The Smiley Smile Message Board

Can't remember hearing anything about it, but I'd imagine they'd have been curious to hear it. I'm especially curious about pre-BWPS shows.

Bruce has certainly 'fessed up to listening to boots of the shows!

I can't imagine they ever openly did so...

Mike & Bruce could easily have attended in disguise – Mike would need to crayon a few strands of hair on his bonce, which Bruce wore long pants. Al would need to wear 2" heels!  ;D

That's some awesome image in my head.  :lol

Didn't Bruce say on the Britain board that he had a copy of the 3/2/04 Bristol DVD?

That;'s the one I was thinking of – I believe he used the phrase "his favourite" boot of the smile shows, which rather implies he's been comparing 'em!

Was that the period where Bruce was recovering from his heart bypass surgery?

Bruce certainly had several....cough...unofficial recordings of SMiLE gigs. And he often talked up SMiLE saying how great it was and how he was watching or listening to a new disc he'd obtained on the BBB board and the Blue.

Bruce bought copies of BWPS for Al and Mike....the latter claimed he'd been to busy to listen to it.

Bruce did a lot to talk up Brian and SMiLE, and said he'd been voting for it with regard to the grammys. But I don't think he attended a show....at least not that he mentioned.

Back in February/March of 2004, even people on a 1400bps baud modem found a way to download a copy of one of those recordings. Bruce having one doesn't sound THAT out of the ordinary.

Heh, that chance is as good as Brian going to see Mike and Bruce  :lol

Bruce has attended at least one Brian Wilson solo gig.  ;)

that would be the imagination gig where he and christopher cross - and was it jeff and an eagle? - provided backing vox?

Mike attended one of the the Roxy shows back in 2000 or so.

Jeff wasn't there, Timothy B. Schmit was.

Really ? Never heard about that....

Read it in an article back in the day. As I recall, he stood in the shadows to watch the show and was very impressed with Brian's performance.

Can you find the article, or remember the publication?

Don't recall this being mentioned on the boards back in the day. :-\

Most likely Rolling Stone, but also could have been something online. Whatever it was, there wasn't much to the Mike portion of the story.

Cool. Brian and band in 2000 at the Roxy were at their peak

First I've heard of that.

Rubbish. Setting aside the fact that the live CD was extensively post-dubbed (the Roxy was booked for three days: two for the shows, one for the sweetening), in April 2000 Brian was barely a year into touring and had played precisely 25 shows. It was still "deer-in-the-headlights" time. I saw him first in 2002 in the UK, and he was... acceptable. Just. I think the widely agreed peak for Brian & band were the fall 2009 US shows, and prior to that the 2007 TLOS gigs.

I'm sure people would claim the 2004 Smile gigs, he sounds sensational on the NPR Carnegie Hall Stream. Was that fiddled with? Then again, didn't see TLOS or him in 2009, so.

I first saw Brian at his debut show for the "Brian Wilson Band" in March, 1999 and he was passable in his shouty style. His takes on "Caroline, No" and "God Only Knows" were good, but nothing compared to how he would sound six or seven years later. By the 2000 Pet Sounds tour, he was much more engaged with the audience and would attempt some falsetto at times. By 2004 he displayed much more consistency and was working hard on singing in a softer tone. He continued to improve in 2008 (the last time I saw him). I would say the band itself improved as well throughout this period.

He was in an upward swing from the beginning. I recall the 2006 mini Pet Sounds tour with Al being a real highlight despite the alleged yet understandable discontent on Al's side of the fence. I saw him in 2004 and 2005; both of those shows were good with the latter being a lot better. In 2008 during the American TLOS tour he was great and I was initially very nervous about those gigs after hearing the Kenwood and RAH shows that year. 2009 was definitely the peak.

Three cheers to anyone who finds the article!