re that youtube clip: too many fills (see Kowalski, Mike).  Just play the song, man.

Watching some of these recent videos, Scott is singing lead on some like Let Him Run Wild and The Warmth of the Sun.  I wonder if they are starting to divide the falsettos now?  3 very strong falsettos in the band now. 

Here is Al playing the lead on the opening to Fun Fun Fun : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en1O0Ip3SUk

Quick sidebar re: Springsteen and his long appreciation of BB music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXckY2qzdUU

Please post updates when Southern California shows pop up!

Also by 1965-66 it became pretty clear that Carl was at least as good at it as Brian was.

Are you sure Carl was? He rarely sang falsetto, especially during the live shows of this time in which Al or Bruce covered the Brian parts.  Sidenote, Al did a hell of a job.

It is not a good mix, I agree.

Thank you! This is incredibly insightful and wonderful material.  I cannot fathom the hours it took to put together.

This is exciting for Mike and his band.  I will certainly go see them this summer and also hope "Ike" handles more falsettos while Jeff can drop down and sing some of Carl and Al's parts.  Also excited that Matt J is in BW band.

Maybe Mike is unhappy he sounds like a robot on the C50 live album?

Ha. Semantics. Her people did the strong-arming. One would assume it was on her behalf.

First Brainiest and now this-- I can't wait to hear this band live again with a decent mix!

The Lana song was recorded but didn't make it on album due to her people strong-arming.

Great review, Justin.  I echo your thoughts (and I might have even been the guy behind you commenting after The Punch Brothers!).  I hope someone posts a video of Ann Wilson.

Thanks to all posting video of this.  I was there last night.  For me the performances ranged from absolutely magical (The Punch Brothers) to feeling like I was listening to bad karaoke (too many to name).  Very hit or miss, but the ones that hit were incredible.  Ann Wilson singing "The Warmth of the Sun" is something to be heard.

I've seen a lot of shows at The Fonda and this was by far the worst sounding.  The FOH mixer was asleep at the wheel for most of the show.

When Brian tours next year with this album, do you think band members might take over singing leads on the new songs that feature Nate Ruess and Sebu on the album version? I'd like to see that.

Saturday Night on Hollywood Blvd. has been stuck in my head since Friday night.  Very catchy hook.

I'll try to put up more of this show when I get home later.

Blondie sang lead on Sailor and was fantastic.  I believe Probyn took the lead guitar stuff on Marcella.  Probyn was really playing great. I do miss those BW shows when Scott would come to front and shred Marcella.  There is more on the show in the general forum here.  Some others are posting.  I really hope the TV special is long enough to highlight so many great performances.

I wasn't sitting close so it was tough to tell-- it did seem like Brian was a little disengaged at times, but I chalked that up to him not having to sing as many leads as usual.  When he did sing, he sounded as good as I've heard him live.

Oh that makes sense as they seemed a little familiar.  I was not a fan of that album-- only listened to it once.  After enjoying those songs last night, perhaps I should revisit.

My thoughts from show:

.
12/12/14 Brian Wilson and Friends at Venetian Theater, Las Vegas, NV

Cool venue. Crowd was slow to get in- started a couple min late. Taping for pbs special to air in 2015. Hopefully somewhere full show will be available and not just a version edited down to an hour. All inbound flights to Vegas we delayed today so I hustled from airport and made it just in time for show. The other BW fans around me had similar experiences. I tried to note as much as possible that I thought other fans would appreciate, but as show went on it became clear this was a once in a lifetime show and became harder to remember to jot stuff down. Some of below is from what I noted during show, other from memory this morning. Bottom line: a great show that was clearly a one-off. So happy to have had the opportunity to see the live and am thrilled those who weren't there will get to see it on tv.

General details/ thoughts:  no break and no encore. Maybe this is due to the taping aspect. A few songs were done twice. Brian didn't sing nearly as many leads as usual, but when he did he sounded as good as I've heard him live. It was really cool to hear others singing a lot of the songs I'm used to Brian singing live. He seemed to really like watching the others bring the songs to life.

I thought I'd finally get to hear Little Saint Nick live as it is mid-December. Sadly, I didn't. But I'm not complaining because I got to hear Brian, the band and the special guests all rip through a unique and ambitious set list. It was a treat.

