"Go green, Fairfield!" Those were Mike Love's parting words at a press conference on Friday, August 14, during which Mayor Ed Malloy announced that Love will be annointed "Energy Czar for the Day" at the upcoming Beach Boys concert in Fairfield, Iowa, on Labor Day, Sept. 7. The seed idea came from Love, who proposed naming Sept. 7 as "Energy Independence Day in Fairfield Iowa USA." Plans are in the works to make the event a 100% green concert. Already, biofuel-powered generators have been located and ordered. Ed Malloy has spoken with Alliant Energy about using their 2nd Nature Program (wind-generated power) for other power needs. Talk of composting was floated. And local residents are being encouraged to bike to the concert, too.
"Unless we act locally and do the types of things Mayor Ed Malloy has spearheaded, I don't see how the planet can sustain itself," said Mike, who will introduce Fairfield's new 40-point Go Green Plan for Fairfield at the concert. "The Heartland of America is perfectly well suited for a lot of sustainability and energy independence."
Mike Love's connection with Fairfield, Iowa, goes back to the 60s. "I've been coming here for many decades because of my connection with Maharishi, who actually taught me TM in December 1967," he said. The band had traveled to Paris that month for a UNICEF concert. It just so happened that sitting in the front row were Maharishi and the Beatles. After the concert, the Beach Boys left for England. "I got a call from my cousin Dennis," Mike recounted. " 'Come back to Paris! Maharishi is going to teach us to meditate!' " A few months later, Mike traveled to Rishikesh to attend Maharishi's academy there.
"Personally, I probably wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for Maharishi teaching me TM," he said, referring to drug and alcohol use prevalent in the music industry.
Tickets for the September concert have been selling quickly, with fans coming from Illinois and Missouri as well as throughout Iowa. For tickets, directions, and parking information, call 641.472-2787.