Was anyone in attendance at the LA show in the fall of '83, when Dennis showed up backstage and Carl brought him out to wave hello to the fans? It's mentioned in Jon Stebbins' book about Dennis, but I would love to hear a fan's perspective on it as well.

Love this thread!
Although they all had their timing with and without facial hair, it always amazed me how much it changed Dennis' appearance. Especially within the few short weeks between Knebworth and the Washington DC show...it's like two different people.

So if I read one more piece about Dennis "dying before he was dead" and so on -- that's all nonsense.

The original quote regarding Dennis being "dead" a couple of years before his body actually was deceased...  came from Barbara Wilson...it's in the Endless Harmony documentary. I'd never tell her that her perspective is nonsense. I've spoken to her about this in person and she saw the essence of him completely disappear prior to his actual death...and that's how she could best describe it.

Jon - I've always wondered which relationship had more of an effect on Dennis's personal and professional life, for better or for worse...Barbara's or Karen's? Sure, a good portion of POB was influenced by his relationship with Karen, but Dennis was really coming into his own with lots of emotional tunes while he was still with Barbara (Barbara, Forever, Cuddle Up, WIBNTLA, etc).
What are your thoughts on this?

Here's an odd, fun and slightly creepy one...
The Phantom Surfer by Chris White & the Surfonics. It's about 'the ghost of Dennis'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K3ok-w6qrU

This may have been addressed before, but so many of the later photos of Dennis, especially after 1981, have him tilting his head to the left . While some of the photos just make him look endearing (holding his baby boy, looking at Brian, etc.), it just seems to be too frequent. Was this due to an injury? The reported beating that he took from Mike's brother and Rocky?

Interesting topic...Dennis' drastic change in appearance between these two shows has always baffled me. Aside from the shaved face and trimmed hair, he physically does not look like the same person. He seems a lot more loose at the Knebworth show, yet very tense and uncomfortable in DC. It's just my opinion, but I'd bet that he got a bit tuned up when he left the stage mid-concert in Knebworth, which helped him seem even more loose on stage (unfortunately his playing does suffer for it). But that was Dennis. I just couldn't get that same vibe from him at all in the DC show. Even the video of his pre-concert interview shows him to be unfocused and uncomfortable. Perhaps he was chewed out for his clowning around in Knebworth and was on strict watch in DC, so he couldn't rely on the booze that day to help keep him loose? Who really knows.

Go a few months later to the Mike Douglass show in Hawaii, and he appears to be a completely different person yet again. Shorter hair, but with a beard...actually seems more youthful here. His playing was really on for this performance too, one of my favorite performances of his during this period. His playing almost had a swing feel to it, and it was really tight. I love the loud, thunderous booming sound of that kit as well!

Glad to see that I am not the only one infatuated with the many different looks of Dennis.

I just got a copy of 'Denny Remembered, Dennis Wilson In Words and Pictures' by Edward L. Wincentsen. It's put together as more of a fan-style scrapbook, with lots of personal stories and memories written by friends and family (including Dennis's kids). There are also lots of great, rare photos included as well. Many of the photos I have not seen before, and there are a decent bunch included from later in Dennis's life, including some promo and tour shots from 1983, and a few photos with Gage and Shawn. The quality isn't the best – the entire book is in black and white – but the photos all tell fantastic stories.