The Smiley Smile Message Board

So, last night was the third of three Beach Boys related concerts in a week and a half.  This was my favorite of the three nights.  I had picked some seats online that seemed somewhat close to the stage, but I had no idea until I got there that I was only two rows away from front row seats!  We chatted with a fellow fan who sat next to us... he had flown all the way from Massachusetts to see this concert, and was heading to Brian's next gig in Long Beach afterwards.  And I thought I was a fan for driving an hour and a half...

Once again, the band was just awesome.  There were a few changes in the set list to include more than just the hits, as opposed to the show a week and a half ago at a winery.  A few interesting choices were Prayer before going into Heroes and Villains, and one that surprised me.... "She Knows Me Too Well".  I managed to video about 2/3rds of the song.  

The new guy Brian/Ike handled this one very well.  His falsetto is more subtle and blends in with the group, as opposed to Jeff's more "powerhouse" style of singing.  It reminds me of the way the falsetto singer from the Four Freshman blends vocally, which makes total sense considering Ike's background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVq0Nz62Vfc&feature=youtu.be


And finally, my favorite Brian-ism line of the night, while introducing "Shut Down":

"This is a car song.  It's about a car."

Thank you for the link!

They sound fantastic.  I mean Fan-Tas-Tic... that blend sounds great, I hope some more videos get posted so we can hear how it sounds on the more well known stuff we've heard for so long. 

I like Jeff, and think he has a great voice... I will say though that I always thought Brian's band sounded too sterile for my taste.  Of course all their voices are beautiful but it got to a point where it was very thin sounding, nothing had any passion in it anymore.

This is a step in the right direction, in my opinion.  This guy is singing his fucking head off. 

I know what you're saying about Jeff being more of a 'powerhouse' style, but I never really thought about it like that.  The new guy DOES blend in very well, he sounds remarkably like Brian.

To see the difference, here's a video of Jeff doing it 3 years ago.  In my opinion, the Jeff version is much more thin and bland, whereas this new guy's version is much more exciting, and more true to the original 'spirit' of the song we all know too well :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwjN8tTwN6c

I say that with all due respect to Jeff who's certainly a fabulous singer and i'm just comparing two videos.

No new songs? Surprising

Thanks for the video Shane. They sound great! I'm in Sacramento and wish I'd been there but couldn't scrounge up $99 plus gas for the drive down 99 to Modesto. Glad you enjoyed it, and please post whatever you've got.

Would be great if they can add a stack of new and/or rare songs with Brian or Al on lead vocals for future shows.

Hopefully some Youtube clips with those guys singing leads will be added too.

That is so funny!

Reminds me of his introduction to 'Let's Go Away For Awhile', RFH London, 2002:

"Now here's an instrumental.

A song without words."

Very nice. One of my favorite Beach Boys songs. I remember during the TLOS Brian and Jeff both sang lead with Brian singing an octave lower (I believe) and it sounded very cool to my ears.
I kinda lost sight.... is this the guy from the Fendertones and is he a permanent part of the band now?

He only played one gig I think.

This guy is from The Four Freshman unless I`m getting confused (which is entirely possible).

No, that's exactly right. :)

Any other surprises in the setlist?

The setlist is here:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/brian-wilson/2014/gallo-center-for-the-arts-modesto-ca-53ccafa9.html

Thanks!  I wonder why he hasn't been playing Love & Mercy anymore.

Thanks for capturing that. That's probably the best version I've heard other than the original.

Seems to me Brian/Ike has that rare quality in his voice where you can't tell when he's switched from full voice to falsetto (and back again), much like our boy in the 60's - and of course Bob Flanigan. Much love to all of the other falsetto guys the BB's and BW have employed over the years, but this guy has GOT IT.

Hope they keep him around for future shows / tours. This is a winning combo right here.

Shane, thank you for posting that, especially that song. "Ike" sounded great on the high vocal. As was pointed out, it's the lineage from the Four Freshmen's Bob Flanigan singing those high vocals dating back to the 50's, to Brian Wilson listening and emulating Bob's style from those Freshmen records, to Brian "Ike" singing Flanigan's leads with the current Freshmen, now taking Brian Wilson's high vocal parts in 2014. It's all from the same well of influence and vocal style, a natural progression and a nice blend in the current mix of vocals on stage. Very cool.

There is a clip of Ike with the Freshmen doing "Surfer Girl" that especially in the falsetto part is excellent, and as close to an authentic-sounding version of what it sounded like in 1963 without having a Beach Boy in the mix...IMO. Definitely worth seeking out.  :)

I love it when the band pulls out songs like this on stage. Can't wait to hear more!

Brian no longer performs Love and Mercy because it is a Brian Wilson song.  These days Brian and band perform only Beach Boys songs.  Seriously, I have no idea why L&M has disappeared from the set list after all these years.  Maybe it's been decided to totally kiss off the Landy era.  Or maybe it's simply because Fun X 3 is a super closer that leaves the audience feeling great and upbeat about the concert they just saw.  And perhaps it's just on hiatus and will be back when the Love & Mercy biopic is officially released.

I would like to see "Love and Mercy" brought back with the full band arrangement, along with "Melt Away".  I also think a live "Rio Grande" would be a powerful song to do.  In fact they should just do most of that album! :-D

Brian did a few solo tracks with Al and Dave last year, including "Your Imagination" and "Goin' Home." I think they just kind of sprang back off of the C50 set list, removing the stuff Mike does that they don't ("Kokomo", "It's OK", etc.).

