The Beach Boys
by Tamara McHatton & Evan Scott
How do you create the ultimate beach party? The answer? Combine Cocoa Beach in the spring, one of the world's best rock and roll bands, great food and drinks, surfers from sixteen to sixty with long-boards in tow, a vintage 60's car parade, and thousands of people.
That is exactly what the Cocoa Beach Pier did to kick off the 41st Annual Easter Surfing Festival on March 18, 2005. The Beach Boys, one of the world's most famous bands, who have sold over 100 million albums, performed twenty of their greatest hits, at the home of East Coast surfing, The Cocoa Beach Pier, to a crowd of over 5,000 people.
Although SUITE tried to get an exclusive interview, the Beach Boys were only in town long enough for the concert, and cameras were not allowed inside the venue. But we did manage to speak to Bruce Johnston, keyboardist for the group, for a few seconds before the show. He's a really neat man and one comment he made stuck in my mind. When I asked him about the failed interview and he let me know the reasons why, he told me, for the interest of SUITE's readers, “Just let them know I'm still alive.” So I apologize if this isn't a true interview, but the intent was there, honest!
Evan and I arrived early, staying clear of the $15 fee for parking (good thing we're locals and asked one of the business owners we knew if we could park in front of his place…thanks Dominos and Sam!), and walked, with jackets in hand, to the pier. We opened our bags to prove we weren't going to blow the place up and began our trek up the pier. We still had an hour and a half before the show and we'd already decided to get a bite to eat at the Boardwalk Bar. Now for those of you unfamiliar with beach towns…the locals know that eating at a more casual place makes for just as good dining at about half the price. Sure, The Atlantic Ocean Grill and The Marlins Grill were both taking reservations, but they order their seafood from the same places as the Boardwalk Bar and Oh Shucks, the bar and grilles situated on the boardwalk itself and not inside the air-conditioned area. Only problem was…finding a place to sit. The place was packed.
I approached one lady that appeared to be sitting alone. She had food more >>
