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

[HeyJude]

Looks like "Johnny B. Goode" was probably a one-shot deal for Chicago.

For Minneapolis, it looks like they swapped "You're So Good to Me" in place of "Little Honda."

[skabandit22]

I was at the Detroit show and I was blown away. Brian and the band were on fire. He had his rough spots, but he kept getting stronger as the show went on. It really surprised me how strong he sounded on the encore- Surfin' USA and Fun Fun Fun were actually highlights for him vocally IMO, and Love and Mercy was just outstanding. I don't know where anyone is getting the idea that Brian is tired from, he was in great spirits. I loved the way he introduced the instrumentals: "this is an instrumental... no voices, just instruments".  And of course, his intro to Good Vibrations was hilarious.

To repeat what everyone else says, Matt Jardine is perfect. Don't Worry Baby was out of this world.

Al had a really funny line when introducing Wake the World / Add Some Music... I can't remember exactly what he said but he was trying to remember what album the songs were from. At first it sounded scripted, and maybe it was, but then just as they kicked into the song he went "...Sunflower!" like he just remembered.

I could go on and on but man, that was one of the best shows I've ever seen. I had psyched myself up to be disappointed for whatever reason and was not in the slightest.

[the captain]

I attended the Minneapolis show last night. Here is the local daily paper's review (done by the same guy who did a preview/interview a few days prior):

http://www.startribune.com/brian-wilson-has-good-vibrations-in-orpheum-theatre-performance/395596051/#1

It was, I think, my sixth Wilson show, dating back to June 2001 with Paul Simon (and including two Smiles, TLOS, and an outdoor show at the beautiful Minnesota Zoo venue over the years, I think 2004, 2004, 2008, and 2013). The music sounded as good as it ever did, the band's vocals were as good as they've ever been. The set list was good, though not quite as interesting as the zoo show, as I recall, or maybe not as exciting as the full-album ones. But it was great. I had been nervous with no Scott and no Darian, but for nought. Gary and Darian's replacement (whose name I didn't catch, sorry) were both great.

Matt Jardine was absolutely, unquestionably the musical highlight of the show. He's not a dynamic frontman, yet somehow his humility or shyness or awkwardness--whatever you want to call it--is totally appealing. He was more fun to watch sing than Foskett, not that I have anything against Foskett. And I preferred his voice to Foskett's, not that I had anything against Foskett's. Matt was simply fantastic.

Blondie was great, but underused, and his rock-show movements and guitar tone were out of place, in my opinion (and I think much of the audience's...not that he didn't get a response, but it was sort of an, "um, ok, I guess it's cool" response). The biggest issue I had was simply that the guitar tone was more distortion-noise than tone, it was hard to actually hear what he was playing. It was odd, since everything else was stellar, sound-wise. Al was typically solid, but surprisingly unremarkable. I thought he was the star of the zoo show a few years back. But here, definitely Matt overshadowed him.

Brian was the worst I've seen him, I think, vocally. He did the sing-speak thing quite a bit. He missed lines. When he did sing, he sang well, which in a way made it that much more frustrating to me. He had some interesting moments, such as really clipping, punctuating in "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," as he sang "sometimes .... I feel ... very sad." It was a time when he was on pitch and really singing well in a new style. But often he just wasn't very appealing to me. When he and Matt traded lines, it was night and day. However, he seemed to be in fine spirits (except maybe when in the encore, some presumably drunk guy got on stage to dance. Security promptly got him out of the way, but Brian was just staring at the empty stage where the guy had been for a few moments, probably freaking out a little bit.).

He opened the show by mentioning that his mom was born in Minneapolis, which got a round of applause from we proud Minneapolitans. Probyn also mentioned that his mom was born in a suburb of St. Paul, the other of our "Twin Cities," White Bear Lake. Another rousing cheer for that.

If it's the last time I see Brian, it was a good show. Glad I went.

