The Smiley Smile Message Board

Placeholder for tonight's show.  All setlists/pics/videos/reviews shall be posted in this thread.

SETLIST (with thanks to mammy blue!)

Do It Again - no soundcheck, so there were problems hearing the vocals early in the concert. Mike's first line or so was completely inaudible.
Catch a Wave
Don't back Down
Surfin safari
Surfer Girl - as Brian sang the bridge Mike started dancing with some woman... kinda cheezy and distracting
Then I Kissed Her - Al sounds like the record... in very fine voice
You're So Good To Me
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
When I grow up to be a man - this went over really well
Cottonfields
Be True to Your School - w/ Stamos
Don't Worry Baby - Jeff
Little Deuce Coupe
409
Shut Down
I get around
Sloop John B
Wouldnt It Be Nice
Sail On Sailor
Heroes and Villains
God Only Knows: no Carl video, sung by Brian who did fine on it
That's Why God Made the Radio: sounded good but Brian kept missing his cues on the verses
California Girls
Help Me Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surfin' USA
Kokomo - Stamos on bongos
Good Vibes
Fun Fun Fun - Stamos returns again

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http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/the-beach-boys-at-jazz-fest-20120428 (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/the-beach-boys-at-jazz-fest-20120428)


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WHASSSSSUP?

I think it's 5:00 now in Nwaluns

We got about five board members at the show apparently and they expect a shorter set because it's a festival..no intermission.  Bicyclerider agreed to provide us the final set but probably whent the show is completely over.

i like the numbering by the way.  fun to keep track.

Cool Runaways, It seems to be working right now...we're all pumped for the tour and these threads seem to be working pretty well at the moment.  Not sure if the buzz will still be there by the time we reach the end of the tour (the excitement always dissipates--it's natural) so we'll see how much these threads are really needed then.

A rolling tour thread might be a way to do it. It'd get massive, but hey.

Yeah hypehat, I was thinking that once these types of threads begin to waiver (meaning that each thread gains no more than 3 pages each) by the middle or tail end of the tour, I'll maybe go into just one rolling thread for the remainder of the tour and simply update the title to reflect the new show.  Right now, there's a lot of hype and each thread is going at about 10 pages each (with the exception of the "first gig" thread which morphed into a big dicussion about Autotune) and that would be really, really hard to keep track if it were in one big thread.

But I don't want to be unfair to each city (and country) later in the tour by bunching all those later shows just into one thread when these first shows each got their own!

ISN'T BLONDIE CHAPLIN GONNA BE AT TONIGHT'S SHOW?!?!?!?!?

Stoked to hear them play Sail On, Sailor together.

Is he??  Very cool! I missed that news.  That'd be great to see him up there.

Aquarium Drunkard (blog whose opinion/criticism/taste/whatever is usually spot on) just tweeted

watching the Beach Boys. Depressing #sorry

 :-\

A friend who is at the show has told me that John Stamos is there. But he hasn't especified if John is performing onstage.

I'd like to get their in in-depth review.  If it's more of that "It's so sad to watch a bunch of 70 year old dudes on stage playing rock and roll" BS--then I don't need to hear it.

Keep us posted what they have to say!

...Maybe not.  Icould have sworn it was posted in one of the threads that he would be there. I just checked out his Facebook page and saw this: This Friday April 27, Blondie will be in Lüchow Germany at the Rolling Stones Fan Museum!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Er, he just tweeted he's off to a crawfish boil. Unless it's over, I think he's voted with his feet....

HA...gotta love Twitter.  ;D

Maybe they hollogrammed him in?

There will be a sizable percentage of reviewers of both the tour and CD who will dismiss them because they are the products of a reunited Beach Boys. That is, a bunch of nearly-70 somethings rocking out in a high profile way.

We will also see a lot of "Brian obviously doesn't like it / doesn't want to be there" talk. First of that was in the LA Times review.

It's irritating, because none of these reactions have anything to do with what the band or Brian is actually doing. But such is the nature of rock criticism.

Absolutley.

But at the same time, people shoot off such comments simply because they have no idea what exactly they're watching.  If they happen to catch The Beach Boys playing "Don't Back Down" a song they probably don't know instead of "Fun Fun Fun" or "Surfin' USA"...they take that exact moment to criticise the band all together and write them off: "Eh, they're old and this song sucks.  I'm going to go get a BBQ turkey leg."  

Stamos introduced The Beach Boys...

I wonder how many people chose The Boys over Bon Iver

A lot it seems

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Show ended a little while ago..

Can't wait for the videos, apparently they went over really well (as expected)

Stamos onstage for Kokomo in the encore:

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Well, I suppose he'd show up SOMEWHERE. The git.

Brian looks a bit cool in shades, btw.

Very cool..

Dude's 70 and just like he was when he was 22, effortlessly cool

Back from it. Did not keep track of the setlist. Smebody else post it, please. Random thoughs...

Shorter set (90 mins. No intermission)
I was up front, but my estimate is somewhere between 5.000 and 15.000 people.
It was a strange sight, seeing all the boys onstage, Brian in front of me.
No tour stage setup (no screen, no surfboards).
All of them dressed nicely. Pictures will come out eventually.
Stamos came out and introduced them. He was really nice, I have to say. Read his introduction from a computer screen on the floor in fron of him, it seems.
He came back for BTTYS (they did he usual skit), and then for the encore (minus GV, probably, can't remember him there). He played Guitar on FFF and drums on another song.
They put his congas center stage up front for Kokomo... Nevertheless, he was not annoying and came as a genuine fan who did not stand in the way of this kickass band. In total he was up there for like 8 minutes maybe.
There was no soundcheck, so the live mix improved -substantially- as the show progressed.
Mike was in great voice. If he keeps it during the tour, you guys are in for a treat.
So where the other guys. Too bad there was not a Bruce lead.
No rarities, save for Cottonfields.
Alan sang lead on WIBN doubled subtly by Foskett. It sounded very nice.
Foskett has to be acknowledged for being right there all the time, hitting the notes that have to be hit. Sang a very pretty DWB.
Brian was just Brian... He was awkward all of the time, yawned during songs (even during some of his leads!), and gave a few frown-like smiles like the ones Leaf described in his 1977 tome.
Nevertheles, his vocal performance was rather good (VERY good by BW live standards, I think).
I've never been enthusiastic about Brian's live vocal performances (gee look at my posts from a couple days ago!), but he did sing well most of the time.
Given that he doesn't sing a lot of the time, and thus will not wear his voice, and given that he's growing confident and has no real specific pressure on him, my guess is that by the middle of the tour he'll be doing great.
NO AUTOTUNE or pitch corrector to be detected, what you saw is what you got with all the wilsonian charm and imperfection.
He sang YSGTM nicely, completely alone and strong in the verses, sometimes doubled by Alan during the chorus (BTW Alan seemed to be very careful to Brian all the time), he gave a good Sloop John B. (as good as ever), a pretty solid H&V, a good SOS (excellent as long as he did not fluff the words), was ok in GV (for whatever reason Jeff ended the first verse on his own), and sang a VERY PRETTY GOK (no video tributes this time). Then played random piano that I could not hear (it's an electric keyboard set into a white baby grand body) and sang backgrounds on a number of songs.
On Kokomo he played some piano but did not sing a note, just like the record!
TWGMTR came out powerfully. Brian missed all of his cues and had trouble reading the words... Other than that he was terrific!

