The Smiley Smile Message Board

My first visit to Canada for my 18th Brian concert since 1999...man, was it worth the trip!  Not only am I really enjoying Toronto, but the concert was amazing.  I was a little wary after reading some reports of the first concert of this tour.  Brian was relaxed and in very good voice, especially on the Gershwin material.  He had a lot of fun during the first set and the encores.  There were a few bum notes, but nothing worth freaking out over.  He talked before nearly every song, and was enthusiastic about his performance and that of the guys in the band.

He didn't come off like a man who wants to stop touring for good.  I don't think he wants to do it all the time, but he certainly gets off on the love from the audience!  My feeling is that Brian will stop touring when he stops touring...even if he says he done, I really feel that he might be up for one-off shows now and then, as long as he's in good health and good voice.

Setlist:
Do It Again
Catch a Wave
Row, Row, Row
Dance, Dance, Dance
Girl Don't Tell Me
Salt Lake City
Surfer Girl
Then I Kissed Her (Jeff and Brian trading off on lead)
Please Let Me Wonder
Don't Worry Baby (Jeff lead)
I Get Around
Lighter joke
Add Some Music
Do You Wanna Dance
Little Girl I Once Knew
Darlin' (Darian lead)
Sail On Sailor
California Girls
Pet Sounds
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Jeff lead)
Sloop John B.
God Only Knows
Heroes and Villains - Cantina version
Good Vibrations - single lyrics but with "hum-be-dahs"

Entire Gershwin album

Johhny B. Goode
Help Me Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surfin USA (swapped out some of the surf locations with towns mentioned in "Sweet Little Sixteen")
Fun, Fun, Fun

All Summer Long

Exact same setlist as Montclair a few days back. But hey, at least he's having a better time. Maybe the Canadian tour has made him enthusiastic, or, as Brian put it, "gave him the guts to do a great concert." I do sometimes wonder why Brian didn't make more stops in Canada beyond the occasional stops in Ontario or Quebec  during his tours of the United States. But hey, those of you guys who couldn't get to see him in the US can enjoy him (although I'm sure you guys all found a way down every time he was in the nearest American city!). Maybe you guys are gonna get another tour like the American tour in late 2009. If so, Canada's in for a treat.

Notes:

No "Love & Mercy" at the end?

Still doing the cigarette lighter joke. It wasn't that funny the first time he did it and it isn't funny years later. I'm amazed he's still doing it - don't they realize many in the audience have seen it already? Same with "Row, Row Your Boat". Gotta come up with a new schtick! I guess it's better than "I'm A Little Teapot", but still......

Little variance on the lyrics of Surfin' U.S.A. Good! Something different.

No Taylor. Not good.

Was watching a Youtube clip tonight of a recent show (6-8-11 Ridgefield, CT) and it looked like he was going through the motions. Half of "Love In Mercy" is now being sung by the band. He can't wait to get off the stage and gets up from behind the keyboard long before the song ends. It almost looks like he's programmed and he's looking at his watch. He's off the stage before everyone else. So to read Margarita's review above (a good one) is refreshing and it's good to know that his interest isn't lacking EVERY show. Good days and not so good days. But it's obvious to me that he's real bored. And tired...

"Pet sounds" (the song) is back in the set ? Cool. Didn't know that

Thanks for that setlist.  It is classic Beach Boys. 

A couple of years back, I saw Brian at Hampton Beach Casino, and he was with a stripped-down version of his ensemble and it was a great show.  Jeff does well with the falsetto sections and does a great job working with Brian onstage.  The show was just great, and worked well for that venue.  Sometimes people forget that there were 5 performing musicians for the most part, in the 1960's.  I tend to favor the smaller venues when I see him, because they sell out, and there is nothing like a "full house" for audience excitement. 

However, the audience wanted and still wants to see him perform under any circumstances since he embodies a "comeback kid" model, heroically, after losing his brothers but honoring them, musically.  Listening to fellow spectators supports this, who love that, not unlike the other Beach Boys, still continues to "stretch himself' and grow musically by continuing to write and publish his music.  I do think that Brian appreciates his 50 year Beach Boys fans as well as younger fans who are just learning the catalog of great Beach Boys music.       

I hope he does some dates in New England. 

Thanks again.  ;)

Already did - Ridgefield CT on the 8th.

