False Advertising?

by Bill Holmes 

I'm not sure what the answer to this situation is. I think it is at the very least somewhat deceptive. I'm also sure it is not illegal. I know it's wrong. It's not a big deal, but it does bother me. Since this is my blog, I can use it to bitch about little stuff that irritates me.

There is a local TV station, CBS 11, that is running promotions or advertisements about their news department. It's not unusual for local stations to promote their news coverage. Usually it consists of some clips of dramatic stories with distressed field reporters interspersed with shots of the earnest and well coiffed anchors. Sometimes it is just the smiling attractive news anchors often along with "chief" meteorologist and sports guy. Sometimes they are bragging about their mobile and remote capabilities, their station helicopter or the brand new radar. Recently we have had a couple of stations making a big deal about their band new studio remodels. One has a new "state of the art" building. All the promos are accompanied by dramatic music and a very deep voiced announcer. They are also all BS.

A shiny new anchor desk or backdrop doesn't make the news coverage better. Moving the weather guy/girl from the left side of the set to the right doesn't improve the forecasting. I get all that and mostly ignore it. Just like I ignore it when news programs, local or national, brag about "exclusive" or "as only seen on (fill in the news outlet)".

What got my attention about this particular case is that the promos are mixing two different histories into a consolidated story.

The local CBS affiliate is KTVT channel 11, advertised as CBS11 or CBSDFW. The station is now owned by CBS but that was not always true. KTVT had a long history as an independent TV station and was once a superstation like WTBS or WGN. The station was founded in 1955 and remained independent until 1995 when it became the CBS affiliate. That occurred because longtime CBS affiliate in DFW, KDFW channel 4, switched to the new Fox network. CBS bought KTVT in 1999.

1970's anchor John Whitson

So what's the problem? KTVT is mixing their independent history with CBS's history. In one of their promotional campaigns they mix old channel 11 photos with pictures of Edward R. Morrow and Walter Cronkite. I can assure you that Eddie and Walt's broadcasts were not transmitted on channel 11 in the DFW viewing area. They were on KDFW channel 4. The old KTVT photos are pretty funny. They are obviously staged. Also there are no sophisticated studio sets or mobile units. One picture has a reporter bolting out of a sedan with a Channel 11 News logo on the car door. The last shots of the promo shows an old black and white picture of an independent KTVT anchor team from the 1970's that fades to the current anchor team from the CBS affiliate.

Current CBS 11 Anchors

So which history does the current channel 11 get to choose? Are they descendants of the old independent KTVT, of the CBS network or maybe a new entity that started in the 1990's? The call letters and channel are the only things that have remained the same. There is a different owner, a new network affiliation and all different personnel.

To me it is like if a southern food diner was started in 1963 by one family then the building was sold after 25 years to another family that served Mexican food. Is it the restaurant's 50th anniversary or their 25th? Only the address and general type of business remained the same.

This doesn't rank among the world's top 25 problems maybe not even in the top 25 million. There is also no positively, absolutely correct answer. Personally I don't like the manipulation of history although I do find the pictures from the old news team funny. What is your opinion?

wjh

Scattershooting 12-29-13

by Bill Holmes

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great  

Mel Allen

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

Guess what day it was - 

Almost lost a mourning dove just now (12/23). He'd been snacking for the past few minutes. Heard a thud on the patio. Saw a blur flying away and a damn cat standing there. I think the dove hit the ceiling during his escape. hope he is OK. Also hope he'll come back. I hate cats, especially those prowling around loose.

No spell check in the year 1.

God

‏@TheTweetOfGod

Traditional marriage was between a boy's parents and a girl's parents. And maybe some cattle.

Hope all my friends and their families had a great Christmas and Santa found your house. May the holiday spirit extend throughout the year.

Merry Christmas to all!

This is weird. Watching an old 1949 Gene Autry movie "The Cowboys and the Indians". First I see Jay Silverheels as a reservation Indian (Lakohna) then a little later Clayton Moore shows up as a bad guy (Henchman Luke). Are those names familiar? They later paired up as The Lone Ranger and Tonto. They weren't kemosabes in this film.

Was going through some old photos. Here's one of my big boy bike that I got when I was 11. It was a 3 speed, skinny tire, red Schwinn. Notice the mud flap and giant saddle bag, very cool. The house in the background is the one next door but is the same floor plan as ours. Classic Florida cement block construction.

