Beach Boys LIVE 1-hour concert on QVC tonight.

[endofposts]

Why are a few people being so negative about Brian participating in the Beach Boys reunion and how he looks, when he looks exactly the same as he does on his solo tours, both in concert and on TV?  He never looks good on television and barely better when you see him live.  He actually looks more animated than usual.  I made a habit of sitting in the back when I went to his solo shows because I knew I didn't want to see his facial expressions.  The one time I did sit near the front, for the Smile tour, he looked stone-faced with an occasional forced smile thrown in, for the entire show.  

[send me a picture and i'll tell you]

I remember that Letterman show.  Brian was wearing a black hoodie, and seemed to be really drugged up-- clearly out of it, and his singing was really flat, with clipped phrases.  I had forgotten about that show, perhaps because it was rather embarrassing... 

[Mr. Cohen]

He actually looks more animated than usual.

Really? At least at his own shows we get the illusion that his mic is turned on. Here, he's a lone figure banging away pointlessly at his keyboard. When I watch these performances, I find myself just wishing the guy could be happy. We all had high expectations for a BB reunion, seemingly Brian included.  But it's obvious here how much Brian hated touring under the limelight of being a Beach Boy. He was better solo, simply because of the reduced expectations. I honestly wanted to cry during the QVC performance. Take that for what you will.

[endofposts]

He actually looks more animated than usual.

Really? At least at his own shows we get the illusion that his mic is turned on. Here, he's a lone figure banging away pointlessly at his keyboard. When I watch these performances, I find myself just wishing the guy could be happy. We all had high expectations for a BB reunion, seemingly Brian included.  But it's obvious here how much Brian hated touring under the limelight of being a Beach Boy. He was better solo, simply because of the reduced expectations. I honestly wanted to cry during the QVC performance. Take that for what you will.

You really think he sounded bad during "God Only Knows" on QVC?  He did a better job on that than he did on most of his solo gigs. I never got that he conveyed great joy touring as a solo.  I'm not sure he's any happier touring as a Beach Boy, but I truly don't believe he's any unhappier.  The guy is mentally ill and he's medicated.  That has more to do with how he looks than how he feels about touring with Mike Love and Al Jardine again.

[18thofMay]

He actually looks more animated than usual.

Really? At least at his own shows we get the illusion that his mic is turned on. Here, he's a lone figure banging away pointlessly at his keyboard. When I watch these performances, I find myself just wishing the guy could be happy. We all had high expectations for a BB reunion, seemingly Brian included.  But it's obvious here how much Brian hated touring under the limelight of being a Beach Boy. He was better solo, simply because of the reduced expectations. I honestly wanted to cry during the QVC performance. Take that for what you will.

When caught in a rip, don't swim against it, you will tire very quickly and likely drown.

[Mr. Cohen]

He sounds better when his mic is on. I agree with that. Otherwise, I see a man that is sad he's been marginalized. Some of that is his fault - but then again, he's mentally ill. It's a conflicting situation.

[Wirestone]

As I've said, you can judge Brian's interest and engagement simply by the quality of the job he's doing. Clearly he didn't enjoy QVC that much -- but it was freaking QVC. He sounded as good if not better than his solo shows when he took his leads. That's enough for me -- as I'd said, if he truly wanted to just sit in the corner and not contribute, he would do it, and no one could make him do otherwise.

There is a great tendency with Brian to read things into his face that we fear as fans. So when we see him looking impassive, we worry that he's unhappy, being manipulated, tortured, whatever. The fact is, the man hears voices. He has to concentrate to make them go away. That's not always a happy place to be. But he's plowing through it.

[runnersdialzero]

He has what, two leads during the whole performance? And I don't think that's a slight on Brian by the folks in power (for once), you're just dealing with a band with multiple lead vocalists.

If your only role during a 10-ish song set was to do lead for two songs (and the option to play a bit of piano), you were nervous as hades to be on TV and you didn't really have much to do, you might be inclined to just hang back and participate when you feel like it, too. Especially if you were 70 years old.