[wilsonart1]

Attended Mpls. show Sunday eve as well, wanted to meet the captain but he didn't get back to me.  Just lucky to sit next to a young group of people (20's) they knew every song....ole wild honey!  A show I wanted to attend, didn't need to attend.  Pet Sounds is fantastic , guess I just , through my greed would of liked more of a mix of songs like the past zoo concert. Farewell to Summer ,in this Northern state.  Fun to hear Brian say his mother was from the state.  Made me remember when I drove her to  the home she lived in.  It was Sunday eve and a above average temp. day. I didn't care if Brian and the band did what-ever just wanted it to never end.  Summer will come again to this wonderful state, just hope Brian does again.

[Pretty Funky]

Attended Mpls. show Sunday eve as well, wanted to meet the captain but he didn't get back to me.  Just lucky to sit next to a young group of people (20's) they knew every song....ole wild honey!  A show I wanted to attend, didn't need to attend.  Pet Sounds is fantastic , guess I just , through my greed would of liked more of a mix of songs like the past zoo concert. Farewell to Summer ,in this Northern state. Fun to hear Brian say his mother was from the state.  Made me remember when I drove her to  the home she lived in. It was Sunday eve and a above average temp. day. I didn't care if Brian and the band did what-ever just wanted it to never end.  Summer will come again to this wonderful state, just hope Brian does again.

Sorry...but am I reading this right. You drove Audrey to her old house?

[wilsonart1]

yes, with Dennis , in my 71 camero.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

That is so awesome

[Scaroline No]

yes, with Dennis , in my 71 camero.

And we're just leaving it that? You can't just say that in passing, lol. There's a story here! Details, please I mean... if you feel so inclined.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Color me intrigued.

[Pretty Funky]

yes, with Dennis , in my 71 camero.

And we're just leaving it that? You can't just say that in passing, lol. There's a story here! Details, please I mean... if you feel so inclined.

Story? A thread more like it.

[wilsonart1]

I was sitting next to a lady at the Minnesota State fair having some small talk.  Just asked her, out of the blue if she was Brain Wilson's mom.  Well the answer was yes!  My next question was have you ever been back to the home you were born at?  I was told I'd love to see it again , just said let's go, Carl and dennis gave me the o.k. to take her.  It's at this point Dennis say's he's going with also.  Fun trip, yes!  Just breath in and breath out, on more than a average day.  Carl said a funny thing, Drive safe that's my Mom!  Back to the fair and backstage seat's , my reward.  Many more meetings with Carl and Dennis after that.  Dennis always thanking me after that everytime.  At the concert Dennis said my Mom was born in MN.  A local writer told in the paper Dennis was saying this at every venue and  was just putting one over on the crowd.  This little trip, seemed to show a different story.  Some times some kind of wonderful just falls into your life. 

[PS]

I will be at the Paramount in Denver tonight for the meet/greet/soundcheck/ and second row seat if any Smilers are also attending and would like to chat. This will likely be my last rock concert (for a host of reasons) after a lifetime of great ones, so it's a great way to bow out gracefully with the music I love most in the world.

Me, in the black shirt 'tween Brian and Mike, at the C50.

[Pretty Funky]

I was sitting next to a lady at the Minnesota State fair having some small talk.  Just asked her, out of the blue if she was Brain Wilson's mom.  Well the answer was yes!  My next question was have you ever been back to the home you were born at?  I was told I'd love to see it again , just said let's go, Carl and dennis gave me the o.k. to take her.  It's at this point Dennis say's he's going with also.  Fun trip, yes!  Just breath in and breath out, on more than a average day.  Carl said a funny thing, Drive safe that's my Mom!  Back to the fair and backstage seat's , my reward.  Many more meetings with Carl and Dennis after that.  Dennis always thanking me after that everytime.  At the concert Dennis said my Mom was born in MN.  A local writer told in the paper Dennis was saying this at every venue and  was just putting one over on the crowd.  This little trip, seemed to show a different story.  Some times some kind of wonderful just falls into your life. 

Cool little story. Thanks for telling it.

