Good question! Live at the Roxy isn’t either, and it’s pretty darn good!

This all sucks.

I have tried to be on good terms with everyone in the fan community, and I still want to do that. As for Alan's point -- for goodness' sake, did no one notice the cover art for this year's releases reused the art template from last years'? Not a single press release or tiny bit of promotion.

We're skating on thin ice.

The music is worth talking about and fighting for. The rest of this is hot nonsense. We've already lost Desper. God only knows what else we could lose.

Here's some advice from an aging father who should be doing more constructive things. Delete this thread, don't play with people who don't want to play with you, and move on.

I think this topic has been raised with Brian's band members, and the response is ... mixed. As I recall, sbout half would be interested in carrying on, but another half aren't that keen on doing it without BW.

The entire show from Saturday night is on youtube if you want to be as uncomfortable as those of us were at the venue.
https://www.youtube.com/user/nickperry74/videos

I gotta say, Brian looks somewhat more comfortable that he did in Kansas City, and he sounds pretty good. The mouth thing is bothersome, but that's our man.

[Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson Being Chronicled in New, ‘Definitive’ Documentary]

Beach Boys Legend Brian Wilson Being Chronicled in New, ‘Definitive’ Documentary

https://variety.com/2018/music/news/brian-wilson-documentary-bruce-springsteen-elton-john-1203078116/?fbclid=IwAR0jAAViF4KI_Cepug6F_Ttlsc6bWCj4KRry2ZYZi02pXnVUrXiT7BS4d1M

The article indicates there is coverage of Wilson doing covers in the studio -- I wonder if this could turn into a new release, specifically the long-spoken Rock 'n Roll album. Regardless, I'm very excited.

I believe that's the idea, yes. If you'll recall, all the band guys were posting pictures of their time in the studio a couple of months ago.

Thank you for the reports. I too feel that Brian truly does want to be on the road, and his diminished mobility has to be affecting him and not just physically. I like the idea of Al having a mini-set too. Unlike some, I think Brian continuing to tour is a good thing as it will keep him active. I don't think making him more sedentary is the answer, as I don't think that will be good for his spirits. Just my feeling, and I could be wrong

I don't think it's wrong for Brian to keep doing shows. As long as he wants to do it and people are willing to pay, no worries. I just feel bad that he's struggling with the back stuff, and it's clearly bumming him out and changing the whole scene around him. My mother dealt with chronic pain, and it's horrendous. Part of me wonders if Brian shouldn't find some theater close to home and just do regular shows there, like Chuck Berry used to do in St. Louis. Or possibly just set up residencies at various places so he wouldn't have to travel as much.

Realistically, though, I would be surprised if there's much more sustained touring after this fall. And it's not just me saying that.

The band has definitely put in time learning the Christmas album material.

Have Brian and Al? Hmm.

Those are some really good questions and comments, HJ.

From band member conversations, I can say that yeah, he's just really tired of Pet Sounds. As far back as the first show of his I saw in 2000, he often would tear into hit songs or other up tempo material with more enthusiasm than the tricker PS songs.

I do think having him rest up offstage during the seven-song span from "Don't Worry Baby" to "Sail on Sailor" wouldn't be a bad idea, and you could add an instrumental like Pet Sounds in there. It would be one thing if Brian was playing and singing enthusiastic backgrounds, like he was on the C50 shows. While he does play keys now and then, I noticed that he wasn't single any backing vocals at all last night.

As for the Christmas album shows ... I think we should all stay tuned. They could be miraculous or the opposite.

Yeah, I can say definitively, from conversations with those in the know, that Brian is dedicated to doing these shows and very much wants to be on the road. Now, I'm not sure that translates into being anything but bored stiff with full performances of Pet Sounds, but he does want to be onstage.

Here's the thing. Going by what I've seen and heard, all of these things are true about Brian's current run of shows, and the performance I saw last night.

-- Brian is in good voice, with pitch and tone being if anything firmer and more accurate than I've heard the last couple of years. His power is diminished, likely because of physical challenges, but he sounded overall excellent in his solo spots.

-- He wants to tour. For whatever reason, Brian has repeatedly expressed to the press, his band, and his friends that he wants to be out on the road. It seems to have become a cause.

-- Brian is also in difficult shape, physically. He has a young man help him to and from his seat onstage, and there's no break in the show, so he stays seated throughout. I heard the opening act speak to merchandise purchasers after the show, and they noted that BW is traveling with a physical therapist. He needs to put in work to recover. This being Brian, can you guess if he's actually doing the tough, unpleasant stuff he needs to do to become mobile again? Yeah, right.

