Watch Weezer, Taylor Momsen and The Struts’ Luke Spiller cover The Beach Boys at star-studded LA tribute show

Fall Out Boy, Weezer, St. Vincent, Beck, The Pretty Reckless‘ Taylor Momsen and The Struts frontman Luke Spiller were among the artists who paid tribute to The Beach Boys at a star-studded A Grammy Salute show at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (February 8).

The ‘Salute’ event has become an annual fixture and has honoured Prince, Paul Simon and The Beatles in recent years: among the other artists hailing the importance and influence of the Californian band were Brandi Carlile, Hanson, Norah Jones, Lady A, John Legend, Little Big Town, Michael McDonald, Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Pentatonix, Charlie Puth, and LeAnn Rimes.

Remarkably, despite four nominations, the Beach Boys have never won a Grammy, but Brian Wilson’s group – now led by co-founder Mike Love –  did receive a lifetime achievement award in 2001.

Few bands in rock are as obviously indebted to The Beach Boys as Weezer – frontman Rivers Cuomo calls the band’s classic 1966 album Pet Sounds “perfect” and has previously recorded versions of God Only Knows and Don’t Worry Baby – and they were given the opportunity to cover one of the band’s best-known songs, 1965 single California Girls, as the show’s opening number. 

On a night which also saw duets from Beck and My Morning Jacket’s Jim Jones (on Good Vibrations), and R&B star John Legend and country superstar (and Soundgarden fan) Brandi Carlile (on God Only Knows), The Struts Luke Spiller and The Pretty Reckless’ Luke Spiller paired up to sing Surfin’ USA and Fun, Fun, Fun. Momsen later shared some photos from the night, hailing Spiller as “her new found friend”. She described the evening as “an honor” and “a blast”.

Watch footage of the Weezer’s show-opening performance, introduced by host John Stamos, and the Spiller/Momsen collab, filmed and subsequently posted on YouTube by attendee ‘rjrjr8’, below:

A Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys will air on CBS in America and will be available live and on demand on Paramount+ at a later date. 

Source: loudersound.com