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Beach Boys, City Hall
WITH original Beach Boys thin on the ground, there was a niggling worry that this might turn out to be a glorified tribute band.
There's Mike Love and Bruce Johnston (although he wasn't an initial member), but who else?
Well, it turns out that one of the guitarists tonight is David Marks, who began playing with his neighbours, the Wilson brothers, when he was ten, and played on the first recordings, such as Surfin Safari, on Capitol Records.
And while the rest of the line-up may not be able to claim any significant links to the golden Californian days, it didn't matter as wave upon wave of classic songs crashed down.
Such was the degree of instrumental and vocal distinction right across the board that the 2008 band carried the hallmark of authenticity.
They started with Do It Again and a seven song whirlwind that gave notice of their intention to delve into every nook and cranny of a career that defined a place, an era and a dream.
Hits were mixed with obscure songs from the early days, and there was the occasional reminder of later successes, such as Sail on Sailor and Disney Girls. Essentially, though, it's easier to say that they played just about everything with the exception of Heroes And Villains.
As if for fun, they threw in a handful of other people's songs - California Dreamin', Why Do Fools Fall In Love and The Four Freshmen's Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring, cited as an example of inspiration to Brian Wilson.
In the light of Brian Wilson's own phenomenal shows, this could have been a let down. While lacking their breadth of ambition, it wasn't. It was if other members of the band wanted to prove that the legacy is safe in their hands, too.
Two sets ran over two-and-a-half hours, and there was the unusual sight of a standing ovation even at the interval.
"Thank you for the standing ovation, from those of you who can still stand," joked Mike Love early on.
Yes, we've all been around a long time, but this was an exceptional reminder of a magical musical age.
Undoubtedly, we all had fun, fun, fun.
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Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
