Brian Wilson 2016 Tour Thread (Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary Tour)

[Ang Jones]

"Given the schedule" It's the third show of tour, not the seventy third. I wasn't there, and there have been contradictory reports, from fans as well as reviewers. All very confusing. Hopefully any potential kinks will have been ironed out by May.

I was thinking of Jonathan Blum's comment: "And you know what?  I'm sure he *was* exhausted.  The band played Auckland on the 26th, flew to another country in a different timezone on the 27th, played Bluesfest on the 28th, flew down to Sydney on the morning of the 29th, checked in, then pretty much went straight to soundcheck to play that night.  No rest day.  Yesterday was their first actual day off."

That schedule sounds pretty tiring to me. And I'm not 73.

Edit to note that a friend who attended the second (as well as first night, which she admitted had flaws) said it was "brilliant".

[Andrew G. Doe]

Then whoever put that schedule together needs a good talking to, as does whoever in Brian's organisation agreed to it.

That said, it seems the original report was broadly accurate, although l'd agree that it's unlikely the band were as bad as claimed (fwiw I've only once seen them truly poor, in 2005).

[SMiLE Brian]

And let the negativity begin from the usual suspects begin...

[HeyJude]

The first Opera House show was not Brian's best - as previously stated clipping and missing words and at times he did seem to be in a hurry to get the show over with - and at this stage of the tour Al & Matt can't cover for Brian's mistakes in the same way that Foskett could. On the plus side Al, Matt and Blondie really add a new dimension to the show - Al's in great voice and I'm in the camp that prefers Matt's vocals over Jeff Foskett's (please Brian let Matt do Hushabye). I really liked the first set, it opened with Prayer/H&V then had a run of 8 or 9 hits - moved on to a mini set of more obscure tracks as far as the meat and potatoes crowd were concerned then on comes Blondie and gives a swaggering taste of what the Beach Boys were live in the early 70's - something we in Australia never got to witness (and I'd love to see H&V moved from the opener to closing the set with a more rocking 70s take on the song).

I struggled with the Pet Sounds set, at times to me it felt like performing Pet Sounds is an ask too much for Brian and the tour may have been better off sticking to a broader selection of songs and letting the rest of the band carry more of the vocals without diminishing Brian's presence. I'm off to the second show tonight and will be happy to be proved wrong. The encore rocked ... even Barbara #$%^in' Ann.

I felt the crowd was broader that previous tours with a distinct "Love & Mercy' film influence about the attendees. I'm not a fan of the sound quality at the Opera House - its generally too muddy and not loud enough for my taste - it diminishes the live experience.

Having said all of the above about Pet Sounds I had a chance last night to hear a recording of the first Sydney show and Brian sounded much better than I (and others in attendance) could remember. Perhaps I've been over exposed to Brain and Pet Sounds - so perhaps it really is time for a Love You tour 

I appreciate your on-site review, those are always important and of course one of the main reason to have a thread for the tour.

I think one of my hangups is that if it was indeed an "off night" (which Brian is certainly *well-known* to have, going all the way back to 1999, and frankly 1976 if not the 60s), that's very different from implying Brian has had a steady downward slide with no ups and downs, just "downs."

And then, it comes back to the point I've been making for years, which is that all of the (sometimes valid) arguments I see against Brian touring are arguments that would be just as cogent and valid in 1999 as they are in 2016. I'm not saying fans can't change their opinion or have an epiphany even if they've seen numerous shows and acknowledge the same deal is true of Brian that was true in 1999. But that's a very personal, self-reflective (and sometimes poignant) situation for a fan. Concert reviews, like any "review", in my opinion need to obviously work off of writer opinion, but also have some tone of objectivity threaded through it as well.

I've seen other fans sometimes have the "Holy s**t, I don't know if I can watch Brian shows anymore" moment, but that's not a good way to put together a concert review. I feel like the writer had an epiphany, but then tried to come up with reasons the change was more due to Brian (e.g. the 2004 show being better, it being an "off night", even turning to criticizing the backing band and comparing Matt Jardine to Foskett) instead of just saying "You know what, it was an off night, but I just personally can't do it anymore."

