Remembering when The Beach Boys and Chicago teamed up for the ‘Beachago’ tour
On the face of it, The Beach Boys and Chicago could not be more different. The former are surf-rock legends turned masters of cerebral pop, instilling the heady vibes of California into everything they do. As for Chicago, they are one of the most iconic rock outfits of all time, penning many a classic, including the timeless ballad ‘If You Leave Me Now’.
However, it transpires that there is more that unites The Beach Boys and Chicago than we might think. At the closing stages of 2021, the bands announced a co-headlining tour for the summer, and when it actually took place between June and July, it was reported to have been a resounding success despite the new looks of both bands.
This didn’t come as a surprise to longtime fans of either outfit, as this wasn’t the first time the pair had shared the stage. Back in 1975, they embarked on the Beachago tour, a successful run of arena shows when Chicago was in their critical and commercial heyday and The Beach Boys were enjoying a resurgence due to great nostalgia for the 1960s.
The bands were brought together by their connection to the music producer, Jim Guerico. In addition to managing both bands at this point in time, he also played bass for The Beach Boys. He thought it would make perfect sense for them to unite and tour, and he was accurate in his assertions.
The shows were comprised of an hour show from The Beach Boys and Chicago each, and then really catching the eye, for the final 45 minutes, both groups would join each other onstage and perform a host of classics such as ‘Darlin”, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’, ‘Wishin’ You Were Here’ and the timeless ‘God Only Knows’. Most notable of all, however is that they would end the night with a cover of The Rolling Stones’ anthem ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, a somewhat surprising choice.
It was noted by some that there was a significant change between the bands that united for the Beachago tour and the ones that took to the stage in the summer of 2022. The deaths of guitar hero Terry Kath, Carl and Dennis Wilson changed the makeup of each outfit greatly, as did the departures of longtime members such as Peter Cetera, Danny Seraphine, Al Jardine, and of course, the man who is The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson.
However, this shouldn’t stop people from remembering that in their pomp, both outfits were unrivalled and that the Beachago tour was one of the greatest, if not more surreal, that we’ve ever seen.
