The use of autotune is a tribute to Cher, who once gave a customized needlepoint throw pillow to Brian. 

It sounds like they may have slightly turned him down in the mix, going by the clip of the last show.  You can hear the harmonies and the band a little more. His voice still sounds processed.

I mentioned Brian was too loud in the mix compared to other singers, and that would be true whether or not he's being autotuned.  So, it's not a complaint for the autotune thread.  There are YouTube videos of Brian at his solo shows performing the same songs as this Beach Boys tour, and he's well-balanced in the mix with the band and the harmony singers.  For some reason, he's not, so far, on this BB reunion tour.  It doesn't do him any favors, whether they're using autotuning or chorus or doubling effects or nothing extra is being used.  I blame Joe Thomas.  It can't be Brian or his previous sound people. 

You know if this issue were something negative about Mike Love, no one would be defending him.  Or very few would, and no one would be attempting to channel the discussion.

If something happens at a specific show that's being posted about, it's going to be discussed.  I don't get people and their censorious attitudes. 

Brian doesn't sound "natural" on the clip of "California Dreamin" either.  His voice is boosted too high in the mix and whatever they're using to bump his voice up makes it sound odd (since other people have mentioned it could be something electronic, but not autotune).  Al's lead part on the song sounds natural and is balanced well with the other vocalists, and it isn't nearly as loud as Brian's.  Example from last night's show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9QAA1RP4Tw

Sorry, I don't agree.  I think Brian sounds as forceful and confident as any time I have seen him live...probably close to a dozen times.   He carried his own leads for entire performances, and people were just stunned that he was back with the fans.  I have sat within 6 feet or so of the stage and have seen him perform similarly.  

This whole "autotune" concept, I think should be in some other classification, like "The Sandbox," where people who have some superior sound knowledge can debate among others similarly situated.  I've learned a lot from some of those very enlightened posters who are professional sound people.  Picking apart the performance of a 70 year-old (or soon to be) smacks of bullying and is just ridiculous, in my opinion.  No one cares.  

Fans are delighted that there is a tour that seems to keep growing and adding performance dates, and constantly revising a setlist from a catalog which is unparalelled among rock bands.  This is just needless nitpicking.  No lifer fan cares about the detail stuff.  They just want to see the guys in good health, working together, making a go of what was an "Impossible Dream" for many fans.  A 50th reunion!  New music!  

Please, Moderators, send the autotune discussions to The Sandbox, where it belongs.  

This isn't the Blueboard.  The topic is about music and belongs on the board.  Brian doesn't sound "forceful and confident," he sound odd and doesn't match the sonic quality of the rest of the band's singers.  Al has a strong voice and he's not mixed nearly as high.

Brian doesn't sound "natural" on the clip of "California Dreamin" either.  His voice is boosted too high in the mix and whatever they're using to bump his voice up makes it sound odd (since other people have mentioned it could be something electronic, but not autotune).  Al's lead part on the song sounds natural and is balanced well with the other vocalists, and it isn't nearly as loud as Brian's.  Example from last night's show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9QAA1RP4Tw

I remember walking out of a Brian Wilson solo show several years ago and a group of males in their early 20s were singing "Time to Get Alone" at the top of their lungs.  I don't remember if it was even played at the show or not. 

Adrian Zmed is in the cast? He must be the star attraction.  I guess they couldn't get Eddie Mekka to do the old guy part. 

6 Degrees Of The Beach Boys trivia note here:

Adrian Zmed was rookie officer Romano on the TV cop show TJ Hooker with Shatner. And, as we know, The Beach Boys made a guest appearance on that show in an episode where people were robbing the box offices and ticket windows of the cash during the concerts. I think Carl announced from the stage that TJ Hooker was an "old friend" of the band.

Classic 80's TV, I was a fan. Heather Locklear.

That may have been the "in" that Adrian had to get the part. A vague BB connection.  They had to get some kind of name that people might recognize, even barely.  This looks so bad, with characters named Rip and Doogie.  I read that one of the producers has said they're hoping for a year's run, at least.  Ticket sales are only through August so they're covering themselves in case it bombs.  Which it should. 

Adrian Zmed is in the cast? He must be the star attraction.  I guess they couldn't get Eddie Mekka to do the old guy part. 

Wasn't there a Beach Boys themed restaurant planned for that hotel or another one?  It could be tied into that.  I haven't been to Vegas in ten years, never liked the town or the mega-hotels/casinos.  I'm not sure this would make anyone want to make a special trip just to see the show.  The Beach Boys don't exactly have the same type of following as the Beatles or Elvis, who have Cirque shows devoted to them.  People will go to those just to see the acrobats and special effects.