He closed with Love and Mercy tonight. :)

Further proof that this board is watched closely!

I heard that! I agree, it's freakin' phenomenal.

Not sure what happened to Matt Jardine, but I love how Team BW put some real effort into finding a great GREAT falsetto replacement for Jeff. I'm over here still playing the "She Knows Me Too Well" clip on loop.

Hopefully a clip of "Don't Worry Baby" will pop up soon!

Brian should close with Love & Mercy. Every time!

Ike is OK and I agree with the poster who said he's best at blending into the mix of harmonies.

Ike does an OK lead on "She Knows Me Too Well". I also like Jeff''s version. I'd also like to see Randall Kirsch do it, but I'd especially like to see Matt Jardine do it. That song really separates the men from the boys when it comes to falsetto and is not easy to pull off.

Kinda sad for us hardcores that Brian has to do a greatest hits show, but it's understandable - that's what most people came to see him for. But it's really old hat. Onesy twosy "new" songs incorporated into the setlist every few concerts............getting not worth travelling 50 to 100 miles for anymore.

Agreed. But it really is common sense and isn't just limited to Wilson. His closest living analogue is probably McCartney, who is similar: lots of Beatles, lots of Wings, maybe a song or two beyond that. Whatever other artists whose primary successes were in the '60s are still out there, no doubt it's the same or similar situation.

The fact is there are just more people who are more casual fans and who want to hear those (admittedly great hit songs. (They were hits for a reason, after all!) If his band is going to do shows of more obscure music, they'd probably have to book smaller venues and charge three times as much (or some other multiple, I'm making that up) per ticket to come out with similar financial results. And then everyone would complain about that.

I think there is and perhaps (hopefully) will be a separation between these current shows and what will be staged when the new album comes out. "She Knows Me Too Well" could be an inkling of what might be coming down the road, as the setlists could dig a little deeper and also incorporate whatever new songs will be played to coincide with the new album.

I happen to think Ike doing the falsetto parts is one of the best surprises of the current shows. I keep coming back to the lineage with the Four Freshmen. Consider Ike had to study and learn all of those original Freshmen records and arrangements in order to stage those tours and shows as the Four Freshmen. He had to cover Bob Flanigan's original parts, including phrasing, inflection, tone/style, all of those elements in order to be authentic to the Freshmen "book" of songs. It's the same kind of study and emulation that a young Brian Wilson did in all those hours he spent learning the Freshmen songs, so both he and Ike are drawing from the same well of influence through Bob Flanigan.

If you listen to Brian's falsetto in the 60's, and compare it to Flanigan's vocals, you can hear the influence pretty clear. So bringing in a singer such as Ike who knows the same material and style, it's really adding another layer to the vocal blend on stage. And I think as good as the other singers have been who have covered the falsetto parts in the past 20+ years on stage with Brian, this pairing has that extra something in terms of sound and style that makes it very interesting, with a lot of potential for some great performances and sounds.

I'd *love* to hear Brian tackle a few Freshmen songs on stage with Ike and the band, beyond "Their Hearts..." and other obvious ones. That would be bringing it full-circle in a way.  :)

The trick is you blend how your "full voice" sounds in the upper register and your falsetto voice so they both match in the overlap.  Some of it is natural talent but it's something you have to practice and develop and you have to have a good ear for how you sound.  Ike happens to have the talent where he can practice a bit and then blend his voice a little differently to sound like Bob or Brian's recordings, or his own original sound.


Agreed, it's really exciting.  Add to that he's been arranging, music director etc for the current Four Freshmen so he has that background as well.  Ike's probably the closest thing to a "younger" Brian that they've had.  I'm kinda surprised it's never occurred to them before now to go this route.

Who sang lead on She Knows Me too Well? I knew it to be a Jeff lead ever since it was on the setlist back in the mid to late 2000.

I do agree that many acts from the 60s will give a greatest hits show. I think that Brian is one of those people like Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed (before his passing) etc. who doesn`t have to though. I can understand why they have for these few shows, especially as some have been played in venues suited to hits, but Brian has shown in the past that he can sell tickets while performing a more varied set list.

I think most concertgoers would be disappointed if they didn`t hear the `super hits` like I Get Around, God Only Knows, Good Vibrations, California Girls etc. but hopefully if there is a proper tour to support the new album they can drop some of the other songs. I doubt anyone would be asking for their money back if Catch a Wave, Hawaii, Dance Dance Dance, All Summer Long etc. weren`t played for example.

Hopefully the other rarities will be sung by Brian and Al though. Ike sounds fine on this one but (and this absolutely goes for the M&B shows as well) the more songs sung by Beach Boys the better.

I alllllllllllllmost went to this show, and now I'm kicking myself in the head cause I didn't. She Knows Me Too Well is one of my all time favorites by the band.



But yeah, more solo stuff needs to happen. Bust out Rio Grande sometime!!!

