RANGELEY — When the questions come back — “Are you sure?” or “Is it really them?” — Beth Brunswick nods and smiles.
Yup. Those Beach Boys, the guys who sang “California Girls,” “I Get Around” and “Good Vibrations,” are scheduled to play a concert here on Monday.
“These guys are the real deal,” said Brunswick, who leads the board of the Rangeley Region Health and Wellness Partnership.
The concert is a benefit to raise money for the health and wellness agency.
Partnership leaders hope to host 2,000 people on Monday night at its Dallas Hill Road pavilion, just off Route 4.
General admission seats are $45. Special VIP tickets, which include a meet-and-greet opportunity, are selling for $250.
In recent weeks, tickets have begun selling well, Brunswick said.
Perhaps the sales have accompanied a growing realization that the one and only Beach Boys are coming, she said.
This will be the second rock show put on by the partnership, which supports fitness, nutrition and immunization efforts in Rangeley and many nearby towns.
In 2007, the partnership hosted the ’80s band Foreigner at Saddleback Mountain.
That show seemed like a special case. The band’s rhythm guitarist, Tom Gimbel, had friends and family in the area.
This time, Brunswick had no connections. She sought out a band with family appeal.
“I thought it would be great to have a concert with a group that appeals to all ages,” she said.
Signing the veteran rockers wasn’t easy, though.
The dates changed three or four times.
According to the band’s website, www.thebeachboys.com, the guys still perform dozens of concerts every year. Mike Love, 69, still sings lead and 68-year-old Bruce Johnston, who first joined the band in 1965, still backs him. Together, with several newer musicians, they continue to sound like the Beach Boys.
Selling the guys on Maine was a little tough, Brunswick said.
She had to prove she was serious, she said. Their agent did some checking on her agency.
And Brunswick had to describe Rangeley.
It’s not very easy to get here,” she told the agent.
In fact, the guys are flying into Portland rather than Rangeley’ own airport. The reason: their plane is too big.
On Monday, Brunswick believes that all her effort will pay off.
“We really wanted to choose a group that everyone could relate to,” she said. At least one family has purchased tickets for three generations of fans.
“People love that music and it makes them feel happy,” she said.
Go and do
WHO: The Beach Boys
WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday, July 26
WHERE: Rangeley Rehab and Wellness Pavilion,
25 Dallas Hill Road, Rangeley
TICKETS: $45, general admission; $250 VIP tickets include a meet-and-greet with the band. Go to ticketweb.com or call (207) 864-4397.
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