Montclair, NJ Brian show

[Andrew G. Doe]

Think you're all overreacting a bit.

This is Brian's first tour in a year, I would think he needs a little time to get into the motions

Good call -  he has taken a while to warm up in the past -  by the time her reaches the UK in September he should be at his usual peak!

My impression is there's a bigger underlying problem, not just ring-rustiness.

[Rob Dean]

I'm with you AGD , just maybe with all the scenario of SMiLE release and The BB's reunion all happening at once is just too much for Brian to comprehend 

[The Shift]

I'm with you AGD , just maybe with all the scenario of SMiLE release and The BB's reunion all happening at once is just too much for Brian to comprehend 

Hmm… I know we take a more realistic view than the Blooies but maybe that's going a bit then other way too far.  I suspect he's a bit more ambivalent towards the SMiLE stuff these days; any reunion, on the other hand I could see him being a bit cautious about.

If Andrew's right, I'd suspect it's more to, simply, with age.  We all get there…

[Wirestone]

Andrew -- FWIW, my impressions are very similar to yours. It started with some of the Gershwin promotion last year, but has really hit recently, simply because I think he's less enthusiastic about promoting this tour than he was the album.

He's an old man. He looks and sounds old. He seems tired, and from the inside out, not the outside in (if that makes any sense). He doesn't even seem particularly crazy anymore, just doddering.

And that's okay. He is 68 years old -- soon to be 69 -- and if you're that old when age catches up to you, it seems like you're pretty lucky to me.

My hope would be that he can still function in the studio, if he wants, and that he derives some happiness from touring, again if that's what he wants. But it's telling, isn't it, that he says he's considering retirement from the road not because he's scared of it, or paranoid about it, but simply because he's old.

It's funny -- I used to think he would have Audree-style longevity, but now I wonder if his constitution is actually more like Murry's, and that medical science has just been very good for him.

[BJL]

Good call -  he has taken a while to warm up in the past -  by the time her reaches the UK in September he should be at his usual peak!

My impression is there's a bigger underlying problem, not just ring-rustiness.

I saw the New York show last night and thought he was in great form, and he definitely seemed to be enjoying himself during both sets.  Of course, it helped that I was sitting about ten feet away from him (it was a very small venue, a club more than a concert hall, and worth every penny to be so close to a band that good.)  He was very talkative, introducing more than half the songs, dancing (or I guess gesturing, but with Brian...), interacting with the band.  He introduced "Girl Don't Tell Me" as the "the only song he'd ever written entirely in his head, with no piano or guitar or anything," which I thought was cool, but he introduced and commented on a lot of the songs, really.  Before Dance, Dance, Dance he invited everyone to stand up and dance, then added that "well, the tables might get in the way.  You know what, stand up, sit down, we don't care!"  He led the audience through what certainly sounded like a spontaneous version of "row row row your boat," although I understand that that's been a part of the set in the past, ending with a hilarious quip along the lines of "I did that just for all of you."  And even though there were some vocal flubs here and there, he definitely sounded "on" vocally, at least to my ears.  Please Let Me Wonder and God Only Knows both sounded incredibly sweet for Brian's current voice, and he seemed to actually be enjoying singing.  There were no surprises in the hit set list, but Heroes and Villains sounded incredible.  I do wish there were more late-period songs, but given that Brian actually seemed to be enjoying singing the early hits, I didn't mind.  (granted, he still seemed to zone out occasionally, but this is Brian, after all.)  The Gershwin set was incredible.  To me, he actually seemed less like he was having fun, but definitely more focused, and the vocals were spot on all night, with the exception of "The Like in I love you" where he seemed to struggle with the vocal.  But starting with Summertime, he was just incredible.  Of course I wanted to strangle the old man sitting in front of me, who (besides spending half the night texting on his cell phone) gave a thumbs down and shouted for "help me rhonda" and "surfin safari" between songs.  Literally.  Wanted to strangle him.  But even a crotchety old man (at one point he yelled for "Sidewalk Surfin."  He was clearly embarrassing his wife.) couldn't bring the night down.  It Aint Necessarily So was another highlight for me, including Brian's somewhat rambling introduction about how "far out" the words were (he really doesn't like the words...it was almost like he was apologizing for them).  Finally, the encore was far more fun than I expected, mainly because the band seemed to be enjoying it so much.  Brian looked pretty tired by that point (and I can't blame him, he'd been playing for like two hours by then), but I swear that at one point Darian and I think Probyn snuck up behind Scott while he was playing a keyboard solo, and did a weird tambourine dance in his ears to mess with him.  Speaking of piano solos, I'm 90 percent sure that Brian played one on his piano, during Help Me Rhonda.  And then Scott was doing everything in slow motion.  It was pretty funny, but it was also just totally infectious that the band seemed to be having such a great time!  That said, Brian did seem to escape the stage as fast as possible after each set (or I should say, just before the end of each set.)  Also, no Love and Mercy, which was very surprising, at least to me.  Unless we missed a last encore...we did leave pretty quickly, but being as the house had turned the lights up and started playing music through the PA, I highly doubt there was any more to come.  Does he not do Love and Mercy at the end anymore?  