I agree that some of the not-such-hits could be switched out for something fresher. For instance from Brian's most recent sets, you could probably lose "Catch a Wave", "Hawaii", "Shut Down", and "She Knows Me Too Well" and give us "You're So Good To Me", "This Whole World" and "Please Let Me Wonder. Bring back stuff that Brian's band has done like "Good Timin'" and "Caroline No". Both "Good Timin'" and "Caroline No" were top 40 hits, so maybe that could make them feel better about including them. Maybe throw in "Lonely Sea", very beautiful, from the Surfin' U.S.A. album

Maybe give Al another tune of his own to chose, which would likely be "California", but shoot, maybe we'd get "Lookin' at Tomorrow". Or how about "Vegetables"? Al's there, why not? Also, I gotta say I don't really dig how Brian or Mike delegate leads out to non Beach Boys. I never wanted to hear Foskett sing "Don't Worry Baby" or "Wouldn't It Be Nice". I don't wanna hear Darian do "Darlin'". And as nice as it might be, I don't wanna hear some guy named Ike doing "She Knows Me Too Well". Shoot, I'd rather hear Brian covering "Lahaina Aloha" than hearing these replacement dudes doing the main job.

In general, if Brian is doing an honest-to-goodness tour, promoting something specific or with a real goal in mind, the setlist will be changed up. And that's because you have some time for band rehearsal, etc.

If he's just doing stray shows like he has been this fall, the setlists are much less adventurous -- and this has been the trend for at least the last seven years or so. I'm not a fan of it, in particular, because I think these kind of shows tend to engage Brian less than the more varied ones (although there are always exceptions). But it looks like he's just doing some mild greatest-hits type dates, with relatively little promotion, so this is what we get.

As for the band taking leads, there's never a good option. Brian used to sing practically everything (with a bit of Foskett doubling here and there), but ended that 2007-2009, with Jeff, Scott and Darian beginning to take some leads. Before that point, people complained that his band members didn't get a chance to sing lead, especially when BW was struggling. Now that they do, there are complaints about that.

I think Al being part of the band has already solved part of that issue though...

One of my favorite memories of the C50 show was Scott Totten singing 'Ballad of Ole Betsy' and doing an ace job. My wife, who wasn't fond of the original version, looked at me and said 'that was just awesome'. We had the same reaction when Jeff sang 'Don't Back Down', which those who've known me for all these years know that's in my bottom 2 with 'Don't Hurt My Little Sister'. So, in a band setting, I'm cool with it, as it's the same to me as when Billy would rock 'Sail on Sailor' in the past. For a Brian solo show, I'm a bit more on the fence, just because his name is on the marquee. I personally prefer hearing Brian more than anyone else. But, I can understand those who feel otherwise.

For Brian it's a different case because people are there to see Brian Wilson, and would therefore be a little confused to see some young guy named... Brian... er... Ike singing while Brian Wilson sits at his keyboard and stares into space for three minutes.

But then again, if anyone is in need of having other people take the vocal slack up for him, it's Brian. And that's why having Al there is great - he has the name and historical association to justify singing his own songs while still being under Brian's tour.

I'd say ditch Scott on Sail On Sailor and Darian on Darlin' and give Al two more leads. How about giving Al a try singing Sail On Sailor? I bet that would sound great!

'Ma'am...the ticket CLEARLY reads "Brian" "comma" and THEN "Wilson" '

I don't think it's a big deal when Brian delegates a couple of leads to other band members. It breaks things up a bit and gives Brian a break. And, they usually sing the song better than Brian would anyway.

I do think, however, it would be better if those songs aren't Brian Wilson original leads, like Darian singing "Darlin", a Carl Wilson lead, and, of course, Al and Blondie singing their leads. There is something a little awkward when songs with incomparable, original Brian leads like "Don't Worry Baby", "The Warmth Of The Sun", "Ballad Of Ole Betsy" (during C50), and now "She Loves Me Too Well" are sung by somebody other than Brian. With Brian SITTING RIGHT THERE at the piano, basically doing very little, it kind of has a way of bringing attention to the fact that he (Brian) can no longer do the song justice. It's probably just me, it's an emotional thing, but I'm usually remembering how great the original vocal was - with Brian singing it - and, what's the point of doing the song if Brian ain't singing it. Maybe it would be better if it was left off the setlist? There's so many other songs to choose from. I mean, what if somebody other than Brian sang "Love And Mercy"?

Speaking of "Love And Mercy", I'm wondering if the lack of solo material being performed is because Brian himself isn't that fond of it? We know (based on record sales, or lack of them) that the fans wouldn't be as open to the solo songs as the surf & turf songs that are dominating Brian's recent sets. Apparently, Brian has now reached the point that Mike AND THE BEACH BOYS realized a long, long time ago (1974 actually). Give the people what they want.

Forgive my most heinous ignorance, but is "Ike" supposed to be Matt Jardine?  If not, what happened to Matt?

Bit of a long bow to draw there.

The resemblance to a post-'74 Beach Boys setlist (more like post-'81, because a look at the setlist archive tends to show that they had a fair chunk of recent-album material throughout the '70s) is pretty minimal; something like a quarter of Brian's set this time (7 songs out of 31) is still post-Good-Vibrations, which was the usual cutoff point for the Beach Boys in their travelling-jukebox phase.  He's also featuring a couple of songs from his biggest solo album hit (i.e, Smile).

It's also been barely a year since the Jeff Beck tour, where even in an abbreviated show he was throwing in solo numbers like "Goin' Home" and more Smile tracks than we've heard since the original tour.