It's far from his best recent performance, but you'll see plenty of video from actual live performances not in front of a QVC audience where he's very engaged, into it, and participating on most if not all songs. Given what we know about 'im, a few shows like this where he isn't especially into it should be expected, really. I certainly hope he's comfortable up there, but still.

[Mr. Cohen]

The fact is, the man hears voices. He has to concentrate to make them go away. That's not always a happy place to be. But he's plowing through it.

I just remember the Brian that says he doesn't hear voices when he sings.  And I hope that's the case.  I hope he's happy. That's the most important part of this tour, to me. Then again, maybe he wishes fans like me didn't exist. I hope not.

[runnersdialzero]

The fact is, the man hears voices. He has to concentrate to make them go away. That's not always a happy place to be. But he's plowing through it.

I just remember the Brian that says he doesn't hear voices when he sings.  And I hope that's the case.  I hope he's happy. That's the most important part of this tour, to me. Then again, maybe he wishes fans like me didn't exist. I hope not.

^_^ Why would he wish ill upon those who wish he was happy?

[Mr. Cohen]

I don't know. I guess I'm conflicted. Go Brian, go!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I think a good deal of it is back pain. I mean, if he's having trouble walking, it's gotta be pretty bad.

[Mr. Cohen]

Admittedly, I had indulged in libations last night, but I'll still stand by my comments!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I think with Brian it's simply stage fright. He obviously has love for music and being with The Beach Boys but he just isn't comfortable on stage. He's not so uncomfortable that he can't perform, but he's just not comfortable doing so. I don't think much more should be read into it.

QVC is lame but I think it was a good idea for them to do it because what they were really doing is hawking their CD and hawking CDs is a trickier game these days. If they want to sell lots of them, they have to understand there are no more big chain record shops that their older fans can stroll down to at any local mall. They can either order them through Amazon or QVC or they can try and locate the one or two little indie record shops left anywhere remotely close to where they live.... It sucks.

[Doo Dah]

I mean, seriously, try to imagine young, 20 something Brian making all the sad faces he does here. Picture that despondent face at that age - it's heartbreaking. We try to normalize it, but it's so unfortunate. This has sapped my enthusiasm for the comeback. I don't want to be a spectator to this.

I was fortunate to be seated in the first row when he brought the TLOS show to Portland. It was a tiny little theater, and when I say first row I mean jammed right up to the stage. Occasionally Brian would look down in my direction and you could see a resigned sense, a weariness - or a sadness, as you may call it. But then as the TLOS portion of the show came on, he snapped to and was smilin' and jivin' along (only to more or less shut down during the three song ba-ba-ba encore).

I say that only because I've seen the drill before, and while I'm not a psychologist nor play one on tv, I have seen him engage and disengage on stage many times. It's a gig, and more importantly it's a job. And He knows it. And yes, if Melinda pushes him to do these things I say good for her. The alternative does not bring happiness - only lethargy. My two cents...

[Sheriff John Stone]

I saw something last night that really makes we doubt that boredom, disinterest, or "he's just going through the motions" is the only thing(s) confronting Brian. If anyone present last night disagrees, please, I welcome your thoughts.

When the band came out for the encores, during "Kokomo", the first encore, Brian was totally disengaged. He might've sung one or two notes. He sat there, motionless, just following Mike as he was prancing around the stage, with a disturbing look on his (Brian's) face.

Immediately after "Kokomo", a roadie helped Brian strap on the bass. Brian walked out to the front of the stage, and as the band was repeating that famous riff to the beginning of "Barbara Ann", Brian motions to the audience, and starts to yell, "Well let me hear you say 'Yeah'..." And, just as Brian is yelling this, Mike talks over him (unintentionally), and goes into his "Thanks for coming to see the Beach Boys tonight". Brian looked totally confused, and stepped back from the microphone, looking around. Did he think he was at one of his solo concerts, and he was supposed to lead that part? Seriously. And, when they did go into the "Well let me hear you say yeah" part, Brian didn't join in. He barely sang any parts to "Barbara Ann".

Eventually, they got to the closer, "Fun, Fun, Fun". Brain started out dancing that little two-step shuffle, but quickly stopped. Then he sang a line or two backing, and stopped singing completely. He eventually just stood motionless, with just his thumb plucking the one string on the bass. Then he stopped playing.