• Apparently it is time to go shopping again. Stores already open here @ 6:00 am on 12/26.

Fifty years ago today (12/26/1963) Beatlemania began in the USA -

Great news. Wonder if I'll be around to enjoy it? A bike trail from Fort Worth to Dallas.

Nice day (12/27) for a bike ride. There are already several trees in the Bedford Christmas tree recycling location. Some folks can't get rid of their tree fast enough. In the continuing remodel of the local Kroger we have a couple of changes. There is a new fleet of smaller shopping carts to go along with the regular ones. The big news is there is now a sushi bar by the deli. Very small but manned by two Asians in chef garb. When I think of sushi, Kroger always come to mind. The store is still not finished and items keep changing location.

The local CBS station just spent the first 10 minutes of the late newscast on Tony Romo and the Cowboys/Eagles game. Somehow I think there might have been a more important news story somewhere. How about the vital news from A&E that Duck Dynasty is resuming production with Phil? That news didn't come until after the weather & sports.

Man's best friend. A real doggie bag.

wjh

Football 2013 - Week 18

by Bill Holmes

My recap of the only football games that matter

Although technically an NFL week 16 game, which was my week 17, I'm including this Monday night game in the week 18 recap. Is that all perfectly clear? Good. It is the battle between the Atlanta Falcons against the San Francisco 49ers. More memorable it is the last regular season game in Candlestick Park, AKA The Stick. It may also be the absolute last game depending on how San Francisco's post season goes. The park was originally built for the SF Giants baseball team. They played there from 1960 to 2000. The 49ers began playing at Candlestick in 1971. They move into a new stadium in Santa Clara next season. The Stick was a crappy baseball venue. It was cold, windy, damp and foggy. My personal highlight was a short pre-game interview with the great Willie Mays, my all time baseball favorite. Willie McCovey was on hand too.

On to the game. The 4-10 Falcons were pretty big underdogs to the at home 10-4 49ers. SF could clinch a playoff berth with a win and still have a chance for a division title and another home game at crappy Candlestick. Atlanta played well and held a 10-3 halftime lead. The 49ers came back to lead 27-17 with five minutes left in the game. Atlanta scored with two minutes remaining to get within three and then recovered the onside kick in SF territory. They were in field goal range for at least a tie with a little over a minute to go. That's when Matt Ryan, the Falcons QB, morphed into Tony Romo and threw an interception at the eleven yard line. 49er linebacker NaVorro Bowman ran the interception 89 yards for a TD. Falcons lose 34-24. It has been that kind of year for the now 4-11 Birds. They finish their season at home against the 11-4 Carolina Panthers.

On Saturday I finally saw part of a bowl game this silly season. I flipped through the channels and saw that the Louisville - Miami game was at 6-2 in the first quarter of the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando. I have at least minimal interest because one team is from Florida. Watched some other stuff and when I tuned back to the game it was 29-2. The game wound up Cardinals 36 Canes 9. A pitiful showing by Miami. 

There have now been 15 of the 35 bowl games played. Not even halfway there. A least coming up next week we have some interesting games as we count down to the big one on January 6th.

The final week of the NFL regular season held no surprises for my teams. Let's return to the Atlanta Falcons. They played the 11-4 Carolina Cougars. Amazingly it was a good game and the Falcons had a chance to win. They actually led 10-0 early in the second quarter but trailed 14-10 at halftime. They got the score to 21-20 halfway through the fourth quarter but that's how it ended. Atlanta had more total yardage and had possession nine more minutes than Carolina. One of their problems was that Matt Ryan was sacked nine times. The Falcons finish their terrible season with a 4-12 record. Hard to believe that many picked the Birds as a preseason Super Bowl contender. One last note. This was future hall of famer Tony Gonzalez last game. He is retiring as maybe the best tight end ever. Unfortunately he never won a Super Bowl.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled to New Orleans to play the 10-5 Saints. This was not a close game. The Bucs never led and only scored three points in the second half. Final score Saints 42 Bucs 17. New Orleans outgained TB 468 to 290. This ends the Buccaneers season with a 4-12 record.

