Today saw the release of “The Beach Boys 50 – Live In Concert” – an abridged DVD of one of their concerts from this past summer.  As a completionist, I felt compelled to swing by Best Buy on the way home and pick it up.

Sadly, I’m disappointed by the whole thing – which is quite depressing.  The sound is flat and lifeless, and the direction is just not what I’d like to see in a Beach Boys (or any other) concert.

This is a completely independent complaint from the one regarding the anemic track list.  That’s a rant for a whole other time.

I’m of the belief that most people that direct concert DVDs have never actually heard the music in the first place.  To me, the visuals should compliment the music.  For example, if the bassist has a signature line in a song – show it to me.  As a listener, I’ll pick up on the visual cue and perhaps hear a part of the song I never noticed before.  Show me what I’m missing, not the back of someone’s head or some random 60 year old mouthing the words.

For this concert, I’m not getting that vibe at all.  Sad to say, I’m getting the sense that this was a rushed product for the holiday season.  There has to be something better coming down the pike.  Too many good shows and good songs were performed over the whole tour to let this be the sole representation of the 50th anniversary.

Luckily for fans, this isn’t the only concert out there.  Over in Japan, a concert was broadcast on some pay network and somehow, someone managed to get the audio and release it into the wild.

It is worlds better than the sound on this concert. My biggest regret is not being about to find the video to go along with it, but I can live without it.

Of course, I suppose that it’s going to take something special to impress me after having been in the front row during the Merriweather Post show.  No matter how well a recording is done or how well a video is directed – it’s never going to match up with the experience of being there and singing along with this group that I’ve idolized for so long.

I suppose I was always going to be let down by this disc.  I also suppose I was always going to buy it anyway,

There’s something refreshing and frustrating about writing here – and it’s the same thing.

For all intents and purposes, this is like a diary that I never have to worry about someone reading.  Granted, search engines will crawl all over the site and at some point a random Google’r will find this post looking for the phrase “PS3 Vase Speaker” without even knowing why they were searching for it in the first place.

So, that’s a good thing.  I’ve got free reign to ramble away without too much concern of a nosy audience.  At the same time, a nosy audience would be nice once in a while.  Yes, yes…I know – leave me alone but PAY ATTENTION TO ME!

I’d say I can’t help being crazy like that, but that’s insulting to someone who is actually crazy.  I’m not crazy.  I’m just odd enough to set people back on their heels but not nearly odd enough to be interesting.

I’m a big Doctor Who fan, but I don’t cosplay, write fanfic or ship.  I’m a huge Beach Boys fan, but I don’t make my own music.  My professional skillset is a bit niche and only of interest to the general public until I actually start to explain it.

…but that’s ok.  That’s who I am.  “Mostly Harmless” is a good description, kind of like the Earth is described in the Hitchhiker’s Guide.

Yes, posting here is completely sporadic and only sometimes of any interest to anyone else.  Often times I forget the place even exists.  Having a site like this is a relic in the age of the Tumblr, the realm of the Facebook and the brief flash of the Twitter.  If we can’t say it with memes, like buttons or in 140 characters – it must not be worth saying.

Meh.  Says who?