Don't know what else to say folks. I wanted to be  part of history. That's why I bought my ticket -when I heard this would kick of he tour- and flew to NO to see the boys. It's been a long journey.

Yeah, those look like his 1982 shades!

Sounds like an amazing show Lenny! I don't even care how BDW sounds, just NO AUTOTUNE haha!

I'll be in the second row at my show, in the pit. I wonder if i can high five  Mike Love haha!

Would like to add two things:

1. Once they got the proper mix, the live blend was beautiful. Unmatched by an other BB-related or unrelated recording or touring entity.
2. The additional vocalists, with the exception of Foskett's high parts, sing occasionally and are easy to spot. You are hearing mostly the original guys all of the time.

Thank you!  Great to hear that it's the Beach Boys doing most of the singing.

Well yeah. Mike never misses his part (his bass kicking ass when the mix was right), and Bruce the same... This guy is always spot-on, singing high and blending smoothly. BTW the high oohs at the end of FFF is Bruce alone -no Jeff or Scott. But now you have to add Alan into the equation, whose voice is so colorful. AND Brian. When Brian joins the harmony, and those four guys sing together, it doesn't get any better. In fact, I was expecting that they sing some Four Freshmen tune, given the jazz environment. But alas, they did not. I still cannot identify David easily, and he is not singing all the time, but eventually his sound will become familiar.

One more thing: the hits, including Barbara Ann, never sounded better. In fact, I was surprised at how tight this tune sounded. Granted, we can do without it, but if the performance is inspired and committed, keep it coming.

Though I'm not a huge fan of the pre-Today! material, all of the recordings I've heard of that specific material being played on this tour sound really fresh and nice. The songs sound better now than ever, almost, it seems. I'm just so excited that this entire reunion thing is being done in such wonderfully good taste. We can all go to sleep after this tour/album knowing that our favorite band triumphed the odds and came full circle after 50 years and kicked ass while doing it.

Amen!

From USA Today:

As Bon Iver strummed their tunes, The Beach Boys continued their reunion tour on the far side of the fairgrounds. Celebrating their 50th anniversary, The Beach Boys have reunited with Brian Wilson for a summer (of course) tour of which Jazz Fest was an early stop. After an intro by actor John Stamos, the group applied its trademark barbershop harmonies to Do It Again. A bit plodding but the crowd loved it. Early hit Surfin' followed as twentysomethings did the Frug.

Surfer Girl was just as creamy as it was a half century ago and the crowd cheered as Wilson took his turn at the microphone. Al Jardine's voice seemed the strongest, especially on And Then He Kissed Me. Car culture got its due with a revved up medley of Little Deuce Coup, 409, Shut Down and I Get Around.

By that point, even the Southern women in the crowd wished they could be California girls, if only for a moment.

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God, look at that profile and hair. Brian looks incredibly awesome sometimes.

Those are some great pics DonnyL.  8)

Some powerful pics of Brian there. Second to last one, wow.

Best reunion photo of ML so far !

More here:

http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2012/04/beach_boys_rolled_out_surf_and.html

A decent photo of 'Mike Johnston' in there too ...

brian looks like Beethoven, old music genius, odd.  I don't know if he's happy though, after this tour, i hope he takes a long break.  

wow, great pic of Brian and Scotty, very moving

You're a star, DonnyL!  Nice ones!

i wish brian would smile (i'm not critiquing, just want him to be happy)

 ;D

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The Beach Boys stage being prepared

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV4fdNEBD8I (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV4fdNEBD8I)

OK y'all, I'm back home from the Fest. Here are my comments.

First, rough setlist. This may not be perfect or in correct order, but these were the songs by my recollection. They were done in mostly rapid succession to fit the 90 min timeframe..

Stamos introduced the band. Very reverential.
Do It Again - no soundcheck, so there were problems hearing the vocals early in the concert. Mike's first line or so was completely inaudible.
Catch a Wave
Don't back Down
Surfin safari
Surfer Girl - as Brian sang the bridge Mike started dancing with some woman... kinda cheezy and distracting
Then I Kissed Her - Al sounds like the record... in very fine voice
You're So Good To Me
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
When I grow up to be a man - this went over really well
Cottonfields
Be True to Your School - w/ Stamos
Don't Worry Baby - Jeff
Little Deuce Coupe
409
Shut Down
I get around
Sloop John B
Wouldnt It Be Nice
Sail On Sailor
Heroes and Villains
God Only Knows: no Carl video, sung by Brian who did fine on it
That's Why God Made the Radio: sounded good but Brian kept missing his cues on the verses
California Girls
Help Me Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surfin' USA
Kokomo - Stamos on bongos
Good Vibes
Fun Fun Fun - Stamos returns again

The band seemed to go over really well with the ENORMOUS crowd that was there. It was a sea of people as far as the eye could see. I noticed Bruce and David pausing as they exited to take it all in. The sound was an issue at the beginning but there was no soundcheck, so you can hardly fault them for that. The musicianship was excellent. The harmonies mostly sounded GREAT.

Brian: looked utterly bored and not engaged through much of it, although there were a few moments when he looked out at the crowd and smiled and took in some of the good vibes. He didn't participate vocally in many of the songs in which he didn't sing lead, but when he did sing lead, he generally did a good job, and the crowd showed a lot of appreciation. He also sang God Only Knows (I imagine synching with the Carl video would have been a disaster at this venue). He did fail to sing several of the verse vocals for Radio.

Mike: clearly was having fun, engaged well with the audience and sounded pretty good.

Al: sounds the most like the records. Really amazing, actually. He comes off really well. He seems to look over at Brian a lot and is concerned about him.

David was having a blast and his solos were tight. He and Bruce didn't get to do any lead vocals today though.

I'm sorry we missed the Dennis and Carl tribs, but pulling them off would have probably been a technical miracle.

I have to say that with such a shortened time to perform, I could have lived with a little less Love/Stamos banter, although that was mostly Mike, with Stamos mostly trying to be humble about being there. There might have been room for another song without all that.

From my vantage point though, I could often see Stamos watching from the side of the stage, clearly in awe of his heroes. And when Brian was performing God Only Knows, there was Stamos, who seemed very moved and was recording it on his phone. So I'm inclined to cut him some slack. The crowd really responded well to him being there.

So, not a typical venue or setlist, but all in all I think it was a successful date. Sure, I missed hearing more of the deep tracks but it was still amazing to see them there. Other than Brian, everybody seems to be having a lot of fun and enjoying themselves. My overall impression is that this tour has gotten off to a very good start and is definitely worth checking out!

Too bad he's not going to upload it to YouTube.  >:(

Brian's apparent disinterest is most likely fear. He's simply not used with performing with the guys and is performing in an unfamiliar setting. I have to imagine he will get more comfortable as the tour wears on.

