Brian at Lexington Kentucky Opera House - 8/2/11

[Mark H.]

Just got in from the Lexington show and I have to say I'm jazzed.  I last saw Brian on the SMiLE tour in 2004 and I'm impressed with the fact that his voice sounds so much better to me.  He's demonstrating a really nice ability to sing with more finesse than I saw previously - in 2004 there was a tendency to "shout" his way through some songs.  Towards the end of the show he was clearly becoming fatigued but he appeared to be having a good time - the goofy hand thing seems less obvious as well.  Brian also had his keyboard up a bit in the mix as it was clearly audible on some songs.

The Lexington Opera House is a small intimate venue with sublime acoustics - the band sounded utterly stunning with a great mix.  I sat near the front directly facing Jeff and he was in top form as well.  Missed Taylor as well.

The show was mostly early hits with 3 or 4 Gershwin tunes after the intermission.  Scott Bennett sang Sail on Sailer which was a highlight as Jeff played all the subtle guitar licks you hear in the original recording.  The song that choked me up was Add Some Music - brilliant.  I teared up at this point - very poignant moment for me given that I became a life long fan of Brian and the BBs when I first obtained a copy of Sunflower in the early 70s.  Least favorite song of the night - You're So Good to Me - just sounded off and it's not a favorite of mine anyway.

As I sat there I was stunned by the fact that I was sitting 10 feet away watching a guy play the songs of his life that had so altered mine over the years.  Walking out I felt like I'd found "religion" all over again.