Brian with Jeff Beck Fall Tour Dates

[RubberSoul13]

I've said this before and caught crap for it but realistically, if Brian is adding Al and David...he said be removing Probyn & Nick. Al & David could both hold their own through that show on rhythm and lead respectively.

And rightly so. Alan can play basic rhythm, and sing. That's it. Probyn can play guitar, bass, tannerin, horns, banjo, percussion and a few others things: he also sings pretty good. David is an excellent lead guitarist and can cover Dennis' vocal parts. Nicky can duplicate the 60s guitar perfectly. If you're going to drop anyone, it should be the musically weak links, and that's Brian, of course... and once Brian's gone, no need for Jeff except as a lead vocalist. I'm kidding of course, but to drop any of the existing band would - and has - resulted in a compromised product.

BTW, I also recall you suggested Nicky was dropped from the C50 tour because he was surplus to requirements. As anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of the situation (i.e. patently not you) knows, he had a painful medical condition that required immediate treatment. Thankfully, he's now entirely recovered. Think you owe him a very public apology.

Final observation: you're assuming Alan & David are permanent additions to Brian's band, a notion for which there isn't a scintilla of evidence.

Excuse me? Yeah, I've said there's no reason for him. But I've never suggested I know why the guy wasn't on C50! I don't KNOW anything! I'd venture to guess very few on this board do!

We can't all squeeze into the throne of fandom currently occupied by your smart ass!

It sounds to me like they're permanent! They're on the tour, they're on the album, they're boycotting the other beach boys together...

[Andrew G. Doe]

By your reasoning, Jeff Beck is also a permanent addition - he's on the album, and on the tour.

Also, suggest you check on the exact meaning of the term "boycott".

[SMiLE Brian]

BAD are letting M&B to tour the endless summer of stale hits, groupies, and Stamos until the end of time.

[DonnyL]

I'm gonna skip the Oakland show ... I'd rather have the 50th reunion in my head!

[Sheriff John Stone]

BAD are letting M&B to tour the endless summer of stale hits...

In my opinion, the M & B setlist is superior to this current/recent BAD setlist and Mike's vocals are superior to Brian's current/recent vocals.

[Mikie]

I'm gonna skip the Oakland show ... I'd rather have the 50th reunion in my head!

C'mon. Truth is you can't afford it!  No ride?  I'll send a taxi over to your house. 

[DonnyL]

I'm gonna skip the Oakland show ... I'd rather have the 50th reunion in my head!

C'mon. Truth is you can't afford it!  No ride?  I'll send a taxi over to your house.  

ha! no issues there, I'd just rather have the 50th show in Berkeley in my head, as it was a real magic evening. my last BB show before that was in 1996. It's about a 10 min Bart ride away in any case! We lived right around the corner from the Paramount last year.

than again, after the price of that box set, I might be subconsciously re-thinking my Beach Boys budget !!!

[bossaroo]

everything i've seen and read confirms that these shows with Jeff Beck are quite special indeed.

I am absolutely kicking myself for missing the Atlanta show 

[RubberSoul13]

By your reasoning, Jeff Beck is also a permanent addition - he's on the album, and on the tour.

Also, suggest you check on the exact meaning of the term "boycott".

I thought it was kind of a given that Al Jardine and David Marks WERE BEACH BOYS TOO.

[RubberSoul13]

BAD are letting M&B to tour the endless summer of stale hits...

In my opinion, the M & B setlist is superior to this current/recent BAD setlist and Mike's vocals are superior to Brian's current/recent vocals.

I felt that way too, but after seeing both shows this year I really have a hard time saying one is better than the other.

Mike's vocals are superior...but Brian's leads aren't as frequent. Especially since Al & David are there.

As far as the setlist goes, I feel Mike is the quantity where Brian is the quality. Sure, Mike has a few nuggets like "Wild Honey" "Good To My Baby" and "Disney Girls"...but Brian & Co. are pulling out "Little Bird" "Marcella" "Add Some Music..." even did "Till I Die" last night! I guess that part just comes down to personal taste.

[Sheriff John Stone]

BAD are letting M&B to tour the endless summer of stale hits...

In my opinion, the M & B setlist is superior to this current/recent BAD setlist and Mike's vocals are superior to Brian's current/recent vocals.

I felt that way too, but after seeing both shows this year I really have a hard time saying one is better than the other.

Mike's vocals are superior...but Brian's leads aren't as frequent. Especially since Al & David are there.