Really don't understand all the "Blondie's playing today" nonsense, seeing as he denied it on his own website many weeks ago.

If by "all the," you mean "one post" then yeah. Somebody on this board posted a link to the Hoffman board:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?action=printpage;topic=12200.0

Sounded like he would be in attendance for this one show, but it had been awhile since the thread was posted and I hadn't realized it was an unsubstantiated rumor. BIG FUCKIN DEAL, I NO RITE?

Nah, that was some dude called Blondie Chapman.

Hey, really good review, Mammy Blue!  Thanks for that!

Yes.   In a way, he looks like sh*t.  However, he looks SO MUCH like those early photos you always see of an almost sleepy looking Brian looking into the camera in the studio or something.  He always has this look like he's far away. 

He's an incredibly fascinating person imho. 

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Do you guys see it?  It's the exact same thought, expression, face, soul. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDwgLO8GN_s&feature=youtube_gdata_player



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4yer-M1c50&feature=

Sorry if they have been posted before.

Brian almost always looks disinterested even when surrounded by his band who has performed heaps of shows with, this it not a new thing people!

Hmm... Not sure they were worth posting a first time! ;D

One weird effect of the Fest seating is that most of the big fans ended up at a bit of a distance from the band, because the area immediately in front of the stage is cordoned off for the people who pay for the super expensive ticket package, which is for the whole Fest, not just that particular show. Mike has a pretty canny sense of his audience and I think he figured this out early on. Those of us in the front of the main area who were hardcore fans were separated by a group of mostly casual jewelry rattlers. This was especially evident when less well known numbers were performed. Mike looked back at our area quite a bit as a result and made a lot of eye contact with us, which was cool.

BTW, I find all the beach balls to be distracting! I kept getting hit in the head while trying to focus on the music.  :lol

Thanks for the pics, reviews and setlist ! So this was the way a open-air setlist will look like. They'll play in a hall in Berlin so I hope to see some more deep cuts and the videos of Dennis and Carl.

I think it's good they played those other two shows before Jazz Fest because if this would've been the first show we all would be critisizing them for not doing Forever or something which would lead a bad taste for the first concert

I'm almost certain we'll "see" Denny & Carl in Berlin. After all, the "God Only Knows" and "Forever" video performances are an essential part of the reunion tour. They obviously just dropped it in consideration of the festival folk.
(But I must say I'd like to see a slideshow with more than just a few photos which loop in an interval of maybe a minute (see recent YT videos). Can't be hard to add a few extra pictures, maybe even some rare/unseen ones. But I admit, I'm nitpicking here.)

As for the possibility of more "deep cuts" at the Berlin gig: I'd expect that when they're playing the capitol city of a major European country. There will be lots of folks coming from all over Europe, and those in most cases will be actual fanatics (not just the casual fan / summer concert attendee). I mean, look at you guys.  ;D I'm sure there'll be some musical goodies in Berlin.

Still three months to go, though....  :-\

"Love and Wilson, especially, appeared disengaged. Their armada of backing musicians and singers clearly carried the weight, propping up the trademark close harmonies and filling in key guitar and keyboard parts."

No disengagement from Mike. He was into it all the time. Brian has seem disengaged most of his touring life, though, but yesterday I came to the conlusion that he's enjoying this in his own way: proudly watching his group perform his music, absorbing the beauty of it all, receiving the love of all those present and singing/playing whenever he feels like it.

As for the army of backing musicians carrying the load, that's what reiewers will say when when you have such a large band. But believe me: the bulk of the singing is the main guys'.

This from a couple of night ago but.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20tDLOkNP6g

man that's annoying, sounds like al is singing it well.  Jeff can double brian on a song like that, but al sounds fine without it.  Anyway, i'm gonna be losing my sh*t during this song

Sorry if these are repeats

Disney Girls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWXVtOckS2I&feature=relmfu

Forever:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6j_WeO4BJw&feature=relmfu

Part Of Do It Again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxLA3h9HFtg&feature=relmfu

That was Mike's wife. In fact, I saw Al's wife backstage also. And I'm sure all the wives are around for the tour (don't know about Bruce's though)... Now THAT'S a possible timebomb for the reunion!!  ;D

Yeah. Because, inevitably, at some point Brian will lose interest in the Beach Boys and start producing something for the wives, again.  ;D => "American Fall".

Appearing "disengaged" does not mean that you are.  I think of all those kids I had in school who would stare out the window (I was one of those as well.) and knew they were just "somewhere else" and often in a "zone of creativity."  I have been at "Brian shows" at one of those "table against the stage" venues where Brian would gaze out over the sea of faces, and then watch certain fans, almost singing along with them.  I don't think that his gazing out meant that he was "on disconnect" but that he was just processing the experience in a different manner.

And, I could no more constantly "call kids out," as inattentive, constantly, although with kids you need to give them some space and "redirect them" back on task, while not breaking whatever creative or other thing was going on. Something else has their attention.  

People have minds that are constantly filtering information.  And, I completely disagree with this "deer in the headlights" theory.  Brian is a big boy who doesn't need fans to interpret what is going on in his head.  Extremely creative and gifted people often appear to be off-the-track when it is really that they on-the-track, in another direction, processing some other type of information.  It is Brian's "off-the-track" thinking which has gifted us all with his greatness.  Not the lock-step expectations of the rest of the world.  

Not unlike Mike, he will often watch certain fans, to observe whether they "know the words" or are just at a show to "party."   ;)

Brian Wilson is not asleep.

That'd make an awesome t-shirt.

Great ! Thank you !

How about putting them in the threads for each concert? That would be good.
Thanks again

Two more things:
Cowsill is the best possible drummer for the BBs since Dennis.

I see they're singin Surfin USA in its original key (Eb) instead of the usual E. This band can afford it.
Now please rise 409 from G to Ab like the original. It'll rock more, and the lead will sound better!

Err - dont agree that Cow-swill is the best drummer for the BBs since Dennis - think Mike D'Amico should have got the job and neither match Todd Suchermann who IMHO has done the best job for the BBs/BW

Although you may have meant BBs only and not BW shows

That review reads like it was written before the concert. Mike was so completely engaged that it renders it laughable.

As we know, the supplemented band is designed to reproduce, for many of the songs, epic studio productions that were recorded by the Wrecking Crew to begin with. This guy just doesn't get it. The core band still sang almost everything and did the guitar solos.

Agreed on John Cowsill!  And, he can sing. 

Cowsill and Bragg are an incomparable duo. 

Nelson was fantastic with SMiLE and subsequent TLOS and any other shows I've seen with Brian's band. 
Nelson brought the studio effects to the stage. 

Damn.  Bruce's falsetto is still spot on.  Very nice. 

I hope you're right. I only remember that Bruce told me on BeachBoysBritain (granted, that was when Adrin Baker was still with them) that german audiences only wanted to hear the Barbara Ann's

Agreed...always loved Cowsill's work.

OK, I've been avoiding this as I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but I guess I need to post a review.  The performance was . . . rough.  Very rough.

