I was at Manchester and just want to say what a great performance it was.  Brian's vocals have sounded great in the bootlegs but live they are even better. He's really putting everything he's got into this and it's great to see.

I guess Brian did the same China joke in Birmingham, which is before Little Girl I once knew he says "The first two notes sound Chinese but the rest is American," kind of funny because when they play the first two notes it does sound a bit Chinese.
He fluffed the start of MAD at Manchester too, but the intro is long and I didn't realise he had got it wrong until he said the same line twice.
All in all, a beautiful performance that I will never forget.

I do wonder about how much this tour has been promoted though because I got lost on my way and had to ask directions to the Palace Theatre. I spoke withthis dude for a few minutes and he asked me what I was going to see. I said Brian Wilson and it turns out he is a fan but had no idea Brian was playing Manchester that night or was even in the country.
If there is another tour over here, I hope they can reach out and let a few more people know they are coming.

Oh yes, that was possibly my only disappointment, Can't Wait Too Long is too short. I'm sure it was a great surprise for those that witnessed the premier but I knew it was coming and thought we'd get a little more than we did. 
Hopefully it will be longer on the now eagerly awaited CD release :-) For a standard 45-50 minute CD it needs something to be added. Speaking of which, I wouldn't want the extra time taken up by an extended Forever My Surfer Girl because I think it works better in it's shorter form.

 I've listened to the boot 4 times now. TLOS is magnificent, far better than I had dared hope it would be. 
On my first listen I wasn't totally convinced that Mexican Girl should be there but the more I listen the more it fits. I've also thought that maybe Going Home and Southern California should be swapped around

Anyway, I'm look forward to the Manchester show even more now I've heard it already.

In parts I really liked Brian's voice. The Surfer Girl bridge was Knebworth like and SJB resembled 70's Brian to my ears.
Good to hear of the Norwegian media enjoyed it. :-)


 

I didn't think it was that bad. Brian seemed really into it and having his vocals so high up in the mix obviously wasn't a good thing, especially when he sang what should have been background vocals, but overall I enjoyed it.
Performing at a festival is never going to be the place to Brian at his best, possibly because of sound set up, open air setting etc. Didn't we have pretty much this reaction after Live 8?

Thanks for the info Jason.

I would really like to have heard Carl singing some of Mike's leads (bootlegs anyone?)
The harmonies would have suffered on stage without Mike though and I for one would miss his  showmanship.
On the other hand Mike's absence may have brought Brian back to participate more (if he was able) and to me that can only be a good thing.