I've *never* been one of those "Brian's sounds amazing, just like 1966!" sort of fans. So I feel like my reviews of say, the 1999 tour were more subdued and realistic than some other fans, but now at this stage I feel pretty much the same way.

I *would* say that Brian's mood, particularly in June of last year when I caught opening night, was probably the best mood and most upbeat I've seen him since 2000. It has never been a "night and day" sort of change, but I do feel okay about Brian touring now in what I feel is a bit more of a homey, mellow place. I think Foskett being gone may have actually helped a little bit, and I think having Al in the band is no longer a weird, kind of dispassionate political maneuver like it was in 2006/2007, but instead is a case now where Brian actually likes him there.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Reviews of the second show are coming in, and it looks like it was much better. Most excellent. 

[Jonathan Blum]

Then whoever put that schedule together needs a good talking to, as does whoever in Brian's organisation agreed to it.

That said, it seems the original report was broadly accurate, although l'd agree that it's unlikely the band were as bad as claimed (fwiw I've only once seen them truly poor, in 2005).

FWIW, the band certainly didn't put in a bad show overall by any means on Tuesday -- it's just, there were some noticeable fumbles, of a sort I'd literally never heard from them before.  (I dunno *what* happened in "Our Prayer", but it really jarred both me and my wife.)

Also for what it's worth, I spoke to a bunch of people after the show tonight who were at both Tuesday's and tonight's, and they all confirmed that tonight's was much better.  Brian was more on form, and apparently they'd made some adjustments to the sound mix too.  So unlike the guy at the Herald, I certainly wouldn't write off the tour based on one off night!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[HeyJude]

Based on one report, the setlist for 3/31 was the same as the first Sydney show, with "Then I Kissed Her" added back in but "Wake the World", "Add Some Music to Your Day", and "Honkin' Down the Highway" cut. Kind of a bummer they cut three "deep cuts."

Hope those songs aren't gone for good, or gone from regular rotation. Also a bummer they cut two (or two and a half) Al lead vocals, and that they cut the overall length of the show down a bit. I always figured a way to make the songs longer without taxing Brian more would be to hand another lead or two over to Al and Blondie.

I thought it had been interesting that the original 38-song setlist was identical in length to many of the 2000 PS shows. The 2000 show I saw was also 38 songs. 

[AndrewHickey]

I do hope Honkin' and Wake The World make it back into the set for the UK shows -- they were probably the two most exciting inclusions on the first night's setlist, at least for me.

[Jonathan Blum]

Also, Alan and Blondie are great singers/musicians, but neither added much to the show.

I can't really agree with that -- I think they're each serving an important role in the band as it stands.  Al handling the likes of "Little Deuce Coupe" gives Brian a break while still keeping that authentic Beach Boy sound.  And Blondie?  He's really stretching the band this time around -- it's the contrast between cutting loose on an authentic "In Concert" arrangement of "Funky Pretty", almost back-to-back with the complete "Pet Sounds", which really drives home how damn talented they are.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[HeyJude]

The thing with Al is that he's actually a solid guitar player, better than he usually shows on stage. But he's not a flaming lead player, and in Brian's band he's there pretty much for vocals. Blondie is a good guitar player, but he obviously only plays a prominent role in this three-song set.

So Blondie's usually not on stage, and when Al's not singing, he's not adding much musically. I think Al does add a key part to many of the harmony parts in songs; when he's audible in the big group vocal mix, it immediately does make it sounds much more like the Beach Boys. His middle harmony part *is* that important. I do also think Al serves a bit of a Foskett-esque role on stage, literally sandwiching Brian between he and Darian.

