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There was no "greatest hits" medley in the Beach Boys concert at the Orpheum Theatre Sunday night.
They were all "greatest hits."
Hitting three in the first five minutes ("California Girls" among them), the venerable band managed a string of 11 before taking a breather. Microphone problems nearly derailed Bruce Johnston, one of the two Boys with beach cred, but frantic stagehands worked fast enough so that he could get in on the summertime fun.
While Mike Love, the only original Boy in the bunch, served as master of ceremonies and sang lead on many of the songs, he wasn't the only keeper of the keys. A handful of younger voices, in fact, got many of the falsetto parts and made the songs sound like they should.
Best of the second string? John Cowsill, a member of the family group The Cowsills, who now sings backup and got to solo with "Help Me Rhonda." He had a bluesier sound than you might expect from the Beach Boys, but he gave his songs the kind of subtext you'd hope is there.
Johnston handled many of the "Pet Sounds" offerings and Chris Farmer got the lead on "Then I Kissed Her."
Love's work, strangely enough, sounded pretty similar to the tones he offered 40 years ago. If he hadn't ad libbed throughout many of the numbers he might have been accused of pulling a Britney. But the guy came through and enjoyed making fun of his and Johnston's age. He ripped on Justin Timberlake at one point (calling him Justin Timberwolf) and asked the crowd to stand for the "automotive classics." After they did -- and after the band ripped through "I Get Around," "Little Deuce Coupe," "409" and "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" -- he told them he wanted them to stand "just to see if you could do it."
Although Love provided plenty of historical background during the band's last Orpheum appearance, he kept the details to a minimum Sunday night, offering up only tidbits.
Among them? The Beach Boys covered "Why Do Fools Fall in Love." The song was the flip side of "Fun, Fun, Fun." The band performed it admirably and got appreciative applause for an a cappella version of "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring," a song the band did for Ronald Reagan's second inauguration.
Johnston had a nice moment with "In My Room" and as soon as Cowsill was done with "Rhonda," the band sped through yet another of those hit runs. During "Surfin' U.S.A.," an American flag was lowered behind the band.
Fun, fun, fun? There was plenty to be had, largely because Love and Johnston have discovered the secret to longevity: sing the hits and make sure you have great musicians in tow. Sunday night, they did.
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