Al was front and center for a lot of the show, except when the guests we singing lead. Brian was to Al's right on the white piano and darian and Scott keys stations were set up to Al's left. This is second show I've seen with Brian Eichelberger in the group and I gotta say he is my favorite of the "falsettlers." His voice is so great on top of the rest of the group. I love the blend they all have together and he sounds to my ears the absolute closest to what Brian sounded like on the records. Blondie, Ricky, Billy and Matt Jardine were in an out throughout playing and/or singing on various songs. Matt seemed to be there for all the stuff from Brian's new album and some others, Blondie and Ricky mostly on the 70s stuff and at the end, and Billy whenever he wanted.

Ok on to the set list.

Our Prayer (beautiful-Brian E sounding just like BW in the 60s) into

Heroes- BW with a fantastic lead. The best I've heard him sing this. Ever.  By this point, I knew this was going to be an amazing show. Brian was "on" vocally. And then they do the cantina section! Woohoo!

Sloop John B- Brian lead first verse, Al comes in with harmony "hoist up the john b sails" and it's sounding like 1966 all over again. I really hope they release this whole show as a live album as well. Both guys are just locked in. Al takes lead on the Mike and Carl verses and sings them great.

Dance dance dance- band in great form and really shines. Brian E soaring falsetto and rhythm section drives energy level way up here.

Then I Kissed Her- Al sounded just like the record. Dude is amazing.

She Knows Me So Well- Brian E sounded so much like a young BW here, especially on the line "I really love her." Wow.

Good Vibes- BW clap on breakdown then adamant "stop clapping!" Before crescendo ahhh. Was funny.

This Beautiful Day-  off new album. slow short number. Mark Isham comes out and plays on this.

This Beautiful Day second take- "life goes on and on like your fav song, what we feel inside on this, wayward ride , if we could glide away we would, only stay, we could hold on to this feeling and this beautiful day" sublime vocal group tag at end.

Runaway Dancer/Talk of the town? - Song from new album with Sebu from Capital Cities and Mark Isham "we can't let go and there's something in the air tonight..."- dance song with a disco feel.

Don't worry baby- Sebu on leads, arrangement was very different could it be on new album? Weird to have Sebu singing lead on this with Brian E and Matt Jardine on background vocals but he did a great job.

Al intros Blondie, Ricky and Billy Hinsche "core beach boy touring band from the 70s."

Marcella -just rocked. Brian W lead. Ricky on drums. 

Wild honey with Blondie lead. Killer vocal.

Sailor - maybe the best version I've ever heard. Worth noting how much Probyn was shredding at this show. Nick was great on his solos as well. Blondie some licks at end.

Sloop type song from new album- Blondie leads then Al on chorus "sail away with me" Brian leads on second verse- cool key change on final chorus "imagine how our our life could be if you could sail away with me" "oh ohhhh oh" sing along part at end.

Don't talk- isham instead of vocals beautiful

Half moon bay- inst from new record stopped mid through isham

Half moon bay take two isham- instrumental

Al brings Matt j back out to "support his old man --we need all the help we can get"

The Right Time- new album- "whatever happened to me and you"- "right, could it be the right, could it be the right time for thinkin it over for getting to know her"- Al on lead

California saga- al in fine voice. Cool breakdown in middle with drums, harp and vocals before final verse.

Wouldn't it be nice- in key of E- al lead not doubled by Brian E. Al on his own just murdered it. As good as he's ever sounded singing this. Great background vocals from band.  Al "thanks Brian for writing that great song"

Rhonda- loose and fun- dancing guitar hook, sax, bouncing bass, al having lots of fun leading group. Last get her out of my heart Brian comes in strong with a harmony with al. Big finish.

Nate Ruess from fun comes out. "What a great evening this is." Song from new album-  "You got me thinking bout all the people that helped me come out from within" chorus "Saturday night on Hollywood blvd...just where I want to be spending my time here with you." Brian sings bridge.

Hold On Dear Brother- Ricky Blondie back out. Nate sings lead. Another from from Carl and the passions! Soaring powerful vocals. Felt like he could've filled room without using a mic.

Darlin'- Nate "I know this one" Murdered it. After song calls out band for being unbelievable. Carl Wilson is smiling real big right about now.

God Only Knows- Nate on lead, Brian sings Bruce part at end softly and beautifully. Brian E sounds great at top.

