Show 4: Chastain Park -Atlanta, GA 4/28/12 (SETLIST/PICS/REVIEWS)

[guitarfool2002]

Not to be harsh but instead of banning recording devices and cameras they should announce "NO SINGING ALONG!".

I have this same opinion, but I feel like such a hypocrite because I like to sing at concerts myself. The only time I don't like people singing is when a) they're behind me and their mouth is ever so conveniently RIGHT by my ear  and b) when it's on a live YouTube video/etc.

It could be said that the fans paid for the tickets to see and hear the band and not the audience members. I find it better to not sing along, after losing or shredding my voice at a few venues. It wasn't worth the sore throat to sing along.

[Awesoman]

Well this isn't the opera, folks; it's a rock concert.  People are going to sing along.  I get annoyed by it myself sometimes, but I counter it by singing along myself.  :-)

[bossaroo]

Just getting around to posting. What a night... I was blown away by the performance, the emotions, and the LOVE.

Nothing could have spoiled the show for me. I didn't read any setlists or reviews beforehand, I wanted to be pleasantly surprised by whatever they chose to play... and I was. Brian and the whole gang were in great spirits and Brian sang as good as I've ever heard him and I've been seeing him regularly since '99.

I have to say I didn't notice any autotuning at all. Brian (and everyone else) still hit a few bum notes, but their delivery was energetic and impassioned. It was my first time hearing a lot of classic tunes like Catch A Wave, Wendy, and several others. Other high points for me were All This Is That, Disney Girls, and TWGMTR. I love the new single. My 18-yr old son came along and that was his favorite song of the night. He was really impressed.

Heroes and Villains was a highlight as well, especially during the "my children were raised..." line. Jeff made a point to step away from the microphone and the Boys just took it away. They nailed it.

I do wish they had performed at least one other SMiLE tune and of course some deeper cuts would have been just fine with me. I didn't know they had performed "This Whole World" until today, and I'm glad I didn't. I would have been really bummed if I was expecting it and they didn't do it. The setlist really focused on pre-Pet Sounds which is a shame. It also relied too heavily on cover tunes in my opinion. It's a tough call because I think Brian really gets jazzed doing those old covers, moreso than playing his own stuff... but I would personally take a Wilson tune any day over: Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Then I Kissed Her, Cotton Fields, CA Dreaming, Rock'n'Roll Music, Do You Wanna Dance and Barbara Ann of course.

I am very glad that Al was featured somewhat heavily though, even if his leads were mostly covers. That man has such a great voice. I am literally in awe of how f*cking good he still sounds. Easily the best on that stage.

It's ironic that they dug into the 70s for obscure Bruce Al and Mike material, but the only Brian tune from the 70s is Sail On Sailor. Is it really necessary to include Be True To Your School and all the classic car songs this time around? As it turns out, the most obscure Brian tune played was probably The Little Girl I Once Knew. One of my absolute favorites, but they were really just scratching the surface.

Why not showcase SMiLE a bit more, and why aren't the SMiLE Sessions available at the merch booth? Now is as good a time as any to show the world that The Beach Boys are about way more than surfing, cars, and girls. Brian's setlists have been really ambitious over the past decade or so. His band knows some deep cuts. Why not add a few to the mix? Please the hardcore fans while turning the casual fans on to some lesser-known things.

I really hope the setlist will go through some metamorphosis over the course of the tour. I'd love to see them at least try some other things because it's now or never really...

I'm not complaining. I am grateful that I got to see the Boys perform together after all these years. I had great seats, great companions, perfect weather, and heard some of the sweetest harmonies and musicianship I've ever witnessed. I am extremely grateful that these guys are still around and are out there kicking butt again on a nightly basis. God Bless the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson and thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. Brian's music and all their voices are nothing short of a miracle in my book.

[guitarfool2002]

What a great review, thanks for posting that! It put a smile on my face for sure, a needed smile. I hope to catch them and have a similar experience when they reach the Northeast.

[STE]

That's Why God Made The Radio
http://youtu.be/HXofxmFXdq8
(listen how Brian sings the word "star")


All This Is That
http://youtu.be/OKF9Kj_bByY


EDIT: sorry, Sean had already posted these (his own videos!)

