Truth be told, I’m a huge Beach Boys fan.
Brian Wilson? One of pop’s greatest poets. Proof? Surfer Girl.
Pet Sounds? Possibly my most listened to bunch of songs, definitely in my top five.
I’m rather partial to sipping an occasion Marlborough sauvignon blanc too. Zesty, easy drinking white wines with a refreshing hint of summer – when the mood is right, they set a tasty tone.
So, when I got an invite from the folks at Cloudy Bay “to experience an evening of food and wine matching at the Cloudy Bay Bar at the Royal Albert Hall with a private box viewing of The Beach Boys performance” I bit my lower lip in excitement, threw a little fist thrust into the air and got back to them with an RSVP that was ASAP.
The show was great (for the most part). Sure, when America’s bad it’s really bad but when it’s good it’s the Beach Boys: breezy and youthful, accessible but endearing. Seeing the surviving members of the original band putting their differences aside for a concert celebrating their 50th anniversary was great. Some of the songs were a little wobbly and the acoustics weren’t ideal at all times, but those guys’ voices are still golden.
They performed a hefty number of songs I’d hoped I’d get to hear. And the ones that needed to sound fantastic certainly did (Wouldn’t it be Nice, God Only Knows, Don’t Worry Baby …). The backing musicians were all top notch players and appeared to be having the time of their lives up there on the stage. They and the actual Boys came across not just as excellent musicians but also as keen fans of early rock ‘n roll.
As for the wine, a sunny taste of the Pacific suited the situation well. I’d enjoyed Cloudy Bay’s wines before, but this was my first opportunity to sample their Te Koko, a more full bodied and robust take on the popular Kiwi sauvignon. The Cloudy Bar Wine Bar inside Royal Albert Hall was an ideal place to start the evening too.With a good range of wines alongside a complementary menu of seafood dishes, the bar opens two hours prior to performances and offers guests to RAH a bit of pre-show luxury a la an aperitif and light dining. And of course the venue was wow. If you’ve never been to Royal Albert Hall, you’re missing out on a level of grandeur that’s rare even for London.
But I’ve gotta say, that concert might have been the most lily white cultural experience of my life … and without doubt the thickest slice of white bread I’ve ever subjected my girlfriend to. This fact didn’t really dawn on me until she asked why so many people on stage were wearing baseball caps. I nearly spit my Te Koko across the auditorium. Regaining my composure I managed a mild chant of “USA! USA!” – I think she got the point.
Fun fun fun .. and incredibly white.
