My review of Brian Wilson in Calgary and Edmonton.

I said a week ago in Kayla's thread that I'd write my review of the Calgary and Edmonton shows.

I hung out with the band, I took Probyn to Banff on the Friday before the Calgary show, I met Brian for about the fourth time ever (the picture's posted in Kayla's thread), I joined Kayla and the band at the bar after the Edmonton show, and amazing as all of this was, what really, really, really, really made the performances was seeing Brian Wilson in the amazing shape and mental state he appeared to be in.

I've seen him before, several times. The Calgary and Edmonton shows were actually my 9th and 10th time seeing Brian. First time was with my father at a Beach Boys concert at the Dallas County Fair in 1994 or 1995, I don't remember that show really at all since I was still a young child at the time, though I remember there were girls in bikinis dancing on stage, as well as fake palm trees, but to this day my parents have both told me Brian stumbled on stage and did a couple songs with them (I've tried finding the show on Eric's Setlist Archive, but no luck). My father raised me on The Beach Boys. He gave me his copy of Surf's Up when I was 13 and at first I didn't get it at all.

Since then, I've fallen in love, flew to New York to catch the 2 Pet Sounds concerts at the Beacon and seen him quite a few times since.

I heard a rumor back in September last year that they were coming to Calgary and I could hardly believe it, until a month or so later an official announcement was made, and I bought my tickets for Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver the day they went on sale. Unfortunately due to current unsuspected family, and financial issues, I couldn't make it to Vancouver, but I still went to Calgary and Edmonton.

All I really have to say about the concerts themselves is that it was Brian at the best I've ever seen him. Of all the times I've seen Brian, he smiled the most, talked the most between songs, actually interacted with fans (there were a couple times during the Edmonton shows where he would make hand gestures directly towards my friends and I, and when we would do them back, he would smile, mod, and do them to us again), actually played his piano a lot, sang more beautifully than I've ever heard, and just seemed like he was happy and legitamitely wanted to be there.

During Calgary, the Gershwin set blew me away, he sang better than I'd ever heard, he surpassed what he did on the album, he hit notes I didn't think he was capable of hitting anymore, and held notes for longer than ever, in perfect tune.

In Edmonton, after being completely blown away by Gershwin in Calgary, I felt that the set in Edmonton wasn't as good, he seemed stiff, upset, didn't talk at all during songs, sat at his stool almost motionless, didn't sing quite as beautifully, and when he did talk, it was to say weird things along the lines of "if you guys don't like this, I'll give you your money back". Though when the Beach Boys hits came around, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. He was talking, making jokes, nailing every song, and looked like he was having fun. Before Marcella he said "Sometimes people tell me we're not as good as The Rolling Stones, and I say 'Whatcha talkin' 'bout Buddy?' This next songs Marcella, rocks a little bit", after Darian sang Darlin', Brian said "That wasn't actually Darian singing, it was just an optical illusion!". But the thing that absolutely blew me away the most was when he played God Only Knows. I have never ever heard him sing it so gentle and beautifully, he hit some of the high notes and sang falsetto, at times it was like out of nowhere his voice from 1966 was back, and it made me cry, absolutely beautiful and I honestly believe that not a single live music performance will ever top this for the rest of my life. My friends and I all turned to each other during God Only knows and couldn't say anything except for "oh my god".

If you have a chance to see Brian Wilson on any of his upcoming tour dates, do it, who cares if Taylor's not there, or if he's not playing the entire Gershwin album. I can guarantee that you will love it, and Brian Wilson is at his absolute best, and is in an extremely rare joyful form. OIf all the times t I've seen Brian, these have been the best.

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