Pacific Coast Highway- from new album- starts with a four freshman type vocal tag, slow ballad Brian lead "sometimes I realize days are gettin on" Brian singing falsetto here! Short sad ends with "goodbye"

Summer's Gone- slow ballad - BW lead vocals. Some keys in there remind me of Wonderful -instrumental break in middle, nice falsetto stuff in here from Brian E and almost atmospheric background vocals from band.

Cal Girls- really brought house down. Brian on lead here. Singing well. Darian and Co locked in and up in the mix. Add in authenticity of Jardine and man it sounds lush. Probyn singing the Bruce echo superb. Loves hearing the backgrounds hotter in the mix. 

All Summer Long - also lush and awesome. Brian W lead.

Barbara Ann-Sebu back out. Hinsche. Matt j. Good lead by Brian E but missed opportunity to have Matt j double him like Brian and Dean Torrance on original record. Loose Solo breakdowns Paul, probyn? (Someone on lead guitar) , billy piano.

Surfin usa- cool surf guitar from Nicky here. Brian missed first line but sang Great lead. Organ solo by billy. Was cool to see Darian and Scott let billy do his thing.

Fun fun fun- al doubling probyn lead gtr to open. Brian good lead.


No encore.

Played for 2 hours. Only real complaint is that the show wasn't 5 more hours!

.
12/12/14 Brian Wilson and Friends at Venetian Theater, Las Vegas, NV

Cool venue. Crowd was slow to get in- started a couple min late. Taping for pbs special to air in 2015. Hopefully somewhere full show will be available and not just a version edited down to an hour. All inbound flights to Vegas we delayed today so I hustled from airport and made it just in time for show. The other BW fans around me had similar experiences. I tried to note as much as possible that I thought other fans would appreciate, but as show went on it became clear this was a once in a lifetime show and became harder to remember to jot stuff down. Some of below is from what I noted during show, other from memory this morning. Bottom line: a great show that was clearly a one-off. So happy to have had the opportunity to see the live and am thrilled those who weren't there will get to see it on tv.

General details/ thoughts:  no break and no encore. Maybe this is due to the taping aspect. A few songs were done twice. Brian didn't sing nearly as many leads as usual, but when he did he sounded as good as I've heard him live. It was really cool to hear others singing a lot of the songs I'm used to Brian singing live. He seemed to really like watching the others bring the songs to life.

I thought I'd finally get to hear Little Saint Nick live as it is mid-December. Sadly, I didn't. But I'm not complaining because I got to hear Brian, the band and the special guests all rip through a unique and ambitious set list. It was a treat.

Al was front and center for a lot of the show, except when the guests we singing lead. Brian was to Al's right on the white piano and darian and Scott keys stations were set up to Al's left. This is second show I've seen with Brian Eichelberger in the group and I gotta say he is my favorite of the "falsettlers." His voice is so great on top of the rest of the group. I love the blend they all have together and he sounds to my ears the absolute closest to what Brian sounded like on the records. Blondie, Ricky, Billy and Matt Jardine were in an out throughout playing and/or singing on various songs. Matt seemed to be there for all the stuff from Brian's new album and some others, Blondie and Ricky mostly on the 70s stuff and at the end, and Billy whenever he wanted.

Ok on to the set list.

Our Prayer (beautiful-Brian E sounding just like BW in the 60s) into

Heroes- BW with a fantastic lead. The best I've heard him sing this. Ever.  By this point, I knew this was going to be an amazing show. Brian was "on" vocally. And then they do the cantina section! Woohoo!

Sloop John B- Brian lead first verse, Al comes in with harmony "hoist up the john b sails" and it's sounding like 1966 all over again. I really hope they release this whole show as a live album as well. Both guys are just locked in. Al takes lead on the Mike and Carl verses and sings them great.

Dance dance dance- band in great form and really shines. Brian E soaring falsetto and rhythm section drives energy level way up here.

Then I Kissed Her- Al sounded just like the record. Dude is amazing.

She Knows Me So Well- Brian E sounded so much like a young BW here, especially on the line "I really love her." Wow.

Good Vibes- BW clap on breakdown then adamant "stop clapping!" Before crescendo ahhh. Was funny.

This Beautiful Day-  off new album. slow short number. Mark Isham comes out and plays on this.

