Brian At Glastonbury

[Pat]

After Van's performance we dashed back to the Cider Tree and looked for our friends and got a drink.Then i heard in the distance THEN I KISSED HER."Come on Kim,he's on!" and we dashed back to the front.I'm an old hand at getting to the front at concerts.The trick is to start at the front ,then work your way in from the side.Then i got my first glimpse of Brian in 25 years.It was great to see him and his wonderful 10 piece band on stage at this famous festival.Brian looked really well but the pain that he has suffered over the years is etched into his face.Compare his joyous songs to Morrison's whingeing about his hard life.It is a miracle that Brian is still alive at all.He is a testament to the power of the human spirit and the love of a good woman,his wife Melinda who deserves a lot of credit for bringing Brian back from the abyss.Then it was DONT WORRY BABY which to me is the greatest B side to any single ever.Then DANCE, DANCE DANCE from the Beach Boys Today album.Somebody said that side 2 of that album is Brian's finest work and i almost agree.Its comparable in greatness to side 2 of Vans Into The Music album.Then it was DARLIN' which made me think of Dennis Wilson for some reason and i hoped Dennis was looking down on his brothers biggest concert triumph.This was followed by 2 beautiful ballads IN MY ROOM and SURFER GIRL.I remember being jealous of Brian when i was a kid not having my own room and having to share.The harmonising on these songs and all the songs was simply stunning.THE LITTLE GIRL I ONCE KNEW was next which took me right back 40 years to 1965.Then WOULDN'T IT BE NICE from the second best album ever made.Astral Weeks by Van is the greatest in my humble opinion.See how i am comparing and contrasting the 2 performances? Brian was the triumph that Van could have been.
ALL SUMMER LONG was next which was perfect for this sunny afternoon.It was as if California had come to Somerset.Then Brian said, "Thank you,it feels like Christmas",and did LITTLE SAINT NICK. Only Brian Wilson could get away with singing about Xmas in June.I GET AROUND was next, the song that made me a Beach Boys fan all those years ago.This was followed by SAIL ON SAILOR and MARCELLA.I think Holland is a great album and the Beach Boys live album from that era.Brians humour came out next when he got the audience to sing ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT MERRILY DOWN THE STREAM .No doubt a reference to Fridays rain.
Next was OUR PRAYER and HEROES AND VILLAINS from Smile.You just watch SMILE go to number 1 in the UK album charts next week.Thats if the shops have enough copies to meet the demand!. GOD ONLY KNOWS was next,to me this is the most simplistic beautiful love song ever written.Then SLOOP JOHN B which took me back to listening to Radio Caroline in bed with the little ear piece stuck in my ear hole!Then it was the song which i suppose sums up the Beach Boys to most people, CALIFORNIA GIRLS.This was followed by GOOD VIBRATIONS,the most influential pop song ever written.It sounds as fresh to me now as the day i bought it,November 5th 1966.DO IT AGAIN and HELP ME RHONDA followed then to a huge cheer Brian got away from the keyboards and played bass on BARBARA ANN.This was followed by SURFIN' USA and finally FUN FUN FUN which summed up the most joyous performance i have ever witnessed.Brian left the stage to rapturous applause after winning a place in the hearts of thousands of new fans.As the crowd dispersed i knew i had just seen one of the most enjoyable performances of my life.

[JRauch]

I didn´t have the luck of seeing that show, but ... "Brian Wilson rocked Glastenbury" ... simply incredible.

[The Real Beach Boy]

I've heard a recording of that show, it was excellent. Brian in top form.

[Pat]

Thanks for your nice comments, that was an extract from my Glastonbury review.I did put it on the Brian Wilson website a few months ago but i don't think they bothered reading it.Anyway, i like this site.See you later, Cheers, Pat.

[JRauch]

Just found this clip on YouTube. It shows "Surfin USA" and "Fun Fun Fun". It´s such a joy to see so many people enjoying this music. This has to be one of THE highlights in Brian's career. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yMR53VcUSk&search=Brian%20Wilson

[liam]

I've seen Brian 3 times (including the first set of Smile shows), and this was the best.  OK, a full performance of Smile would have been nice, but a straight-ish hit-after-hit set was ideal for a festival crowd and it worked perfectly; none of that "plugging the new album" trap that some artists fall into when playing to non-fans.

The atmosphere was amazing; a large field packed with people, all singing along and many visibly weeping with joy (no joke!).  (Maybe the cider bus helped a bit, and the way that we had wall-to-wall blue sky after 2 days in the mud.)

Either way, this was the single best gig or festival performance I've ever been to, and I don't expect it will ever be bettered.  And no, I wasn't on drugs (cider excepted).

Liam