Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, Boston, 2004

I thought I'd offer this ... This is actually derived from an email I wrote the day after the show:
___

The Brian Wilson show was amazing. I had a pretty good seat in the orchestra section of the Orpheum, about 15 rows back. The opening set often surprised me with (relatively) obscure Beach Boys tunes like "Hawaii," "Drive-In" and a long-time personal favorite, "Please Let Me Wonder." At times, Brian didn't seem to know the lyrics of these tunes very well (he often slurred a line and then looked to guitarist Jeff Foskett to guide him); one major exception was "Add Some Music to Your Day," which he really seemed to enjoy and get into. He seemed totally awake as a performer during that number, even if he didn't for certain others.

Unfortunately, Foskett (who also sings, and very well, all the high falsetto parts that Brian no longer can) was terribly and very obviously ill last night. He made it through the opening set pretty well, but when SMiLE started he looked really bad, like he was going to collapse, and almost halfway through he left the stage. He returned at the start of the encores to introduce the band and apologize, but then he left again; someone else had sung most of his parts during the latter half of SMiLE, and then did so for the encores ("Do It Again," "I Get Around," "Help Me Rhonda"). The performance suffered a bit due to this, but that's the only complaint I could possibly have.

SMiLE was incredible. They brought that new CD to life, and then some ... The transitions came off beautifully, and so many of the individual performances were just gorgeous. One of my favorite moments, actually, was "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" (for which the string and horn players donned plastic red fire helmets), which blew me out of my seat. Incredibly powerful! And Brian mostly sounded good, and looked even better (loved it when he played a little bit of piano for "Wind Chimes") ... he seemed way more into SMiLE than any of the stuff in the opening set; he really looked like he was enjoying it.

A couple of interesting sightings: As I waited in line to get in, I noticed Tom Ardolino (NRBQ's drummer) sitting on the curb waiting for the doors to open just a few feet away from where I was standing. And, during the show's intermission, I saw Al Kooper slip in via the door just a few rows in front of me.

I got a SMiLE T-shirt and the very impressive concert program/book (amazing photos!) ... together they doubled the cost of the night for me, but it was worth it.

The Smiley Smile Message Board