Poor crowd at TLOS USA Premier

[jeffh]

I snagged this off of the PSML this afternoon ( Sat 09/06/08)


500 seats sold; 3000 capacity theatre, US premier of TLOS ... you have to
ask, what happened?

*Beach Boy Brian Wilson delights lucky, small crowd*
By Jim Harrington
STAFF WRITER
Contra Costa Times

It was one for the history books. Yet, Friday night's concert at the
Paramount Theatre in Oakland may well be one that Brian Wilson will want to
forget.
Technical difficulties marred the first-ever complete live performance of
Wilson's latest record, "That Lucky Old Sun," held in the U.S. That was a
shame, especially since "Sun" ranks as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of
Famer's finest solo offerings to date. The biggest disappointment of the
night, however, was told by the amazing number of empty seats in the house.

The former Beach Boy, a man who is responsible for so many of pop music's
best-loved songs, was only able to sell some 500 seats at the 3,000-plus
capacity venue. Promoters didn't even open the balcony and the main floor
was about as crowded as a "McCain for president" rally would be in downtown
Berkeley.
Sure, there was a lot of competition for the local concert-goer's dollar on
Friday _ with Nine Inch Nails at Oracle Arena in Oakland and the Dave
Matthews Band at the UC Greek in Berkeley _ but it's hard to believe that
factored greatly into Wilson's equation.

The few, the proud, that did turn out for the gig were handsomely rewarded.
The 66-year-old Wilson and his superb nine-piece band opened the show with
the sunny Beach Boys gem "California Girls" and then proceeded to ante up an
astonishing 46 other numbers during the two-set, two-encore show. Talk about
bang for your buck.
It was the first night of the tour, which meant the band was still working
out the kinks. That can serve as the excuse for the technical problems
experienced in the second set, when the band performed "That Lucky Old Sun"
in its entirety.

There was, however, an upside to it being opening night - the players,
Wilson in particular, still seemed fresh. The legendary singer-songwriter
was as energetic, playful and enthusiastic as I've seen him in years. I'll
take that in trade for some technical issues any day.

The group blew through the 18-song first set, nailing each and every classic
with astonishing precision. Highlights included "Dance, Dance, Dance,"
"Sloop John B," "God Only Knows" and, of course, "Good Vibrations." The
latter, as perfect a pop song as ever written, was worth the price of
admission all by itself.

After a short intermission, Wilson and company returned to perform "That
Lucky Old Sun" from start to finish. It was appropriate that the work
received its U.S. premiere at the Paramount, given that the venue also
hosted Wilson's final performance of the Beach Boys' most acclaimed album,
"Pet Sounds," early last year.

Unfortunately, things did not go smoothly initially. Just minutes into the
epic work, the music came to sudden halt. It seemed that some instruments
were out of tune and the recorded narrative track was out of sync. That led
to an awkward break in the action, filled by band members yelling out such
things as "Are we starting at the top?" and "Hold on, I want to make sure
it's all right." Wilson's comment to the crowd was simply, "I'm wondering
what's going on."

Once they finally had things sorted out, the music began again, from the
top, and it sounded marvelous, sunny and joyous, as good as anything Wilson
has delivered since his Beach Boys days.

As predicted, the crowd didn't exhibit the same type of exuberance for the
"Lucky Old Sun" material as it did for the hits in the first set - or the
same type of glee that it would greet the classics performed in the encores.
Fans simply sat and listened. And they were impressed.

At the end of the "That Lucky Old Sun," listeners rose from their seats and
gave Wilson a standing ovation. In that moment, the crowd didn't sound like
a group 500 strong _ it sounded like a sold-out house.

Reach Jim Harrington at jharrington@bayareanewsgroup.com. Read his Concert
Blog at www.ibabuzz.com/concerts.

