Byrd Sings Solo at ‘Intimate’ Concert : Music: With press packed into his living room, a Huntington Beach man is treated to solo performance by legendary rocker.

Stan Bercovitz invited a few friends over to his house Saturday for a little living room entertainment--by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Roger McGuinn, founder of seminal ‘60s rock band the Byrds.

With his 12-string electric Rickenbacker guitar strapped across his chest, McGuinn strode into the house on a quiet residential street and gave an hourlong solo performance that included such Byrds hits as “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” as well as songs from his post-Byrds solo career.

Bercovitz, a 30-year-old elementary school teacher, won the intimate concert in a contest sponsored by Los Angeles radio station KLSX (97.1 FM), beating out more than 10,000 other listeners in a random drawing two weeks ago.

The house where Bercovitz lives is owned by Michael di Donato, who admitted before the show that he was “a little reluctant” about the event at first, but later warmed up to the idea.

Still, Di Donato seemed a little overwhelmed as radio station employees and reporters from newspapers and television filed into his living room, setting up lights and sound equipment.

“What a scene,” he said. “There are more set-up people and press people here than friends.” About 30 people jammed into the small living room, only 18 of them invited by Bercovitz.

After an introduction by KLSX disc jockey Beau Rials (“Live from Stan Bercovitz’s living room!”), McGuinn plugged in his guitar and opened with “My Back Pages,” one of the many Bob Dylan songs the Byrds covered in their eight-year career.

As the concert progressed, curious neighbors could be seen through the living room window, walking by the house and investigating the commotion. Parked outside were a large radio station van and the limousine in which McGuinn arrived. The concert was not broadcast, or taped for broadcast.

With McGuinn’s chiming guitar work coupled with rich vocal harmonies, the Byrds created one of the most recognizable sounds of rock’s golden decade. The Byrds found their first success in 1965 with their No. 1 single, Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” which featured McGuinn on guitar and also singing with Gene Clark and David Crosby.

On Saturday, McGuinn played two versions of the song, one in the folk style of Dylan’s original recording and a reprise of McGuinn’s radically rearranged take on the tune. “I thought maybe I could soup it up a little,” McGuinn told his audience, recalling the first time he heard the song.

After that, McGuinn continued with the hits “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, “Eight Miles High” (“A song about an airplane ride over to England,” McGuinn said), “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better.” Earlier in the set, he also performed several songs from his most recent solo album, “Back From Rio.”

McGuinn began performing in the early ‘60s as a teen-age guitar and banjo accompanist with such folk groups as the Limeliters. He and Clark met and joined forces in 1964, and they were eventually joined by Crosby, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke. The group went through several personnel changes before breaking up in 1973. They rejoined periodically after that, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

McGuinn said he had been contacted by the radio station through his agent about the concert giveaway idea, and immediately supported it.

“I thought it sounded like fun,” he said. “I like the idea of an intimate setting, and I can’t think of a more intimate setting than someone’s living room.”

Bercovitz, who also won a Fuji video camcorder, picked the songs that McGuinn played.

McGuinn said after the show that he enjoyed the “family environment” of the concert, and he stayed to chat with guests and sign autographs. Bercovitz pronounced himself thrilled with the event: “Listening to ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’ sent chills up my spine.”