[Debbie KL]

I was sitting next to a lady at the Minnesota State fair having some small talk.  Just asked her, out of the blue if she was Brain Wilson's mom.  Well the answer was yes!  My next question was have you ever been back to the home you were born at?  I was told I'd love to see it again , just said let's go, Carl and dennis gave me the o.k. to take her.  It's at this point Dennis say's he's going with also.  Fun trip, yes!  Just breath in and breath out, on more than a average day.  Carl said a funny thing, Drive safe that's my Mom!  Back to the fair and backstage seat's , my reward.  Many more meetings with Carl and Dennis after that.  Dennis always thanking me after that everytime.  At the concert Dennis said my Mom was born in MN.  A local writer told in the paper Dennis was saying this at every venue and  was just putting one over on the crowd.  This little trip, seemed to show a different story.  Some times some kind of wonderful just falls into your life. 

Cool little story. Thanks for telling it.

Yes, thanks for sharing.

I understand Debbie Shair has joined the band as a keyboardist and vocalist.  I'm really looking forward to watching her perform.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

She's got a great name

[the captain]

I understand Debbie Shair has joined the band as a keyboardist and vocalist.  I'm really looking forward to watching her perform.

I thought she was good. Not that she was featured or anything, so it's not as if there was ample opportunity to hear her stand out. But there wasn't the drop-off I feared before the show with Darian and Scott being replaced by her and Gary. It was a little strange to have newcomers in the front line without being featured, though, while longtime members like Probyn and Nick were still in the background, as well as oft-featured Matt. But when you consider it had been Darian and Billy in those spots earlier, it makes sense.

[Robbie Mac]

I understand Debbie Shair has joined the band as a keyboardist and vocalist.  I'm really looking forward to watching her perform.

I thought she was good. Not that she was featured or anything, so it's not as if there was ample opportunity to hear her stand out. But there wasn't the drop-off I feared before the show with Darian and Scott being replaced by her and Gary. It was a little strange to have newcomers in the front line without being featured, though, while longtime members like Probyn and Nick were still in the background, as well as oft-featured Matt. But when you consider it had been Darian and Billy in those spots earlier, it makes sense.

Debbie has played and recorded with Wondermints and is from that L.A. pool of talent.

[the captain]

I understand Debbie Shair has joined the band as a keyboardist and vocalist.  I'm really looking forward to watching her perform.

I thought she was good. Not that she was featured or anything, so it's not as if there was ample opportunity to hear her stand out. But there wasn't the drop-off I feared before the show with Darian and Scott being replaced by her and Gary. It was a little strange to have newcomers in the front line without being featured, though, while longtime members like Probyn and Nick were still in the background, as well as oft-featured Matt. But when you consider it had been Darian and Billy in those spots earlier, it makes sense.

Debbie has played and recorded with Wondermints and is from that L.A. pool of talent.

Interesting. I knew she had been out with Heart but not that she'd also been involved with Wondermints.

[Kid Presentable]

I also went to Sunday's Minneapolis show.  It was my first time seeing him as a coherent adult.  It was a completely remarkable experience and I won't ever forget it. 

Setlist, I think this is at least 95% accurate:
California Girls, Dance Dance Dance, I Get Around, Shut Down, Little Deuce Coupe, You're So Good To Me, In My Room, Surfer Girl, DWB, SLC, Wake The World into Add Some Music, California Saga: California
Sail Away, Wild Honey, Sail On Sailor
Pet Sounds
GV, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Surfin USA, Fun Fun Fun, Love and Mercy

