View Full Version : Brian Wilson - Pet Sounds Tour
I can't believe I've seen Brian Wilson in the flesh - singing 2 hours 30 mins worth of his greatest tunes with a great backing band!
I managed to get returned tickets for me and my brother for the last night of the London leg of his 'Pet Sounds Tour' - best £50 I ever spent :). And to think I was going to go for tickets on eBay (which ended up at ~£150 a ticket...).
The atmosphere was incredible - the Royal Festival Hall filled to bursting with Brian Wilson obsessed freaks (me included
:p ).
His set list included so many great tunes - imagine seeing & hearing Brian singing greats like "'Til I Die", "Warmth Of The Sun", "Surf's Up", "California Girls"........
On top of that you get the complete Pet Sounds album thrown in for good measure!
If any of you get the chance to see Brian DO NOT pass up the opportunity - it was awesome :D .
Michael
02-10-2002, 11:56 PM
I would love to see him live. Must have been a great time!
I saw Brian open for Paul Simon last Summer. HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! His band is great too!
I've seen Brian Wilson twice; first, at Boston's Symphony Hall on the initial go-round of his solo tour, and then a year later in Baltimore, doing Pet Sounds in its entirety. Other than the first time that I saw Bruce Springsteen live (1977), these shows are the only ones that I have witnessed that have truly moved me. Genius is a far-too-common term used in characterizing rock performers, but I sincerely felt that it was a privilege to be in his presence. The band is so into what it is creating that it sends chills down your spine.
That said, the disturbing flip side to this moving experience is that Brian seemed extremely ill at ease. Although he sits stage center behind an electric keyboard, he doesn't play it- it's a prop. And, on each side of him is a clear glass teleprompter, like those used by politicians to recall their ad-libs, from which he reads the lyrics as he sings. That these are the lyrics to songs THAT HE COMPOSED, yet he requires such aid, is somewhat disconcerting. He really is a tortured soul, but what music he has created!
See him if you can. Long after the memory of concerts by other more trendy performers fades, you'll remember the night you saw Brian do all of Pet Sounds the rest of your life. I guarantee it.
Steve Hoffman
02-11-2002, 06:29 PM
Well, I wouldn't worry too much about Brian forgetting the lyrics of his own songs.
I saw the Beach Boys when I was a little kid and my parents took me to Pacific Ocean Park (P.O.P. in Santa Monica, to those of you who care), and the BB's were there doing a LIVE TV show. It was right when "Surfin' USA" hit big, so it must have been early in 1963. The host announced them, and then they came out and were going to lip sync to "Surfin' USA", but there must have been a mix up because the song that the audio engineer cued up and played was "Surfin' Safari". Oops. Well, lemme tell ya. They didn't know one word of that song. I mean, Mike Love looked like he was going to faint dead away. It was funny but horrible at the same time. When the song ended, they went to a commercial, and an old guy (Brian's dad!) started yelling and screaming at everybody. When they came back from commercial, they finally did "Surfin' USA". I think that whole deal gave Brian a mini-breakdown right then and there. Ah, it seems like yesterday.
At any rate, my point was that they couldn't even remember the lyrics to "Surfin' Safari" after about 6 months, so......:)
luke j. chung
02-11-2002, 08:15 PM
I hope Brian's wife Melinda or David Leaf arranged to have some of these tour dates recorded and/or videotaped for release on CD or DVD! If these gigs are as much fun as they seem to be, the fans would love to be able to share in some of the excitement!:D
Angel
02-11-2002, 09:46 PM
Steve, great Beach Boys story.
POP was on the pier in Santa Monica. I always see it in reruns of "Get Smart", "Man From U.N.C.L.E." and the last episode of "The Fugitive". When it went broke, all the studios used it as a back drop, right? Neat!
AudioGirl
02-11-2002, 09:50 PM
Great story Steve!