Set list:
1, "California Girls"
2, "Then I Kissed Her"
3, "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
4, "Catch a Wave"
5, "Dance, Dance, Dance"
6, "Surfer Girl"
7, "In My Room"
8, "All Summer Long"
9, "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)"
10, "Add Some Music to Your Day"
11, "Do You Wanna Dance?"
12, "Sloop John B"
13, "Wouldn't It Be Nice"
14, "God Only Knows"
15, "Sail On, Sailor"
16, "Let's Do It Again"
17, "I Get Around"
18, "Good Vibrations"
Second set
(Performance of "That Lucky Old Sun" album)
19, "That Lucky Old Sun"
20, "Morning Beat"
21, Narrative 1
22, "Room With a View"
23, "Good Kind of Love"
24, "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl"
25, Narrative 2
26, "Venice Beach"
27, "Live Let Live"
28, "That Lucky Old Sun" (Reprise)
29, "Mexican Girl"
30, Narrative 3
31, "Cinco de Mayo"
32, "California Role"
33, "That Lucky Old Sun" (Reprise)
34, Narrative 4
35, "Between Pictures"
36, "Oxygen to the Brain"
37, "Can't Wait Too Long"
38, "Midnight's Another Day"
39, "That Lucky Old Sun" (Reprise)
40, "Going Home"
41, "Southern California"
Encore 1:
42, "Johnny B. Goode"
43, "Help Me, Rhonda"
44, "Barbara Ann"
45, "Surfin' USA"
46, "Fun, Fun, Fun"
Encore 2:
47, "Love and Mercy"

[claymcc]

This is really too bad. I hope that management gets its act together on this -- the show wasn't promoted much, from what I hear, but still.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Ouch.

But... are we really that surprised ?

[claymcc]

Well, the U.S. ain't the U.K., that's for sure.

[Wee Helper]

Ouch.
But... are we really that surprised ?

Gotta say, I'm surprised, though I guess I shouldn't be. Only ever attended one BW gig in the States, the Pet Sounds symphony show at the Hollywood Bowl in LA in 2000. That wasn't a sell-out either. In his home town.

Can't understand why this would happen in the States. And which such a fantastic piece of work. 

After all the bleating US fans did on the web boards about not having heard this set live in the US, for BW to have a turnout that's so disappointing is almost insulting to the guy.

Can the US posters here explain what happened perhaps?

[forget marie]

Wow.  500?  I  was thinking maybe more around 800 or so, but I guess I can believe it.  The ushers kept seating people in assigned seats, but after the intermission, everybody moved up, and it was less than half the orchestra, plus some rows weren't full, even towards the front.  I have to say here was almost no promotion for this show.  The writer of that review, Jim Harrington, writes for ANG newsgroup, which now owns almost every newspaper in the Bay Area except for the SF Chronicle.  The suburban fish wrap of theirs that I pointlessly subscribe to NEVER had the Brian Wilson show listed as an upcoming show.  Every Friday, they list upcoming concerts for the next two months and whether tickets are still available.  I never saw Brian's show listed in there even once!  Since ANG owns all the suburban papers, I'd have to think that error was repeated in all their papers.  One of their entertainment writers finally listed it as a personal recommendation on the day of the show itself.  I never saw any ads for the show, either.  It was not promoted on any radio station that I'm aware of -- no ticket giveaways, no announcements, interviews, etc.  I listen to most of the stations that play classic rock from time to time, and even visit their websites and am on e-mail lists, but nothing for this show.  The one newspaper interview with Brian was from AP; no local reporters were given access.  

Granted, the newspaper business is bad now, and the Bay Area is particularly terrible.  The SF Chron and the ANG suburban newspaper monopoly have all had massive layoffs and cut back coverage.  I know people who have lost jobs or are getting little freelance work because the Bay Area print media is so bad now.  But don't Brian's people have some responsibility for not pushing harder with print media and keeping on top of things like his concert not being in the entertainment listings?  How about pushing the show with local radio stations harder with ticket giveaways, radio commercials, and radio interviews with Brian?  They think TLOS can sell on the strength of national media, but for concert promotion, local is the only way to go.  This was the debut of a major work in the US.  You'd also might think they  could have started handing out comps and papering the house in any way possible once they knew sales would be that bad.  The band up there was huge and expensive (they had local string players to add to the ensemble for TLOS).  It had to be demoralizing for Brian and the band to play to a more than three-quarters empty house.  Of course, they also don't do that great a job of promoting and keeping on top of things even at the web site that their already-converted fans go to, BW.com.  What the hell are these people doing?  It's not fair to Brian to expect him to work so hard, and you know it's hard on him in general to put himself out there, when they let him down, or at least don't try harder.  I know it's hard to sell audiences on seeing a new work (versus a Pet Sounds show, which was Brian's last, well-sold Oakland show).  I know the economy is really bad in California right now and gas prices are high.  But I can't see how that show would have sold that badly unless Brian's team fell down on the job.  And they did.