More basically, we're still in a lull in his solo career -- he hasn't put out an album under his own name in three years (and that was Disney).  If he's still downplaying "Love And Mercy" and solo material after the new album comes out, then you might be able to conclude something...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Hey Sheriff;

I have to disagree with you here on a few of your points . I believe the set lists on these "one off" shows are not indicative of what they will be for a full blown tour. These shows basically are good for the band to get together , rehearse for a few days ; utilize the sound checks to start rehearsing some deeper stuff; play before a live audience and shake off the rust, if you will ; without the risk of overexposure; especially with the obvious requirement of an extensive upcoming tour to support not only "No Pier Pressure" but "Love and Mercy " as well. Additionally ; Al Jardine and Brian Eichenberger being onboard may have had a part in sticking to the "meat and potatoes " set list ; they would both have to learn stuff from the BW solo catalogue I would think, and there was probably not enough time to do so.

I also believe that the better attended Brian shows are the ones that have not emphsized the BB hit catologue , but rather the deeper and solo stuff , for example "Pet Sounds" , "SMiLE" , "That Lucky Old Sun' , "Gershwin".  I expect that we will see a significantly different set list on the upcoming tour in support of the new album and the film. I also believe that they played "Love and Mercy " in Long Beach if I am not mistaken; also I have never heard Brian expressing any personal displeasure about the majority of his solo stuff so I don't think for a minute that he has come to the conclusion you stated above .

My opinion is Brian believes his audience wants to hear new stuff, and some deep cuts , as well as the Beach Boys classics; I would bet we will see that reflected in the next full blown tour.   

Responding to Jonathan Blum and Ray Lawlor....

First, Jon...It's interesting that you would refer to the songs "Our Prayer" and "Heroes And Villains" as post-Good Vibrations, considering they were written and recorded within weeks (days?) of "Good Vibrations" and appeared on the same albums (Smiley Smile and The Smile Sessions). Which also brings into question if the fans attending Brian Wilson concerts TODAY actually view those songs as being Brian Wilson solo songs (from BWPS). Is "Good Vibrations" also a BW solo song from BWPS? It's not exactly the same thing, but is "Sloop", "God Only Knows", and "WIBN" performed/introduced as being from Brian Wilson's album - Pet Sounds Live?

Now, for Ray...I'm not necessarily disagreeing but questioning...I wasn't aware that it would take significantly more rehearsing to perform "deeper" cuts or solo selections. Other than Ike, aren't most of the band longtime members and brilliant musicians who could play those songs rather easily?

Maybe my "give the people what they want" comment needs further 'splaining... :police: I agree that there was a time when there was a demand for different, deeper stuff, like the Pet Sounds Live and BWPS tours. It's hard to believe that it's been over 10 years now since those tours. Again, I'm not disagreeing but asking... but I was under the impression, mostly from reading this board, that since the 2004 BWPS tour, Brian's concert ticket sales have been decreasing or inconsistent at best? I didn't think That Lucky Old Sun or the Disney album had that much appeal for live presentations. Maybe a good way to turn the trend around around was playing the percentages, more Beach Boys' classics?

You said, "I have never heard Brian expressing any personal displeasure about the majority of his solo stuff so I don't think for a minute that he has come to the conclusion you stated above." I'm not sure this is the right thread to ask this but what the heck...Brian has been a solo artist for almost 30 years, which is almost twice as many years that he was active as a Beach Boy. Other than the Pet Sounds Live and BWPS tours - featuring Beach Boys' songs - why do YOU THINK there has been so few BW solo songs performed live, if tours like That Lucky Old Sun and Gershwin were well attended, if in fact you believe there has been so few performed...

EDIT: This isn't directed to Jon or Ray, it's just something I wanted to post originally but forgot...I like to read about Brian's contemporaries like Dylan, McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Paul Simon, etc. And, sometimes they will perform a deeper, rarer song or songs in concert, and, when asked later by an interviewer why they chose to perform those songs, they will answer simply, "I really like those songs" or "I like to sing that song" or "I always liked that song and don't play it enough". I rarely hear or read that with Brian and his solo material. Other than the usual "Love And Mercy" from BW88, "Your Imagination" from Imagination, maybe "Goin' Home" from That Lucky Old Sun, and I don't know what from Gettin' In Over My Head, it's almost like fans are very surprised (shocked?) if Brian played any other solo songs. OK, enough from me, I'm rambling...and probably pissing people off.

Although a tour would be expected next year I don't recall this has been stated yet. Can we take this as confirmation Ray?

Someone else posted a little while back that Matt Jardine had commented that he was taking some time off to "be with this family" ( http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,18307.msg476833.html#msg476833 )

What's weird is that it looks like Matt Jardine played a gig with "California Surf Incorporated", which is another one of those off-shoot bands made up of various BB backing band guys. The gig was in Folsom, CA on 9/20. It also looks like Probyn Gregory was in the band along with Matt Jardine. The rest of the band included Bobby Figueroa, Billy Hinshce, and Ed Carter. I didn't know Probyn Gregory often kicked around with the Carter/Hinsche/Figueroa "circle." It looks like it's mostly Al Jardine's "Endless Summer" band without Al.

