The Smiley Smile Message Board

Has anyone seen the current BW Greatest Hits tour? How is it? Is it worth 75.00 per ticket if you've already seen him three times?

Tickets for this Saturday's Milwaukee show don't appear to be selling very well. I could get row 10 seats yesterday. I get daily e mails from the venue reminding me of this event. I just can't see spending 185.00 ( with service charges ) to see this. Of course I am going to see John Fogerty next month...for the fourth time!!

Anyone want to talk me into this???

I've heard mixed word from overseas. $75 sounds steep -- for anyone. But surely most venues will have cheaper seats than that. I paid top dollar for my first BW show in 2000 -- since then I've sat in the middle or back, and my enjoyment hasn't been diminished much (it helps when he plays in smaller venues, as seems to be the case in this tour).

That being said, while I adore most things Brian, watching him many times live can lead to diminishing returns. This is not a man who totally revamps his stage shows (themed tours being the exception) or improvises. He sings the songs pretty much the same way, and the band pretty much sounds as great as ever. That being said, I'm seeing him this fall (the sixth time), partly because he's playing three blocks away from my house. You don't get closer than that!

Jeff, my friend Pam and I are going, and we're meeting up with Art from Appleton Wisconsin there at the restaurant by the theater. You never know if this will be the last time he tours......

I've seen him a few times myself, including twice in one month last November. Winter is coming, and it will be a long one.....why don't you just go and enjoy it??? I'm sure, if the tickets aren't selling that well, you can always just by a cheaper one and move down. Friends of mine did it last year at South Bend and no one said anything. I bought my tickets some time ago and still got 15th row center, which I think is pretty good. Let us know if we've talked you into it so we can meet up at the bar before the show!!!! Come ON JEFF GO!!!!! You don't want Brian to think no one likes his music, do you??????  PLEASE????

Sometimes tickets are WAY more expensive from some sources than others,   If the venue has its own box office., try that.  I find that a more likely way to get a fair price.


YEAH.  Everybody get out and see Brian and Mike and Bruce while you can.  And Al.   And Scott, John, Darian, and the other Scott and so on.

I'd go if he came to Houston even if it was the greatest hits shows (which I abhor the idea of). Of course, it will only be my 2nd show...if I had gone to numerous, I'd refuse just out of general principle.

I was really wanting to see Brian but could not afford the tickets - they were absolutely outrageous. I'm having trouble believing they're selling well at those prices.

Hopefully I can see him - terrible thought, but he's not getting younger or anything.

Just do it, man.  I went for the $49 dollar (plus service charges) seats, but if I have an opportunity to move up to a better spot, I'll do it.  I've only seen Brian once, and that was five years ago, but it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.  Like Donna said, you never know how long Brian will tour, so this could be your last chance to see him.  We can meet up before the show and we'll all have a grand ol' time.

The great thing about money is that it's a renewable asset.  Work one more day and you're a hundred dollars richer (or whatever).  Memories on the other hand have to be gotten.  They don't come out of thin air.

Go.

A month from now what will be more important?  The money you spent or an experience that will probably stay with you for the rest of your life?

To borrow a line from someone we all know... "Life is for the living...".

I am going to the shows in Springfield, IL and Milwaukee.  I don't have the issues with Brian doing "hit shows" that others have. One of the most fun Brian shows that I've seen was a hits show at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in 2005.

Rob, why don't you meet us at the theater restaurant/bar around 7PM? If you don't like the looks of us, don't introduce yourself!!!! Come on, this is what concerts are all about!!! Enjoy! Oh, BTW, I'm talking Milwaukee!!

D

Is this board slowly turning into the Blueboard Mk. II?

I saw Brian in London in September and was really disapointed as the set felt rushed and Brian wasn't at his best although the inclusion of Custom Machine in the set was a big plus. He was brilliant when I saw him on the TLOS tour in 2007 though, I guess it can go one of two ways with Brian: He's either up for it and enjoying himself or just going through the motions and looking like he'd rather be anywhere else than a stage.

I'll be in Milwaukee with a few friends, including at least one who has never experienced a BW concert.  Unsure about meetups, but we'll be around.

It's a very simple equation: new/rarely performed material engages Brian, and he ups his game. Same old-same old, and he phones it in. That said, we over here in the UK are more than a little blasé about Brian, because he tours here so often. Personally, since his UK debut in 2002, I've seen him 25-odd times, and they've ranged from outstanding (BWPS 2004, TLOS 2007) to utterly dire (Hampton Court 2005). I'm hopeful of seeing him again next year when he tours the Gershwin project, but as many have said, you never know when it'll be the last one.

I've been lucky because I've mostly seen him in special places or doing special shows. Brian has said he especially enjoys performing in Denver and Boston in the US (I think Melinda has family in Denver), and I've seen him both places. And both of the shows were good. I've seen his perform PS in its entirety twice and Smile once.

