Brian UK tour postponed?

[mikeddonn]

I agree that elderly men need to relax at some point, but I assume that all parties do it because they want to (Mike, particularly), rather than just doing it to please people.  As for me, I consider all this a bonus.  I last saw Brian solo in 2011, and back then I kind of assumed that was the final time.

On the plus side, if I'm getting my £91 back from this, there's my longed-for mental justification for purchasing at least one very expensive Kevin Gray-mastered SACD.

That should buy you three…!

I'm gutted about this.  I felt at the time that the venues were not suitable.  Why not just keep it the way it has been previously over here.  So I'm very sceptical it's to do with the success of 'Love and Mercy'.  It would also be a big slap in the face to the UK fans who have been so loyal to the group and Brian over the years.  I don't think they would cancel a UK tour to add more US dates.  It would be a bad PR move in itself and send out the wrong message to fans over here.  So either it is the case or it's a poor cover story for poor ticket sales.

I also don't think the winding down argument holds true either or the tour wouldn't have been booked in the first place. I'm ok if Brian wants to quit touring as he's given us enough over the years.  But I don't think that's the reason either.

I would have loved to have seen Blondie live with Brian and Al.  As for refunds I have a spare ticket I was going to sell (Row D) now I won't have the problem!  But I will keep my own ticket in the hope the tour happens next year.

[Vernon Surfer]

My gut tells me that he is about to retire. I don't think that he will ever stray outside of the U.S. Again.
I am being a bit selfish but I was hoping that he might add some dates in California when I am there in September.
Zeppo

[mikeddonn]

Yeah but why all of a sudden?  Why not think about that before announcing the tour or after it finishes?

[Wirestone]

Brian has never missed a show in his solo career.

If these shows were postponed -- if -- then they simply couldn't shift the tickets. It happens. It's the biz.

[Shady]

Maybe a reunion is in the works 

Bummer for those who bought tickets but hold tight, he'll be back

[HeyJude]

There are a myriad of possible reasons behind this. But I would tend to doubt "Brian is about to retire" is among them. As we've often noted, the idea of winding down the touring is quite possible. But they wouldn't abruptly cancel UK dates and say he's coming to the UK in 2016, while still in the early days of a month-long US tour, if they were feeling he "needs" to "retire."

I would highly doubt any of this means a reunion this year, as if Brian canceled the UK dates to do something with the BB's. Mike has shows booked through the end of this year, if not next year.

What wouldn't surprise me is if Brian's people are pissed that America posted this on their Facebook page first.

[Pretty Funky]

Sounds like tickets aren't selling so PS next year with probably some NPP thrown in. Fifty years of PS was always going to be best received in the UK and it has been a music generation since it was done in the early 00s.

And yes, Brians people will be p!ssed with America.

[HeyJude]

A longer version of the statement has been posted on Brian's Facebook:

Due to the overwhelming success of Brian Wilson’s movie ‘Love and Mercy’ which has opened in the US to critical acclaim,
Brian has had to postpone his current UK tour planned for September 2015 due to commitments in the US. He will be back in the UK and Europe in 2016 with a string of concerts to mark the 50th Anniversary of his seminal album ‘Pet Sounds, which will be his final European tour’. Brian says “ I’m sorry I won’t be able to make these shows this year, but I look forward to seeing all my fans in 2016 to help me celebrate 50 years of ‘Pet Sounds’. This will be my final European tour. I hope you all enjoy my movie when it opens in the UK on July 10th, I’ll see you all soon, Best Brian
Tickets holders are advised to get refunds for the 2015 shows from the point of purchase

[Pretty Funky]

Confirmed by Brian. Final UK tour then.

[Autotune]

1. Why would the news appear in the America fanpage?

2. Final tours aside, does anybody really think Brian will ever stop making and recording music as long as he lives?

3. Does anybody really think Mike will retire from touring?

[wantsomecorn]

1. Why would the news appear in the America fanpage?

2. Final tours aside, does anybody really think Brian will ever stop making and recording music as long as he lives?

3. Does anybody really think Mike will retire from touring?

America was supposed to open for Brian; no; no.

[Pretty Funky]

As far as No2 goes.....

Wilson also admitted although he may be forced to retire in the near future, he'd like to keep making music for as long as possible.

http://www.tv3.ie/xpose/article/entertainment-news/170502/Brian-Wilson-cant-write-a-song-to-save-his-life

[bgas]

I think they might be booking more US dates for September. I know of one US date for September that hasn't apparently been "officially" announced (worth nothing is that its date falls prior to the scheduled UK dates; I had assumed they were perhaps just doing a few US warm-up gigs before going to the UK).

Where is the September date?