Another positive review, http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,10527.0.html (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,10527.0.html)

Really excited for September now  ;D

A few more things and responses to comments above....

We were down in the 5th row, but from what I could tell, the show looked sold out or close to it; orchestra and the two balcony levels looked full.  It was actually part of the NXNE festival, which I didn't know about until we got to Toronto. 

His voice on "Summertime" and "I Loves You Porgy" were as good if not better than the album.  I wasn't sure if he would pull it off as well live as on record, but he did it. 
When introducing "I've Got Plenty of Nuthin'", he said, "the next song is without voices, just instruments.  It's called an instrumen-tal!" 

Watching Brian in concert over the past 12 years, I recall that he almost always hurried off stage even before the band was done playing.  Maybe performing a concert set really makes him have to pee?  I don't know.  I just always keep in mind that with Brian, we're not dealing with any kind of showman.  I'm just thankful that he has been touring so much; it's a treat that I never expected to see.  "Comeback kid", indeed.

Row, Row, Row and the lighter joke...yes, they are repeated way too much.  But I think that's just Brian's sense of humor.  Either he just likes them and wants to keep doing them, or he knows full well that the audience has been through this before.  It's like that comedy principle about repeating something until it's not funny anymore, then it's funny again. 

Andrew - I was asleep when the CT schedule was posted...additional dates, is what I was thinking of, since I missed that boat...Massachusetts, Rhode Island,(he played Lupo's in Providence, Rhode Island, about 18 months or so, ago, to a pretty "full house"  or Southern New Hampshire...where Hampton Beach Casino is located.  Even with the gas prices, and the bad economy, people are going to the resort towns and renting cottages in droves this season.  ;)

   

When you say he did the Cantina version of "Heroes," do you mean the version from BWPS or the actual Cantina version?  It would be interesting if he were doing the latter, especially given the imminent box set release.

Nothing scheduled, though they added a Lexington KY date in early August - in fact all the post-Canada, pre-Europe dates are in the south, upper midwest and west.

This is his schedule for the rest of the year, to date:

6/20 - Ottawa, ON Canada
6/22 - Winnipeg, MB Canada
6/23 - Regina, SK Canada
6/25 - Calgary, AB Canada
6/26 - Edmonton, AB Canada
6/28 - Vancouver, BC Canada

7/29 - Grand Rapids, MI (? not BWRG)
7/30 - St. Charles, IL (? not BWRG)
7/31 - Clear Lake, IA (? not BWRG)

8/2 - Lexington, KY (? not BWRG)
8/3 - Atlanta, GA (? not BWRG)
8/5 - Hollywood, FL (? not BWRG)
8/24 - Saratoga, CA (? not BWRG)
8/25 - Napa, CA (? not BWRG)
8/27 - Cerritos, CA (? not BWRG)
 
9/9 - Bestival, Isle Of Wight (not BWRG)
9/10 - Gateshead England
9/21 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
9/11 - Glasgow, Scotland
9/13 - Manchester, England
9/14 - Birmingham, England
9/16 - London, England
9/17 - London, England
9/18 - London, England
9/20 - Paris, France
9/22 - Brussels, Belgium
9/24 - Copenhagen, Denmark
9/25 - Stockholm, Sweden
9/26 - Oslo, Norway

Space

Probably the same version he's been doing since the 2004 Smile tour.

And who knows why he isn't doing the Gerschwin set at all venues on the tour.  That'll probably keep me away this time.

Should add the Dublin show to that

Crap - pulled up the wrong file !  Thanks.

Can anyone elaborate on this infamous lighter joke? I'm intrigued now...

Brian - Ok, for any of you who have cigarette lighters, turn them on, hold them up, and Jeff will count them.
Jeff - (counting) (insert number here), Brian.
Brian - Oh wow. Ok, put them out before you start a fire.

Sometimes a band member will interject with "And (insert number here) cellphones!"

It went a bit differently at the 24 Oct 2004 concert in Houston thanks to me :lol

When he asked us to take out our lighters, I yelled out "But I just quit smoking!" (I recently had). Brian didn't say anything for a few seconds, immediately began introducing the next song, then broke out in spontaneous laughter. :lol

I think the joke comes up on the teleprompter, personally.

Holy crap, he's playing in Napa?!  :o

That's only a half hour away from me! I didn't think we were going to get any SF bay area shows for some reason.

and what happened with Amsterdam sneekily squeezing herself comfortably between a few U.K gigs?