The sound problems at the beginning continued sporadically throughout the concert - on one song, David's guitar solo would be nearly inaudible, the next song clear as a bell.  Mike's voice, after the first verse of Do It Again being completely inaudible, was so reverbed/processed that I thought it was prerecorded at first.  That straightened out some in Catch a Wave and was pretty normal sounding by Don't Back Down.  

The good first:  the band rocked and David's guitar playing was great.  The harmonies were pretty spot on but they did have a lot of help from the backing musicians - on most songs, on the chorus I counted ten to 11 people singing.  Without Jeffrey it would have been impossible for the band to pull off almost any of the songs.  But that's OK.  It was hard for me to really distinguish how Bruce's voice was.  Mike's bass voice was pretty good, there were some off notes but for a 70 year old plus man he did a good job.

Alan did a superlative job on his songs and Cottonfields to me was the highlight of the concert.  A funny comment from Al after Heroes and Villains - "that's from our recently released Smile album."

The bad:  Brian sat stiffly on the piano the entire time and I didn't see his mouth move until the fourth song where he sang the bridge.  He looked like he desperately wanted to be somewhere else - in line at the food tents most likely.  His singing was NOT good.  Even on an off night with the Brian Wilson band, Brian sang better than this.  It was embarrassing.  Sail on Sailor was way too wordy for him to keep up with and he was off tempo/late reading off the teleprompter and sang in a monotone like he was reading the lyrics, which he was.  You're So Good to Me was off as well.  I suspect there was a problem with his teleprompter during God Made the Radio because he didn't start singing the first verse (someone started without him and then he echoed that person, probably Jeff) and he kept missing lines and when he was supposed to come in.  He was fiddling with his teleprompter as the song started and I wonder if the song didn't come up at all.

Whenever Al or Mike would mention Brian or look at him or point to him, all he did was return a stony stare.  It did not look like there were good vibes on stage for Brian to me.
The only time Brian's vocals came alive were on Heroes and God Only Knows. He did a good job on both and got away from the monotone "reading." Incidentally, Heroes was the stereo remix version/arrangement (on Hawthorne) with those weird bass runs during the chorus clearly audible - it sounded great.

Mike's voice sounded strange for the first couple of songs, then seemed to strengthen only to completely die during Kokomo, where he seemed out of breath and could only sing a few words (well, sing/talk) at a time.  My wife kept giving me looks and saying “this sounds bad.”

The ugly:  I know Brian can be hard to “read” but I find it hard to believe he’s going to last the entire tour if the Jazzfest concert is at all indicative of his state of mind.  Other than his few songs he really doesn’t contribute, even to the harmonies.  I’m trying to think why - in his solo shows he usually sings Mike’s parts, which of course are easy for him to handle.  He can’t duplicate his harmony parts any more, which leaves him nothing to sing during the songs he’s not lead vocalist on.  He’s playing perfunctory piano parts when he feels like it but all that’s doubled by the three other keyboardists on stage.  He’s got nothing to do.

My suggestion to the powers that be:  Give Brian more leads early on in the show to get him going.  Have Brian trade off lead vocals in some of the songs Mike sings lead on – Brian could take a verse for example.  It would be nice to have that Brian/Mike interaction.

I hope this was an “off night” and the rest of the tour will be smoother than this performance.  

I strongly suspect that Brian will finish the entire tour, good vibes or bad. It's not 1983 anymore, and he keeps his commitments.

It is peculiar that he's not more engaged with the shows, but we shall see how it shakes out.

The bad and the ugly are sad to hear indeed.  I know others have floated around the idea that once the tour has gone through a few weeks, Brian may be able to adapt to what is going on onstage and be able to embrace the experience a bit more but I think we all have to keep our expectations in check as that could just as easily not come to pass.  I love The Beach Boys and the idea of the reunion this year as much as anybody but I can't say I'm a fan of putting Brian in an atmosphere/environment on a nightly basis if it's clearly a struggle for him to do this.  So I hope that isn't what is happening as from most accounts I've read Brian's on stage demeanor has been anything but positive so far.  

As you mentioned there are subtle ways the other boys could try to get Brian more involved in the performance but ultimately whatever is happening with Brian up there on a nightly basis is probably beyond their management as it's ultimately Brian's decision whether or not he wants to engage/embrace the performance.

I figure it'll get better as the tour goes on. Judging by the youtube videos, it looked like a way bigger crowd than the first two shows, so maybe Brian had a bigger case of the nerves, which was made worse by the technical issues.

Tonight we'll such a much more engaged BW. At least the people who go to the show will.

He's a perfect combination of muscular energy, commitment and technique. He has a perfect sense for treble playing (hi hat, cymbal), leaving that work to the percussionist, mostly and freeing the music from the white noise so uncharacteristic and harmful to the BBs stomping drum sound. Besides, the duo with the percussion guy is great: they have a great feel for each other.

Get him off the riser off to the side and behind the enormous white piano to get him more engaged.  It brings back memories of those videos where he's playing a different song and smoking cigarettes.  He can sit behind a small keyboard at the same level as everyone else.  Let him deal with it.  I have a hard time believing he hates Al Jardine given the fact he's all over Al's solo record and didn't have to be.

1. Sound issues ain't performance issues. Let's leave them outside the "rough performance" issue.
2. Brian is the way he is. He was as vivid as when I saw him solo during the Smile tour. You don't see any enthusiasm, but then he'd be out of it if he wanted to. More leads to him would mean opening more weak spots, IMO. His singing was better than most of the solo performances circulating. Now, if you're gonna measure his performances by how many odd gestures he does with his hands, or how many forced grins he delivers...
3. Mike did sound good. Gosh, go listen those 1983 Baseball stadium televised concerts!
4. Brian sang backgrounds on a number of songs also. But the crucial point is: being the way he is, will you take him or leave him? Because you ain't gonna change him.

He's not a baby. Let's stop the "make him do this, make him do that". Perhaps he chose his role, no?
 Gee, people spend their life worshipping him because of his uniqueness but then they want to patronize him into looking "normal".

I think you are missing the point somewhat.  As you mentioned (and I concur) Brian was as vivid as could be during a lot of the BWPS shows and TLOS shows I went to as well.  From the reports that have come back to us from fans attending the shows, Brian's demeanor is a stark contrast at these shows compared to what they were at his solo gigs.  This naturally leads to speculation as to whether or not Brian wants to be onstage at all right now.  I understand that Brian Wilson is what he is but that statement is not a free pass to look past the fact that he might be potentially unhappy doing these Beach Boys gigs on a nightly basis.  

Look I love the Beach Boys as much as anyone, but let's take off the rose colored glasses - this wasn't a great performance.  it wasn't a complete disaster either - although a few songs were (Sail on Sailor, Kokomo, That's Why God Made the Radio).  I'm sure Scott heard the problems and will do his best to correct them - but there's not much that can be done to motivate Brian unless he's interested.  Mike losing his voice in Kokomo - maybe he's singing too many songs, too early in the show.  Let Brian sing some of the oldies as I suggested above.