Brian ended up just standing there, up front, doing nothing. He was staring upward and the lights were flashing and the music was blaring and the crowd was going nuts. All of a sudden, Brian starts walking to the back. It looked like he was trying to walk off the stage, but Jeff kind of cut him off. I could see Jeff half-smiling and shaking his head and saying, "No, it's not over yet". Brian stopped in his tracks, just staring at Jeff, almost waiting for a command. Keep in mind while all of this is going on, the music's blasting and the place is rocking. Then Brian pulls up his shirt to try to pull up his Adidas pants, which were falling beneath his stomach. It was a sad sight, really.... Brian hung around to line up to wave to the crowd, and then he quickly scurried off.

I will never forget the look on his face as he stood in the front of that stage, motionless, staring into what - the crowd, the lights, space? This was not a look of boredom, of disinterest. It was beyond that. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I wanted to just jump up on the stage and take his hand or something. It just made me wonder what was going on in his mind, in his brain. I trust he is OK. I trust his doctors have absolutely cleared him to do this tour. But, God, what demons he must be facing....

[Lowbacca]

That's "just" the old stage fright mixed with everything else he has to go through every day. Demons, yeah. He has his off days, and his off moments. I don't think it's a general thing regarding his involvement with the tour. That is, I hope it's not.

[Amy B.]

I saw something last night that really makes we doubt that boredom, disinterest, or "he's just going through the motions" is the only thing(s) confronting Brian. If anyone present last night disagrees, please, I welcome your thoughts.

When the band came out for the encores, during "Kokomo", the first encore, Brian was totally disengaged. He might've sung one or two notes. He sat there, motionless, just following Mike as he was prancing around the stage, with a disturbing look on his (Brian's) face.

Immediately after "Kokomo", a roadie helped Brian strap on the bass. Brian walked out to the front of the stage, and as the band was repeating that famous riff to the beginning of "Barbara Ann", Brian motions to the audience, and starts to yell, "Well let me hear you say 'Yeah'..." And, just as Brian is yelling this, Mike talks over him (unintentionally), and goes into his "Thanks for coming to see the Beach Boys tonight". Brian looked totally confused, and stepped back from the microphone, looking around. Did he think he was at one of his solo concerts, and he was supposed to lead that part? Seriously. And, when they did go into the "Well let me hear you say yeah" part, Brian didn't join in. He barely sang any parts to "Barbara Ann".

Eventually, they got to the closer, "Fun, Fun, Fun". Brain started out dancing that little two-step shuffle, but quickly stopped. Then he sang a line or two backing, and stopped singing completely. He eventually just stood motionless, with just his thumb plucking the one string on the bass. Then he stopped playing.

Brian ended up just standing there, up front, doing nothing. He was staring upward and the lights were flashing and the music was blaring and the crowd was going nuts. All of a sudden, Brian starts walking to the back. It looked like he was trying to walk off the stage, but Jeff kind of cut him off. I could see Jeff half-smiling and shaking his head and saying, "No, it's not over yet". Brian stopped in his tracks, just staring at Jeff, almost waiting for a command. Keep in mind while all of this is going on, the music's blasting and the place is rocking. Then Brian pulls up his shirt to try to pull up his Adidas pants, which were falling beneath his stomach. It was a sad sight, really.... Brian hung around to line up to wave to the crowd, and then he quickly scurried off.

I will never forget the look on his face as he stood in the front of that stage, motionless, staring into what - the crowd, the lights, space? This was not a look of boredom, of disinterest. It was beyond that. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I wanted to just jump up on the stage and take his hand or something. It just made me wonder what was going on in his mind, in his brain. I trust he is OK. I trust his doctors have absolutely cleared him to do this tour. But, God, what demons he must be facing....

To me, that sounds like he was embarrassed. He tried to do something out of his element and it didn't work-- he got (unintentionally) dominated by his extroverted cousin, and he was embarrassed that he got "shut down" on stage in front of everyone. It takes a lot for a shy, sensitive, introverted person to do what it takes to get a crowd going-- he gave it a shot and it failed. That's embarrassing, and maybe he was too sensitive to brush it off. Or maybe he thought Mike cut him off on purpose.