Yup... definitely pulled up the wrong file.  ;D

I was also at the Toronto show and I thought Brian was great!  Everybody sounded good and everybody in my section was enjoying the show from beginning to end.  Too bad some people left before All Summer Long.  Their loss for wanting to beat the rush.  Not having read any reviews or set lists, I was pleased to hear Please Let Me Wonder, Salt Lake City, Girl Don't Tell Me, Then I Kissed Her, Dance, Dance, Dance and others, songs that are not always performed.

My only beef with the show was the the balance of the drums with the vocals and other instruments (I don't know the technical terms).  I struggled to hear the vocals at many times because the drums were so loud compared to everything else.  Massey Hall is known for having great acoustics, so was this just a result of someone messing up during the sound check?  I was in the third row of the first balcony, not sure if the same thing was experienced elsewhere.  Nevertheless, it was one of the best BW shows I had seen so I am happy.

Another question: Jeff mentioned Brian wrote five No. 1 songs.  I can only name three, I Get Around, Help Me, Rhonda and Good Vibrations.  What are the others?  Thanks.

Surf City went to #1 and...I'll get back to you.

Hmm...I'm not sure. Do It Again went to #1 in England, so maybe he's counting that.

I thought maybe the David Lee Roth version of California Girls may have hit #1 but, like the original, it only went as high as #3.

Heroes and Villains was the BWPS version, ending with the rising scale of vocals.  But yeah, I'd love to see Brian sing the "At three-score-and-five" lyric!

How do we know for sure that the run of shows in July and August aren't going to include the Gershwin set?  If Gershwin is not going to be performed, could it be possible that Brian would be performing a Smile set to promote the box set?

For the lighter joke, in the past I've also heard Brian say, "You all need to quit smoking!  It's bad for you!"

As for the #1s - perhaps Jeff meant 5 #1s on the Canadian charts?  Or maybe he counted "Kokomo" by mistake.

brianwilson.com seems to imply that they WILL be doing Gershwin in July:

Me too. Has he ever sang that line live??

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BAJzMompYjg/TUzWf0_P8eI/AAAAAAAAAE8/p-ENpti7KOs/s320/Picture+46.png)

Zombie Wesker is shocked and appalled :lol

[brain fart]

I was a little bit apprehensive about the Toronto show, having read mixed reviews of earlier shows here, but was very pleasantly surprised. There was an enthusiastic crowd at Massey Hall – not sold out, but close – and I think Brian and the band fed off that. I thought the first half – Beach Boys classics and some lesser-known tracks like "Salt Lake City" and "Pet Sounds" –was very strong. Then he did the Gershwin stuff, and I thought it went over very well. The crowd was into it. Then the encores. First time I've seen him not close with "Love and Mercy". He ended on the more upbeat note of "All Summer Long". I thought Brian was in good form and a little more chatty the usual.

A couple of days earlier, he received the NxNE lifetime achievement award sponsored by Now magazine. That was pretty funny. There was a good crowd of media and fans for the awards ceremony. First, the arts editor of the magazine came on and said some nice things about Brian, followed by a video montage – which strangely featured a lot of footage from Brian's "dark years" – and generous song clips. Then Jim Cuddy from popular Toronto country rock band Blue Rodeo came on stage to introduce Brian. Cuddy talked about how when he was a kid it was all about the fun songs from The Beach Boys, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Then, when "Good Vibrations" came along it awoke his consciousness about how records were put together. After that he heard his sister's copy of Surf's Up and thought "Wow, somebody bummed out The Beach Boys!" So the stage was set, and he introduced Brian. Brian came onstage and appeared at ease. He went to the podium, thanked everyone in a few seconds and then said, "BYE!" He didn't even wait for Cuddy to hand him the award. He just grabbed it off the podium and left the stage as quickly as he could. No questions from the crowd, no onstage Q&A. Nothing. Some in the crowd thought he was kidding. But nope, that was it. It was quite hilarious. In all fairness, we were told we wouldn't have any "face time" with Brian, because he had to head to Montréal for a concert.

All in all, a memorable few days for Brian in Toronto.

Just to follow up....