As far as the setlist goes, I feel Mike is the quantity where Brian is the quality. Sure, Mike has a few nuggets like "Wild Honey" "Good To My Baby" and "Disney Girls"...but Brian & Co. are pulling out "Little Bird" "Marcella" "Add Some Music..." even did "Till I Die" last night! I guess that part just comes down to personal taste.

Yeah, it is personal taste, which is why I started my post with "In my opinion".

This has nothing to do with taking sides or taking shots, but I don't understand why everybody gets so excited about "Little Bird" being performed. I like the song, actually I like all of Dennis' songs, but I always found "Little Bird" to be OK to good, but nothing special. And, even though I like David Marks too, I don't see what is so special about his/the live performance of the song - in my opinion.

Now, this is taking a shot, kind of. Granted I wasn't there, but I saw the YouTube video of "Til I Die". I thought it was a train wreck. While there is some sensitivity in Brian's "God Only Knows"'s vocals, he is missing a lot of cues which is affecting the quality of the performances of some of the songs. The parts don't seem to be that complicated, and the songs are 50 years old. I hope he is OK; I'm not sure why he can't keep up. Just a year ago he was so into touring.

[EgoHanger1966]

Brian was had some serious facial twitching going on the entire Sunday night - in the middle of songs, too. Wonder if it was a combination of nerves and the meds he's on. You'd figure in this day and age he could get something to avoid the side effects in a very public setting.

"Til I Die" wasn't a trainwreck - it was quite moving, actually - you'd have to be there to understand - it's just that Brian forgot his first line and that prevented it from being perfect.

[Michael Edwards Love]

Brian was had some serious facial twitching going on the entire Sunday night - in the middle of songs, too. Wonder if it was a combination of nerves and the meds he's on. You'd figure in this day and age he could get something to avoid the side effects in a very public setting.

"Til I Die" wasn't a trainwreck - it was quite moving, actually - you'd have to be there to understand - it's just that Brian forgot his first line and that prevented it from being perfect.

Agreed on Sunday's "Til I Die."  It worked well when you were there for it, apart from the missed line. 

As to Brian, I thought he was in better shape and voice than at the C50 at Bethlehem in May 2012.  He sounded really good on some of the toughest material.

[RubberSoul13]

BAD are letting M&B to tour the endless summer of stale hits...

In my opinion, the M & B setlist is superior to this current/recent BAD setlist and Mike's vocals are superior to Brian's current/recent vocals.

I felt that way too, but after seeing both shows this year I really have a hard time saying one is better than the other.

Mike's vocals are superior...but Brian's leads aren't as frequent. Especially since Al & David are there.

As far as the setlist goes, I feel Mike is the quantity where Brian is the quality. Sure, Mike has a few nuggets like "Wild Honey" "Good To My Baby" and "Disney Girls"...but Brian & Co. are pulling out "Little Bird" "Marcella" "Add Some Music..." even did "Till I Die" last night! I guess that part just comes down to personal taste.

Yeah, it is personal taste, which is why I started my post with "In my opinion".

This has nothing to do with taking sides or taking shots, but I don't understand why everybody gets so excited about "Little Bird" being performed. I like the song, actually I like all of Dennis' songs, but I always found "Little Bird" to be OK to good, but nothing special. And, even though I like David Marks too, I don't see what is so special about his/the live performance of the song - in my opinion.

Now, this is taking a shot, kind of. Granted I wasn't there, but I saw the YouTube video of "Til I Die". I thought it was a train wreck. While there is some sensitivity in Brian's "God Only Knows"'s vocals, he is missing a lot of cues which is affecting the quality of the performances of some of the songs. The parts don't seem to be that complicated, and the songs are 50 years old. I hope he is OK; I'm not sure why he can't keep up. Just a year ago he was so into touring.

I haven't seen the clip. But I agree on God Only Knows. I don't know that I've ever heard a decent live version of Brian singing that one.

I wasn't exactly excited over "Little Bird", it really is just an OK song, but it spoke to me in a way of "hey, we're aware of the back catalog and the deep tracks...check this out: David wasn't even in the band and he likes this one more than covering a song from his period!"

And yes, I fully acknowledge you stated "your opinion"...s'all good  

[ontor pertawst]

http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/dc/2013/10/tvd-live-brian-wilson-jeff-beck-warner-theater-1005/

"As a kid there were 2 camps—you were either a Marvel Comics kid or a DC Comics kid, and never both at once. Ever. New Jersey is tough.

Likewise, in my neighborhood you were a Beatles guy or a Beach Boys guy. Some cross-pollination was allowed, but you REALLY had to choose and I was a Beatles guy. I mean, at the time what did I know or care about surfing or cars or California for that matter. And as I got older I’d still shrug when beset upon by some music geek. “C’mon, the harmonies, the HARMONIES…” Yea, yea.