Hey did your folks ever take you on that monsterous ride they had at POP? You know the one? That one that plunged you under water or something... Didn't you hate that? :eek:
Steve Hoffman
02-11-2002, 11:33 PM
You mean the diving bell? I really hated that thing. Scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. I mean you are in this bell and go under water, and then it flies up and down like crazy. Geez, I could have got the benz or something.
Audio Girl, I KNOW you weren't around when POP was. How did you hear about this? :confused:
Patrick M
02-12-2002, 01:24 AM
Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
At any rate, my point was that they couldn't even remember the lyrics to "Surfin' Safari" after about 6 months, so......:)
...and people rag on Dylan for not being able to remember his lyrics? I'd probably do better at the Odyssey than some of Dylan's songs.
According to th Brian Wilson site, next up is a DVD-A, Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS mix of Pet Sounds. Also, possibly a DVD of his performances last month in London. As somebody who still can't decide if he prefers the mono or stereo Pet Sounds, I look upon the news of the surround edition with some trepidation, but it should be interesting.
Dave B
02-12-2002, 04:31 AM
For those of us who have not had the pleasure of seeing Brian live. The live album "Brian Wilson - Live At The Roxy" is a pretty good substitute. He has an excellent backup band that do a very credible job of replicating the Bach Boys hits (better than say, The Mike Love Experience). I have an early copy on BRIMEL Brian's private label that I purchase directly through his web site but I think it was re-released on a major label. His voice is not what it once was and his between song banter is at times painfully forced but once things get cooking the magic is still there.
I saw Brian in 2000 at Pine Knob. outside of Detroit. It was the first concert I took my kids to - They were 10 & 6. They're Beach Boy fans now. Most interesting was that he opened the show with a couple of verses of Brian Wilson by the Bare Naked Ladies.
Back when Brian was living in St. Charles, IL, he did a little concert at a local school. An acquaintance of mine saw it, and even though his voice wasn't quite the same, she thought it was still a beautiful, earnest performance. It was especially great to see a guy who was a complete mess for so long get it all together personally and professionally.
It was a real sharp contrast to a Mike Love concert a few years ago where he was the ONLY Beach Boy member in a band full of unknowns. The music was cold and professional, perfomed by a band of ringers, and in-between numbers, Mike Love talked about Brian, when he stopped touring with the group and stayed home to compose music. He made a crack about Brian being a genius in the way he stayed home while everye else was on the road, working for the money. Never mind that Brian was actually composing instead of just sitting on his ***, and never mind that months before this particular concert, Love successfully sued Brian for royalties and composer credits on many Beach Boys songs (anyone see the VH1 documentary on the Beach Boys, where Mike would go on about Brian's "weird" experiments, and how he'd step in and save the day by writing words about the sun, girls, etc.?)
I'm just glad Brian's out there, showing people that the Beach Boys aren't just a nostalgia trip.
PsychFan
02-12-2002, 11:50 AM
Buffoon that he may be today, Mike Love undeniably played a crucial role in the early success of the Beach Boys. As lead vocalist on most of the early hits and cowriter with Brian, his input was second only to Brian's in importance in the 1961-64 era.
His claims in the VH1 documentary might have been a bit overstated ... but they have some substance. A guy who cowrote "Fun Fun Fun" can't be all bad. ;)
Yeah, you have a point Jeff. Still don't like the guy, but like every great band, every member in the Beach Boys circa 1965 was a key member.
AudioGirl
02-12-2002, 10:15 PM
Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
Audio Girl, I KNOW you weren't around when POP was. How did you hear about this? :confused:
:D Ya found me out! You're right Steve, POP was long gone before I came to LA in the 80's. I must confess it was from a couple of older friends that I heard of the perils of the "diving bell".
From the sound of it... I'm glad it was long gone before I was ever subject to it's terror! :eek:
Thanks again for the story!