[Justin]

Good quality, really close to stage:

Forever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-xx3_bvkTM&feature=channel&list=UL

Little Deuce Coupe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHBmfYjhob4&feature=relmfu

I Get Around
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-shpijjjp4&feature=related

[Runaways]

Brian tried for the falsetto on good vibrations and wasn't close   he'll never try it again this tour.

[the professor]

TWGMTR sounds great in all respects except the falsetto, which sounds really off.  Off that's Jeff I. Hope he hears that this part of the arrangement is not working. Would sound terrible on Leno. Any thoughts or analysis?

[RockabillyNBlues]

Wanted to get a review in from The Beach Boys in Atlanta last weekend!  http://rockabillynblues.blogspot.com/2012/05/concert-review-beach-boys-atlanta-4-28.html

[dumbangel76]

Great review!! I am going to be taking my 8 year old daughter and 10 year old son and wife! My kids are all about the Boys right now and we work out their parts when we are driving in the car!

[Magic City Surfer]

I was at this show and wanted to add my comments on it. 

First, it was just incredible to see Mike and Brian on the same stage for, me personally, the first time.  I had last seen the M&B show in 1999 and had seen Brian three times since then. But there is something magical about hearing the group together.

I can confirm the set list that's been reported here and I likewise am disappointed at no This Whole World.  I'm also dismayed that the crowd showed little recognition for things like Please Let Me Wonder, but went nuts over Kokomo.

DAVID MARKS!  Wow! I was so impressed with his playing. He really brings a nice edge and energy to numbers that Brian's tours were missing. With him, there's actually a Beach Boy capable of ripping off an awesome guitar solo.

Bruce: sounded terrible. I don't know if he was sick, something was wrong or if this is the best we can expect these days. His croaked, raspy delivery of Disney Girls was cringe-inducing. As was his lead on "Wendy".

Speaking of "Wendy": I had been corresponding with Probyn in the days leading up to the show. I made mention that if they do Wendy someone should cough during the bridge as a nod to the fans that know about the cough on the record. Well, he had never known about the cough. Once he heard it, he promised he would cough during the song! I listened intently for it but never heard it. After the show, he came to the edge of the stage to talk to me and he said he did indeed do it and that it would be the only time on the tour he did it. He concluded his mic must not have been very loud in the mix.  I've been scouring YouTube for videos of this performance taken close enough to the stage to pick up the monitor mix because apparently Probyn heard himself cough.

Speaking of Probyn: I can't imagine a nicer guy. He seems very genuine and humble.

Al: I'd say his voice has been the least affected over time. He sounds great.

Brian: With images of Knebworth in my head, I was afraid he'd check out during the whole show. And while he clearly checked out at times, he was a vital contributor to the show, unlike Knebworth. His strongest vocal was probably on California Dreamin, his most animated performance was probably Sloop John B and he came through nicely on Please Let Me Wonder and Heroes & Villains.

Brian was singing lead on You're So Good To Me and in the middle of the second verse he just blanks out. Just stops singing, blank expression. Al stepped up and finished the verse. It happens around the 1:02 mark of this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i4g2F5f2QM&feature=channel&list=UL

The Dennis and Carl tributes were particularly moving. I was surprised at how effective they were. "Know I'm gone away...but not forever" struck me with an added poignancy. And to hear Bruce come in as the second voice on God Only Knows trading lines with Carl gave me goosebumps.

I was surprised at how strongly the crowd reacted to Wouldn't It Be Nice. I didn't know that song had such an appeal with the general (Kokomo-loving) public.  Rhonda, Surfin USA, Barbara Ann and GV I get, but I was surprised at WIBN.

TWGMTR sounded awesome to me.

Cowsill rocked it all night long.

Foskett's falsetto is starting to not sound great. I heard him in Brian's show last August and it sounded fine to me then. But at this show...yikes. Maybe it's time to bring in Matt Jardine.

Someone jumped the gun and gave a false start on Little Girl I Once Knew. You can hear it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i4g2F5f2QM&feature=channel&list=UL

Of the deeper cuts (of which there were not many), All This Is That was the most surprising. Can't believe I just heard that one live. When's the last time it was a regular part of a tour's setlist? The early 70s?  It sounded great, too.  Who was singing Carl's parts here? I thought it might have been Totten, but I also thought I saw Foskett. My seats weren't great and it was hard for me to tell.