On Saturday night, Brian Wilson with tour compatriot Jeff Beck visited the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC and me in my aisle seat got taught a little lesson. It’s not just enough to boast one of the most beloved catalogs in the annals of all music, of all time…but the harmonies, the HARMONIES."



"Alright, Alright... I'll sing Little Bird."

[Sheriff John Stone]

BAD are letting M&B to tour the endless summer of stale hits...

In my opinion, the M & B setlist is superior to this current/recent BAD setlist and Mike's vocals are superior to Brian's current/recent vocals.

I felt that way too, but after seeing both shows this year I really have a hard time saying one is better than the other.

Mike's vocals are superior...but Brian's leads aren't as frequent. Especially since Al & David are there.

As far as the setlist goes, I feel Mike is the quantity where Brian is the quality. Sure, Mike has a few nuggets like "Wild Honey" "Good To My Baby" and "Disney Girls"...but Brian & Co. are pulling out "Little Bird" "Marcella" "Add Some Music..." even did "Till I Die" last night! I guess that part just comes down to personal taste.

Yeah, it is personal taste, which is why I started my post with "In my opinion".

This has nothing to do with taking sides or taking shots, but I don't understand why everybody gets so excited about "Little Bird" being performed. I like the song, actually I like all of Dennis' songs, but I always found "Little Bird" to be OK to good, but nothing special. And, even though I like David Marks too, I don't see what is so special about his/the live performance of the song - in my opinion.

Now, this is taking a shot, kind of. Granted I wasn't there, but I saw the YouTube video of "Til I Die". I thought it was a train wreck. While there is some sensitivity in Brian's "God Only Knows"'s vocals, he is missing a lot of cues which is affecting the quality of the performances of some of the songs. The parts don't seem to be that complicated, and the songs are 50 years old. I hope he is OK; I'm not sure why he can't keep up. Just a year ago he was so into touring.

I wasn't exactly excited over "Little Bird", it really is just an OK song, but it spoke to me in a way of "hey, we're aware of the back catalog and the deep tracks...check this out: David wasn't even in the band and he likes this one more than covering a song from his period!"

Yeah, I figured this is David's way, and Brian & the band's way, of paying tribute to Dennis, or representing his music in the show. I just wish they would let David cut loose a little bit on the guitar.

It's funny but when I think of David Marks in the Beach Boys, obviously I think of the Surfin' Safari and Surfer Girl albums, but especially the Surfin' USA album. I posted this previously but I think it would be cool to feature David Marks on one of the early surf instrumentals that the Beach Boys' recorded, like "Surf Jam", "Miserlou", 'Moon Dawg", "Stoked", or "Let's Go Trippin". Obviously Brian and the band don't agree.

[Phoenix]

BTW, I also recall you suggested Nicky was dropped from the C50 tour because he was surplus to requirements. As anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of the situation (i.e. patently not you) knows, he had a painful medical condition that required immediate treatment. Thankfully, he's now entirely recovered. Think you owe him a very public apology.

Excuse me? Yeah, I've said there's no reason for him. But I've never suggested I know why the guy wasn't on C50! I don't KNOW anything! I'd venture to guess very few on this board do!

Sorry.  That was me.  I don't doubt for a second that Nicky was sick (and am happy he's now back to full form) but I figured that his missing the rest of the entire tour was a concession based on the "too many guitarists" quote we heard about.  It just seemed like a big coincidence and I figured after he missed some shows, it strengthened the possible argument that the show could in fact get by with one less, for the duration.  Sincere apologies to Nicky, Mike, and anyone else I may have inadvertently offended.  It was pure speculation on my part and I'm sorry if it came off as anything more.

[Andrew G. Doe]

In which case, I apologise to RS13 for wrongly calling him on something he didn't say: been done to me time after time and I appreciate how annoying it is. Sorry.

[Jonathan Blum]

This has nothing to do with taking sides or taking shots, but I don't understand why everybody gets so excited about "Little Bird" being performed. I like the song, actually I like all of Dennis' songs, but I always found "Little Bird" to be OK to good, but nothing special. And, even though I like David Marks too, I don't see what is so special about his/the live performance of the song - in my opinion.

I was never really wowed by it beforehand, TBH -- it always seemed slightly tepid and tenative, like the laid-back view of a suburbanite on a Pleasant Valley Sunday.  But the live version converted me -- it hat more of the full-throated verve of a "Rainbows".