[Emdeeh]

Sept. 11 — San Francisco, CA (Davies Symphony Hall, 8 p.m., with Al Jardine)

[Marty Castillo]

I understand most are suggesting he canceled due to poor ticket sales, but let's take the statement at face value. What kind of US commitments could he have connected to Love & Mercy? It would seem the promotional launch is essentially done. Gearing up for the awards season???

[ontor pertawst]

Brian has to gear up to play John Cusack for the remainder of the promotion and awards season. It takes months to apply the prosthetics, apparently.

[CenturyDeprived]

Maybe Mike can be happy now that he's cornered the 2015 market on the UK.

[Pretty Funky]

I understand most are suggesting he canceled due to poor ticket sales, but let's take the statement at face value. What kind of US commitments could he have connected to Love & Mercy? It would seem the promotional launch is essentially done. Gearing up for the awards season???

I would think just the time and effort going in to organizing a tour of the UK would come at a cost. If he has to cancel to personally be involved in awards promotion I would be very surprised and suspect UK promoters would be calling their lawyers.

[urbanite]

It was a bad idea for Brian Wilson to go to Britain, not long after the Beach Boys toured through, to play concerts.  He's playing the same music as the BB's and the tickets are not cheap in price.  There's only so much Beach Boys' music the concert market can bear.     

[The Shift]

I agree that elderly men need to relax at some point, but I assume that all parties do it because they want to (Mike, particularly), rather than just doing it to please people.  As for me, I consider all this a bonus.  I last saw Brian solo in 2011, and back then I kind of assumed that was the final time.

On the plus side, if I'm getting my £91 back from this, there's my longed-for mental justification for purchasing at least one very expensive Kevin Gray-mastered SACD.

That should buy you three…!

I'm gutted about this.  I felt at the time that the venues were not suitable.  Why not just keep it the way it has been previously over here.  So I'm very sceptical it's to do with the success of 'Love and Mercy'.  It would also be a big slap in the face to the UK fans who have been so loyal to the group and Brian over the years.  I don't think they would cancel a UK tour to add more US dates.  It would be a bad PR move in itself and send out the wrong message to fans over here.  So either it is the case or it's a poor cover story for poor ticket sales.

I also don't think the winding down argument holds true either or the tour wouldn't have been booked in the first place. I'm ok if Brian wants to quit touring as he's given us enough over the years.  But I don't think that's the reason either.

I would have loved to have seen Blondie live with Brian and Al.  As for refunds I have a spare ticket I was going to sell (Row D) now I won't have the problem!  But I will keep my own ticket in the hope the tour happens next year.

I'm going down the route of a refund now and buy again next year. Suspect there might be many different - aka smaller! - venues booked next time around. Might be able to get better seats too!

It does seem a little disingenuous to cancel the European dates so that more US dates can be added - i mean, what will they do if the movie is even more successful here when it opens on July 10? reinstate the cancelled UK dates and cancel the newly booked US shows for which the UK shows were cancelled for? Remember too that they pulled the Pet Sounds repertoire out of the bag to boost the Jeff Beck/BW ticket sales a while back.

At the end of the day though I hope Brian gets the universal acclaim he deserves out of all this, and that he brings his Pet Sounds tour here to great acclaim. Again…

[Andrew G. Doe]

Refraining from the justifiably smug "I told you", it will be instructive to see if the tour is rebooked in the same massively oversized venues next year.

[Rob Dean]

Well , considering the Venues booked is anyone really surprised ? I think (or should I say the management HOPED) some bods completely oversold the proposed success of NPP and the L&M Film (which hasn't been released yet in the UK) and made one monumental Financial/Budgetary aspired balls up.

Must admit that the ONLY thing that initially sold this tour to me (I have seen Brian 30+ times) was the fact that Al and Blondie would be there - Nevermind  

Still on a personal note, I recently finished my contract so am in the process of finding gainful employment SO am looking forward to the refund of 4 gig tickets.  

Onward and upwards

[jamesellaby]

Main fears for next year are that:

a) Al and/or Blondie won't be involved
b) As a reaction to the poor ticket sales, the bookings will go the other way and just be a bunch of RFH dates. If there's no Manchester Apollo show, I'm going to get a Mike Love tattoo on my forehead in protest.

[Rob Dean]

Main fears for next year are that:

a) Al and/or Blondie won't be involved
b) As a reaction to the poor ticket sales, the bookings will go the other way and just be a bunch of RFH dates. If there's no Manchester Apollo show, I'm going to get a Mike Love tattoo on my forehead in protest.

Yep, got one of those already on my anatomy - Just a quick change of the letter I to A  

Ref a) Yes totally agree

[RiC]

Oh f***. This is really dissappointing.