Can anyone confirm if Matt has any plans to tour with Brian in the future? I'm insure if the new guy Ike is the "new guy" going forward. I would imagine it's just as likely they don't know, since they don't have a bunch of imminent tour dates.

I believe I am in the minority in that I'd like to hear Brian delegate MORE leads out to the band members.  It's what he did with BB songs when he wrote them, and I see it as a natural extension of that.  I would've been disappointed @ Long Beach if Darlin' ft. Darian or Sailor ft. Scott had been dropped.

The backing band guys, and many other younger singers, could sing *some* of these songs subjectively "better" (as in, in their original key, etc.). But we don't go to these shows to hear a tribute band.

I think a song here or there is fine. C50 was okay in this regard. They rotated 61 songs in and out of the setlist, and really only had 1-2 songs at most shows where other guys took the lead, and only 4-5 total out of those 61 over the entire tour. They added "Darlin'" later in the tour, and Totten's "Let Him Run Wild" was added after the North American leg and was only performed a hand full of times. I don't even think "Betsy" was done at quite every show. So at a typical show on C50 with 45-50 songs, you had at most 2-3 leads on most nights from other guys.

Also, Al or another BB taking a lead is different in my mind, even if it's a "Brian Wilson" ticket.

But if it's a "Brian Wilson" show and the backing band does half of the leads, then I think at that stage a better solution (though not realistic of course) would be to have Brian do shows singing all the leads, where they simply pick stuff he can still sing well. Then, having the backing band do an off-shoot tribute band where they can take leads.

Man, if this issue was a cow's arse, you couldn't hit it with a banjo. Or, if it was a barn door, you couldn't shoot it with a shotgun. Or if it was a nail, you couldn't hit it with a car. Or if it was a barrel of tits, you'd come out sucking your thumb.

Buuuuuurrrrrrnnnnnn!  >:D

I prefer that some leads are takeny by other members of the band.  BW is not up to singing lead on some of these compositions.,

Don't think the "Be with his family" reason flies. Some of these recent Brian/Al gigs In Cali weren't far from Matt's neighborhood. Same with Folsom. Just a hop, skip, and a jump for he and his family to attend just for a few hours. But that's Matt's business, not ours. Though I would rather like to see Matt up there doing falsetto.....

OK ; let me answer some of your questions if I can;

Let's see...BW solo songs performed live...

The First Time
This Isnt Love
Love and Mercy
Melt Away
Let it Shine
How Could We Still Be Dancing
Soul Searching
Getting In Over My Head
City Blues
Desert Drive
Your Imagination
South American
Lay Down Burden
Rhapsody in Blue- Gershwin; arr BW
The Like in I Love You- Wilson-Gershwin rewrite Bennett lyrics
Summertime- Gershwin-arr BW
I loves You Porgy- Gershwin- arr BW
It Aint Neccesarily So-Gershwin-arr BW
S'Wonderful- Gershwin-arr BW
They Can't Take That Away From Me-Gershwin-arr BW
Love Is Here To Stay- Gershwin-arr BW
I 've Got a Crush On You- Gershwin- arr BW
I Got Rhythm- Gershwin arr BW
Someone To Watch Over Me- Gershwin- arr BW
Nothing But Love- Wilson-Gershwin rewrite- Bennett lyrics
That Lucky Old Sun- Gillespie-arr BW
Morning Beat
Room With A View-interspersed narrative
Good Kind of Love
Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl
Venice Beach- interspersed narrative
Live Let Live
Mexican Girl
Cinco de Mayo- interspersed narrative
California Role
Between Pictures- interspersed narrative
Oxygen To the Brain
Can't Wait Too Long
Midnight's Another Day
Going Home
Southern California
Roll Around Heaven
Caroline, No....does this count as BW solo ?  I have the Capitol 45 that says Brian Wilson ....
I am not going to count BWPS per your comments above.

I would say playing the classics is a requirement ; I mean he did write them. I read posts on this board that say something like " I am not going to drive an extra 25-50 miles to see BW; so I believe , like everything else, the sentiment flows both ways. I also dont think anyone on this board, including me, has any clue about the ticket sales of BW or M & B for that matter.

Finally re rehersals; yes these guys are outstanding musicians; but as this is some very complicated music it definitely requires rehersal; even for guys who have been doing it for years. I say that having been a close observer of this great group of guys for 16 or so years.....they are the best.

Just saw Brian, Al and the BW band perform at Carpenter Center in Long Beach. Really great show. I have to say that I visibly saw Brian playing more piano/keyboard than I've ever seen him do in concert. Not sure if that was due to my proximity to the stage and my visual angle, but in any case, Brian was indeed more engaged than I've often seen him before. I also noticed no teleprompter (not sure how long he may have been performing sans teleprompter, if this is news at all or not), but I see this as a good thing. He did flub some lyrics (so did Al), but nevertheless glad to see that BW has the confidence to not always use it.

Also, the new Brian/Ike falsetto was very solid, and to my ears, I do prefer it to Jeff Foskett's falsetto (with all due respect to JF).

It's always a privilege to see Brian when he's 'on', and I think this schedule of doing shows suits him a lot - a bunch of shows in a row tires you. I mean, he's an old Brian Wilson, this sh*t can't be easy for him. He's finding some balance.

Brian was using a teleprompter for the whole show.  Al forgetting the words to the first verse of Sloop might warrant Al getting in on the teleprompter action for future dates...