Why not have Brian come from behind the piano and play bass for the last few songs as he did with the solo shows?  The old lineup of Mike, Al and Brian with David Marks as stand in for Carl (appropriate somehow) and Bruce on keys?  It would cement the "50th anniversary celebration" stuff visually, in addition to the final standing in line on stage move they are doing now (and which Brian seems eager to exit as quickly as possible).  How about a song with just Brian on piano, and just Brian, Al, Carl, Bruce, Dave and Jeff singing?

The pace of the set was strange - start with the oldies/rockers and then the set slows down and is kind of up and down after that.  But part of that is the Jazzfest stage - the crowd doesn't have the same patience for the slow numbers once they're up and dancing.  In the inside arena staging  the same setlist might go over better.

So, why is he doing the Beach Boys reunion tour.  Could it be because someone made him do it, as though he were a child?  Or helpfully suggested it would be good for his public profile and bank account, so for his own good, gently prodded him to do it -- as though he were a child?  People make him do stuff all the time, I'm sure.  Though as I recall, both Bruce and Mike said that they hoped there would be something to commemorate the 50th anniversary, but something along the lines of a one-shot concert and TV special.  Even they didn't think Brian would want to tour.  Somebody else did, and it might not be what he wants to do.  I'm sure there was a lot of pressure from the record label and others to make the tour as extensive as it wound up being.  

I think that's a good idea to have him play bass for a song or two, or at least mime playing bass.  He might enjoy it.  That white keyboard thing may not have been his idea.  At least have him come out to the front of the stage and sit on a stool for a song or two if he can't or won't stand up.

John, you are missing my point: I meant that Brian was equally vivid on his solo shows as he was yesterday (i.e. numb), only going thru the motions of having to be centerstage.

But where does this "let's parade Brian to re-animate him" come from? People want a quirky Brian until they're confronted by their wish.

Thanks for the review, Bicyclerider.

I think the question is all about consistency.  For any of us to imply that Brian may be terribly unhappy with this reunion would be greatly inconsistent with the reports we've heard from inside the band, outside the band and anyone who's been around them in the last six months:  the guys are getting on fine.  In the studio, at least...and more specifically, Mike and Brian are cool with each other.  From the few official videos we've seen, they've been getting along quite well.  All the people I've spoken with who have been near the guys say the same thing.  So for Brian to all of a sudden suddenly hate all this...doesn't seem consistent.  He may hate the performing part...but not necessarily the reunion.  We should really be specific :)

As it appears from the reviews, sound was an issue on this show.  That could definitely account for the frazzled performance by the entire band.  Festivals are notorious for crap sound for big bands from the artist's perspective  (see Elton John festival rant on YouTube--hilarious) This could have possibly affected Brian who may have felt uncomfortable by the off sound.  Perhaps the large crowd also put him in an uneasy place...that picture of Scott giving him a back rub is pretty revealing.  He seems to be having one of those "bad nights" that we've always heard about.  What caused it, we'll never know...the traveling...the boredom...the fear of a huge crowd...self doubt that this whole thing was a great idea...worry about the long tour that is still up ahead...the meet and greets (which he may not love) that he now has to do on EVERY show...how well the album will do...these are all things that may or may not be floating around Brian's mind.  On good days, all those thoughts may stay at bay and not threaten him so we shouldn't hold so much over him...he's after all done A LOT to in this last few months to pull this off.

Isn't that the truth. Brian does the same things at his own shows. If he didn't have to sing every song, he would have been doing the same things that he is doing at these shows. He is not a showman or a very good performer. If Jeff didn't prod him, I don't think he'd interact with the audience at all. Even when they take their bows, Brian doesn't even crack a grin. He is a stone face on stage. I'll say this, he is no phoney. He always acts the same. When I go to see Brian, I never expect more than he gives. Brian is, well..., Brian.

Uh, but he has played bass at his own shows, and I"ve seen him do it, personally.  He didn't keel over, he was fine.

Look: Brian's performances have been unprofessional throughout his entire solo career. Why would he change now? He's been stone-faced for a decade on stage now, as dr. Beach Boy says. And he was stone faced before. That "hang a bass around his neck to force his participation" is disgusting IMO.

I wasn't there so I don't know how Brian sounded, but we all know how Brian behaves on stage. I think such comments that he doesn't want to be there because he doesn't interact much should be done carefully. He acted that way for his whole solo carreer (which may go on next year). He's clearly happy (at the moment) to be back together with Mike. Alan Boyd said so (through a poster who had the pleasure of visiting him not too long ago) and Stebbins also reported from David Marks that Brian seems very happy with the guys. We all know that Brian has his days when he's hearing the voices louder than on others. That doesn't change only because he's back with the Beach Boys. But that's nothing else than on his solo tours. Only that now he doesn't have to rum the whole show. This shouldn't be a surprise for any of us. Brian is not a healthy person and we have to accept that.  

So, again: I'd be very careful with comments that he doesn't want to be there or with the Beach Boys and then even stretch that out to the whole tour. Brian probably just had a bad day.

I don't understand why this is still an issue, or why fans are still surprised that he's not bouncing all over the stage and giving people big warm hugs.  I've seen Brian in concert very animated, happy, smiling...and shows in which he is stonefaced and deer-in-the-headlights.  
The man has a diagnosed mental illness.  He probably takes meds every day and sees doctors and therapists often.  He needs a mess o' help to stand alone.  
He has never, ever been a showman on a consistent basis, even in the early days of the Beach Boys.  He was always happier being in his room or his studio or at his piano, or hanging out with friends of his choosing.
Yet playing concerts is a necessity for a rock-n-roller.  My guess is that he does this because he knows it's part of the deal.  I think he also does like the love and response from the crowd in a smaller venue, because it justifies for him that people do enjoy his work.  That's just a theory...only Brian knows the truth.  

It really depends. I've seen him very animated at some shows. And I've seen him rather passive and perfunctory at others. He always has done a perfectly competent job as a vocalist and (somewhat cracked) emcee though.

I read an interview with Melinda from a year or two ago that summed up the challenge that his camp faces. She said that one day, Brian will say "I'm not interested in doing shows." And the next day, he'll say, "When am I going to go out with the guys again?" So which Brian, on which day, do you believe?

He clearly enjoyed making the record. TWGMTR, if nothing else, shows he was engaged in the recording process. He seems to enjoy interacting with Mike and the guys again. So I'm sure that when they asked Brian if he was interested in doing the tour, he said, "Sure!"

But now it's started and it seems daunting and it's strange and stressful. Mike and Al and Bruce are using his band, the people who had previously just supported Brian, as their backing. Brian is over at the side of the stage, and even though he's using this new technology that will make him on-pitch all the time, it sounds a little strange. And there are these huge audiences, and they're playing songs he doesn't play with his band.

So which Brian do we believe? The one who likely signed up with good intentions and signed the contracts and was gung ho? Or the one who's kind of scared and cross right now?

Well, most of the songs were played by Brian and his band. "Cottonfields" and "All this is that" weren't. I don't have the setlists in front of me but I think everything else was done by Brian solo. Am I right ?

