmates, and reveals the stories behind many of his famous lyrics.
The book, published by Blue Rider Press, is scheduled to hit stores Sept. 13.