Overall, despite dropped lines, creaky voices and creaky movements, I thought the show was incredible. To see these guys on stage together, with each one making a significant contribution, sounding as good as they do... I was impressed with the historical significance of it all. I was born in 71 and didn't see my first show until 85. To think I've had the opportunity to see this show is outdone only by catching the BWPS tour in 04, another event I never thought would happen.

Final thought:  MAN, I miss Carl and Dennis!

[Emdeeh]

All This Is That was the most surprising. Can't believe I just heard that one live. When's the last time it was a regular part of a tour's setlist? The early 70s? 

The last time I heard the BBs perform "All This Is That" was in 1994, at Chastain. They were still doing a mini-set from their unplugged show the year before, which also included "Add Some Music" and "Caroline, No." Carl played keyboards for these songs.

I was very happy to hear them tackle ATIT again this year -- beautiful song.

[Justin]

Great post, Magic City Surfer!

Very cool Probyn story there.

[AndrewHickey]

Of the deeper cuts (of which there were not many), All This Is That was the most surprising. Can't believe I just heard that one live. When's the last time it was a regular part of a tour's setlist? The early 70s?  It sounded great, too.  Who was singing Carl's parts here? I thought it might have been Totten, but I also thought I saw Foskett. My seats weren't great and it was hard for me to tell.

All This Is That was in the box set tour in 1993/94, and Mike's band did it on the European tours of 2004 and 2008.
Judging from the recordings of this tour, Carl's lower part is being sung by Darian doubled by Brian, while his higher part (the jai guru dev part) is being sung by Scott, who sings it live with Mike's band.

[dcowboys107]

I know it's been a week since this show but I've been busy with finals but I hope this review is of interest.

I went up with my parents since this was the gift that I really wanted.  It was a really nice evening and added to the whole feeling.

The setlist was good. I'm glad they played the surf songs like "Don't Back Down." That's such a sweet song with an awesome beat. The harmonies were spot on I was really blown away with "When I grow up" and just in general their blend was so good. Out of the songs that I think are stage playable I wish they had played "California Saga" honestly. Al was the highlight of the show I think and "Disney Girls" was one of the more touching ones played.   When Al was singing "Rhonda" I closed my eyes and it sounded just like the recorded version and the tv show appearance that you can find on youtube. I cried a good bit on that song. His voice has held up so well and sounds like he's in 1972 still or something.  Also Jeff was great singing the falsetto parts. Didn't sound cheesy at all and complemented the whole blend and his "Don't Worry Baby" was great.  Also Brian sounded really good. Got out of key a bit but hey, no autotune or anything and I didn't mind at all. He sounded great on Sail on and Sloop John B.

Overall a great show. Very emotional especially when they were honoring Dennis and Carl. During I think Carl's, Brian looked over at the screen at Carl's video and pictures.  I cried a lot especially during those parts. Also, Bruce's voice was a bit rasp but his "Disney Girls" was really touching as usual and even though it was a bit of a "struggle" it turned out good and was probably one of the best arranged for the concert.

Brian was a bit stiff as usual but towards the end he loosened up and was snapping his fingers and was "getting into it" and even played bass. Even though I think he was just pretending but whatever. It was a great night and time and will always remember it.   

On a side note, Beach Boys fans are some of the nicest people. I am 40 years younger than most of the people there but all of them would talk to me and my parents and were very friendly. Truly a very good community of people and it was interesting hearing people's stories about having seen them in 1965 and the 70's. I can't imagine seeing them when Brian was still able to sing falsetto and such.  I had some depression a few days after the show; it was emotionally wrenching for me and not hearing Carl or Dennis or whatever. Sometimes during the blend I'd try to hear Carl and sometimes it'd sound like him but others not imitable. For example, during "All this is That" Carl's voice is very distinctive in the background but unable to hear it. So "realizing" that Carl and Dennis were dead was painful. I hope this isn't the last tour for them. I had such a great time.

[Justin]

Nice review, dcowboys107...thanks for sharing!