I think both Al and Blondie *could* be utilized much more. But if it's a "Brian Wilson" show and not a "Wilson, Jardine, & Chaplin" show, how much of a main role should they play? I think a cool compromise or alternate idea would be like what Ringo Starr used to do with his All-Starr bands (and maybe he still does it now), which is to give the guys a few solo tracks in between sets. Brian can chillax back stage, and Al can come out solo or with small accompaniment and do "Santa Ana Winds" and/or something else solo. Same with Blondie. A 3-4 song solo set from Al and Blondie (or heck, get Matt or Darian in there for a song) would be a nice *bonus*, a little respite that wouldn't feel like it's horning in on Brian's main show.

If Brian's okay with having Rodriguez open with a half hour set, then I can't see why audiences would get restless with a 15-minute between-set interlude with Al and Blondie.

[AndrewHickey]

I think both Al and Blondie *could* be utilized much more. But if it's a "Brian Wilson" show and not a "Wilson, Jardine, & Chaplin" show, how much of a main role should they play? I think a cool compromise or alternate idea would be like what Ringo Starr used to do with his All-Starr bands (and maybe he still does it now), which is to give the guys a few solo tracks in between sets. Brian can chillax back stage, and Al can come out solo or with small accompaniment and do "Santa Ana Winds" and/or something else solo. Same with Blondie. A 3-4 song solo set from Al and Blondie (or heck, get Matt or Darian in there for a song) would be a nice *bonus*, a little respite that wouldn't feel like it's horning in on Brian's main show.

That is a REALLY, REALLY good idea. It'd give Al a chance to promote his solo CD some more, let us get to hear some unusual songs, let us hear more Al, and give us a longer show without overworking Brian. I can't really see a downside to the idea.

[HeyJude]

I think both Al and Blondie *could* be utilized much more. But if it's a "Brian Wilson" show and not a "Wilson, Jardine, & Chaplin" show, how much of a main role should they play? I think a cool compromise or alternate idea would be like what Ringo Starr used to do with his All-Starr bands (and maybe he still does it now), which is to give the guys a few solo tracks in between sets. Brian can chillax back stage, and Al can come out solo or with small accompaniment and do "Santa Ana Winds" and/or something else solo. Same with Blondie. A 3-4 song solo set from Al and Blondie (or heck, get Matt or Darian in there for a song) would be a nice *bonus*, a little respite that wouldn't feel like it's horning in on Brian's main show.

That is a REALLY, REALLY good idea. It'd give Al a chance to promote his solo CD some more, let us get to hear some unusual songs, let us hear more Al, and give us a longer show without overworking Brian. I can't really see a downside to the idea.

And the thing is, these tickets aren't exactly on the cheap side. I've seen some indie bands in clubs for $20, and it's so refreshing to see a band for a fair price and up close. But they also don't do a two-hour set (in my experience; I'm sure there are exceptions). I just saw a band with a solid following at The Independent in San Francisco. Tickets were $20, the club holds maybe 300-400 people at the most. But the band did a 21-song set that was maybe 75 minutes.  

The two Brian shows I saw in 2015, neither of which had intermissions, clocked in at I would guess around 90 minutes.

The PS tour tickets are relatively expensive, it's a big production, it has no "opening act", so I think a 38-song setlist (instead of 32 or 33 last year) is a fair compromise, though I wish the shows would get more into the 42-46 songs regularly done on C50. But I fear we're going to see the setlist trimmed down a bit instead of get larger.

So yeah, let's lobby for a few solo spots for Al and Blondie. For that matter, they could have the entire band, sans Brian, come out and do a mini Al/Blondie set of less Brian-centric songs. "Lookin' at Tomorrow", etc.

[Andrew G. Doe]

So yeah, let's lobby for a few solo spots for Al and Blondie. For that matter, they could have the entire band, sans Brian, come out and do a mini Al/Blondie set of less Brian-centric songs. "Lookin' at Tomorrow", etc.

Outstanding notion !

[AndrewHickey]

The PS tour tickets are relatively expensive, it's a big production, it has no "opening act", so I think a 38-song setlist (instead of 32 or 33 last year) is a fair compromise, though I wish the shows would get more into the 42-46 songs regularly done on C50. But I fear we're going to see the setlist trimmed down a bit instead of get larger.

