On July 4, 1983, the Beach Boys' Fourth of July concert on the National Mall was canceled.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Thu Jun 12, 2025, 11:57 AM - Edit history (3)

To be precise, Secretary of the Interior James Watt made the decision in early April not to have The Beach Boys play on the Mall that Fourth of July.

From 2023:

40 years ago: The Beach Boys’ Fourth of July concert on the National Mall was canceled

Neal Augenstein | [e-mail]
July 4, 2023, 11:00 AM

It was 40 years ago Tuesday that the Beach Boys were supposed to have their Fourth of July concert on the National Mall. … President Ronald Reagan’s interior secretary at the time, James Watt, had announced the Beach Boys were banned from performing at the 1983 Independence Day celebration on the Mall, because they attracted the “wrong element.”

The Beach Boys had played on the Mall in 1980 and 1981, playing hits including “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “Surfin’ USA,” and “Good Vibrations.” In 1982, the Grass Roots performed a concert on the Mall. … As the head of the Interior Department, which has jurisdiction over the National Park Service, which issues permits for events on the Mall, Watt’s decision drew a flurry of activity, and scorn.

On April 7, 1983, The Washington Post reported that Watt made the decision to ban “rock bands,” like the Beach Boys and Grass Roots, to prevent drinking, drug-taking youths from attending the concert. … Instead, Watt arranged for “patriotic, family-based entertainment” to be provided for the July 4, 1983 show by the U.S. Army Blues Band and Las Vegas singer Wayne Newton.

Within hours of banning the Beach Boys, both President Reagan and Vice President George Bush had issued statements supporting the band. … Reagan’s deputy chief of staff Michael Deaver told a TV reporter, “I think for a lot of people the Beach Boys are an American institution. Anyone who thinks they are hard rock would think Mantovani plays jazz.” ?? Soon after, Watt retreated.

{snip}

Neal Augenstein
Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.
[e-mail]
@AugensteinWTOP

During the evening news on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, DC's WJLA ran a story about this performance as part of its coverage of the death earlier that day of Brian Wilson. The story mentioned that Ron and Nancy were Beach Boys fans. It showed a few seconds of this clip. Tomorrow’s the anniversary of the performance.

President Reagan’s Remarks during an event for the Special Olympics on June 12, 1983

Reagan Library
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Full Title: President Reagan’s Remarks during an event for the Special Olympics and a Performance by the Beach Boys in a tent on the South Lawn on June 12, 1983

Creator(s): President (1981-1989 : Reagan). White House Television Office. 1/20/1981-1/20/1989 (Most Recent)
Series: Video Recordings, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989
Collection: Records of the White House Television Office (WHTV) (Reagan Administration), 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989

Transcript: https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/remarks-following-performance-beach-boys-white-house-ceremonies-marking-15th

Production Date: 6/12/1983

Access Restriction(s):Unrestricted
Use Restriction(s):Unrestricted

Contact(s): Ronald Reagan Library (LP-RR), 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, CA 93065-0600
Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: [e-mail]

National Archives Identifier: 74614183

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/74614183

[Silent Type]

1. They substituted Wayne Newton. What snooze fest that must have been.

[gay texan]

6. From what i remember

He got heckled

[hlthe2b]

2. How's the music in hell, James Watt? I only hope you hear "Danke Schoen" on an endless loop.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Too bad Watt died in 2023. He'd have fit in well with the current regime.

[Basso8vb]

4. The GOP have always been a cadre of shrinking assholes.

[rsdsharp]

5. In the mid 70s my alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa,

decided to build a “multi-purpose facility” — the UNI Dome. They billed it as multi-purpose — suitable for concerts as well as football, basketball and wrestling — because they were taking the student activity fees to apply toward the costs, while then charging students for events they could formerly attend for free.

After the thing was built, the athletic director tried to renege on the promise about concerts. He didn’t want his precious Astroturf to be damaged. That caused such a hue and cry he backtracked, and allowed that possibly Lawrence Welk would be acceptable. That caused even more of a blow up.

He finally started sending his assistant AD to the campus radio station, where I was manager, to audition records of artists that might be deemed “acceptable.” While he loved Lady by Styx, the first artist— more than a year later — was actually Harry Chapin.

A good friend of mine picked him up at the airport, took him back to his apartment for an interview, and now has an album signed by the late Mr. Chapin inscribed to my friend with the legend “Thanks for listening so closely.”. A good time was had by all, and there was no damage.

Several months later the Doobie Brothers played the Dome, which did result in some burn marks on the Astroturf from of all things. . . doobies! Who knew?