[Wild_Honey-In_Stereo]

Nobody should be surprised, and I assume the rest of the shows will be poorly attended.

But Brian's not the only one suffering, I read a few days ago the concerts in general are selling bad, people just cant cough up for concert tickets these days, and Brian Wilson shows are not cheap.

But then again, maybe the show just sold poorly, end of story!!!!

[forget marie]

Nobody should be surprised, and I assume the rest of the shows will be poorly attended.

But Brian's not the only one suffering, I read a few days ago the concerts in general are selling bad, people just cant cough up for concert tickets these days, and Brian Wilson shows are not cheap.

But then again, maybe the show just sold poorly, end of story!!!!

I've always felt that they let Brian's ticket prices get too high.  I'm also not sure the Paramount in Oakland is an ideal venue.  It's a gorgeous theater, but Brian's demographic is probably more San Francisco or the Silicon Valley area.  Educated white people with more disposable income.  I'm not sure how many of those folks want to spend money to fight against Friday night traffic to see him in Oakland.  It's also just an odd venue for BW music.  I wonder if they could have done better at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga in Silicon Valley/San Jose.  The weather is gorgeous this time of year, and that music belongs in an outdoor venue when possible.  Plus, there are people who go to the Mountain Winery just for the venue and atmosphere, and there are a series of concerts (like the Hollywood Bowl), so it sells itself.  Maybe they couldn't secure a date for there, which I think they played last summer, but I'm sure it would have been much better for attendance.  Even the Warfield in SF would have done well.  It seats way less, but they could have sold more than 500 just with walk-ups with people in SF on a Friday night looking for entertainment.  Downtown Oakland just doesn't have the potential for walk-up business.  Again, that would have required thinking on Brian's management's part.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Ouch.
But... are we really that surprised ?

Gotta say, I'm surprised, though I guess I shouldn't be. Only ever attended one BW gig in the States, the Pet Sounds symphony show at the Hollywood Bowl in LA in 2000. That wasn't a sell-out either. In his home town.

Can't understand why this would happen in the States. And which such a fantastic piece of work. 

After all the bleating US fans did on the web boards about not having heard this set live in the US, for BW to have a turnout that's so disappointing is almost insulting to the guy.

Can the US posters here explain what happened perhaps?

Answer's simple - someone's not doing their job properly. Promoter's not promoting and management isn't managing.

[Luther]

What were typical ticket prices? Because if they were as high as what recent show of his in the U.S. have been, I'm not overly surprised. As others have said, times aren't the best as far as our economy goes, and this isn't a "lost" album brought back from a 37-year-old grave by a guy whose reputation is that of a pop genius/recluse. Instead, it's a good new album by a pop genius who used to be known as a recluse, but is on his fourth full-length in the past four years or so and has been touring pretty much nonstop for most of the past decade. The thrill (for some people) is gone, especially at high prices. I hope he makes his way here. I'll almost certainly go if he does. But he's no guaranteed sell-out.

[claymcc]

He's never been a sell-out in the U.S. ever. Not ever.

I went to see Pet Sounds live, with an orchestra, in 2000 -- it wasn't sold out. I saw him with Paul Simon in the 2001 summer tour -- not sold out. The Smile show of 2004 was half to three-quarters full. Pet Sounds in Boston in 06 was packed, but the venue was far smaller.

The name Brian Wilson, on its own, does not move enough tickets to fill a hall. Period. If he wanted to just play clubs and smaller theaters, he could probably do okay. But that wouldn't pay for the dozen-person band that fans have come to expect.

[Luther]

I'm pretty sure the Smile show I saw here (opening show of the Smile tour, Minneapolis) was sold out--that was in a couple-thousand seat theater. The Simon tour is the only other BW show I've seen in America. I don't recall whether it was sold out, but it was in a large venue (Excel Energy Center, where the dumbfucks yapped all week), so I doubt it. It did have a VERY large crowd, though.

[DonnaK]

The REAL problem is this: no one could afford to pay for concert tickets as they spent all their money on the three TLOS variants!!! ITunes, Best Buy, and wherever you got your cd/dvd. I know I'll be eating PBJ's for some time!!