I'd like to see the setlists get even longer than that. The UK Pet Sounds tours in 2002 regularly topped fifty songs, and that was without Al or Blondie to take up the slack.

(If Brian's feeling really competitive with Mike... well, Mike did sixty-song sets last year. Just saying )

But I won't complain about thirty-eight songs when plenty of bands do much less... I do hope you're wrong about the setlists getting shorter though -- as you say, it's an expensive show, with no support, and while it pretty much *has* to be an expensive show with that many musicians to pay and transport, there's still the question of value for money.

So yeah, let's lobby for a few solo spots for Al and Blondie. For that matter, they could have the entire band, sans Brian, come out and do a mini Al/Blondie set of less Brian-centric songs. "Lookin' at Tomorrow", etc.

Absolutely. I think the band-minus-Brian thing less likely than a mini acoustic set though.

[guitarfool2002]

What if Mike and Bruce were to leave the stage for a mini set, and Jeff, Scott, and Ike could do an acoustic mini-set of their own?

[SMiLE Brian]

Then it would be papa doo run run!

[lee]

I'm disappointed to see songs like Wake the World, Add Some Music and especially Honkin' getting cut already. Hopefully they are not cut permanently. Aside from the Pet Sounds portion, the first set and the encore having nothing new from the No Pier Pressure setlists except Honkin' and Funky Pretty. That's why I really hate to see Honkin' already being cut.

 * I know Add Some Music didn't make it's way into last years set until late in the tour.

[Debbie KL]

Another view:  http://www.thebrag.com/music/brian-wilson-sydney-opera-house - Opinions and drama will fly, and great shows will continue to happen.  I don't think Brian or band need our coaching. 

If it was an off night, every band has one.  But let's not get into that argument posting links showing off-night YouTube videos and reviews of various band's shows.

[beatle608]

I'm disappointed to see songs like Wake the World, Add Some Music and especially Honkin' getting cut already. Hopefully they are not cut permanently.

Those songs were cut for the festival show, most likely do to time constraints, but made their way back into the setlist for the Sydney Opera House shows.

[Jonathan Blum]

So yeah, let's lobby for a few solo spots for Al and Blondie. For that matter, they could have the entire band, sans Brian, come out and do a mini Al/Blondie set of less Brian-centric songs. "Lookin' at Tomorrow", etc.

Outstanding notion !

I remember at one point years ago thinking that you could do a Wondermints / other-band-members-solo-stuff set, either as a lead-off to the second set to give Brian a break, or even with the band getting to be their own opening act.  Giving Al, Blondie, and/or David the slots would probably be more effective, though.  :-)

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Jonathan Blum]

I'd like to see the setlists get even longer than that. The UK Pet Sounds tours in 2002 regularly topped fifty songs, and that was without Al or Blondie to take up the slack.

But then, remember that a lot of their regular songs are half as long as something like "Funky Pretty" or the Cantina version of "Heroes"!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[HeyJude]

I'm disappointed to see songs like Wake the World, Add Some Music and especially Honkin' getting cut already. Hopefully they are not cut permanently.

Those songs were cut for the festival show, most likely do to time constraints, but made their way back into the setlist for the Sydney Opera House shows.

An on-site report says those three were cut for the second night in Sydney, 3/31.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I'm going to be deleting several posts in this thread. I have my reasons for it, and I'll leave it at that for now. Nothing personal.

[mikeddonn]

I'm going to be deleting several posts in this thread. I have my reasons for it, and I'll leave it at that for now. Nothing personal.

An unusual step to take Billy.  My post was one of those deleted.  I take it that was because I had quoted Debbie quoting Jon? I didn't say anything contentious.

I spent ages typing it too! 

[The Cincinnati Kid]

I'm going to be deleting several posts in this thread. I have my reasons for it, and I'll leave it at that for now. Nothing personal.

An unusual step to take Billy.  My post was one of those deleted.  I take it that was because I had quoted Debbie quoting Jon? I didn't say anything contentious.

I spent ages typing it too! 

Yes, that's why.  I think it was a good idea to delete those posts.