-- Probably because of this, he is bummed. I've seen Brian phone it in before, and I've seen him disinterested. This is different. This is much more like the infamous footage in the Smile documentary showing him quiet, preoccupied, sad. He barely interacted with the audience -- a wave after God Only Knows was as good as it got. His other comments were short and inaudible over applause. The entire band, especially Al and Blondie, but also Rob, worked throughout the show to keep up his spirits.

I don't know how to feel about all of this. The band continues to excel, Al and Blondie and Rob and Darian do their bits. Brian manages great takes of God Only Knows, Love and Mercy, Add Some Music and Little Honda (for some reason). But he's down, probably because he's a 76-year-old guy grappling with mobility problems and an arduous recovery ahead. He wants to be on the road, but he's also personally challenged enough that the show is an endurance test. It's not for nothing that they now have the opening act and a slimmed-down setlist.

It's confusing. I have no doubt that Brian benefits from the shows. It gives him a goal and a purpose. But as someone who has seen him give engaged performances, who has watched him sing with less pain, I'm not sure how the audiences benefit.

For the first time, I left a Brian Wilson show a little downcast.

Not because I think anyone is being exploited.

But perhaps because the show suggests that even the best band, even the most quirky frontman, can't perform forever.

Orson Welles said that every story ultimately has a tragic ending -- making a tale end happily is largely about where you choose to conclude it. There are so many points of triumph over the last 20 years for Brian and this band. The first Pet Sounds shows. Smile. That Lucky Old Sun. The amazing fall 2009 shows. The C50 reunion. Even the first Brian-Al-Blondie shows. When I think back about Brian's touring years, those are the points I will remember.

Next up, a list of the Brian Wilson shows I've attended over the years. Some of you are ahead of me, others are behind. It doesn't really matter -- I've been lucky enough to live in locations where he's toured frequently in the last decade. But this helps me think about how things have changed in the touring BW world over the years.

2000, Sept. 16, Denver CO -- Pet Sounds orchestral show (35 songs) (A)
2001, July 18, Camden PA -- Paul Simon tour (25 songs) (B)
2004, Oct. 21, Tampa FL -- Smile tour (44 songs) (B+)
2006, Nov. 17, Boston MA -- Pet Sounds (with AJ) (40 songs) (C+)
2008, July 13, Hampton Beach NH -- Reduced band (26 songs) (C)
2009, Nov. 3, Concord NH -- Hits tour (setlist unavailable) (A+)
2009, Nov. 12, Lowell MA -- Hits tour (setlist unavailable) (A+)

2012, June 22, Bangor ME -- BB reunion tour (46 songs) (A)
2012, June 26, Boston MA -- BB reunion tour (47 songs) (A)

2013, Oct. 9, Boston MA -- Jeff Beck tour (23 songs) (B)
2015, July 2, Boston MA -- NPP tour (32 songs) (B)
2016, July 20, Kansas City MO -- Pet Sounds 50 (36 songs) (A-)
2017, April 1, Mayetta KS -- Hits show (30 songs) (C)
2018, Nov. 13, Kansas City MO -- Hits show (27 songs) (?)

I'm including my grades for each show -- these are off the top of my head, and entirely subjective. But they're also meant to suggest that BW's overall level of performance over the last 20 years has been pretty consistent. He's sometimes super inspired (and I've been lucky to catch a couple of those show), sometimes average, sometimes distracted, but nearly alway decent. The band, of course, plays an enormous part in this, as does the addition of Al and Blondie in recent years.

But all of this is what makes writing and thinking about last night's show in Kansas City a bit difficult.

I attended last night's Kansas City show. I have many thoughts, some informed by observation, some by experience, and some by conversations with affiliated folks. I will likely write several posts today, just to make this mass of impressions manageable.

Let's start with the setlist. There was an opening act, Beat Root Revival. A male vocalist / guitarist and a female vocalist / percussionist. They were excellent and played for precisely a half-hour (7:30-8 p.m.) After a half-hour break, Brian and the band came out and played for precisely 90 minutes. Here are the songs and the lead vocalists.

