So I heard a rumor that the Beach Boys channel is coming back to Sirius XM.  I did some poking around and found this (scroll all the way down).

https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/siriusxm-104

Last year, offiical word went out on 6/29, which the channel starting on 7/2.  So there might be an announcement tomorrow if the channel is staring in the wee hours of Thursday. 

I just started reading the reissue/update of David Leaf's book, and this jumped out at me:

"Brian Wilson is a private person; he doesn't belong in a huge arena with over fifteen thousand pairs of eyes bearing down on him."

This was from the intro to the 1978 edition of The Beach Boys and the California Myth. 
I too saw Brian perform last year, and I agree that he was great - at the time, I felt that the time off during the pandemic probably did him good, physically and mentally, and he was likely happy to get back out on the road.  The venues were all indoor theatres of several thousand capacity.  I would think that it's easier to play an indoor venue - better acoustics, climate-controlled, smaller crowd means less noise, etc.  Brian did three shows in California in Aug/Sept, then was on the road October 5-23.
Compare that to this year - 7 weeks on the road in mostly large outdoor venues.  If Brian seemed disconnected from the beginning, perhaps it's because he was not looking forward to a more strenuous touring experience.  I don't fault management for signing on with this tour - it was probably a very lucrative deal - and Brian may have been agreeable to the idea of it.  But maybe once he was actually out there, he felt differently.  This tour just might have been too much for him. 
I just hope that he's okay and that no matter what, he can get y'know worrrrrrrld peace.

Quoting myself on this board, back in 2018:

...retirement is not a thing for someone like Brian.  Brian has never worked a 9-to-5 job.  He goes out on tour for a few weeks at a time, then is back home.  Not saying that touring is always easy, but it sure ain't breaking bricks in the hot sun.  Brian has a lot of time to be at home and do what he wants to do.  There's no daily grind that he needs to hang up and retire from.   A man needs a reason to get up in the morning, and not everyone just wants to lie around all day - that's how you end up dead.

The idea that someone has to "retire" after a certain age is outdated and frankly, offensive.  If a person is willing and able to do what they want to do, they should be allowed and encouraged to keep doing so.  Also, making music is not work for Brian.  It's as essential to him and air and food. 

Just watched LPR - absolutely loved it.  I have a question, but will precede it with a POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING

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In the film, there is a shot of the piano in the sandbox.  Does anyone know if that is an actual photo taken in the Laurel Way house, or was that taken on the set of Love & Mercy?

Brian doesn't communicate well with words.  He never was much of a lyricist, which is why he relied on Mike, Tony Asher, Gary Usher, Roger Christian, etc.  He communicates through music - listen to the backing tracks and instrumentals, and there is where the story of Brian Wilson lives.  

I'm highly annoyed that there isn't a LPR screening in or anywhere near Chicago.  The usual theaters for such events - including The Music Box, where we saw a fan preview of L&M with a Q&A by John Cusack and BW afterwards - do not have it listed.  
My mother, who lives in New Jersey, just told me about a screening that is on 11/17 in Asbury Park.  This is not listed on the Screen Media site.  

This got me all farklempt:

"The Beach Boys' catalogue follows you through life, like a musical calendar or diary.  In these confusing days when everyone is desperate for a little rest, a little kindness, and a little peace of mind - The Beach Boys feel like home.  They represent our past, present, and most beautiful key."

Thank you, Howie.

In addition to everything mentioned above:
The Beach Boys by Byron Preiss - this is long out of print, but it is findable.  It's a great study of the music.  This was the only Beach Boys book that my town library had, and I spent a lot of time with it in my newbie days.
50 Sides of the Beach Boys - profiles of 50 songs.  I really enjoyed this book.  It is in print.
Mike Love's book - this tells his side of the story, as well as a lot of Wilson family history that had not really been told before.

I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - excellent documentary about Brian from 1995, which has new recordings and a companion soundtrack album.

Once you get acquainted with Pet Sounds, Endless Summer, and the Good Vibrations box set, make sure you check out the Feel Flows box.  This is coming out on Friday, and focuses on the 1969-71 period - a very prolific time that has often gone ignored (at least in the US).

On that night 22 years ago, I was on the phone with a friend.  I had the TV news on with the sound muted.  I saw Carl's photo and just burst into tears.  It took me a full minute or two until I could even tell my friend what happened. 
My father had passed away only 6 months earlier, at age 53.  Justyn and Jonah are around my age.  I thought of them and how I could relate to what they must have been going through. 