I'm not sure anybody knows from mere observation at a concert what Brian is thinking or feeling at any given point, or where he may want to be instead of there.  How comfortable is he really? Don't know. His blank face may be from boredom or stage fright or disengagement, or whatever, even masking some real enjoyment for all I know, or could simply be a case of him figuring, "what's the big deal, I'm on stage with my old band playing a bunch of great tunes that I wrote and that everybody loves and why get excited now?" Almost like he's satisfied with what he's done and no need to process it any more than that. On the other hand, this could really be a bummer for him. Plus he's almost 70 years old with a few of his own problems.  But I don't know him, have never spent any time around him, never studied him, only ever seen him from no closer than about the tenth row, haven't been to one of these concerts yet (May 27) for first hand observation, or anything.  We all know the issues and the history but can we really tell what he's feeling behind that face? I just hope for his sake it's not 1976 or 1977 all over again. Bass?  Only if he wants to.

Brian's band does not play:

Don't Back Down
Surfin Safari
Why do Fools Fall in Love
Cottonfields
Be True to your School
Disney Girls
Little Honda
All this is that
California Dreaming
Rock n Roll Music
That's Why God Made the Radio
Kokomo

That's more than a quarter of the setlist. None of those songs, as far as I know, have ever been played by Brian's band.

i think they need to play deeper cuts to keep brian interested

You're right. I didn't have those in mind.
But I think that they might've done "Be true to your school" for a short periode.

I'm worried about getting the stripped down setlist in 2 weeks at Mohegan Sun because it's a larger arena...

I don't think you'll get stripped-down shows just because of arena size. I would think you get them if you're in a festival setting. (90 minute time limit.)

The stripped down setlist has some goodies as well....

Don't know what, if any, technology he used at Jazz Fest. But he was not on-pitch all the time. And there was noting funny in his voice to be detected.

I think, also, that what we normally see is a public persona, Brian built over the years, that won't interact directly unless he really wants to, is oblivious to social etiquette, and won't get socially punished for acting in a bizarre way.

With my review I was never suggesting Brian wasn't enjoying the studio reunion and working again with mike - just that the frankly hectic tour pace without substantial breaks may be too much for Brian, whose solo tours are more leisurely.  Then again it may have just been an off day for him.  That's what we all hope. When he performed at Jazzfest a couple of years ago, he was sick with a cold and kept wiping his running nose on his sleeve as he sang - and his demeanor was way more animated and his singing better than yesterday.

For the fan though the real reason to see this tour is Al and David Marks.  Both were great!

California Girls:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2FJ2vHZ7gM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2FJ2vHZ7gM)

Excellent video...good sound.  That'd be a great show to have on DVD...

Review (sort of)
http://theadvocate.com/home/2667666-125/beach-boys-open-jazz-fest

In the few clips I've seen it seems that the band (or just Cowsill) is having trouble ending songs...either they've changed how they end songs and are confusing the new way with how they "used" to end song or it's just nerves making them forget...I'm not sure.

In my opinion they should drop Sail on Sailor from the setlist. Brian has admitted that he doesn`t like it and especially dislikes the words. This is presumably why he gave it to somebody else to sing during his own shows. Plus he doesn`t tend to sing it well at all. There are plenty of other songs that would suit his current voice more.

Or have Al sing it.

Or go FULL B-PAIN and have them drop the bass at every conceivable opportunity.

B-PAIN, Brian's dubstep side project. ;D

They have a couple of months to get used to each other. They're all great musicians so I wouldn't worry. I saw Cowsill and the percussionist carefully complement each other. There was a funny moment yesterday show during BTTYS when, after the intro, someone (Al?) counted to four like in the old days, but then this arrangement seems to have one extra bar. Or maybe Stamos did not know they'd do it differently.

As for dropping SOS, I must say that -as long as he could sing the words- Brian's current voice sounds suited to it. One more note: Brian's voicd is extraordinarily healthy these days. He does not overuse it, and seems to have improved in tone and delivery. No wonder the number of great vocals on record of recent vintage.

I have full confidence they'll fix that little flub...this is a great band! I wonder how Mike Love feels up there to have a mini-orchestra behind him rather than his smaller group?  The proof is in the pudding for how much fuller the sound is with this larger group. 

Then I Kissed Her
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIUE08FBDwk

I would think Breakaway would be a logical choice for the set. Brian and Al shared lead, they did it together in '06 and Brian's band has done it since then.

Check out BTTYS. Darian looks miserable during Mike's stupid skit. He really is so above that, as is the rest of Brian's band.

God Only Knows:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBfRDhA9o8Y&list=UUXgLfER521jCAn6YJGA-pEw&index=7&feature=plcp (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBfRDhA9o8Y&list=UUXgLfER521jCAn6YJGA-pEw&index=7&feature=plcp)

Sloop/ Wouldn't it Be NIce
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvIGXFGAE4c&feature=BFa&list=UUXgLfER521jCAn6YJGA-pEw

Then I Kissed Her
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIUE08FBDwk&feature=relmfu

Kokomo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCcUpwv4aj8&feature=relmfu

Barbara Ann
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg6bPiaOZH8&feature=relmfu

I Get Around
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OFRhPXpFh0&feature=channel&list=UL

Don't Worry Baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzJ5KgfxtgY&feature=channel&list=UL

Be True To your School
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWQCsGyNjuE&feature=channel&list=UL

Surfin Safari/Surfer Girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Nt4UEOvv4&feature=channel&list=UL

HelDo I really wanna get banned?e Rhonda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVab32M7uBs&feature=channel&list=UL

Good Vibrations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4uWfELN6_U&feature=channel&list=UL

GV and Fun Fun Fun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGbldDQMe5I&feature=channel&list=UL

Surfin USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SObPLpDNuc&feature=channel&list=UL

That clip of Barbara Ann is hilarious:

A) Jeff Foskett forgets one more verse before the guitar solo...throws off part of the band
B)  Mike, Bruce and Al do the line dance during the solo (yes, and Darian seems to enjoy it)
C) Mike's Charleston poses
D) Bass player, either Mikey or Probyn think there's another verse after the solo...you can hear him emphasis the stop..a MINOR scuffle but they move on wihtout missing a beat. 

What I"m noticing now is that both bands kinda get confused regarding arrangements and endings because one group is more familiar with how their group does it compared to the other.  In the Barbara Ann clip, Jeff is used to saving the last verse of the song for after the guitar solo but Mike and Bruce's group like to do all three verses before the guitar solo.  See Jeff do an "Alright!" only to find out that they're off doing one more verse...he rushes back to the mic.  Later as I wrote above, either Mikey or Probyn on bass mistakenly thinks that they're going to do that third verse after the solo (much like Jeff thought earlier) so you hear him stop to prepare for the "Danced with Mary Lou..." but the Mike and Bruce group just outro with "Barbara Ann, Barbara Ann"  so it seems that two groups are still finding their footing on each other's arrangements.  Pretty cool to see it unfold, at least  I think so.

Well I thought this sounded fantastic! Very nice performance by Brian, really.

Why Mike makes such a big over BTTYS I will never have any idea! Just sing the damn song!

No idea, but he won't just sing it, which is why it needs to be dropped. It's obnoxious. It's really a very mediocre song anyway.

