Mark Dawson

^ Photo by Maria Huizinga 

Thanks to Steve Smith of the Pasedena Star-News for this review of the 7/26/15 happy together tour show. 


My Review: The Turtles Happy Together Tour hits SoCal

Nearly 50 years after The Turtles' heyday, the band's two frontmen - lead singer Howard Kaylan and his wacky backup singing cohort Mark Volman - still pack 'em in, with the help from a few other beloved artists from the era.

The Turtles' annual Happy Together Tour also starred The Association, The Cowsills, The Grass Roots, The Buckinghams and former Paul Revere and The Raiders singer Mark Lindsay (expanding this year from five acts to six), all playing to a nearly sold-out Pacific Amphitheatre of almost 12,000 fans at the Orange County Fair on July 26.

These groups haven't had all of their original members in eons. However, what's important is that the touring members are perpetuating the band's hits and legacies, and as long as the songs are still being performed with integrity in credible fashion that's what matters to their audiences.

The setup was simple: each act showcased four of their biggest hits. Then, after The Turtles wrapped their always wild and crazy hit-filled set ("She's Rather Be With Me," "It ain't Me Babe," "Eleanor"), they brought back each artist one by one to reprise their biggest hit before everyone joined in and sang The Turtles biggest smash, 1967's "Happy Together."

Among the numerous highlights were when The Cowsills touring siblings Susan, Bob and Paul brought out their brother John, who has been the drummer for The Beach Boys the past 13 years, to join them on their biggest hit - and theme to "Hair" that hit No. 2 in 1969. The Buckinghams propulsive take on "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," that reached No. 12 in 1967, was also a fun moment of the night.

The Association, led by singer Jim Yester, whose vocals remain mostly unchanged, delivered an unbeatable four-pack that included three No. 1's, "Windy," Cherish, " Never My Love" and their first biggie, "Along Comes Mary," that made it to No. 7 in 1966.

The most poignant moment of the night occurred when The Grass Roots dedicated its 1967 track, "Let's Live for Today," to the vets in the audience (the song was particularly popular with military personnel serving in Vietnam), prefaced by their chilling a capella take on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's ode to that war's dead, "Find the Cost of Freedom" (written by Stephen Stills).

At age 73, Lindsay is still a wonder. Commanding the stage much as did when he fronted The Raiders, Lindsay came off decades younger than he is, with his rock and roll vocals intact. His set of rocking classics, including "Good Thing," "Kicks" and "Hungry" are unimpeachable evidence that his old band deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's one of the Hall's many disgraceful embarrassments that not only are Paul Revere and The Raiders not in, but this band has never even been nominated for induction.

Click here; 
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/arts-and-entertainment/20150729/steve-smith-dave-matthews-joins-lineup-for-farm-aid-30-and-more-music-news 

 

 

 

Below, you'll see a few pictures from the last weekend of the middle part of the "Happy Together Tour. This was the West Coast swing of the tour. On Friday, July 31, we will be in the Boston area to play at the Lynn Auditorium in Lynn, Massachusetts. From there, it's nonstop through September 6.  Be sure to check my tour dates to see if happy together will be coming to your neighborhood. By the way, Chicago area friends be ready. There will be a big announcement in about 10 days or so. Don't you just love it?

 

Thanks again.  Much love to you all. See you real soon.

Mark 

 

 

Anyway, on Wednesday night, the tour flexed it's collective muscles at Humphreys by the Bay.  If you don't know Humphreys, it's an idyllic setting.  The stage is next to a marina where the boats practically pull-up on stage with you.  What a trip! And the fans at Humphreys are nothing short of FANtastic. What a vibe, what a venue, what a night! 
 Here's a few of the backstage and encore photos that we're not posted on Facebook. Enjoy yourselves.

Next up, the Chumash casino in Santa Ynez, California. See you soon. 
And  don't forget to check the happy together tour photos page right here on my website! Thank you. 

 

Mark 
Carl Giammarese, Greg Smith and me hamming during the encore...
The encore; Howard Kaylan, Paul Cowsill, Carl Giammarese, Mark Volman, Godfrey Townsend, Greg Smith, Manny Foccorazzo, Steve Murphy, et al......
Del Ramos and Susan Cowsill on the lanai outside the dressing room...
me and Carl Giammarese enjoying the sea air backstage...
The amazing fans in Dan Diego showing some love during the "Happy Together" finale. 7/22/15...
thank you all!!

Well, I'll recap this whole thing in a day or two, but for now here's a few more photos to keep you up-to-date. I'll talk to you all Soon.  Thank you. 
Mark