Random Thought Dump from This Guy:
-Was very happy with how great the band sounded.  If I had one critique of them it is that I actually expected the vocal stack would be stronger than it was.  Very minor complaint though, as it was still so good.  But maybe there is room to grow after some of the recent personnel changes.  Debbie from Heart was good but didn't always sing, the other guy (in Darian position) did a good job, but the two of them have huge shoes to fill and I guess that is my fault for expecting a massive Darian-like harmony contribution.
-Brian's singing was very talky/croonerish, yes, it took some getting used to.  Reminding myself that he was finishing out Detroit/Chicago/Minneapolis all in a row gave me empathy for him and think that he actually was doing fine.  I am half his age and have partied half as hard as he did over the years and I would be absolutely shot by night 3.
-Probyn is fantastic and I never appreciated it until seeing them live.
-I love Matt's falsetto, in my opinion it is the best alternative to 25 year old Brian that has ever been presented by Team Beach Boys.  That he also plays acoustic guitar and aux percussion sometimes legitimizes him more in my eyes- he stands on his own in this musical arrangement and not just as a falsetto fill-in or Al's son.
-I want to hang out with Nick.  He was outstanding.
-Nick really likes what he is doing.  However I noticed that he LOVES rocking out with Blondie.
-I was surprised by Saga: and glad it was in the set.  I really appreciated Al's contributions and "aw shucks" oldtimer banter throughout the show.
-Brian did the Mike Love "everybody say yeeeeeah (yeeeeah)" Barbara Ann intro and that made a small part of my innards frown.  Oh well.
-At one point Al introed WTW as being off Sunflower and Brian corrected him.  However, later on Brian introduced IJWMFTT but he was wrong, they played Here Today.  Oldtimer rock. 
-I disagree with an earlier poster- Blondie ruled the roost when he was out there and was absolutely captivating.  I wish that one day in my life I could be half as cool as he was that night.  Their version of Wild Honey was awesome because it was an extended psych guitar shred session by him.  Probably a bit jarring for some of the fans but super appreciated by me.  He came back out for the last part of the set and alternated between guitar and tambourine, during the latter prancing around, checking in with other members of the band while singing backups, and engaging the audience while weaving in and out of the stage monitors.  Hail Blondie.
-Brian took off for intermissions early- at the first possible minute he could get back stage, while the band still had nearly full outros to finish.  It is a somewhat sad but understandable dynamic- he wants to be there but also doesn't "want to be there", if that makes sense.  He also had plenty of moments of dry humor and genuine appreciation for the crowd that was absolutely radiating love at him.
-Towards the end of the set a long haired fan jumped on stage and started dancing.  I think during HMR.  Selfish douchebag hesher type.  Brian was taken aback for some moments after that.  Security removed him and on security's heels I noticed the sax/musical director guy did a sweep of the area himself while playing.  It seemed to me that he did that because he understood it would put Brian back on track and I massively appreciate everything about that.
-My personal highlights: Salt Lake City, Wild Honey, a very good That's Not Me, and the feeling that swept over me during Love and Mercy.

[thorgil]

She's got a great name

Ahah Billy, the same observation I posted in Brian's forum.

Edit: Thanks Kid P., great show review.

[HeyJude]

It's worth noting about the live band, and I'm not a Gary Griffin fanboy or anything (I kind of have to forget his bromance with John Stamos, etc.), that Gary Griffin has a long history with both Brian's band and the BBs in general. He of course gigged with the BBs back in the late 70s, and both he and Billy Hinsche did full tours with Brian back in 2007 almost a decade ago, and of course he has also done sporadic studio work including having the band use his studio for some tracks for TWGMTR.

Griffin has been on this tour full-time since March. He has clocked 70 or 80 or however many shows. Scott Bennett isn't coming back under any circumstances I would imagine. Griffin I don't think is a "fill in" guy anymore. He's the guy. It looks like he has shifted over to Darian's stage position since Billy left the tour, and those two spots do switch out during shows, but he's essentially the Bennett replacement.

I know some folks have been staying away from the tour thread to avoid spoilers, etc. But I just wanted to mention this, as I've seen a few comments that seem to imply Griffin is an unknown temp guy or something.

[Marty Castillo]

I never gave a full review of the Detroit show and it's probably a bit late at this point, so here are some general observations:

- I think getting Brian after a day off is perfect. He looked very fresh, relaxed and in command both during the soundcheck and concert.
- I noticed Brian leaving early before the first intermission and after Pet Sounds. I figured it was like taking your star player out of an NBA game with a minute to go in the half--getting every extra minute of rest possible.
- Not a new observation, but Brian was strongest during the first set. The crooner singing style during Pet Sounds was not great and a little baffling with how strong he sung during the rest of the set. I would chalk it up to familiarity of the material, but we are how deep into this tour?
- Matt was introduced as being a part of the 90s Beach Boys on several occasions by Paul and mentioned that he had to audition for the guys.
- I believe Gary Griffin's intro also included a Beach Boys reference, as well as, the fact that he was in Love & Mercy, appears in the Woodstock documentary as a concert goer, and a part of the infamous Jesse and the Rippers.
- Sail Away was really strong, I had seen several people say how discombobulated it seemed in previous shows, but I thought they nailed it.
- I love Blondie's mini-set at the end of the first set and he missed the last show I attended back in November. I think he is very underutilized. I almost get the sense that his presence can be a bit jarring to both the band and to the audience and maybe that is why he is only sprinkled in. As much as I love Blondie, his mini-set was a bit out of place at a Pet Sounds show. I hope that this doesn't come off as a contradiction, I just think he should be used more during a non-Pet Sounds run.
- I understand Brian is Brian, but during the Pet Sounds set he received standing ovations after Sloop John B and God Only Knows--he so quickly and abruptly told people to please be seated, literally wasn't more than 5-10 seconds of clapping and he wanted people to sitdown. It just through off the vibe that he wanted to get on with things. There was a lot of nervous laughter and strange looks on peoples' faces around me.
- Others have mentioned it, but Brian essentially seems to apologize for the instrumentals during the Pet Sounds set. Again, to me, it just comes off odd.
- It would be interesting to see an actual breakdown, but it felt like Brian and Al had an equal amount of leads. Does anyone else think Al deserves equal billing on the next tour?
-Darian was missed, but Gary Griffin was outstanding. I'm bummed we didn't get Billy Hinsche, but the band was superb.
-After my meet and greet, I was able to watch a few minutes of the rest of the band rehearsing the vocal blend for Johnny B. Goode--really cool and glad I at least got to see Brian and the band rip through it during soundcheck.
- I don't have a real preference between Matt Jardine, Jeff Foskett or Brian Eichenberger--all are very strong and do the songs justice--however, the reaction Matt received from the audience throughout the night was overwhelming. It was clear he was one of, many, bright spots.

[HeyJude]

- Sail Away was really strong, I had seen several people say how discombobulated it seemed in previous shows, but I thought they nailed it.

I noticed on the soundcheck video that you posted that it sounded more together than most of the previous attempts I've heard.

Blondie is also more noticeably accenting specific portions of Al's lead vocal. I wish they would get Blondie in on a few other numbers, just to do something different. Having Blondie sing the bridge on "Surfer Girl" earlier in the tour sounded like a brilliant quick little blip of inspiration.

Maybe add "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and have Blondie do Mike's little interludes or something.

Change it up a little! Still hoping, even though it's a total novelty schtick moment, that they might add "Monster Mash" soon. Just for something different.

[harrisonjon]

The song introductions are always a little awkward because I feel that Brian does not need to explain the songs to his audience unless they are very casual fans. Do any other artist of Brian's stature feel they have to do a dumbed down commentary on their songs when presenting them live?

[PS]

In Denver, during the (rather lengthy and untidy because of real house issues with the sound) soundcheck, there was a lovely moment during the down time where Al was trying to figure out the chords to Magic Transistor Radio and Brian came out on stage and immediately showed him and sang a bit of it. He went right into it as if he had it in his back pocket all along. I caught a little on video and will try to upload at some point. Paul M had to do a lot of (uninteresting) Q & A with audience while the techs were working on the sound system.

Question: When did this Brian speak/singing really take hold (as opposed to his being occasionally clipped/short of breath in previous concert phrasing)? Was it a conscious change of style to accommodate issues with wavering pitch on sustained notes in the past (God only knows that Pet Sounds is so difficult for ANYONE to sing)? Indeed, like many have noted here, he sounded so very strong and on pitch for most of the night, but I was a little startled at the self conscious stylistic change toward a conversational style talk/singing for Pet Sounds in particular. Paul Simon does this kind of thing quite frequently in his approach to lyric interpretation, and one wonders if there was some influence here? Has anyone asked Brian about this change in singing style of late?