Another not close game was Jacksonville at Indianapolis. The Jaguars lost 30-10. It was almost 30-3 but Jax scored a TD with 16 seconds left in the game. The statistics were close but the Jags had two turnovers plus they just don't know how to score. They have to find some offense in the off season. This was Brad Meester's last game. He is retiring after 14 years, all with the Jaguars. It may also have been Maurice Jones-Drew's last game as a Jag too. He is now a free agent. Jones-Drew was once a top running back but he will be 29 years old next season and has had injury problems the last couple of years. The Jaguars finish their season at 4-12.

Are you seeing a pattern here? Falcons 4-12, Buccaneers 4-12 and Jaguars 4-12. That's a stunning 12-36 overall record. Couple that with the crappy seasons by the Gators, USF Bulls and TCU Horned Frogs and it's no wonder I drink. Oh wait, if they were all winners I'd drink to celebrate.

Next year has got to be better. Right? 

All my teams are done for the season. No playoffs and no bowl games. I'll probably write another football post or two this season to share my opinion about a bowl game or NFL playoff.

wjh

Heart - The Band, Not the Body Part

by Bill Holmes

In the last seven or eight months there have been three Heart concerts on TV. This is a short review of those concerts and some observations. First of all, let me say I really like Heart and have liked them for many years. I liked them back in the day when Ann Wilson was hot. The video below is from 1976.   

This post is not so much a critique of each concert, all of which were very good, but of the changes or evolution I see of the group. Group may not be the right term. Ann and Nancy Wilson, sisters, along with a few musicians make up Heart. The musicians have changed over the years but the Wilson sisters remain the focal point. Ann is the lead singer, Nancy plays the guitar does backup vocals/harmony and occasionally sings lead. They do mostly big power ballads that Ann sings.

Ann & Nancy Wilson - AKA Heart

I recorded the first show in May, the second in August and the last, a Christmas special, just a few days ago in December.  

The first concert was from 2010 that aired on PBS, yes it was a fundraiser. It is titled Heart: Night at Sky Church. Ann sang 11½ of the 12 songs and had a strong voice all the way through. There was a very little raspiness after five or six songs but a great concert. Ann never left the stage during the televised edit of the concert. For this show Ann was very heavy. If you can find this concert on PBS or YouTube websites or anywhere else you should watch it. The girls and the band are terrific. 

The next show was recorded in August and looks like it may be from 2013. It aired on AXS and was titled AXS TV Presents Heart. This show had a whole different vibe. The first show had  been almost entirely Ann front and center. This seemed more like the Wilson Sisters. Ann looked a little thinner but certainly not skinny. Nancy took the lead on a few songs and also did some of the MC work. I think Ann's voice had deteriorated since the previous concert. Not bad, the girl can still sing. Nancy took the lead on a couple of songs and took center stage on a few instrumental breaks. The act is a little more even although it's still mostly Ann's show. If you come across this concert on AXS, record and watch it. More good stuff. 

The next show was Heart & Friends: Home For The Holidays on AXS that was aired on Christmas night. It is from 2013. It also shows some more evolution of Heart. This concert had some other performers. The Wilson girls looked and sounded pretty damn good. Ann's weight looked to be between the other two shows. Nancy always looks good. I guess Ann's voice will always have some rough edges now. Not unpleasant and she still mostly sounds like classic Heart. 

This concert included some guest performers. Shawn Colvin was first up. Not one of my favorites. Nancy Wilson accompanied her on two songs. She also took over the MC duties. Next up guest Richard Marx sang a duet with Nancy. She then sang two duets with Sammy Hagar. All this time, five songs, Ann was offstage and out of site. Both Wilsons then sang a song with Pat Monahan of Train. Heart finished the concert with a couple of their classic hits. Ann's vocals were strong. They also did a cover of Stairway to Heaven which is absolutely great. They performed the song for Led Zeppelin when that band got the Kennedy Center Honor Award. It was a thrilling rendition of a classic song. There is no doubt that the Wilson sisters still have chops.  

These were all great concert shows. Heart is still rocking. It is not a bad thing that Nancy is stepping up a little. She is a good singer and musician. She does lack the overpowering voice that Ann has at least some of the time. They have a large catalog of hits and still sound damn good. They just sound different. Three concerts over a couple of years is not a statistically significant sample. Maybe Ann had a bad night, maybe Heart had performed several nights in a row, maybe Ann had a cold. Maybe each concert was edited differently. I don't have those answers. I do envy anyone who can perform and sing for forty years. 