I totally didn't see the teleprompter from my angle, and I was looking for it - maybe it was just tucked away a bit more than usual.

I do think that Al is underutilized in a live setting, and should be doing a few more leads. But it was sure great to see Al and Brian interact when they did.

You know, no matter how you look at it, whether it is Mike & Bruce's Beach Boys, The Endless Summer Band or The Brian Wilson Band, Brian is always at the center of everything. Brian does not have to sing everything, whether he sang it originally or not, it is still his music no matter who performs it. I am happy just hearing it and more happy that in 2014 it is still important and that people still want to hear it. That is some cool, amazing stuff!

Great points, DrBeachBoy...

15 years ago, I would've been speechless if you told me I'd get to see Brian perform again, let alone see him over 10 more times!

I dunno, but I can say I'd sure like to see Matt return. I was saying way back in 1999 that while I thought Foskett was just fine, even back then I said I would have loved to see Matt doing the falsetto parts in Brian's band, however far fetched that was. It seemed late but still really cool to see Matt with Brian for the two UK gigs. I don't know what happened that has dictated Matt is not currently with the band. It's especially jarring considering Brian went out of his way to specifically mention back when the Foskett news hit that he had asked Matt to join the touring band.

I know Matt didn't last long in the touring BB's back in 1998 once Al was gone, and I would imagine the issues with Al could have influenced the decision for Matt to depart back then. I only mention this because I can't imagine Al would still be playing with Brian (and Al and Matt still doing gigs together of course) if there was some huge blow-up between Matt and the Brian organization.

If it's not possible to get any word from Matt, has anyone talked to "Ike" about how permanent his spot in the band is?

Again, potentially answering my own question in guessing that they probably don't know who's going to be where in the future.

I've been wondering about this, as well. I suppose, with Brian only performing sporadically right now, they may be filling the slot on a per show basis, depending on who's available. When Brian starts touring in support of his album, we should have a more regular member. I guess.

That says it for me too. It's still hard to believe I was able to get tickets to see Brian at Symphony Hall in Boston in the late 90's, when a full-fledged tour was unthinkable just a few years ago. Not to mention a tour where I'd hear a crack band of musicians actually pull off songs like "Let's Go Away For Awhile" and other studio creations on the live stage with that much feel.

Now it's 2014, and he's still on stage performing. We can still get tickets to see him, we can also choose any number of reissue and greatest hits albums alongside a forthcoming new Brian Wilson album...how many is that since 1997?

I've said it before, I think sometimes fans take those facts for granted, or are simply spoiled by the availability...unless they can't remember or weren't alive when the prospect of Brian Wilson playing Pet Sounds and Smile material live on stage was a pipe dream. Not a pipe dream, an impossibility.

Good times.

Well, Brian E. has Four Freshman tour dates, and I'm sure that's his first priority.

Astonishingly, yeah, I think songs that came out nine months and 28 months after "Good Vibrations" do count as after "Good Vibrations".  Particularly in the context of talking about the traveling-jukebox setlists of the '80s and beyond, where 1966 seemed to be the cutoff date -- you could generally count the songs from 1967-75 they played on two fingers, three if you were very lucky.


I don't think they're nearly as fussy about it as we are -- but yeah, I think the average Brian Wilson concert attendee *who's aware of the songs from Smile at all* is more likely to think of Smile not just as being "that Beach Boys album he never finished", but "that Beach Boys album he finally finished by himself".


Who cares?  The fundamental point I'm making is about giving-the-public-what-they-want versus more obscure deep cuts -- and by no sensible measurement can "Good Vibrations" be seen as a deep cut.


Down here in Sydney we got a multi-night residency for "That Lucky Old Sun", and even some Gershwin shows.  The fact that you didn't get those much in the States have little to do with Brian being disinterested in playing them, and more to do with promoters not being interested in putting on shows like that...

Regards,
Jon Blum

Absolutely.

As I posted in another thread a short while ago, when Carl died nobody would have dreamed that we would have had a situation with Brian (and Al) performing regularly with a great band and Mike and Bruce also touring with an excellent band too. People should enjoy it while it lasts.

Sorry but I've never bought into the "give the audience what they want". There are artists out there who do not perform "greatest hits shows" and have no problem selling out shows. Van Morrison and Radiohead are two very good examples that come to mind.

As an example, here is a setlist from July 27, 2014 that Van Morrison performed:

Celtic Swing
Close Enough for Jazz
Back on Top
Rough God Goes Riding
So Quiet In Here
Keep It Simple
Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
(Tony Bennett cover)
Queen of the Slipstream
Sometimes We Cry
Mystic of the East
In the Garden
Into the Mystic
Whenever God Shines His Light
Ballerina
Gloria

No Moondance, And It Stoned Me, Brown Eyed Girl, Wild Night, Tupelo Honey, Domino, Here Comes The Night, etc. Yet, the couple of shows he's had since then have sold out.