1) That's right, no Taylor...and you know what? I thought the vocal blend actually sounded better. Could have been because EVERYBODY had vocal mics, including Brett and Nelson, which wasn't the case before...don't remember the Tasty Brothers ever having vocal mics, so there were at least two additional voices in the mix fattening up the sound. And Taylor? Never said this in a public forum before, but I'm proud to say it now: her sole purpose with that band was eye candy. I don't mean to disparage Taylor herself --- I've heard some of her own material, and she's an excellent singer -- but musically I don't think she was a good fit with these guys. Basically, her voice added too much treble....and she also was the only one in the band, besides a bass player, who was not a multitasker, unless you count ringing the triangle once and tipping a little thing that went "moooooo!" during the Smile concerts; everybody else -- especially Scott and Probyn -- always worked their hearts off as instrumentalists...

2) Just read a 3 and a half-star review (I wouldn't mind such a review for my own stuff!) with the reviewer claiming that he could have done without the Gershwin stuff (oof!!! I felt a fist right through my stomach) and that Brian was missing a lot of notes....gee, I have perfect pitch (no baseball jokes, please!) and I only noticed pitch problems during "The Like In I Love You." I dunno, maybe the sound waves in the fifth row aisle seats are such that they turn sour notes into good ones???

3) Forgot to mention...the venue was pretty jammed. Only a few balcony seats toward stage right were unoccupied....

Incorrect. Nelson has always been miked and part of the blend.


Bob Lizik only sang on Love & Mercy, but Jim Hines is an excellent vocalist. You can see him in the mix quite often - look at the BWPS video and you can see a lot of his vocal contribution.

The voice needed back in the mix is Mike D'Amico's - before he came back and took Jim Hines' place on drums he contributed vocals on almost everything (when he was the percussionist/guitarist).



You're proud to say it? That seems rather strange... proud?? Why?


True enough regarding the lack of instrumental skills. As far as whether she was a good fit... it depends on the song. For example,  I thought she was too strong in the mix whenever I've heard Surfer Girl, but she did a fabulous job on Good Kind Of Love and certainly on Can't Wait Too Long. Most times I thought she just blended in the mix nicely.

BWRG has shot up into the top 20 on amazon canada, also in the top 100 on itunes..

Nice to see

I wouldn't say Taylor was just eye candy. Sure, she's nice to look at and all, but...her voice is still an integral part of that band. And the camaraderie is another thing that seems a bit off when she's not there.

Personal anecdote...when I saw Brian in Glenside back in '09, during Jeff's introduction of the band members, he called out Taylor by saying she had eaten a huge cheesesteak from Pat's before the show, and when she came out she laughed, saying "thank you Jeff, but you know I don't eat meat." Jeff replied, "she had a vegetarian cheesesteak with just the cheese wiz and bread."

This is the same show when introducing Foskett, Darian says "You know the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue?" Well Jeff has a new album out, check it out, it's called "Kind of White."

And then Scott says, "it's the follow up to "Round Noon""

I missed Taylor at the Vienna VA show earlier this month.  Her voice, her presence on stage, and her comaraderie with the band.
She has a relaxed and graceful presence that adds to the performance and is missing when she is gone.  One notices even more the somewhat awkward nonverbal communication between Jeff and Brian. 

One other thing that keeps coming up in the reviews is Brian leaving the stage before the songs are over.  I wonder why the band doesn't address this.....it detracts and unnecessarily calls attention to BWs awkwardness.  He should stay until the song is over, have the lights dimmed, and THEN leave.

This was the glaring oddity of the otherwise stellar fall 09 shows as well.  One reviewer noticed little else.

Proud because I really don't give a s**t who disagrees or how unpopular that opinion is.

I salute you for offering your opinion without apologies. We need more of that on here. Shame it's in such short supply...

Seems to be in quite copious supply to me ...

Fella did demand an explanation, though. I can hear Taylor a lot throughout all of Brian's 'band' efforts, so I for one am not prepared to dispose of her as just eyecandy.

I mean, it's a big vocal thing, right? Singers are important. You don't need Jeff, really. Nick Walusko covers the majority of guitar parts, and it's not like it's guitar heavy music. Or there are two keyboard players - samplers being what they are, you can trigger different samples playing same chords and etc. The only one who is truly indispensable is Probyn. Or you could just view women as inferior musicians, idk....

Wow. How daring.

Completely agree!

Yes!!


Totally agree, Don!!

Soooooo.... Where is Taylor? And when is she coming back?