Before writing this I didn't realize how old the Wilson sisters are. Ann was born in 1950 and Nancy in 1954. Not quite as old as I am, but certainly in the neighborhood. For some reason I thought they were 10 or 15 years younger. We all lose a little bit when we reach a certain age. Heart is still many times better than the vast majority of groups that have come along since they hit the scene. 

wjh

Surprise Christmas Present

by Bill Holmes  

On Christmas night I was looking through a big box of photographs that my parents had kept for years. It is one of several boxes of photos and other stuff that I inherited. About 99% of it is because my Mom kept it. Dad wasn't interested in much memorabilia. All this stuff has been in my den for about ten years. It got there when I moved my dad here. Mom had died about a year and a half before. Dad didn't really want to rummage through the stuff and be reminded that his wife of over 60 years was gone. After dad died a couple of years later I didn't much feel like bringing up the past either. As time went by, the boxes and other things in the corner of the den became part of the room. I don't really use that room much and when I do it is to use the desk which is on the other side of the room and faces away from that corner. The stuff was out of sight in plain sight. Every once in awhile I'd notice it or I'd think about what treasures are contained in those old photos and documents. Those thoughts have been more frequent recently.

I have kind of been formulating a new years resolution, although I hate that term and concept, that 2014 will be the year I go through all that stuff. The intent is to cull the trash and redundancies, pass on that which is more relevant to others and consolidate what is left. Along the way maybe identify some of the photos that don't have dates, places, events or people written on the back. Mom was pretty good about writing at least minimal information on many of the photos but there are batches that have no information and others that may only have a year documented. For as long as I can remember, Mom would say "I need to organize these pictures" or "someday I'll put these in albums". She never did so now it falls to me. I've heard those same promises from many others.

While going through the one box, I was able to identify people, places, time frames and circumstances of some photos. I know my sons would have no idea about most of the photos. There are also many of the pictures that I have no clue about and some I recognize one or two people out of the eight or ten in the frame. The one box I looked through had a few letters and cards along with hundreds of photos that ranged from the 1940's to the 2000's. All in no particular order or groupings. Organizing that one box will be a challenge and there are several others too. I already found some treasures in the first box, so now I am finally eager to delve into the rest.

As mentioned the pictures were in no particular order. Most were still in those envelopes that we got back from Walgreens, Eckerd or whoever developed the pictures, some even had the negatives. Others were in envelopes with a card or letter, some in plain envelopes and a few just loose. I never knew what would come next. Even within an envelope there could be a 1960 photo mixed with several 1990 shots.

So you may ask, why am I telling you all this and what does it have to do with Christmas and gifts? It has to do with what I found over half way through the contents of the box. I picked up a plain envelope with no writing on it. The very tip of the flap was sealed. That wasn't unusual as several envelopes had been partially sealed either on purpose or because of moisture and pressure over the years. On this particular envelope I easily pried it open without any tearing. I noticed that the envelope was light and not stiff or curved like many of the others. That was not surprising since I had already come across some empty envelopes and some that just had a note and/or small photo in them.

This particular envelope contained no notes and no pictures. Well, that's not exactly true either. It actually contained eight notes each with an engraved picture, two of Lincoln, one of Hamilton and five of Jackson. All eight notes were from the Federal Reserve. Yep, there was $120 in the envelope. The latest date on any of the bills was 1995. As soon as I saw the money I knew where it came from. It was my Christmas present from Mom almost 12 years after she died. For any of you who knew my Mom or those who maybe read my post about her, which you can find here at this link, know she stashed money in various places. It was her mad money. While she was in hospice she told me about a stash of a couple of hundred bucks hidden in one of her winter coats that was hanging in a closet back home. I guess she had forgotten about this envelope hidden amongst the old snapshots or maybe it got there by accident.

Whatever the reason, I found it on Christmas night which is an especially good night to remember Mom. It also was coincidentally the same day I had forgiven my son part of an unfortunate charge on one of my credit cards, but that's another story. It fits perfectly because besides stashing money, Nana would do anything for her grandsons. She would have forgiven the whole debt and given my son another couple hundred bucks just for good measure. I am not nearly as generous, softhearted, charitable or sympathetic as my Mom. Few people are.

So, we had a kismet, coincidence, metaphysical, ethereal something happened here experience. I am not a religious person, particularly not organized religion. I'm also not arrogant enough to think I have all the answers. There are tons of things we don't know and can't yet explain. My Mom's spirit/soul deserves to live on. She does in my mind and those who knew her. Maybe she does in more than just our minds.

