Memorial Coliseum

April 13, 1973

The Spring of 1973 included a flurry of big concerts at The University of Alabama starting with Neil Young and Linda Ronstadt followed by perennial Deep South favorites The Allman Brothers Band and Wet Willie; the sizzling Latin rhythms of Carlos Santana; and The Beach Boys. The California band was on a southeastern swing with gigs at The Omni in Atlanta and the University of Florida leading up to the show in Tuscaloosa. For the tour, The Beach Boys’ opening acts in 1973 ranged from Dutch pro rockers Focus on The University of Alabama show, to artists such as Henry Gross, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Steve Miller, Billy Joel, Poco, and even Bruce Springsteen. Although the band’s founder and guiding force Brian Wilson had stopped touring with the band years before, and the allure of “surf music” had subsided considerably, the nostalgic qualities of The Beach Boys could still draw a crowd. The Tuscaloosa show featured founding members Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Mike Love, and featured guitarist-vocalist Blondie Chaplin and drummer Ricky Fataar. While the band played hits like “California Girls” and “I Get Around,” they leaned heavily into newer songs, including “Sail On, Sailor,” “Marcella,” and “We Got Love.” The surfboards and striped shirts were replaced by a more contemporary look that included beards, longer hair, and sandals wrapped around a laid-back vibe. Traveling to the show, the band’s bus was caught speeding near Heflin, AL. Then UPC president Will Ferniany needed help and called in a rather significant favor. He contacted the special assistant to the University president, Floyd Mann who stepped in and helped get the bus released so the band could get to Tuscaloosa for the concert. Later, Crimson White reporter Courtney Haden took a swing at the show in the school newspaper: “If you happen to see the Beach Boys’ sound engineer, you might ask him where the show went, but you’d better ask him loudly, (because) that dude is deaf as a post.” Haden wasn’t done: “Only a total maladroit could have butchered a sound mix as consistently and as awfully as their sound man succeeded in doing. Raw, ugly, screeching filled the Coliseum, thanks to the blissful incompetence of the Beach Boys’ audio stooge, and the resulting bad vibrations and excitations were hardly alleviated by the delightful contempt of certain of the Boys. It was a real treat having you, too, Dennis.” A year later, almost to the day, The Beach Boys played a show in Auburn, backed by the James Gang and country showman Jim Stafford. The band played earlier the same day in Atlanta and didn’t start the Auburn concert until 9:30 p.m., performing until 2 a.m., according to their website. David Nordness of the Auburn Plainsman reviewed the concert: “The group was visibly beat. (But) It was like the half-awake giddiness you get after two all-nighters in a row with more polish and enthusiasm than most groups ever thought of having… They gave it everything they had and then some more… Everyone who was there felt the good vibrations of the truly great American band