This Beautiful Day second take- "life goes on and on like your fav song, what we feel inside on this, wayward ride , if we could glide away we would, only stay, we could hold on to this feeling and this beautiful day" sublime vocal group tag at end.

Runaway Dancer/Talk of the town? - Song from new album with Sebu from Capital Cities and Mark Isham "we can't let go and there's something in the air tonight..."- dance song with a disco feel.

Don't worry baby- Sebu on leads, arrangement was very different could it be on new album? Weird to have Sebu singing lead on this with Brian E and Matt Jardine on background vocals but he did a great job.

Al intros Blondie, Ricky and Billy Hinsche "core beach boy touring band from the 70s."

Marcella -just rocked. Brian W lead. Ricky on drums. 

Wild honey with Blondie lead. Killer vocal.

Sailor - maybe the best version I've ever heard. Worth noting how much Probyn was shredding at this show. Nick was great on his solos as well. Blondie some licks at end.

Sloop type song from new album- Blondie leads then Al on chorus "sail away with me" Brian leads on second verse- cool key change on final chorus "imagine how our our life could be if you could sail away with me" "oh ohhhh oh" sing along part at end.

Don't talk- isham instead of vocals beautiful

Half moon bay- inst from new record stopped mid through isham

Half moon bay take two isham- instrumental

Al brings Matt j back out to "support his old man --we need all the help we can get"

The Right Time- new album- "whatever happened to me and you"- "right, could it be the right, could it be the right time for thinkin it over for getting to know her"- Al on lead

California saga- al in fine voice. Cool breakdown in middle with drums, harp and vocals before final verse.

Wouldn't it be nice- in key of E- al lead not doubled by Brian E. Al on his own just murdered it. As good as he's ever sounded singing this. Great background vocals from band.  Al "thanks Brian for writing that great song"

Rhonda- loose and fun- dancing guitar hook, sax, bouncing bass, al having lots of fun leading group. Last get her out of my heart Brian comes in strong with a harmony with al. Big finish.

Nate Ruess from fun comes out. "What a great evening this is." Song from new album-  "You got me thinking bout all the people that helped me come out from within" chorus "Saturday night on Hollywood blvd...just where I want to be spending my time here with you." Brian sings bridge.

Hold On Dear Brother- Ricky Blondie back out. Nate sings lead. Another from from Carl and the passions! Soaring powerful vocals. Felt like he could've filled room without using a mic.

Darlin'- Nate "I know this one" Murdered it. After song calls out band for being unbelievable. Carl Wilson is smiling real big right about now.

God Only Knows- Nate on lead, Brian sings Bruce part at end softly and beautifully. Brian E sounds great at top.

Pacific Coast Highway- from new album- starts with a four freshman type vocal tag, slow ballad Brian lead "sometimes I realize days are gettin on" Brian singing falsetto here! Short sad ends with "goodbye"

Summer's Gone- slow ballad - BW lead vocals. Some keys in there remind me of Wonderful -instrumental break in middle, nice falsetto stuff in here from Brian E and almost atmospheric background vocals from band.

Cal Girls- really brought house down. Brian on lead here. Singing well. Darian and Co locked in and up in the mix. Add in authenticity of Jardine and man it sounds lush. Probyn singing the Bruce echo superb. Loves hearing the backgrounds hotter in the mix. 

All Summer Long - also lush and awesome. Brian W lead.

Barbara Ann-Sebu back out. Hinsche. Matt j. Good lead by Brian E but missed opportunity to have Matt j double him like Brian and Dean Torrance on original record. Loose Solo breakdowns Paul, probyn? (Someone on lead guitar) , billy piano.

Surfin usa- cool surf guitar from Nicky here. Brian missed first line but sang Great lead. Organ solo by billy. Was cool to see Darian and Scott let billy do his thing.

Fun fun fun- al doubling probyn lead gtr to open. Brian good lead.


No encore.

Played for 2 hours. Only real complaint is that the show wasn't 5 more hours!

Who is singing the falsetto here?  Doesn't sound like Jeff to me, but I could be wrong.

Since we are talking about stage attire, when Al surprised everyone and played with Brian @ UCLA in 2006, he stepped out wearing the same or a similar suit to what he was wearing @ Knebworth, which was super cool.

Maybe there should be a separate thread talking about when a musician wears a hat with the name of his own band on it during that band's shows...