Though I'm still not sure whether "Guess I'll go mow the lawn" is bathos or genius, or bathetic genius...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[37!ws]

My two cents on the previous "too many guitarists" thing: I doubt that would ever be a consideration, given the obscene number of keyboards that were on stage at Beach Boys concerts in the '80s and '90s...

[RubberSoul13]

In which case, I apologise to RS13 for wrongly calling him on something he didn't say: been done to me time after time and I appreciate how annoying it is. Sorry.

Apology accepted, sorry for biting back a bit too heavily!

[RubberSoul13]

My two cents on the previous "too many guitarists" thing: I doubt that would ever be a consideration, given the obscene number of keyboards that were on stage at Beach Boys concerts in the '80s and '90s...

AMEN 

At least the surplus of guitars sounds good...it never seemed like the Beach Boys invested in a decent keyboard till after Carl's death...and in Bruce's case, STILL haven't...

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Okay, here's my full concert experience from a UVIP perspective.

I got there and we all waited in the lobby and chatted about Beach Boys related stuff, very fun.
Meeting the "legendary" Tara was interesting, I thought she was fantastic, she was enthusiastic and knew how stuff goes.
We stood outside waiting for our soundcheck and the band played I'M WAITING FOR THE DAY and WILD HONEY. Our soundcheck
consisted of a Beck track, Don't Talk (which actually included Brian's original  backing vocal idea) , and Our Prayer.
 It was very VERY fun to watch and I'd recommend you try at least the soundcheck once.
They actually raffled off a guitar, I was one number away from winning... ugh...

Then came the meet and greet. Well, my fears were mostly wrong.
They set up a small table next to the stage and placed a backdrop behind it, the 4 sat at the table with sharpies. We formed a line and handed the
security our items as we walked behind the table for our photos. This means that I was easily able to ask Jeff to sign the CD cover rather than the print
(which was a terrible plan... more on that later...) He said "Sure thing, great album" and signed it and it was passed on to security. I said hi to Al and then Brian
and neither made any attempt to acknowledge it. I got my picture taken and grabbed my stuff and apparently Jeff hadn't passed on my print, so rather then being upset,
I went back down and asked Tara if I could wait and get it signed and she said "No problem, just wait here" So I stood and watched the rest of the people. So I'm pretty
down about not really getting even a word out of any of the boys, and I was thinking "I know they do this all the time... but couldn't they at least say hello?" Well, the last person
was taking her turn. A teenage girl with a copy of Surfer Girl and Pet Sounds (Okay... okay... I know I missed an opportunity here but I'm a shy guy!) She took two steps toward Brian
and broke down crying. Al turned to her and gave her a big hug David followed it up with "That's not going to make a good picture!" and hugged her too. What happened next
convinced me... she said "Can I have a hug Brian?" and she hugged him either way and Brian said "Hugs for you" So what I realized was, these guys are dealing with
so many people and I can't blame them for being tired/bored of it, but it really meant a lot even if it wasn't me to witness this event.
I got tons of great stuff, the programs are BEAUTIFUL so I got one, and one of the really cool Brian Wilson shirts!


Okay on to the show. I've seen Brian 3 times now. Once alone, once on the 50th and this time. This was BY FAR Brian's BEST PERFORMANCE i've ever seen. He was VERY happy,
he was doing his hand motions and smiling, and best of all, singing all the time and doing it well. I was so blown away that I had to get some audio from the show. Particular
highlights included "God Only Knows" which was basically perfect, Heroes and Villains which sounded superior to the BWPS version, and Sail on Sailor where Brian "growled" several times!
David was limping and didn't look too hot... not good... but Al sang fantastically as normal. The show can really only be described as a "party" between the two groups. After Brian and Jeff's
solo sets, the bands randomly mix and match and watching Darian, Scott and Jeff singing vocals together with Jeff Beck's band playing was VERY fun. The set was standard, no Don't Talk... but
WOW. Honestly, from the heart, I hope you all get to see this show, because it is unlimited better than the videos make it seem!

As far as the whole experience, I would say I was not disappointed with the M&G. Several people described the Photo part as "awkward" which is perfect, but besides that, excellent.
I'd say it was a great once in a lifetime thing that i'd never do again HAHA... but the soundcheck... maybe

[ontor pertawst]

We stood outside waiting for our soundcheck and the band played I'M WAITING FOR THE DAY and WILD HONEY.

(refrains from coffee spittake all over monitor)

Woohoo! Great post, sounds like a lot of fun.

[37!ws]

Heh....it does NOT surprise me that Brian agreed to hug a young lady.