It looks like this show is only scheduled for two months.  It also appears it may be sharing the same theater with Peepshow and starts two hours before that show, so it has to run 90 minutes or less.  There's no cast list so it can't be they have even minor people anyone has ever heard of.

I can't see it succeeding when it's at the same property as "Peepshow" with ex-Playmate Holly Madison.  It's too much competition for ticket money, especially at the prices they're asking.  It's a different audience they're trying to attract, but the presence of "Peepshow" and the type of signs they likely have around the hotel to advertise that show (R-rated topless strip show, which also features singers belting out renditions of oldies) is not going to encourage the family-type audience they want to attract.  I'm guessing it will bomb big time, even if it's not as awful as people suspect it will be.  Though I'm sure it's awful.

I didn't know Brian was on Clozaril, but can comment on the treatment from personal experience as a pharmacist: Clozaril is the drug of last resort for schizophrenia...

I have good friends who work in the mental health field and their reaction - to a person - upon discovering Brian takes Clozaril is generally something like "holy f*cking sh*t!"

There have been people up close to Brian's situation who have posted about his previous medications' side effects and their feeling that Brian would have been left disabled or worse had he continued taking those other medications.  It may have been more a matter that he needed to take a completely different type of medication due to damage from taking other meds, rather than his symptoms have gotten worse or are that severe.  He's doing well considering.  He looks way more with-it than he has in the past.  Your friends in the mental health field don't sound too compassionate for being in the mental health field, IMO. 

"The Little Girl I Once Knew" is one of the songs that got me into the Beach Boys as more than a casual fan.   I suppose for some people, YMMV.  It also rocks, at least it's not a slow song.  I'm surprised "All This Is That" stays in.  It sounds like it slows down the show and no one bought a ticket for the Beach Boys reunion to hear Darian sing a lead.  I'd rather hear "Girl Don't Tell Me" sung by Al Jardine than "And Then I Kissed Her."

Some young girl on twitter is really upset Stamos isn't there, hilarious 

People keep joking about that, but he really is, amazingly, still relevant.  He had a reoccuring role on Glee, he's mentioned all the time on T.V., I think the guy probably has lots of connections in the industry, so keeps his name out there even though he never really does anything. 

Not much eye candy appeal among the current Beach Boys.  Like guys were upset when Taylor Mills left the Brian Wilson band, gals are unhappy they don't get a glimpse of Stamos. 

In fact one artist who does annoy me for seeming to be in denial mode is Mick Jagger. While watching the 'Shine A Light' movie my main memory is the singlet wearing horde of beauties planted in front of the stage. Considering it was a fundraiser for charity organised by Clinton, and most of the audience would have been of his era and wealthy, it was amazing that these fakes all just happened to get to the front rows!!!

The Stones filmed two shows for "Shine A Light"--only one of them was in support of Clinton's charity group.  The "models" up front were just that---actual stand-in/extras planted by Scorcese and/or his crew.  It was film---in all aspects of the word:  casting to the phoney drama about "Scorcese needing a setlist to plan his movie."  

Jagger isn't in denial.  He's a dude that knows that if you don't use it--you lose it.  He's got an image to keep up and he does what he can to make sure audiences leave a Stones show and know that they got the Jagger that they all were expecting.  If anything, his onstage antics is a sign just how much he distrusts his audience; he thinks that we need him to be this way.  Sad thing is, most of the casual fans who attend Stones concerts---only expect him to be that way.

Jagger was better before he decided to be a combination of a PE teacher leading the class in running and calesthenics, and Britney Spears.  He didn't run around the stage like a madman in the '70s and '60s, he mostly stood in one spot and danced.  It has something to do with the wireless gear they've developed since, but it looks ridiculous for a guy of any age.  The combination of his rubbery/leathery facial features and the frantic physical activity remind me of Jerry Lewis more than James Brown.

It reminds me of Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon.  When Brian responds to Mike when asked if he remembered the football game, it reminded me of when Ed used to say, "You are correct, sir!"  Brian has good comic timing.

I also like the clip of "Mike & Brian banter" from Raleigh, reminiscing onstage about their high school days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLIbu6sJ4-I&feature=relmfu

Am I correct in remembering that Jacqui Love has a college degree in chemistry?  She does look quite a bit younger than Mike, though she might be in her forties or early fifties.  Which would still make her a good 20 years or so younger than Mike.