There is a choice to base your shows set towards an audience who know a handful of hit songs and couldn't name anyone up on stage. You could also base the set on what you, as a performer, want to perform that night. I'd much rather see an artist perform songs they are excited about rather than just going through the motions with the same, tired set list. You can't please everyone so don't bother trying. I went to the first show of the BW + Jeff Beck show and I was disappointed with the greatest hits set list. Blondie on SOS and Jeff Beck's Surf's Up and Don't Talk were definitely the highlights for me. Based on that experience, I wouldn't go see Brian again unless it was in the middle of a tour when some deeper cuts are being performed. I wouldn't go see the M&B show just because I think the set they play has been stale for decades now and I wouldn't waste my money to see it. I think they sound good but it's just no interest to me. If Al went on tour with a set that included music from 68 - 73, I'd go see him in a heartbeat. The M&B show is out there for the casual listener, there should be someone out there with the actual fans in mind.

Brian's shows have more often than not had a good amount of deep cuts, especially when he's in a full tour. These random recent shows can't be used as a measure of much of anything. As it stands, he still has been doing a pretty decent setlist. Frankly, I think it's cool to hear Al sing stuff like "Little Deuce Coupe." Apart from C50, how often have fans had a chance to see Al sing ANYTHING? I'm probably a bigger fan of Al's than a typical random BB fan, and even I've only been able to catch him twice on his own shows since 1999. I've seen Al more times WITH Brian (non-C50) than I've seen Al with his own band. I saw Al in 2006 and 2007 with Brian, and then again in 2013.

In any event, as far as setlist, NONE of the BB camps have cultivated the type of audience (both fans and promoters/venues) that would allow them to bust out on stage on do NO hits of any kind. Brian could come the closest to doing this, as he has done with things like the PS and Smile tours, etc. But even Brian's shows are often still sold to some venues and promoters based on his BB history and BB connections. His audiences have more indie nerd types who want to hear "Diamond Head" and "I'd Love Just Once To See You." But even that audience doesn't fill the venues, and doesn't always convince the promoters. Promoters probably still expect even Brian to do some BB hits.

Mike's show is an extension of what the BB touring bands did since the 70's. They built their live audience on a live hits jukebox format. By the early 80's (arguably sooner), they ceased being a "recording artist" who also toured, and became a trademarked touring outfit, who occasionally might still do something in the studio. They could have slipped more rarities than they did into the setlist over the years. I don't think just dropping a surf or car song or two and adding a rarity would have mattered. But if they had ever (or to this day) dropped every recognizable song, they would have had serious issues with audiences and promoters.

Al's problem for his scattered shows is even worse than Mike's. He only usually gets bookings for venues with the exact opposite of "hardcore" fans, and usually ends up doing really short sets. If he goes to "Aquapalooza" and just does the full "Holland" album and leaves, I don't think he'll be asked back again....

The BB's could have at least tried (and they maybe still would have failed) to continue to cultivate a progressive image back in the 70's. I don't think, even if Dennis and Carl had run the band and chosen the setlist, they would or could have ever got to the point of doing full tours billed as "The Beach Boys" and performed no known hits. Of course, had they continued to make "hits", then they could have done different "hits" in concert.

Good point. I just checked that tour schedule; I had no idea how actively or not actively he toured with the Four Freshmen. Interestingly, it looks like he's booked for the dates Brian is playing the Bridge School Benefit. Wonder if they will get the Fendertones guy back, or just make do with someone in the band doing falsetto parts (it will be a short setlist, mostly acoustic), or get Matt Jardine back. I wonder how well guys like Darian or Scott could do a falsetto?

Seeing Al sing "Little Deuce Couple" live was really super, and I honestly prefer his vocal on it to any other version I've heard.

HeyJude,
I in no way would expect any of the touring members of The Beach Boys to drop the hits. I know that isn't realistic. What annoys me is the fact that if there are artists that can get away with performing little or no hits at well attended shows, than I don't see why they couldn't do a set of 80-85% hits and 15-20% deeper cuts.

I could go to a Mike & Bruce show and leave pissed because they didn't perform Dance, Dance, Dance or All Summer Long. If you are going to tour a "greatest hits" show, why not include those songs instead of Pisces Brothers or Cool Head, Warm Heart (they aren't even really Beach Boys songs) and Goin' To The Beach (which I'm sure 98% of the audience has probably never heard). Am I lead to believe that the audience will boo and walk out if a song like Friends is performed but they'll stick around for Pisces Brothers? I don't buy it. At least Friends is a Beach Boys song and should be more familiar with the audience since it has been included on the GV box set, Warmth of the Sun compilation, GH volume 2, 50 Big Ones and the MIC box.

I`m not sure I see the logic...

At the meat and potatoes shows Mike and Bruce play a few non-hits because I guess it would be boring for even them to play the exact same setlist every night for 16 years.

Could they play Friends? Sure but that goes for hundreds of other Beach Boys tunes. They alternate some that they want to sing more like Wendy, Keep an Eye on Summer, Kiss Me Baby, Warmth of the Sun, Good to my Baby, Disney Girls, All This is That, Betsy etc.

The chief difference between the BB and acts like Van Morrison is that the BB have had quite a few hit singles, wheras Morrison hasn't had that being more of an album artist.

Van Morrison and Radiohead don't have nearly as many recognizable songs as The Beach Boys do so couldn't really do what The Beach Boys/Brian do with their setlists. The same could be said for most other bands as well, I guess unless you're The Beatles, Stones, or Bob Marley, but I don't think 2 of em play much shows anymore.

Do they even have any hits beyond Brown Eyed Girl & Creep? Not even going to pretend I'm not fokken ignorant about those 2 musicals entities you mentioned.

