The spring semester 1974 was the first Doo Dah Day.
The Beach Boys were the featured concert at Marietta. They were on their way to a concert in Columbus when they were somehow booked at Marietta the night before. One of my fraternity brothers, Matthew Burgay ’74, was in charge of the concert, and part of his duties included accommodating the group when they arrived. He enlisted me to help.
We picked them up from their private plane at Parkersburg Airport and spent the afternoon with them. We walked all over campus and got to spend some quality time talking with them about different things. I spent the afternoon with guitarist Alan Jardine, who has been a mainstay with the Beach Boys, as well as with Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys leader who now tours the world and is amazing. That was one of the greatest concerts ever at Marietta.
This was during the time that heavy rock music was in vogue, and the Beach Boys, to some, were not “cool” at the time. I will never forget the reaction the crowd had at the concert. It was spectacular and more well received than any concert (even the J. Geils Band) I ever attended at Marietta.
Took a lot of pictures but ended up loaning them to a classmate to copy. She lost them and I was devastated! To this day, I look at my album and have maybe three or four of those pictures. After the concert, we drove them back to the airport, and on the way they continued to sing a cappella in the car and it was amazing.
I have gone to more Beach Boys and Brian Wilson concerts than I can count over the years. For about 10 years or so after the Marietta concert, I kept in touch with some of the group and was able to get backstage.
At a concert in Long Island years later, Matt Burgay and I were back stage with not only the Beach Boys, but Elton John and Kiki Dee. We were treated like regulars and it was amazing. At their 50-year concert, I went backstage and reminded them of that day, and they still remembered. A defining Marietta moment.
Michael Salnick ’75
Michael is the owner and managing partner of Salnick & Fuchs, P.A., which is based in Palm Beach County, Florida.
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