[Landlocked]

Brian ended up just standing there, up front, doing nothing. He was staring upward and the lights were flashing and the music was blaring and the crowd was going nuts. All of a sudden, Brian starts walking to the back. It looked like he was trying to walk off the stage, but Jeff kind of cut him off. I could see Jeff half-smiling and shaking his head and saying, "No, it's not over yet". Brian stopped in his tracks, just staring at Jeff, almost waiting for a command. Keep in mind while all of this is going on, the music's blasting and the place is rocking. Then Brian pulls up his shirt to try to pull up his Adidas pants, which were falling beneath his stomach. It was a sad sight, really.... Brian hung around to line up to wave to the crowd, and then he quickly scurried off.

I will never forget the look on his face as he stood in the front of that stage, motionless, staring into what - the crowd, the lights, space? This was not a look of boredom, of disinterest. It was beyond that. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I wanted to just jump up on the stage and take his hand or something. It just made me wonder what was going on in his mind, in his brain. I trust he is OK. I trust his doctors have absolutely cleared him to do this tour. But, God, what demons he must be facing....

Man, that's terribly sad, especially the part where Foskett seemed to be telling him he couldn't leave yet.

[Lowbacca]

Brian ended up just standing there, up front, doing nothing. He was staring upward and the lights were flashing and the music was blaring and the crowd was going nuts. All of a sudden, Brian starts walking to the back. It looked like he was trying to walk off the stage, but Jeff kind of cut him off. I could see Jeff half-smiling and shaking his head and saying, "No, it's not over yet". Brian stopped in his tracks, just staring at Jeff, almost waiting for a command. Keep in mind while all of this is going on, the music's blasting and the place is rocking. Then Brian pulls up his shirt to try to pull up his Adidas pants, which were falling beneath his stomach. It was a sad sight, really.... Brian hung around to line up to wave to the crowd, and then he quickly scurried off.

I will never forget the look on his face as he stood in the front of that stage, motionless, staring into what - the crowd, the lights, space? This was not a look of boredom, of disinterest. It was beyond that. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I wanted to just jump up on the stage and take his hand or something. It just made me wonder what was going on in his mind, in his brain. I trust he is OK. I trust his doctors have absolutely cleared him to do this tour. But, God, what demons he must be facing....

Man, that's terribly sad, especially the part where Foskett seemed to be telling him he couldn't leave yet.

Professionalism. That's just how it is.

[Wirestone]

It's complicated. It really is. Like most here, I've seen Brian engaged and non, on and off. I do suspect he is much more uptight about this being a Beach Boys tour. His backing band was assembled precisely to support him during his solo shows, whatever happened. Now he's with the other guys, and there's a competitive element all of a sudden. And decades of history. What an interesting place his brain must be tbese days ...

[Doo Dah]

It's complicated. It really is. Like most here, I've seen Brian engaged and non, on and off. I do suspect her is much more uptight about this being a Beach Bohs tour. His backing band was assembled precisely to support him during his solo shows, whatever happened. Now he's with the other guys, and there's a competitive element all of a sudden. And decades of history. What an interesting place his brain must be tbese days ...

Yeah. I was thinking about that too. We get the requests for Cabinessence and Surf's Up, and sure - the band could do it. It would sound awesome! But even after slaying those old demons on BWPS, seeing those guys up on stage and reliving Smile might be asking too much of him. I can dig that.

[endofposts]

Look up the symptoms of schizophrenia and related disorders (he's supposedly bipolar schizo-affective).  It pretty much explains much of Brian's behavior.  Sometimes he's fine, but other times, his neurology causes him to do things that are a little different than people who don't have symptoms of that disease.  It''s more than having hallucinations, it includes things called "negative" symptoms that makes the person seem withdrawn or apathetic at times.  Not all the time, perhaps, but sometimes. He's dealing with it, he's out there performing and living life with it, and it should be seen as more inspirational than sad that he's able to be out there and functions almost as well as any other person, other than sometimes behaving a little differently. 

[Michael Edwards Love]

I saw something last night that really makes we doubt that boredom, disinterest, or "he's just going through the motions" is the only thing(s) confronting Brian. If anyone present last night disagrees, please, I welcome your thoughts.