An unintended consequence of doing the word censor thing to combat all the "pee emm" requests!  :lol

(THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT A PEE EMM REQUEST)

lolololololool

I'm also starting to think that all this "Brian really, really looks out of it" talk really stems from that this is the first time Brian's been on stage and off to the side and NOT the complete center of attention--a sight we've NEVER seen in the last tours.  All the times we've seen him in the last decade he's been front and center and FORCED to do whatever amount of showmanship he's required (and wants to do).  Today, we see him to the side quietly playing piano and singing a few songs solo...the adrenaline is lower, the energy is much more subdued and he's just not going to be as "up" as we've been used to seeing him.  The work load may be off Brian's shoulders but so is the responsibility to be a little bit more aggressive and in front of the band.  It just looks like to me that Brian is aware that he doesn't have to do much on this tour and he is completely taking advantage of that opportunity.  

Which, as long as he's happy, is perfectly acceptable for me.

To quote AGD: If he sees a chair, he's going to sit in it.

That is, if he sees a way to possibly work less, he's going to do it.

I do remember that AGD quote, thanks.  Someone else on the board I recall labeled Brian as flat out "lazy" and I thought of that also as I wrote my post--but didn't want to say it!  When you put it into context, it all fits. 

As many have said before, he's earned the right. Though he could benefit if he lost a little wait.  ;D

Brian does, however, work very hard in the studio. Or so it seems.

(http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/etnm5uj9ORjHaMc3jC7wEw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD02MTI7cT04NTt3PTQ4Mw--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/gettyimages.com/2012-orleans-jazz-heritage-festival-20120427-202319-671.jpg)

Stamos introduction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_WEcSDARN4 (...)

GOK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBfRDhA9o8Y&feature=relmfu  :) :)

And many more clips here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SoCalMusicLover (http://www.youtube.com/user/SoCalMusicLover)

Yeah, that was noticeable. By the way, didn't remember hearing the 3rd verse before the solo ever.
One more thing to note: they play a sax solo and then a guitar solo for Barbara Ann. And the guitar solo is played by David (remember when Carl was alive Jeff played it when he was in the band).

brian sang pretty strongly!

Ye, more PS and Smile material, they coulda done Darlin' and Wild Honey with Darian on lead, perhaps Let The Wind Blow, do something from Love You like TNWSY, IBHN or Johnny Carson...

Why they dont do Cool Cool Water is beyond me! it was so well done in the 70's

Did you notice Mike sings "papa oom mow mow" at the end of Barbara Ann? How cool is that?! :D

Very cool! :D

Did you notice Mike sings "papa oom mow mow" at the end of Barbara Ann? How cool is that?!

Beautiful ! But Mike should shut up at the end and not trying to double Foskett's falsetto




He's doing that since '67

Well, I knew he did it back then but haven't heard it in the later live performances.

Jesus Christ, the auto-tune. Brian sounds like he's wobbling his fingers over his lips whilst he's singing.

Not again!
If he has the autotune, then why the hell is he singing off key on YSGTM or SoS, or TWGMTR?

I just watched GOK, but he definitely sounds processed.

*blah blah, autotune can force you off key as it doesn't know what note you're actually trying to hit, blah*

Don't really catch it on that GOK footage, to be honest. His singing is quite okay and normal-sounding, and anything 'weird' sounding I attributed to the recording quality. But there isn't much of that (to my ears).

I do wonder how Brian's hearing affects him in performance. Even in the best of situations, live monitor mixes aren't usually very clear, and Brian's deaf in one ear. While I certainly don't know, it might partially explain his live performance anxiety or 'deer in the headlights' look sometimes.

Definitely have to give him props getting out there and going for it. The stage volume must be pretty loud with that many performers.

Don't Back Down
http://youtu.be/CmkSSV0TDyE (http://youtu.be/CmkSSV0TDyE)


Little Deuce Coupe
http://youtu.be/5trLCkrfqDc (http://youtu.be/5trLCkrfqDc)

Yes!  Good choice.

Ok, ok, ok, they use Autotune. 4 shows and they ain't listening to us to stop using it. When I'm sitting in my seat at the show, will it ruin my experience? sh*t, and I have tix for two shows and they are not worth going to now, because Brian needs some electronic help when he sings lead. They are doing this to sound the best they can. No one that has attended has been able to hear it inside the venues. Maybe they did this to piss-off bootleggers and their listeners. ;)

Nah, then what would we have to represent the early 70's? Right now, "All This Is That" and "Forever" and that's it. Sail On Sailor WAS a hit and I think they need more to represent the Sunflower/Surf's Up/Holland artsy era. Unless thay want to swap it out with Marcella or California Saga or This Whole World or Surf's Up sometimes then that'd be OK. Doubt they'd do Funky Pretty (darn!).

Processed ain't necessarily pitch-corrected. He still sings a number of bum notes that are not thrown by a machine, for God's sake. If the problem is that he sounds robotic, well he does not during the live experience (in fact NO reviewer in the room has commented on it or detected it). If his live vocals, in the room, sound bettef because of X processing I say go for it.

They're performing for a live audience, not for I-phone recordings scrutinized by amateurish, volatile-opinionated, music-making fanboys.

Keep fightin' the good fight, Dr. Lenny.   I've given up.  Since no one that I've heard of who has actually been to a show has noticed any pitch correction, I'm happy.  And that's the whole point, right.  As long as it sounds good to the folks who paid the money to see the shows, then it's a job well done.  As for recordings, the only ones I'm interested in are the ones that get properly mixed and produced for official release.  So, it really doesn't matter to me what people hear or don't hear on these phone recordings.  They are not accurate representations of what it sounds like in the venues.

Bear in mind that most all official live recording have overdubs and other post-production corrections. So, you will never get an accurate representation of what it sounds like. 

To that charming volley of abuse from my not exactly serious post (I say 'blah' in it for christs sake), I say 'f*** you'. It's just as well I'm typing it out, as you wouldn't be able to hear it anyway, you deaf old coots.

Ooh, very well thought out response.  Deaf?  No, not yet.  Old coot?  I may well be an old coot.  I am certainly heading in that direction.  And so are you and everyone else.     

It sure is nice the nurse was able to type that out for you.


I don't appreciate coming on with absolutely no malice to point something out and being ragged on. I give up.

(http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo/2012/04/10915819-standard.jpg)

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this that I missed, but is this the picture for 'Brian Falls Into A Piano'  :lol

:lol

Buahahah  ;D

There's no friggin Autotune on GOK. I'm seriously getting angry people are starting to say things that blatantly don't exist. I'm 17. My hearing is friggin spectacular. I work with music production and recording all the time. Guess what? No Autotune there. NONE. Maybe the reason no one is changing anything with the Autotune and the performance is because IT DOESN'T EXIST.

Zach, honestly, you've been pissed about the whole Autotune thing for a while.  You're gonna have to dig a little deeper for a bit more will power to avoid these threads/conversations.  You or anyone else shouldn't be pissed for other people having a discussion on a BB board.  If you don't like it---no one is required to participate on the subject.  Move on to something else.  You don't think there's Autotune...great...let the people who do believe have their conversations.  Would you like this talk to all stop just because "Zach said so?"  :police:

You did open a separate thread to discuss Autotune. Since bootlegging is illegal and we shouldn't be hearing this stuff, and nobody at the concerts can hear it there, then these threads should strickly be about the shows and performances.