Sure, both of them had multiple singles, just not #1 hits. All the other songs I mentioned by Van are very well known songs and still get pretty heavy play on classic rock radio stations. Radiohead became huge with the albums The Bends and (especially) OK Computer. They had multiple singles and videos for songs off both albums. If you go see them now, you're lucky if you get two songs from those albums combined. Both artists play what they want to play and know there is an audience for it, regardless. Hell, Jimmy Buffett has the hawaiian shirt wearing audience who loves the hits but he still throws in a good amount of random songs that stretch his entire career on each tour.

I guess the entire reason for my rant is that I'm mostly just disappointed with how much great music The Beach Boys have that they ignore as far as live performances go. It's sad that they made the decision decades ago to base 98% of their set on 4 or 5 years of their career. There is so much more to them than the pre 1966 hits. It makes me sad that they are perfectly fine to be known for those hits and not much else.

:o



The next step would be to let them go tour without him. ::)

A couple of points...

Firstly, you are right that there are some artists that can get away with performing few hits in their shows. These are the artists who are known for their albums rather than primarily for their singles though. Apart from Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys are known as a singles band (how many albums have Radiohead released that flopped as badly as Friends, Sunflower or Summer in Paradise to name but three?). The other artists often have people turning up to see them as performers as well. Guys like Bob Dylan and AGD`s favourite Morrissey, for example, can get away with playing almost no hits in their sets because people turn up to watch them but very few are going to a Mike and Bruce show just to see the individuals.

And you said you would like 15-20% of deeper cuts. Well you will get at least that if you see Mike and Bruce at a decent venue. Mike`s Facebook page shows them playing 44 songs at a show last week for example.

And if you`re hoping for more later songs then, as they recently soundchecked Summer in Paradise, your prayers may be about to be answered.  ;)

Interesting thread.   All over the place topic and opinion wise.  hard to say where to respond.  I think Brian playing more hits and fewer deeper cuts is cyclical.   and the band gets better response and audience feedback from hits.   but some fans, and the band/s like some variety , like to mix it up a bit at times.   I've loved some less popular shows, attendance wise, such as Gershwin shows.   but the band, and Brian in particular seemed to be unsure of the audience response......it was awkward at times.   and I have to say again, not having Taylor at the Gershwin shows was a huge disappointment to me.    The perfect showcase for BW, Gershwin, and Taylor, and Brian and JF trying to make it happen.  Looked awkward.   I guess
 You just have to have your fingers crossed at BW shows and hope the pieces all fall into place and the stars align.  so many variables in a new millennium BW's show.  Still I go.    At least until after the BAD/Beck show.    I'm still sorting that out.  Sad, but I doubt we'll get shows again of the quality of the shows with the full blown BW band .......as seen from the time of PS to just before BWRG.    Hope to see the BW band  pull it all together one more time.

A bunch of videos turning up from the Long Beach show:

Don't Worry Baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3kJyyCKhkI

Another version of She Knows Me...: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_djCVqxafU

Both of these posters have a few others vids on their profiles from the show as well.

Don't love that Don't Worry Baby. She Knows Me sounds good, though.

I was (and still am) bummed that Matt hasn't been with them, but that Ike dude sounds really good on those numbers. He does sound like early era Brian (and Matt) in that he has a nice, full "lead" voice and can also do the falsetto parts and move seamlessly between the two. Sometimes there are falsetto guys who are there more because they can hit the needed notes, but the actual "lead" voice and the tone are grating, but this guy has it nailed pretty well. Which makes sense if he has been doing Four Freshman stuff for years.

I wonder if Ike digs doing non-jazzy Four Freshman stuff like "Marcella."  :lol

I wish more videos with Brian leads were up.

Well, (and I wish Josh Hoisington would explain this because he does a great job of explaining it) Brian never really a true falsetto singer. It would only make sense that someone from the current Four Freshmen would come very close to how Brian used to sing.

I agree on both counts.

Here's a really fantastic Don't Worry Baby by Matt Jardine from 1995: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBNx2DuI3Vg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBNx2DuI3Vg)

He wasn't sounding quite as smooth when performing it this summer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBCtl1jXHUQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBCtl1jXHUQ)

I think Matt was the best falsetto replacement the Beach Boys ever had for Brian, except maybe Al when he would do it in the 60s, but I'm not sure how well falsetto voices hold up for any singer.

Saw Matt perform with the group in Carl's last year and I agree that he was excellent. I remember thinking that hopefully he would become a fixture there.

I think we just use “falsetto” colloquially in discussions of the BB’s. Particularly when it comes to the live touring bands, the “falsetto” role essentially just means the guy doing the high/top harmony part, and singing the 60’s Brian leads that require notes in the higher register.

The live band had an interesting evolution when it came to this part. There was a period of time in the late 70’s and early 80’s when they barely had anyone doing those falsetto-ish bits. Before Foskett joined at the end of 1981, they really only had Al doing some of those parts (“Barbara Ann”) and then Bobby Figueroa (“I Get Around”), and even their bits were not always done in full, robust voice. I’ve heard some examples from 1979-1981 of “I Get Around” where the “Brian” part of the lead basically isn’t there, either because Bobby was singing it very quietly or they never had his mic mixed up enough.