Patrick M
02-12-2002, 10:35 PM
Originally posted by Jeff Partyka
His claims in the VH1 documentary might have been a bit overstated ... but they have some substance. A guy who cowrote "Fun Fun Fun" can't be all bad. ;)
Jeff, have you read BW's "Wouldn't It Be Nice"? Mike Love comes off as a real class A ******* in that book.
David R. Modny
02-13-2002, 12:42 AM
Originally posted by Patrick M
Jeff, have you read BW's "Wouldn't It Be Nice"? Mike Love comes off as a real class A ******* in that book.
I'm far from a Mike Love defender, musically anyway. But that book is unfortunately not worth much more than a good laugh. Basically, a propaganda piece by Doc Landy during the whole conservatorship trial for Brian going on at the time. Al Jardine and Brian's mother Audree actually filed lawsuits against it for defamation of character and libel (and won I believe).
On top of that Todd Gold lifted exact passages from previous works, most notably Steve Gaines "Heroes and Villains", and tried to pass it off as Brian's own words. At the above mentioned lawsuits, Brian even admitted that he never read the book!!!!
It's basically Eugene Landy's attack on everyone else, through Gold,...passed off as Brian's own words.
Patrick M
02-13-2002, 12:58 AM
Originally posted by David R. Modny
I'm far from a Mike Love defender, musically anyway. But that book is unfortunately not worth much more than a good laugh.
Are the attacks on Mike Love in that book accurate, though? Off the top of my head: paternity suit, philanderer, wife-beater, fecal braggart?
:D
PsychFan
02-13-2002, 03:57 AM
I've read "Brian's" book, but as David says it's kind of a crock.
It's utterly possible that Mike Love is a despicable person. I don't know him so I can't say for sure ... My only point above was that his contribution to the Beach Boys' music (dwarfed as it may be by Brian's) should not be overlooked ...
I found a great use for the book. When it came out, Brian was in DC to promote it and did a signing at a local book store (he was an absolute zombie at the time, but that's another story). After reading it decidng that its title (Wouldn't It Be Nice) actually should have been Wouldn't It Be Nice If Any of This Were True, I put the book in a warm, dark place for storage. A few years later, I came upon a Smile cover slick, autographed by the illustrator, and pulled out the book, ripped out the page with Brian's signature and had it matted and framed with the Smile cover. I used the rest of the book to housebreak a puppy.
David R. Modny
02-13-2002, 08:39 AM
Originally posted by Patrick M
Are the attacks on Mike Love in that book accurate, though? Off the top of my head: paternity suit, philanderer, wife-beater, fecal braggart?
Oh there's no arguing that not only Mike Love, but the Beach Boys story in general, is one of the most sordid and litigious ones in rock history. The forementioned Gaine's book pretty much captures that in all of its glory. Even Brian himself is far from a private saint. Believe it or not, I actually side with Love for the most part in his songwriting credit suit (though I argue over the particulars of a couple of the titles included in it). Murray Wilson definitely screwed Mike for the sake of money. Though, I would suppose that it was only Brian being ultimately awarded his Sea of Tunes publishing rights, that brought Mike out for his piece of the pie. It's a dirty business.
Getting back to the books, as in any tell-all tome, these things do get repeated as urban legends, embellished and possibly taken out of context as years go by. The recent ABC movie, and the previous made TV movie, pretty much reinforce this. They manage to strip the artists of any sense of humanity by simply telling one lurid tale after another - reducing them to cartoon characters. I'm sure if these musicians ever did anything *good* as human beings, they wouldn't mention it!
I always say (though it's far from an original thought) "love the art, not the artist". Not knowing them personally, and frankly having no desire to, I'm in it for the beautiful music! :)
What's the best book(s) on the Beach Boys? I've only read Heroes and Villains.
In the early '80s, David Leaf wrote a book titled (I think) The Beach Boys and the California Myth. It was originally a large sized paperback and he republished an updated hardback version several years later. He got things SO right that he appears to have become a member of Brian's inner circle. It's sadly out of print but I think that it's easily the best book about the group and its dynamics.
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