"Strickly"?

No, but when I hear a spectacular performance of GOK and then we've got a whole big discussion on how "processed" it is when it's REALLY not, then I get upset. You're right, we're all allowed to have an opinion, and I'm voicing mine. I've seen much worse here.

In any case, it's remarkable that out of the 10 or so people from this board that attended the shows already, some of them professional musicians ::), some with bad reviews, HAVEN'T SAID A THING about Brian sounding funny or robotic in the venue itself. A handful of fans that are reviewing the I-phone recordings people who where there provided them, have determined that Brian's voice is pitch-corrected in an obscene manner in all the shows. This is getting absurd.

(chiming in before one of these guys tells this kid he's on the right track)

Zach, you're a music producer and you don't hear the autotune?

Hear me out.. Coming from a slightly older version of you with a 5 year resume ACTUALLY in the game getting placements as a producer/songwriter/engineer (and artist) on major label albums/singles (including the #5 album on Billboard Hip Hop / R&B right now -  lots of pitch correction on that one....), and constantly dealing with vocal editing on legendary, amazing (and not-so-legendary and amazing) singers, I gotta say...

you seriously need to reconsider how spectacular your ears are right now.

Sorry bro but it's the truth. There is live pitch correction on BW's vocals. 100% confirmed.

If you're serious about music, you need to realize that at 17 you're an ASPIRING producer, not established and experienced. You have a lot of time ahead of you. Keep working on those ears, and never think you know it all. I was in your shoes not too long ago. Then I realized I didn't know it all. Not even close. I still don't. But at this point, I damn sure know when heavy pitch correction is being applied on one of my favorite artist's vocals.

I really don't wanna be the guy to be "lecturing" you like this on a public message board, but you and others are continuously disrespecting those of us who are hearing what's going on accurately, and I really wish you all would just take a step back and quit being so angry/disrespectful, even if you choose to disagree for some reason.

PS - This is my last post on the subject for now. I'm not here to rain on anyone's concert experience. I'm as pumped as everyone else for the reunion.

Never said I knew it all or I had great experience.  Perhaps my original post was in poor taste and I was exaggerating a bit.  I've heard it on other clips, just not on this particular version of GOK.  Guess I'm missing something. Oh, and no need to treat my like a kid.  Had I never said I was that age, no one would consider me young based on my comments.  Plenty of other older board members here who act much more immature.  Never meant to be disrespectful either. But oh well.

Edit: To my dismay, after finally hearing a recording of Heroes and Villains in Atlanta, I hear it. Very clearly. I apologize to anyone I might have disrespected, I suppose I will re-assess GOK  ::)

Not true.


Anyway, I guess I'm out of this whole fucking autotune debate as I am not seeing the group anyway (not out of principle) and I guess that renders me unable to say anything remotely critical on the subject. And my posts on the reunion tour have not been exclusively critical by a long shot. But you guys carry on piling on.

They should just get Al to do all the leads, as he seems to be the only one who can still sing.  ;)

100% confirmed?  Where is this confirmation?

It hasn't been confirmed.  Someone needs to look up the word 'confirmed' in the dictionary.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/the-beach-boys-at-jazz-fest-20120428 (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/the-beach-boys-at-jazz-fest-20120428)


(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/gallery/500x595/69517fc2347efa678a085e9eb076e33923dbe2e0.jpg)

(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/gallery/500x595/46e82998a593dc98cf983a72fe282df9d3b701b1.jpg)

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(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/gallery/500x595/8393ea4bc025af0f75e73bd9bb0172a1fa8303a3.jpg)

(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/gallery/500x595/ac30fe0a0284af4da9151f3b82a655c446e75475.jpg)

(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/gallery/500x595/a9cc6eeedb1a7611e3daeddf4f8d55ba9053a51c.jpg)

(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/gallery/500x595/b39397512be5c84744e8c8318db134ff93167058.jpg)

(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/gallery/500x595/750361d7102bcc4a78036666535b1f6ce8c71ce6.jpg)

BW looks awesome with sunglasses! :hat

Looks like Brian has a back brace on under his shirt in the third photo.

It wouldn't surprise me, he's been having a lot of trouble with it for a while now. When I seen him in Glasgow last year i'm not exaggerating when I say that he walked with his body at nearly a 90 degree angle to his legs, it didn't seem as bad the following week in London though. They should have brought Anna Lee on tour with them!  ;)

Something no one's mentioned yet about the Jazzfest covert- Cameron Diaz was in the VIP section clearly visible on the right at the start of the show.  I was excited enough to see the reunited Beach Boys- then I saw her!  Gives new meaning to the Beach Boys "woodie!"

Hope this wasn't posted before.

http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/05/new-orleans-jazz-fest-2012-incredible-music-all-over-the-place/ (http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/05/new-orleans-jazz-fest-2012-incredible-music-all-over-the-place/)

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Beach Boys

3. Surprise, surprise. I didn’t even intend to check out their set, but The Texas Tornados reunion on the small, outdoor Fais Do-Do stage really wasn’t making it, so I found myself wandering over to Jazz Fest’s main stage where the first performance of The Beach Boys 50th-anniversary reunion tour was already in full swing and got the shock of my life. Everybody was singing along — everybody, from the old and shaggy to the young and pierced – to every song and guess what? They’re all great songs, every single one of them, gorgeous harmonies, beautifully constructed, filled with youthful optimism, longing, and just a touch of regret, so solidly constructed they sound as fresh today they did in that long ago age of innocence when they were recorded. Sure the presentation’s a little hokey, the old-time band members mostly just going through the motions (but then again, they almost always did anyway) and the ranks filled with plenty of ringers to make sure the music sounds now exactly like it sounded then and still sounds in recordings. But something new has now been added. Stage front, extreme left, tucked away behind a white baby grand piano, there’s Brian Wilson, stone-faced and emotionless, but there he is on stage and suddenly you realize, it’s not just Brian’s music this is his band, and it always has been, whether he’s playing with it or not. As if to remind us, the video guy onstage keeps most of the video screen focus on Brian, stone-faced though he is, and then, with the sun beginning to set, somewhere in the middle stunningly beautiful renditions of “Heroes and Villains” and “God Only Knows,” the stage goes into shadow and a single, long, slanted ray of cuts across the festival grounds, the audience, and everyone assembled on stage, landing directly on Brian Wilson, bathing him in pure sunlight. For that moment, I felt blessed by perhaps having been in direct contact with the eternal — and ever since have found myself randomly humming the joy-filled bouncing refrain to “Help Me, Rhonda.”

I thought this was too funny not to post it:

(http://image.pollstar.com/WeblogFiles/pollstar/1205031152307632350_v1.jpg)


More pics of various shows here:
http://www.pollstar.com/photosIndexThumbnails.aspx?Tags=a_77175&SearchBy=&StartsWith= (http://www.pollstar.com/photosIndexThumbnails.aspx?Tags=a_77175&SearchBy=&StartsWith=)