California Dreamin' with The Beach Boys in Galveston

Who needs California when you've got Galveston? Sure they get hit with hurricanes every 20 years, but California's got those massive earthquakes. It seems that if you want to live in paradise, you've got to be willing to lose everything ...and then laugh about it.

At least, that 's the way the 7,000 fans attending The Beach Boys concert in Galveston saw it.

I spoke to people who no longer had homes, were living off of family and friends, and had lost everything. Then there were the people that had their house, but were still struggling to make it a home.

"Well, it's livable. There's no power, but we're living in it," said one Beach Boy fan.

Man, that's harsh. But these beach-side Texans are tough. They knew what to expect, unlike Gail and Brooks Hirsch who had moved to Galveston from New Jersey just two years ago.

"We rode out the storm. We thought it would be like a New York blizzard and we could just shovel out the next day. Nobody told us about all the water," said Gail, while laughing.

But while Hurricane Ike hovered in the background of these people's lives, the future was sending them some good vibrations - and it was starting with Moody Gardens' Beach Boys concert that doubled as an affordable fundraiser (lawn tickets were only $20 and part of the ticket proceeds went the United Way).

After a month and a half of cleanup, Galveston was ready to open their doors to tourists and locals, and there is no better way to do it than with the boys of summer - California's own Beach Boys.

The gates opened at 5 p.m., with the first band, The Intercoastal Pirates hitting the stage at 6:30. They warmed up the audience with their mix of 60s and 70s music.

The next band was a local favorite from Baytown, called the Coastliners. (That's me in the red jacket getting quick interview withTommy Meekins)

"Back in the 1960s, we were called the Gulf Coast's answer to The Beach Boys," said Tommy Meekins, singer and keyboardist for the band.

The Coastliners had six number one hits in the 1960s, and toured with bands including Sonny and Cher, and Roy Orbison. Over 40 years later, the band is still performing with many of their original members and a couple of new additions.

"My son joined the group when we reformed in 1998. He plays lead guitar," said Tommy.

The Coastliners thrilled the audience with hits from the 1960s and 1970s. They also played a few of their original songs that got the crowd out of their lawn chairs and dancing away.

And then it was the moment the crowd had been waiting for. It was time for Mike Love and The Beach Boys to hit the stage. I tried to get an interview with Mike Love, but he's a slippery little devil. Even though I staked myself out backstage, he snuck right past me. It wasn't until the lights when up on the stage that my photographer and I realized we missed him.

But so did all the other fans waiting behind the stage. Not that it mattered. We weren't there to talk; we were there for some California Dreamin'. And after singing and dancing under the stars, The Beach Boys gave their fans the relief they needed from the storm.