Over, it was far and away the most engaged I've ever seen Brian.  He was talkative, energetic, and he sang great on the hits and the Gershwin material.  And did I mention that I was sitting ten feet away from the stage?  It was a great night all around.  

[Shady]

Great, great review.

At last some good news from this tour

[Amy B.]

Over, it was far and away the most engaged I've ever seen Brian.  He was talkative, energetic, and he sang great on the hits and the Gershwin material.  And did I mention that I was sitting ten feet away from the stage?  It was a great night all around.  

Good to hear this. It sounds like the way Brian was when I saw him in 2009. Yes, he does still finish with Love and Mercy, and I'm always surprised at the number of people who leave and don't seem to realize there will be one more song. I always chalk it up to people who haven't seen him live before.   

Did he make the joke about the front row: "There are people looking at me right here in the front. What should I do?" He did that in Montclair. He also did the How Loud Can You Yell, which I assume was on his teleprompter, along with the "just for you" joke. And before the Gershwin set, he told the story about how the family had called him and asked him to finish some songs.

[paterno4ever]

I was at the show on Thursday night and I must say he did have his share of rough spots. He seemed completely disengaged from the music and the crowd and even his band wasn't as vibrant as they were on the Fall '09 tour.

However, compared to when I saw Brian and band in Fall '09 (November - F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA), the crowd was definitely more energentic and responsive when compared to that show. Granted, there were many people who were walking out early during the Gershwin set or right after set one, but those who stayed really gave off a positive energy. I was sitting next to a section that was completely empty and the three rows behind the row I sat in were empty save for a few people.

[SG7]

I was at the NJ show and can say it was not one of his better ones. The Gershwin set was great but everything else was sort of rough. Not the same band I saw in 09. What happened?

[Andrew G. Doe]

I was at the NJ show and can say it was not one of his better ones. The Gershwin set was great but everything else was sort of rough. Not the same band I saw in 09. What happened?

Maybe Brian's tank's run dry.

[Pretty Funky]

It is ironic that his 60s breakdown was in part caused by the grind of the road and yet almost 50 years later he is still out doing it. He doesn't need the money, and more likely this tour is costing him.

I would have gone for a one-off Gerswhin show a year ago in NY. This current tour fits neither the Beach Boys or the Gerswhin fans IMO.

[The Shift]

I was at the NJ show and can say it was not one of his better ones. The Gershwin set was great but everything else was sort of rough. Not the same band I saw in 09. What happened?

Maybe Brian's tank's run dry.

Nah, he's just saving himself for Manchester in September!   

[runnersdialzero]

d00d seemingly hasn't been into the idea of touring overall for decades, if ever. I mean yeah, he seems to enjoy parts of it from time to time, but it's apparent that a lot of this sh*t is other people's doing. I'm glad he's being kept busy as I'm sure it keeps his demons at bay to some extent, but he's nearing 70 (happy birthday!) and seems to enjoy writing and recording a whole lot more than touring, especially to the extent he still does. Give 'im a break.

I'll take a 60 minute "Shortenin' Bread" over the guy proclaiming outright that he dislike a song before playing it, looking at his watch throughout (as hilarious as both of those are). Let Brian Wilson play what Brian Wilson wants to, and for God's sake, let Brian Wilson *sing* at Brian Wilson shows. Not Jeff Foskett.

[pixletwin]

Seeing Brian in interviews he seems to have (for lack of a better word) aged in the last year. I really wouldn't be surprised if this was his last tour. If true I hope they let him rest and relax because I am not sure he gets to do either when he is on tour.

[SG7]

All I know is that we were not impressed in what we saw. I found it almost hilarious that my mom was enjoying the show more and I dragged her to the show 

[Micha]

"Brian Wilson Reimagines Phil Spector".

Yeah, he should end his carreer with a bang.