[HeyJude]

This was the first Bay Area Brian show (not counting his Bridge Benefit shows) that I wasn't able to make. I don't think my inability as a huge fan to not make it is telling of anything other than all of the reasons why I couldn't make it.

But I would guess some of the factors that resulted in a small crowd included the fact that the show was announced and went on sale a mere few weeks ago (about three and a half or so weeks ago give or take I believe), and that doesn't give them much time to sell the tickets. The previous show at the Paramount with Jardine on January '07 was announced relatively soon before the show, but even that had a five or six week advance notice, and also had the added selling points of being the supposed "last" performance of "Pet Sounds" and having Al Jardine in the band.

Also, Brian played two shows in the Bay Area in 2007. He played the Paramount in January '07 with Al Jardine, and the place seemed near full from what I could tell. He played the Mountain Winery in Saratoga in June of '07, again with Al (though Al's presence wasn't advertised ahead of time), and that show seemed to sell okay but was not a sell-out. I remember some folks noting at that time that it maybe didn't sell quite as well because he had just played the Bay Area a little over five months prior. It had been 15 months since the last Brian show, about the same amount of time that had passed between his 2005 "Smile" show in Berkeley and the January '07 show at the Paramount, and the first '07 show sold well enough. So I'm not sure if "oversaturation" in the market or whatever it's called would have anything to do with it. Perhaps some fans are just not as into "That Lucky Old Sun" as they are "Pet Sounds" and/or seeing Brian with Jardine.

The venue perhaps wasn't the best pick either. It's a wonderful venue, but as I've seen mentioned by others, people in the South Bay perhaps didn't want to deal with Friday night traffic going into Oakland. His show at the Paramount in January of '07 was on a Sunday night when everything else in the vicinity of the theater was pretty dead. If he had booked the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, he may well have sold more tickets (and that venue has well under a 3,000 capacity from what I remember) just because of the type of venue and the area and the fact that it's a newly-renovated venue that people seem to be jazzed about (I saw Ringo Starr there at the end of July and the venue is nice, but the parking is horrible).

I don't pay much attention to how much promotion shows are given on the radio or in papers locally, but I wouldn't be surprised if it got little or no promotion. But I don't think much of any Brian shows in the area have got a ton of advance promotion. But as I said, I've never paid much attention to that end of things.

I'm bummed now because I wasn't able to make this show, and it looks now like he may well not be back anytime soon if ever if the show really sold this poorly. I'm not sure whether this review/description of the show makes me less or more bummed I wasn't able to make it. On the one hand, it appears it would have been easy to get a good seat. On the other hand, the non-TLOS setlist was the same stuff he's been doing for a number of years. I don't know what to make of the description of "technical difficulties", but I doubt that would have been a big deal to me. Reviewers sometimes seem to dwell on that sort of stuff.

[HeyJude]

I'm pretty sure the Smile show I saw here (opening show of the Smile tour, Minneapolis) was sold out--that was in a couple-thousand seat theater. The Simon tour is the only other BW show I've seen in America. I don't recall whether it was sold out, but it was in a large venue (Excel Energy Center, where the dumbfucks yapped all week), so I doubt it. It did have a VERY large crowd, though.

I don't know how many shows Brian has literally sold out, but every one of his other Bay Area shows since 1999 has been well-attended on the whole, usually by my total guess based on eyeing the venues, 75-100% full. I've certainly never seen a situation where the venue was anything close to 67%-83% empty as this show *may* have been (we clearly don't have any exact numbers on ticket sales).

I don't think it's the area/market that was the problem so much as perhaps the promotion and the quick turnaround time between announcing the show/the on-sale date and the actual show date.

[SurferGirl7]

Well it's a lot of things. The economy, lack of promotion, the way Capitol has been promoting the shows etc. The same deal happened when I saw Brian at Bergen PAC in Englewood, NJ. It was VERY little notice on that show. The place and the crowd reminded me something out of a school assembly (not to mention the place looked like my high school auditorium). Plus that show SUCKED. I know a few people that went that disagree but that show was dreadful. Scott was sick from food poisoning, the band had only one small rehersal before the show, and everyone just looked beat.

Generally when I have seen his shows, especially Smile and Pet Sounds, there is close to max crowds for it. The greatest hits shows turn out less people. That is why I am semi surprised about the lack of people there. But at least it was 500 and not 0.