My two outliers have been his show in 2001 with Paul Simon -- although that was special because he included Smile material for the first time. The second was a hits show last summer in New Hamsphire, but that was with the reduced band, and I just found it interesting to watch a show with Scott drumming, Probyn on bass (I think), etc.

As I said I've seen him three times. The first time was way back when in 1999 (?) when he first started touring. I think that was only his third concert. High point of that day was getting into the sound check in the afternoon. The only ones in the audience were me, my friend ( on this board as Petsite ) who fell up from Texas to Milwaukee for the concert, and a guy who was lucky have befriended us in the lobby. Also in the audience was Melinda and David Leaf. That's it!!! Just us five. It was UNREAL.

A band member made a promise to someone else to get us in, and lo and behold he did!! Great guy.

Of course, I've been very lucky over the years. I've slept with the Beach Boys and rode with Al and his son in their limo at a BBF & F concert.

Are you sure Brian will tour with the Gershwin-album? That would be nice I guess

I would be very surprised if he didn't.

Words of wisdom.

I've seen Brian once before, in 2007, I guess. It was a greatest hits show. I'm seeing him next week, too. I wish I had been able to see Pet Sounds, Smile, and/or TLOS.

Who knows? If ticket sales are that slow for Milwaukee, we may end up sort of having a private type concert!!! Here's hoping the sales go up for the band's sake.

You what? And... at the same time?

Long story made very short....

Aug 1, 1996 I believe, Madison WI. Went to Madison to see the concert and visit our son at college.
(GoofyJeff on this board went to this concert with me and can verify the details )

Got to our hotel too early to check in, our room wasn't ready. The desk clerk asked if we would accept a room on a "limited access" floor instead. I said sure. Heck, I didn't even know what that meant. They explained that the elavator would only stop on that floor with a special key card. Ok. Went to the room, and unpacked. Still didn't realize what was going to happen. Later I stuck my head out of the door. I saw a bell boy placing suitcases from a huge cart in front of many doors. " Who," I asked "travels with so much luggage." Then it hit me!!! The Beach Boys!!! I asked the bell hop. Of course he couldn't tell me, but the grin on his face said it all.

I didn't see any of the guys before the concert, but after the concert, Bruce didn't want to let me on the elevator until I showed him that I had a key to the same floor. So yup, I slept with the Beach Boys.
If anyone has access to the old Pet Sounds Mailing List, there is a long post about this in the archives.

That's cool!

I've seen Brian play 4 times over the course of a few years. By far, the best show was one of the performances with Al Jardine doing Pet Sounds. They were both pretty engaged and seemed to be enjoying trading off the vocals.

I did see one of the Greatest Hits shows a year ago or so in Englewood NJ, and that was pretty poor in my opinion. When I say poor, the band was still quite good, but it looked like maybe a few key people were suffering from a flu or something. Low energy pverall, and Brian looked like a zombie. Someone asked me at that show what was wrong with Brian; if had a stroke, and why wasn't he playing any piano.

I would expect any of the shows on the current tour to be pretty solid performances, just because it's a band full of hard working professionals; a good show to see if you've got the money. For me though, I'm gonna sit it out unless it's new material or a totally different set list. I'm still waiting for 'Cool, Cool Water'!!

Hope that everyone has a great time though!  :)

The local paper in Springfield reviewed the opening show last night.

http://www.sj-r.com/entertainment/x1365716004/Brian-Wilson-delivers-at-Sangamon-Auditorium

I'd rather hear your opinion.  How was the show?

For it being the opening night, I thought it came off reasonably well. There were a few technical snafus, but various band members recovered quite nicely. As for Brian, for the bulk of the set, he was workmanlike. But from Sloop John B through the TLOS stuff, he definitely kicked it up to another level -  God Only Knows and Midnight's Another Day were sung very well.  Brian, at times seemed animated, other times he was Brian. You're never going to see Springsteen/Bono-style theatrics with Brian; the star of his shows is going to be the music and as always with his band, the music was performed splendidly.

People who go to Brian shows expecting Brian to be Mike Love are always going to come away disappointed.  But anyone going to the shows expecting great music performed at the highest level (with the original composer and producer giving his tacit approval) will never be disappointed.

If you believe the Pabst seating chart website, sales aren't bad. It won't let me buy two seats together in the balcony. ( I was just testing, not buying. ) It would let me buy a single seat up there. There appear to be several rows of the 75.00 seats left.

I'm just having a hard time believing the upper level is almost sold out. Still, that's great if it is...

Yeah, I went back to the site. Couldn't buy two seats together toward the back on the lower level either. So it looks like it's filling up!!!!

  Brian Wilson Sells Out Lupo's :

  http://www.b101.com/main.html