California Girls (BW)
Dance, Dance, Dance (BW)
I Get Around (BW, Rob)
Shut Down (AJ)
Little Deuce Coupe (AJ)
Little Honda (BW, Blondie onstage)
Surfer Girl (Group, BW bridge)
Salt Lake City (BW)
Wake the World (Al)
Add Some Music (BW)
California Saga (AJ)
Don't Worry Baby (Rob)
Darlin (Darian)
Feel Flows (BC)
Wild Honey (BC)
Sail on Sailor (BC)
Do It Again (BW)
Wouldn't it Be Nice (Rob, BW on bridge)
Sloop John B (AJ)
God Only Knows (BW)
Good Vibrations (BW, Rob)

(All exit, including BW)

All Summer Long (group)
Help Me Rhonda (AJ)
Barbara Ann (group)
Surfin' USA (AJ)
Fun, Fun, Fun (AJ)
Love and Mercy (BW)

(Bows with BW seated)

After looking at setlists from earlier this year, this looks to be his standard hits show, with In My Room and the extended Pet Sounds jam deleted. There were also shows that featured Matt Jardine on Let Him Run Wild and Susie Cincinnati replacing California Saga as Al's featured spot.

Mickey D'Amico also posted several pics from the studio. Seems like a real thing!

Jim Hines is back?

Jim Laspesa. New percussionist with the band and pal of Darian’s.

From looking at the Facebook in the last couple of days -- Paul, Darian and Jim of Brian's band are pictured (along with engineer Wes Seidman) working at United Recording.

No sign of Brian. But one does wonder what's cooking.

She's no slouch on piano, either -- Aretha could rock those keys!

Did she play on any of her hit records? A lot of times, I am unaware of the instrumental abilities of soul artists, because it seems they are always presented on stage holding a microphone (well, unless your name is Stevie Wonder). Didn't Marvin Gaye start off as a drummer at Motown? I used to see James Brown go over to the organ sometimes during shows. And I've heard at least one recording where Sam Cooke is backing himself on guitar.

Quite a few of them! Respect, Chain of Fools and Think, to name a few. Up to her last album in 2014, she would usually play on at least one or two tracks per album. 

Anyone know why Nelson is not on this tour, and who is taking his place on percussion?  Sorry if I missed the discussion

Guy named Jim Laspesa who knows Darian and the other band guys well. He’s on Facebook. Nelson isn’t on FB anymore; no idea what happened to him.

Edit: Name corrected.

As that photo from 2012 shows, Mike, Bruce and Dave wear the ball caps all the time. It's their thing.

Now, on to my grand shirt theory.

An earlier post noted that Brian threw the seating arrangement out of order. It probably the case that Brian was supposed to sit in Dave's chair, so the look would have been No stripes (Rob) -- stripes (Dave) -- no stripes  (Al) -- stripes (Mike) -- no stripes (Brian) -- stripes (Dave). That also would have seated Brian and Mike next to one another, in the center. Brian's back and reluctance to move simply threw it off.

Another clue? The photo gallery Dave Marks posted suggests he wasn't wearing that striped shirt when he went into Capitol for the day. The stripes were brought in just for the event.

Hi, Rodney!

I'm amazed Melinda is allowing Brian to do this.....my guess is, this was just done for publicity for the SiriusXM Channel, and the current album. No tour is coming, no new album, no performance at the event.

I suspect Melinda‘s role in this is pretty minimal. Any acrimony between Mike and Brian since 2012 is largely from Mike’s direction. Otherwise, though, I think your comments are spot on.

Nothing will be announced. Nothing is coming of this. This is simply an appearance on satellite radio.

Just tossing this out there. Any chance Brian could be announcing his retirement end of the year? That back surgery must have been a b!tch and possibly a wake up call.

He’s earned it.

He has also stated over and over and over again that he has no intention of retiring. For better or worse, I think Brian will be on stage until the last possible moment.

A Beach Boys album Captain by Mike love? That would be horrific. Just look at his solo album which is terrible. I can't see this getting done anyway because I just don't see Brian and Mike working together again in a productive environment. Interview them and let it be.

Mike's album is pretty good; certainly not any worse than the stuff coming out under Brian's name in recent years.

That, in a word, is malarkey.

Schwartzman is BBs fan? Cool. Did he list favorite songs?

I believe he did a top 10 countdown. Heard him introducing a BB Today ballad and talking about it as a precursor to Pet Sounds.

Heard a guest DJ spot yesterday — Actor Jason Schwartzman, of all people.

Listen, would you rather sing for thousands of cheering fans or spend another day in a PT facility? I’d just hope his team has everything possible in place to ensure his comfort and safety.