Merry Christmas Mom! Hope you stop by again next year.

wjh

Scattershooting 12-22-13

by Bill Holmes

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to the great  

Peter O'Toole

Sunday's Summary

My incomplete recap of the week

I wonder if the University of Texas will take back the former "head coach in waiting" Will Muschamp now that Mack Brown has resigned? Muschamp already has the wardrobe.

It got up to about 65° today (12/16). Finally good weather for a bike ride. It's the first time in about 10 days that I was completely warm to the bone. I hate winter.

Speaking of bikes, this looks pretty much like my first bike although I think it was smaller than this one.

And this looks like my first big boy bike that I rode everywhere including 30 mile round trip rides to the beach. A three speed with coaster brakes. 

One of the best ever. RIP Ray. Here's the video of For the Good Times. A great song.

The great Ray Price

There was a story on the CBS news tonight that said scientists have discovered that the reason penguins huddle together is to keep warm. Wonder how much that study cost? Their next study will probably be to determine why humans turn on the AC when it is hot. Your research dollars at work.

• The Forrest High Rebels are no more.

Typical - yesterday I bought bacon at Market Street and today I get their weekly ad in my email that has a BOGOF coupon for bacon.

• So glad the French are protecting their sacred language.

I think I need one of these.

The updated AT&T U-verse app for Android lets you use your phone or tablet as a remote for the TV. The setup is a little sloppy and the app design is less than ideal. Fairly typical for AT&T. How come a giant communications company, with tons of money, along with partner Yahoo can't do better on their online presence?

OK, I have been a supporter of gay rights for many years. Let's say that Phil Robertson is probably a racist and homophobic. Even so, he has the right to state his beliefs and A&E should let the viewers decide whether to watch his show or not. We have gone from not being able to even mention homosexuals existence to openly denigrated them to not being able to say anything anti-gay. As usual the pendulum has swung too far to the extreme. I don't like Phil Robertson and people like him but I do support their right to state their opinions and beliefs. Freedom of speech, freedom to be an ass.

I know it's an old movie, but Matt and I watched Flight last night. Pretty good flick. As usual Denzel was great and John Goodman was perfect as the comic relief drug dealer.

Yummy and educational.

Awkward - I think we can end the search.

I just watched the guy next door make about 10 trips to the car. Each trip he was carrying suitcases, bags, boxes or other stuff. Finally mom and the new baby went to the car. I'm guessing Christmas at the grandparents. I remember those days. 600 pounds of stuff to support a 12 pound baby.

I knew that - restroom sign.

wjh

Football 2013 - Week 17

by Bill Holmes

My recap of the only football games that matter

I know it is NFL week 16 but the colleges and I started a week before the professionals. Therefore it is week 17 or week 1 of NCAA bowl season. There were four bowl games on Saturday. I missed all of them. Not missed as in a void or longed for but missed as in unseen. None of them of any interest to me so no recaps. There are only 31 bowls remaining. On to Sunday and the pros.

First up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost at St. Louis 23-13. The Bucs had only 177 total yards and two turnovers. Mike Glennon, the Tampa Bay QB was sacked seven times for 47 yards in loses. They also had held the ball eight fewer minutes than the Rams. I still find it strange to refer to the St. Louis Rams. The Cardinals belong in St. Louis and the Rams should be in Los Angeles. The Buccaneers are ending the year like they started it. This was their second straight lose after going 4-1 in the previous five games. They fall to 4-11 and have almost no chance next week at New Orleans against the 10-5 Saints.

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't do much better as they lost their final home game of the season to the 5-9 Titans by a score of 20-16. The highlight of the game came when Jacksonville got retiring center Brad Meester his first career reception, good for a nine yard gain. This is Meester's 14th season, all with Jacksonville, and he holds several team records including most games played. Unfortunately they couldn't give Brad a final home field win. Meester will surely be placed in the Pride of the Jaguars ring of honor. The Jags held a 13-6 lead at the half but could only manage three second half points. Jaxs only had 63 rushing yards and Tennessee held the ball over 10 minutes longer. The final home game for Brad Meester and final home game of the season for the Jags was not a sellout. The Jaguars are now 4-11 for the season and must travel to the 10-5 Indianapolis Colts for their final game of the season. 

