Confirmed! Heads up from a BW.com poster.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/08/05/jeff-beck-brian-wilson-exclusive-fall-tour-dates/2596367/Exclusive: Brian Wilson, Jeff Beck touring together
Marco della Cava, USA TODAY 12:03 a.m. EDT August 5, 2013
The guitarist got the touring invite after contributing licks to the Beach Boy's upcoming solo album.
Not much gets guitar ace Jeff Beck rattled. But when he was asked to honor Beach Boy Brian Wilson at his MusiCares Person of the Year tribute in 2006, Beck nervously stepped up with Surf's Up and Surfin' USA, just hoping not to offend.
Beck needn't have worried. That initial meeting has led to him not only contributing fretwork on Wilson's forthcoming solo album, but also joining Wilson on a tour that kicks off Sept. 27 in Hollywood, Fla., and wraps Oct. 27 in Akron, Ohio, with tickets going on sale Aug. 9.
"He's got a truckload of hits to play, but we'll build on that and interact," Beck tells USA TODAY. "Brian will kick things off, but I'll also be given enough time to establish what I'm about. In the end, we'll mix and match. It's a complete honor to be on stage with him."
Wilson calls Beck "very well versed" in his music, noting that "he'll play in the pockets where I'm not singing. He brings that great guitar-player kind of thing to the picture."
Joining Wilson and Beck on stage will be Beach Boys Al Jardine and David Marks, both just off the band's 50th anniversary tour.
The 18-city Wilson/Beck show will ping-pong across North America, with stops in Washington (Oct. 5, Warner Theater), New York (Oct. 15, Beacon Theater), Los Angeles (Oct 20, a previously announced show at the Greek Theater) and Detroit (Oct. 25, Fox Theater). Check ticketmaster.com for prices, which have not yet been announced.
Talking to Beck about Wilson makes clear the latter's profound impact on already-accomplished musicians looking for a new direction in the '60s.
"I needed musical help around 1966, and (the Wilson-helmed Beach Boys masterpiece) Pet Sounds was dressing on a wound for me with all its amazing melodies," says Beck. "I was floored by it. So were The Beatles. It was outrageously adventurous stuff for the ear."
Beck was predisposed to like Beach Boys fare, which often celebrates what remains his passion: building and driving hot rods. "I'd hear that music and it would be an escape from the humdrum life," he says.
Wilson's new album has "the flavor of Pet Sounds," says Beck. "Once you hear it, you'll be whistling the songs for the rest of your life." Wilson says fans can expect "very mellow sounds, soft and sweet."
Beck contributed to a handful of tracks, raising interesting possibilities for how their styles might mix. Wilson says the music he listens to most these days hails from the past, "things like The Beatles and all the Phil Spector stuff." Meanwhile, Beck — who says a much-discussed reunion with ex-bandmate Rod Stewart "is not going to happen" — has of late been diving deep into Eastern and Irish music, "trying to find out what I'm all about."
When Beck initially hit the studio with Wilson, the experience left him puzzled.
"He didn't say much, so it was quite a bit unnerving, although it was nice to get some enthusiasm from his producer (Don Was)," says Beck. "Brian is somewhere else during that process, so it's not like you're there chatting away. In the end, though, I'm sure we were on the same page."
Beck says the upcoming gigs will feature "what I'd call an interesting mix of people, classic surfing safari music and this weird stuff that I do. But it will sound like it's all of one accord."
TOUR DATES
Sept. 27: Hollywood, Fla.
Sept. 28: Tampa
Oct. 3: St. Augustine
Oct. 4: Atlanta
Oct. 5: Washington
Oct. 6: Bethlehem, Penn.
Oct. 8: Albany, N.Y.
Oct. 9: Boston
Oct. 11: Wallingford, Conn.
Oct. 12: Westbury, Conn.
Oct. 13: Philadelphia
Oct. 15: New York
Oct. 18: Las Vegas
Oct. 20: Los Angeles
Oct. 22: Oakland, Calif.
Oct. 25: Detroit
Oct. 26: Toronto
Oct. 27: Akron, Ohio
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