The man isn't that old (Mike Brown, I mean), so it's surpising to see him needing help getting onstage.  I didn't realize he was in The Stories.  That's quite an evolution from "Pretty Ballerina" to "Brother Louie."

The positive effect of Landy on Brian had as much to do with re-socializing him and making him live a so-called normal life and training him to ignore the voices in his head.  The medications never elimated those.  People have this great awe of medications, but they're only effective for some people.  For people with schizophrenic type symptoms, they work something like only half the time.  It may not seem like such a bad gamble to take someone off the medication if it's not eliminating their symptoms, especially if it's causing major side effects.  All the anti-schizophrenia meds have potentially dangerous side effects.  It's a trade-off with little pay-off for some people with those illnesses.  Maybe that was true in Roky's case.  His brother helped him get a better lifestyle and eliminated negative influences like Landy did for Brian.  So, Landy keeping Brian away from street drugs and making him get up in the morning and exercise and write songs was the thing that save Brian more than any meds.

Even drugs like anti-depressants are potentially dangerous.  There have been articles that say that people on those drugs long-term have heart risks. Americans take so many of those drugs and here in the States, they're often prescribed by family doctors instead of psychiatrists as mother's little helper type drugs. 

Chorusing won't do those weird pitch wobbles.
He's hitting bum notes and the tuning is going crazy trying to find it.

iPhone users - download the "I Am T-Pain" app and mess around and you'll hear a very close similarity to BW's vocals on the majority of the shows.
It probably wasn't used at the Jazz Fest as the sound isn't completely customized to the artists' wishes as there's dozens of other bands using the same gear etc.

It probably isn't mixed in with what the guys on-stage are hearing in their monitors but it's definitely being mixed in with what the crowd hears.

Here's that Billy Joel autotuned National Anthem video....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8smRRyoYGc

From one of the comments on there...

"Billy talked about this performance on Howard Stern today. The TV producer auto-tuned his mic without him knowing."

Android users can use the "Tune Me" free app.  You need to pre-set the correct key of the song to make it sound most natural.  It actually sounds like your natural voice until you sing something you can't hit well.  It's not professional auto-tune, but a pretty good simulation. Auto-Tune and other pitch correctors only work well on people who can really sing and hit most of the notes or close to them.  I'm not sure why some seem confused by that.  No, auto-tune can't make everyone sound good and it makes the worst singers sound robotic when they're not exactly already close to being on-pitch.  You know, like Brian does on some of those recordings.  Although I think the main problem is he's mixed too loud, even more than any processing. At least if his mic was turned down all the flaws would be less obvious.

His brother had to fight to get control of his treatment and weaned him off the heavy medications he was given for his schizoaffective illness.  

I think that's actually precisely backwards...His brother was fighting to get him away from their mother, who was preventing him from seeing any doctors or being medicated in any way.  It's generally thought that his return to music has a lot to do with his getting back into medical and psychiatric treatment and getting on to a medication regime that works for him.

Roky's institutionalization in the 70s may have messed him up pretty badly as well, but it was also somewhat seperate from what he was going through later in life with his mom.

There is a follow-up story in the DVD in which Roky's brother Sumner said he no longer believed in the concept of mental illness or psychiatry.  He had Roky taken off of medications (that was elaborated on in some interviews that were given around the time of the DVD release).  When the brother first got a conservatorship of Roky, he brought him in for medical care, including getting him on medications.  After living with Roky for a couple of years, he decided Roky would be better off without the meds.  I'm not sure what made him change his mind, whether it was the side effects outweighing the benefits of the meds or maybe Sumner got into some religion like Scientology.  In any case, Sumner also had himself removed as conservator, after Roky stopped taking medications, learned to drive again, and began living independently.

I'd recommend the documentary on Roky Erickson of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators for people interested in Brian's saga, because Roky's life was somewhat similar, though Roky had far less money (which was both a bad and good thing).  Roky had similar problems to Brian (mental illness and drug use), though I think his were at least somewhat worse.  Roky also spent time in state mental hospitals where he was medicated heavily.  His brother had to fight to get control of his treatment and weaned him off the heavy medications he was given for his schizoaffective illness.  Roky actually improved when he got off the medications.  Age is also a factor, because in many cases, people with those types of problems get better over the years naturally.  Roky now tours when for years he was not doing anything.  He's still eccentric but seems to be doing okay now.