The 4-10 Atlanta Falcons play at the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. It will be the last regular season game ever at Candlestick Park. The 49ers move into a new stadium in Santa Clara next season.

   

In other news, the Houston Texans clinched at least a tie for worst record and first draft choice. After their lose to Denver (surprise) the Texans are 2-13. Only Washington at 3-12 can catch Houston. There are six teams with four wins. I have no idea how the tie breakers work or if any of these bottom feeders have traded their 2014 first round draft picks. I'm sure Mel Kiper will be informing us of all the draft ramifications.  

One more week of regular season NFL games then the playoffs and 31 more college bowls. We're just getting started.

wjh

The Beach Boys

by Bill Holmes 

Original Beach Boys - Dennis, David, Carl, Mike & Brian

This is a review of a couple of AXS  telecasts of and about the Beach Boys 50th reunion. Full disclosure, I am a Beach Boys fan and have been since they came on the scene in the early 1960's when I was a youth in Florida.

The first program is The Beach Boys 50 - Doin' It Again. It's part 2012 concert footage, part commentary by surviving members and part old footage and pictures.

The songs in the concert part were a mix of old stuff and a couple from their 50th anniversary album That's Why God Made the Radio.

 

To me, it looked like Mike Love was the producer of the show. He was almost always the lead singer and he had a lot of face time. He also was constantly reminding us how much he contributed to the song writing. His comments about Brian Wilson were overly syrupy, not a negative word. That's not exactly how real life was between Mike and Brian. For those who don't know the history, Mike Love is a complete jerk and Brian was a mentally ill druggie. All the commentary by the others was positive too. I didn't expect to hear about all the warts but some of it went overboard.

Toward the end of the program they mentioned Dennis and Carl Wilson, both dead. Bruce Johnson did most of the talking about Dennis. When they talked to Brian he said Carl was a good singer, learned songs quickly and he was my little brother. A very strange comment from a member of a very dysfunctional family. Brian didn't say anything about Dennis.

The striped shirt period - Carl, Dennis, Mike, Al & Brian

Despite the dysfunction in the Wilson family and the band, they did appear to have had some fun and good times. They were the top group in the country and the world for couple of years in the 1960's. There are some great recently found home movies of the Good Vibrations recording sessions. That alone makes this worth watching.

There were several old pictures and video clips that I don't remember seeing before. A few even showed David Marks playing with the group. He was an original member until he got sideways with Murry Wilson, the Wilson bothers father and first manager of the group. David was replaced by Al Jardine. Bruce Johnson joined the group when Brian stopped touring.

I recommend this show for both long time Beach Boy fans and those that want to learn a little more about the group. At least the good times. The songs are good and the old footage is fun.

The next show was The Beach Boys 50 - Live in Concert which was just a concert from 2012. No interviews or BS. It was not the same concert as the footage used in the other show. Mike Love was the Executive Producer of this show.

The show was a mix of the old and new songs. Probably a few more new songs than I expected but plenty of old stuff. That's OK, much of the new stuff is pretty good. Of course new songs can rarely touch our emotions like those of our youth. The old songs bring back memories of the first time we got our driver's license and drove around with the radio blaring. Maybe it was "our song", a first date, a first love, a first heartbreak. The good and bad times of our youth are tied to those songs. The Beach Boys provided many of those sounds and songs.

Here is my take on the whole 50th Beach Boys anniversary reunion and tour. I'm glad it happened. The guys still sound good. It got Brian to write some new stuff and go on tour. That's always a good thing. Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks belong with the Beach Boys.

Surviving Beach Boys - Brian, David, Bruce, Al & Mike

Unfortunately Brian Wilson is a mess and Mike Love is a complete asshole. They have a love/hate relationship so we never know if the surviving Beach Boys will ever perform together again. This may have been the last time.

Mike Love controls the rights to use the Beach Boys name. After the 2012 50th anniversary tour he fired Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks. How do you do that unless you are a complete asshole? Oh wait, Mike Love is and always has been a world class asshole.

Bottom line, both shows are worth watching. Enjoy them for what they are, a reunion of a band that gave us a ton of good music. Will it ever happen again? I would bet no. Too much old baggage and the guys aren't getting any younger. We can always hope. As the Beach Boys once said in song Wouldn't It Be Nice.

wjh