When the band came out for the encores, during "Kokomo", the first encore, Brian was totally disengaged. He might've sung one or two notes. He sat there, motionless, just following Mike as he was prancing around the stage, with a disturbing look on his (Brian's) face.

Immediately after "Kokomo", a roadie helped Brian strap on the bass. Brian walked out to the front of the stage, and as the band was repeating that famous riff to the beginning of "Barbara Ann", Brian motions to the audience, and starts to yell, "Well let me hear you say 'Yeah'..." And, just as Brian is yelling this, Mike talks over him (unintentionally), and goes into his "Thanks for coming to see the Beach Boys tonight". Brian looked totally confused, and stepped back from the microphone, looking around. Did he think he was at one of his solo concerts, and he was supposed to lead that part? Seriously. And, when they did go into the "Well let me hear you say yeah" part, Brian didn't join in. He barely sang any parts to "Barbara Ann".

Eventually, they got to the closer, "Fun, Fun, Fun". Brain started out dancing that little two-step shuffle, but quickly stopped. Then he sang a line or two backing, and stopped singing completely. He eventually just stood motionless, with just his thumb plucking the one string on the bass. Then he stopped playing.

Brian ended up just standing there, up front, doing nothing. He was staring upward and the lights were flashing and the music was blaring and the crowd was going nuts. All of a sudden, Brian starts walking to the back. It looked like he was trying to walk off the stage, but Jeff kind of cut him off. I could see Jeff half-smiling and shaking his head and saying, "No, it's not over yet". Brian stopped in his tracks, just staring at Jeff, almost waiting for a command. Keep in mind while all of this is going on, the music's blasting and the place is rocking. Then Brian pulls up his shirt to try to pull up his Adidas pants, which were falling beneath his stomach. It was a sad sight, really.... Brian hung around to line up to wave to the crowd, and then he quickly scurried off.

I will never forget the look on his face as he stood in the front of that stage, motionless, staring into what - the crowd, the lights, space? This was not a look of boredom, of disinterest. It was beyond that. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I wanted to just jump up on the stage and take his hand or something. It just made me wonder what was going on in his mind, in his brain. I trust he is OK. I trust his doctors have absolutely cleared him to do this tour. But, God, what demons he must be facing....

Great description of those moments, Sheriff.  I was there and observed all of this as well.  Only other thing that I noticed is that Jeff (it seemed to me) started the "everybody say yeah" thing and Brian kind of jumped in.  I agree that Mike speaking over him was unintentional.  It really felt that Mike, in a semi-scripted moment, heard Jeff speak and was ready to say his thing, and Brian got a few words in the gap, only to be cut off.  Jeff is working hard up there between the music and coaching Brian- pretty impressive. 

All in all, I thought Brian hung in there pretty well throughout the night, but that was a tough ending.

[Landlocked]

Brian ended up just standing there, up front, doing nothing. He was staring upward and the lights were flashing and the music was blaring and the crowd was going nuts. All of a sudden, Brian starts walking to the back. It looked like he was trying to walk off the stage, but Jeff kind of cut him off. I could see Jeff half-smiling and shaking his head and saying, "No, it's not over yet". Brian stopped in his tracks, just staring at Jeff, almost waiting for a command. Keep in mind while all of this is going on, the music's blasting and the place is rocking. Then Brian pulls up his shirt to try to pull up his Adidas pants, which were falling beneath his stomach. It was a sad sight, really.... Brian hung around to line up to wave to the crowd, and then he quickly scurried off.

I will never forget the look on his face as he stood in the front of that stage, motionless, staring into what - the crowd, the lights, space? This was not a look of boredom, of disinterest. It was beyond that. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. I wanted to just jump up on the stage and take his hand or something. It just made me wonder what was going on in his mind, in his brain. I trust he is OK. I trust his doctors have absolutely cleared him to do this tour. But, God, what demons he must be facing....

Man, that's terribly sad, especially the part where Foskett seemed to be telling him he couldn't leave yet.

Professionalism. That's just how it is.

Perhaps. But as to my emotional response: sympathy. That's just how it is.