I’ve said it before, leave the pre show interviews to Al. Listening to that interview I doubt anyone would have been persuaded to go out and buy a ticket.

Or else coach the interviewer on how to handle Brian and what to expect from him.  It is possible to get a great interview out of him, but it has to be done the right way. 

Honestly, I like all of them for their own reasons.
Brian - because he's mad talented.  Despite his fame, he has always been a shy, humble guy.  And he has a very weird sense of humor.
Carl - because of his sweet voice.  He kept things together when no one else could or would.  From what I've heard, he was an awesome uncle to Carnie and Wendy, and was there for them during the years that Brian was under Landy's control.
Dennis - because...I mean, just look at him.  I've never heard of him being unkind to a fan, ever.  And his abilities in songwriting and producing could rival Brian's.  He was also a good uncle to Carnie and Wendy, too. 
Al - as said above, a guy who has lived a rock-n-roll life yet still manages to be salt-of-the-freakin'-earth. 
Bruce - a guy who just seems damn glad to be where he is.  A happy dude.  His voice works well within the BB harmony structure.  And he is/was an avid surfer.
Mike - fine lyricist, excellent bass voice, funny, sarcastic.  A great front man.  I have a lot more respect for him after reading his book and getting his side of the story. 

The "Carol Keen" character is portrayed as slightly older, wiser, and more worldly than Midge Maisel.  The point of the "one-night stands" discussion is to set up for a later situation that Midge finds herself in (not gonna say any more so I don't spoil it).  Carol is not slutty at all - the discussion is very matter-of-fact.  Everything about this character is very respectable.  And I doubt that the producers knew or cared about the real CK's reputation - they wanted to pay homage to a woman who definitely belonged within the Boys Club, just like Midge is trying to do as a comedian.  The fact that CK can't handle that is not their concern.

Look at it this way...what do you think Brian would rather have?
  - day after day of sitting in his chair watching Wheel of Fortune
or
 - being on stage with an amazing band, doing loving renditions of his songs, when people leap to their feet applauding, cheering, yelling "I love you, Brian!"

The shy smile I saw after GOK at the Milwaukee show gives me the clear answer. 

I've said it before here and I'll say it again - people are thinking about 'retirement' in the way that one would retire from a 9-to-5 time-clock-punching job.  Why do people retire?  To get away from the daily grind and do more leisurely things.  That has never been Brian's life.  It's not like he's going to take up golf or build furniture in his basement to travel the country in an RV (though he kinda is doing this now in his tour bus!)  I doubt he's ever lacked the time for non-music pursuits.  Brian himself said (can't remember if it's in his book or in an interview) that he tours so that he doesn't sit at home on his ass. 

So let him be.

As for Brian himself?  As mentioned, he struggled through the night. But you know what, I saw a guy who was putting forth the effort to make this work. Did he succeed, not always. But, appropriately enough, his best vocal was during Love And Mercy. He seemed to be saying “I know I am struggling, but I still have something to give”.

This got me all farklempt.  I felt exactly the same way - "rage, rage against the dying of the light". 

When I went to my first Brian show at the Beacon in NYC in June 1999, I had the feeling that Brian was Tinkerbell - we all had to believe in him in order for him to exist.  While I don't doubt that he was willing to be out there, he had a lot to overcome mentally and emotionally. 
Last night in Milwaukee, I had the same feeling again.  This time, I still don't doubt that he was willing to be there, but now his challenges are physical.  He often missed the first few words of a song, but when he was on, he was ON.  It was a treat to hear him do some songs for the first time in concert, and others he hasn't done in a long time.  And as always, the guys around him were amazing. 
"Diamond Head" was stunning.
 Blondie sang out "Brother Carl, where are you?" before "Long Promised Road". It's something to realize that he owes much of what he's done in his career to Carl. 
Near the end of GOK, Brian raised up his arms and the lights swept up the audience - I almost lost it. 
Matt Jardine's son joined in for a few songs at the end - the next generation of Jardines is being trained!
It was an emotional show for me, in a good way. 

Anyone know who is playing guitar in Nicky's place?

Because this is what they're seeing: a man who looks like he's in pain being helped on stage to barely sing through songs, then sit without much emotion while his band mates bounce around him, until the end of the show when it appears as if he couldn't want to get off the stage fast enough.