Videos from NxNE life time achievement award.

http://www.nowtoronto.com/guides/nxne/2011/story.cfm?content=181296

She's gone for good. never to return. Her time is done. she's made her peace and moved on

Of late she's been playing live with an Austin Floyd tribute band, Which One's Pink. My feeling is, she's not coming back.

Made a silly joke no one should have to read.

It's OK.  Bring it on

I'm been enjoying reading this thread - I had the opportunity to catch the Toronto show as well, and like many I was cautiously optimistic after reading some of the lukewarm early tour date reviews. The band really really knocked it outta the park at Massey, they really did. The first set, with nice surprises like Little Girl I Once Knew, SLC as well as H & V really came off fresh and FULL. I gotta tell ya, even sans Taylor the vocal blend shined. Add a string quartet, and the total sound was pure caramel. Brian was very loose and engaging, and I can't remember a better 'greatest hits' performance of his - and I've seen most of the US tours the past decade.

Gershwin was fascinating to hear live. The album's orchestral links obviously recall BWPS, and heard as a complete body of work really flowed. The down tempo / lounge tracks leading to 'They Can't Take That Away' and 'I Got Rhythm' completely rocked the audience. The only hiccup (and it was a major one to me) was Brian's complete lack of intonation and voice control for 'The Like In I Love You'. It was almost as if he needed a warm up or something, because when he settled into 'Summertime' that's when the performance completely jelled and took flight.  As mentioned before, he was now bringing it and delivered a commanding performance for the balance of the Gershwin set.

Probably one of my favorite shows of Brian's. No kidding. Oh and by the way (regarding the whole 'will he retire or not') - as he left the stage he said, 'Thank you! We'll see you next time!' So there you go.

Doo Dah, what it is funky dude?

Pretty much how I feel about the Gershwin set I saw in Montclair. When the man's challenged, he steps up to the plate.

is there anyone who can clarify the situation with the july shows, specifically whether he'll be playing the gershwin material or not? i know someone who would know posted earlier that he won't be, but as someone else pointed out the website seems to indicate otherwise. i'm seeing my first BW show in grand rapids on the 29th and would be thrilled to hear BWRG.

Being a non-smoker, in Hamburg 2002 I brought a pack of matches normally in use for my gas cooker. That night Jeff reported to Brian: "36 cigarette lighters and one match". My favorite moment on the boot!  :-D

The July 30 St. Charles, IL venue is advertising it as Greatest Hits.   His website may not be completely accurate.  

http://www.oshows.com/shows-fourth#!__shows-fourth/brian-wilson (http://www.oshows.com/shows-fourth#!__shows-fourth/brian-wilson)

Since he hasn't come to Texas since 2004 and there's no indication he's coming this year, I was considering going to this if it were BWRG (based on the Toronto reviews).  But I'm not going to do that kind of travel expense for a GH show, especially if he's not that engaged in the old material.

What about the Lexington, Kentucky show? ( not on that list, is it really happening?)

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.

But is it BWRG or GH?

Is there a bootleg of this show available somewhere? I went and had a wonderful time!

Edit: oops, didn't read the sticky. Can someone PM me if they have any clues?

The Surf Ballroom website doesn't mention anything about Gershwin.  From looking at pictures of the venue, I don't think he'll do any of the Gershwin stuff there, except for maybe You Can't Take That Away From Me.  It's an old ballroom, and I don't think they put out chairs on the dance floor (I could be wrong...I e-mailed them and didn't get a response).  There are booths along one side and across the back wall.  I think I'm going to go...it sounds like a blast, even if it is strictly a greatest hits show. 

I disagree.  I think the intention is to put the spotlight on the band at the end of each set, which was well deserved.  People always leave his concerts saying how incredible the band was, and him leaving a little early shows that he's willing to share some of the spotlight with them.  Including the song Pet Sounds in an extended version and having Jeff introduce each member also highlighted their individual contributions.  They deserve it.

I was at the St. Charles show Saturday night.  Solid performance, only a portion of the second set was Gershwin.  Uber rare track performed was Drive In - I certainly would have preferred Girl Don't Tell Me, but rare is rare.  Songs performed were pretty much the same as the Toronto setlist.  They opened with California Girls.  Band sounded great, Brian was good as well - he was very impressive on God Only Knows.  Same encores as Toronto.  Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick was in the audience. 

