The Beach Boys have announced dates for their North American tour, celebrating their 50th year anniversary. The group, fronted by Brian Wilson, performed 'Good Vibrations' at the Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 12, 2012) and fans will be treated to a selection of their greatest hits on the forthcoming tour.
The 30-date jaunt around the U.S. begins in Tucson, Arizona, on April 24, and tickets for some concerts are already on sale. The tour marks the first time Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks have played multiple shows together for over 20 years. As one of America's first bands to celebrate their 50th year anniversary, they currently hold the Billboard record for most Top 40 chart hits, with 36 singles. The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, but a group dispute and legal wrangles meant they stopped performing together. In 2005, it looked impossible the Beach Boys would ever reform after Brian's cousin Mike Love filed a lawsuit accusing Wilson of promoting his 2004 album Smile in a manner that "shamelessly misappropriated Mike Love's songs, likeness and The Beach Boys trademark, as well as the Smile album itself". The row related to the promotion of Smile in the UK's Mail on Sunday newspaper, in which 2.6 million copies of a Beach Boys compilation album were given away for free.
However, Wilson and Love appear to have put their differences aside and are actually writing new songs for an as-yet-untitled Beach Boys album.