August 13, 2009: Rockin' the Bay

[Werner Weiss]

"Catch Summer's Hottest Sounds."

Just be aware that the superlative adjective "hottest" applies to the temperature of the seating area more than it does to music you'll hear.

Yesterland takes you back to summer 2002.

Link to Rockin' the Bay

Please discuss it here.

[aimster]

You spelled The Beatles wrong.

Oh and Disney messed up on one of the acts name. They're not called Bangles, they're called The Bangles.

/anal retentive music nerd rant

[OCBear]

I saw The Bangles and The Village People! Was very fun!

[Werner Weiss]

You spelled The Beatles wrong.

Thank you for catching that.

I fixed it.

[danyoung]

This series is very much like the Eat To The Beat and Flower Power music series in Epcot. I don't have any problem with older acts still out there performing - in fact, some of them like Herman's Hermits, the Turtles, and Paul Revere & the Raiders are really a lot of fun. But I don't think any of them are a big enough draw to bring hordes of people into Epcot. People come to the Flower & Garden Festival or the Food & Wine Festival for flowers and food & wine - the musical acts are a nice bonus.

And that was the mistake DCA made - thinking these musical acts alone would draw people in. It just doesn't work that way.

[Werner Weiss]

This series is very much like the Eat To The Beat and Flower Power music series in Epcot. I don't have any problem with older acts still out there performing - in fact, some of them like Herman's Hermits, the Turtles, and Paul Revere & the Raiders are really a lot of fun.

I've enjoyed a bunch of "oldies" concerts at Disney parks over the years. My only experience with Rockin' the Bay was when the Buckinghams performed. I was not impressed with them. I walked by, without stopping to look for a seat.

Regarding the three acts in the article... I enjoyed Chubby Checker and also the Beach Boys at Epcot (despite pouring rain during the Beach Boys performance). I saw Peter Noone perform at Disneyland, but that was 30 years ago; he was past his period of hit Herman's Hermits records, but wasn't quite an "oldies" act yet.

And that was the mistake DCA made - thinking these musical acts alone would draw people in. It just doesn't work that way.

At Epcot's Food & Wine Festival, the concerts are part of something bigger. Guests can snack their way around World Showcase Lagoon and enjoy a concert at the halfway point.

In defense of Rockin' the Bay at DCA, at least they tried something. And it was something that was "friendly" to those Annual Pass holders who like such oldies concerts, because there were so many different acts.

I agree that the concerts did little to sell one-day tickets to DCA.

[ChessurInWonderland]

Wow, great article! I had never heard about this before. Very interesting!

[danyoung]

I saw Peter Noone perform at Disneyland, but that was 30 years ago; he was past his period of hit Herman's Hermits records, but wasn't quite an "oldies" act yet.

I saw his show a couple years ago at Epcot. I wasn't going out of my way to see him - just wandering by. But I ended up sitting down and enjoying the rest of the set. He's still got the pipes, and is a very entertaining and funny guy!

That's why I enjoy these retro type of shows. You end up finding someone that still has it. Davy Jones comes to mind - aging, but still a lot of fun and a great voice.

[ALIASd]

A few notes:

The Beach Boys were the first musical act to perform at DCA in February 2001 at it's private opening party on a stage set-up near King Triton's Carousel. I was contacted in late 2000 by TDA to consult on securing some of the acts, including The Beach Boys, for the concert series. They went with the flashback roster for a few reasons: mass appeal & the package deals available via booking agents. A few of the acts were booked directly and a few on their wish list were out of their budget.

The Beach Boys founding members Dennis Wilson died in 1983 and his brother Carl Wilson in 1998.

[Werner Weiss]

The Beach Boys founding members Dennis Wilson died in 1983 and his brother Carl Wilson in 1998.

I just updated by article to mention Dennis Wilson in addition to Carl Wilson.

I'm sure glad I have readers who help me find typos, omissions, and sometimes even errors in my articles.

[BassBone]

I remember seeing that stage. Hopefully they can recreate it if they ever need to. It would be neat to see something like that come back. Perhaps even a floating stage on a barge so you could have daytime performances and then WoC.

[Athlonacon]

That boat ride actually looks like a lot of fun! I honestly don't know why they don't do more out on the Bay, it is a huge area and even with the new underwater equipment that bay is so deep you'd think they could make a boat ride or something.

Being out there in the evening while the sun is setting would be a really great experience!

[mcomeg]

By all means catch Brian Wilson and his band. Brian's a little odd, but you get to see a genius overcoming his illness and a first rate band playing first rate material. It's far more musically satisfying than an evening with the Mike Love Beach Boys (although that is still a fun time if nothing else).

On a more Disney related note, I caught a bit of a similar series over at Epcot last year. I stumbled on the Grass Roots and Davy Jones over at the American pavilion. It didn't rate anywhere near the best shows I've seen, but it was more fun than I expected and the audience got into it. it was an interesting break from the pre-fab environments that we all love in the parks.

[BassBone]

By all means catch Brian Wilson and his band. Brian's a little odd, but you get to see a genius overcoming his illness and a first rate band playing first rate material. It's far more musically satisfying than an evening with the Mike Love Beach Boys (although that is still a fun time if nothing else).

My problem with Brian Wilson is he sings everything a quarter step sharp. It is very hard for me to listen to him nowadays.

[TP2000]

A few of the acts were booked directly and a few on their wish list were out of their budget.

I wonder who TDA couldn't afford?

As for Rockin' The Bay, I had almost forgotten about that thing! Yet another in a string of failures or merely mild flops for DCA circa 2001-03. You could just see the desperation set in within a few months of opening when they brought the Electrical Parade back in June, 2001 and Cynthia Harriss had this painful speech that droned on and on about how the parade was a "California classic!".

I remember seeing The Bangles perform that summer of '02, and I remember noticing that half the audience appeared to have come straight from TDA in their business attire in the summer sun. The TDA crowd sure doesn't look very hip, and I doubt Anaheim executives paid for the DCA concert series as a free employee perk. I also remember wandering by when The Fifth Dimension was playing, in sequined outfits and looking for all the world like they just stepped off the stage of the Ed Sullivan Show. There were those types of bands that played to barely half-full seats, and it was kind of embarassing for them to witness.

Ah, DCA memories. Imagine how much fun it's going to be in a few years when it's actually a succesful theme park people pay to get into for its own merits!