Except for the part about being helped on/off stage, the rest could describe how Brian was when he started touring 20 years ago.  I've seen Brian 29 times since 1999, and it was rough in the beginning - very "deer in the headlights".  He got more and more comfortable over time, but we were never going to get a Brian who was a traditional front man.  If you want to see Brian in concert, you have to accept the Brian that you get. 

But maybe - and I honestly don't know - performing for the public was how they were dealing with the issues. The power to make people happy and make them laugh is a really, really strong emotion just the same, and I don't know how much I'd guilt audiences who would go see them no matter what their reasons.

Exactly.  What better way to honor Nicky's memory than to play the music he loved?  With the audience there, it's one big wake to celebrate a person's life.  And think about the alternative - if they canceled, they would just be sitting around in hotel rooms in a city far from home - it's not like they couild easily get together with family and friends or do things that they could do if they were closer to home.
 
Grieving takes many different forms.  A colleague of mine lost his teenage daughter to cancer after a long, painful, heartbreaking course of treatment.  He was already on leave, and chose to stay home the day after she died - he wanted to be home where he felt her spirit.  His wife and their other teen children - including the twin of the girl who died - chose to go to work and school.  They wanted to be out of the house, in a place with routines and work that for a few hours would take their minds off of what they had been through.  All of them did the right thing for themselves.  

My favorite Nicky Wonder memory will always be him waving the Jolly Roger flag during the transition between On a Holiday and Wind Chimes in the Smile concerts.

I'm pretty farklempt, to be honest.  Not because my show was canceled (though I will miss seeing him, Al, Blondie, and the band), but because of the significance of his message.  He has been dealing with mental issues for most of his life.  Up until about 25 years ago, those issues either went untreated, or were treated with ineffective or harmful methods.   His mental issues weren't even spoken of publicly in any way until the stuff about Landy started coming out in the 80s/90s.   But now, he's in a place where he can speak openly and honestly about what is going on.  The message could have easily just been about having back problems, or just even say it's health-related without going into detail.  This is consistent with how so many other celebrities have spoken about their own mental health - the more the public hears things like this, the more normalized it becomes.  He knows we can handle it, and that we still love him.  

FWIW, last year, the channel launched the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend, and was announced only a day or two before that.  So if it's going to happen like last year, we won't know anything until next week.

Just got my ticket to the Beacon Theatre show! I’m really excited! Friends and Surf’s Up are my two favorite non-Pet Sounds/SMiLE Beach Boys albums. A tour/show like this was something I always hoped would happen, but that I never thought would actually happen.

How did you get your ticket already?

Some pre-sales for certain dates began today at 1 PM EST US. Non-presale tickets go on sale Friday I believe.

Did you need a pre-sale password?  The site for the venue in Milwaukee has an artist's presale at 10 a.m. tomorrow, but there's no such info on bw.com other than just the tour dates.

Re: licensed merch - I just remembered those little die-cast cars from circa 1999.  After going wedding-dress shopping, my mom and I stopped at a brand new Target store, the first one in our area.  They had all of the cars on a endcap display, and I bought one of each. 
Last year, my mom and I stopped for lunch at a Cracker Barrel after she picked me up at the airport to go to a family gathering.  The shop happened to have a navy-blue tee with a cool Surfin USA design.
Also, there was the Reyn Spooner Aloha shirts that incorporated the album covers.  And i was in a Pendelton outlet a few years ago, and saw that they carry the shirt in what they call "Beach Boys Plaid", with a little label inside explaining the BB connection.  The price tag had a picture on the back from the Paradise Cove photo shoot.  My husband and I both have those shirts. 
So yeah, there is a bit of merch, but you really have to look to find it, and it's not likely to be around forever.

How about having little to no licensed merchandise, outside of concerts or promo materials?  When I was a teen in the 80s, I would have killed to have a BB t-shirt, poster, buttons, patches, etc.  Even now, it bugs me to go into a store and find merch for lots of bands, but never anything Beach Boys. 

Obviously, first and foremost, I'd like to see a "Beatles Anthology" style multi-part BB documentary covering everything.

So would I, but I don't think there are enough lawyers in the world to deal with the mess that would ensue - too many sides to too many stories.  The Beatles had the advantage of far more documentation over the years so that facts could be confirmed.

I am quite excited at the thought of Brian singing these lyrics, with his band on the backing:

"Hit hard at the battle that confronted me, yeah
Knocked down all the roadblocks stumbling me
Throw off all the shackles that were binding me down"

And remember, we don't know the genesis of the song.  Brian could have been around when Carl was working on it, or maybe Carl's inspiration came from conversation with Brian.