I didn't realize that a lot of the band members were from Chicago, and someone on stage mentioned that "it's hard to believe this band formed 12 years ago in St. Charles."  I had never seen Brian in concert before, and this show delivered.  I just hope I get another chance to see him before he retires from touring.  One other note, I like to call Brian the Ron Santo of rock.  Those who know what I mean don't need any explanation. :-D

:)

I was in St. Charles as well.  The drive there from Chicago took longer than our flight from Midway to Toronto!  But like Ram4 said, it was a solid show.  Brian looked great, sang very well, and smiled a lot during the show.  The crowd gave him a lot of love; it was one of the most enthusiastic BW audiences I've seen.  Melinda was there with the kids, who were on Jeff's side of the stage during the encore set. 

Setlist:
California Girls
Dance, Dance, Dance
Catch a Wave
Wendy
Then I Kissed Her (Jeff and Brian trading off on lead)
Little Deuce Coupe
Surfer Girl
In My Room
Please Let Me Wonder
Row, Row, Row
Don't Worry Baby (Jeff lead)
Salt Lake City
Drive-In
When I Grow Up To Be a Man
You're So Good to Me
Do You Wanna Dance
Sail On Sailor (Scott lead)
I Get Around
Do It Again

Rhapsody in Blue intro
Summertime
I've Got Plenty of Nuthin'
Can't Take That Away From Me
I Got Rhythm
Nothing But Love
Add Some Music
Little Girl I Once Knew
Darlin' (Darian lead)
Pet Sounds
Sloop John B.
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Jeff lead)
God Only Knows
Heroes and Villains - Cantina version
Good Vibrations - single lyrics but with "hum-be-dahs"

Johhny B. Goode
Help Me Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surfin USA (swapped out some of the surf locations with towns mentioned in "Sweet Little Sixteen")
Fun, Fun, Fun

All Summer Long

Is the full Gershwin set being dropped forever then? Damnit. Wanted to hear him sing 'Love Is Here to Stay' live....

I know...in St. Charles, I didn't get my two Gershwin faves: I Loves You Porgy and Someone To Watch Over Me.  At least I heard them in Toronto.  iMHO, the Gershwin material should never be just a few songs; the audience needs to hear the entire album.

On Brian's official site it says, of the US Summer Tour, they'll be "playing his greatest hits, as well as selections from his acclaimed Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin album".

For the Autumn European Tour "Brian will be performing his critically acclaimedalbum [sic], Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, in its entirety".

Guess they're taking a break from playing BWRG as a whole between Canada and Europe.

Is he still saying "I fuckin` hate this song" before he does SOS?

No, and no "These are the shittiest lyrics" either. In St. Charles he said something along the lines of "Here's the talented Scott Bennett to sing you a song." I kind of assumed his hate for it was part of the reason of the lead being switched, that and Scotty's take on it was really great. I'm not a huge Sail On Sailor fan myself, but I could get behind that rendition.

Thing is, Brian just should not sing "Sail On, Sailor." He never, EVER had the proper voice for it. Dennis might have been a good vocalist for it, Blondie was definitely ideal...I can even imagine Carl on it, given his Wild Honey vocals...but never Brian, especially how he sings it nowadays...

BTW there are some leads that were given to band members. "Darlin'" "DWB" "TIKH" "WIBN" "SOS"... whose idea was that? Brian's ? I can't imagine someone telling him "Hey, you don't sound that good. I'm gonna singt it from now on"

I do distinctly remember Jeff taking a couple of leads in 2006, too...don't know whose idea is that, but my thought, partiicuarly for "Wouldn't It Be Nice:"

It's in the key of F on the original recording. Usually in concert it's performed in E, which is close enough to sound right. However, when Brian sang it, they performed it in D, which might have been low enough for the song to just not sound very recognizable; it least, that was my case....songs that they had to perform lower due to Brian's lower voice -- particularly "TWOTS," "Don't Worry, Baby," "Darlin'", and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" -- sounded unrecognizable to my ears....especially the one time I heard him do "TWOTS."

So...by having Jeff sings "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (Brian sang the bridge, btw) and "Don't Worry, Baby," the songs sound closer to the originals and thus have the feel of the originals. As for why pass off the "Sail On, Sailor" vocals (Brian can sing the notes with no problem), I dunno, other than Brian's voice just doesn't have the proper oomph.