Brian Wilson 2016 Tour Thread (Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary Tour)

[RubberSoul13]

Boy do I hope Funky Pretty makes a comeback tonight! As epic as this tour has been I'm bummed that Honkin and Hushabye got cut so quickly and now FP

Me too. I'm bummed about Our Prayer/Heroes and Villains being cut too. But I'm looking forward to Cotton Fields & Darlin'...assuming they stick around from the weekend. We'll see! As long as I hear some different songs from the Baltimore show I'll be happy!...who am I kiddin'...I'll be happy no matter what! Headin' out soon for...

[lee]

It's a real shame Honkin' got cut so early on. I was hoping it would stay in the setlist throughout the tour.

[HeyJude]

Wondering if "Monster Mash" will reappear in October. At least it would be something different...

[baseball95]

Boy do I hope Funky Pretty makes a comeback tonight! As epic as this tour has been I'm bummed that Honkin and Hushabye got cut so quickly and now FP

Me too. I'm bummed about Our Prayer/Heroes and Villains being cut too. But I'm looking forward to Cotton Fields & Darlin'...assuming they stick around from the weekend. We'll see! As long as I hear some different songs from the Baltimore show I'll be happy!...who am I kiddin'...I'll be happy no matter what! Headin' out soon for...

It looks like last night in NC they went back to Cal Saga. I won't mind hearing Salt Lake City live though never heard that one.

[RubberSoul13]

First off, I can second that the setlist posted here is 100% accurate. However, he did do "Row your boat" after "Here Today"...

Anyway- this was THE best I've ever seen Brian. He was 1000% on tonight. From the opening notes of "California Girls" to the final chord of "Love and Mercy". This was a completely different Brian from the one I have seen post-C50. He was VERY talkative. He introduced every single song on Pet Sounds with the exception of "God Only Knows" which Alan introduced for Brian. Here's my drive-by review song-by-song...

California Girls- Brian totally nailed it. He was so into it and it was clear instantly that it was going to be a strong night for him.
Dancex3- This was the first time I've heard this band play it at the recorded tempo. It's ALWAYS dragged in the past...even last month.
"Car Songs"- Drums. That's why these don't pop here. John Cowsill just pounds the tar out of the skins on these just like Dennis would have. Brian's band doesn't take as hot and heavy of an approach as they deserve. I wish they'd cut these for tunes that are more akin to their instrumentation.

In My Room- Brian's piano was very prominent. Something I haven't experienced on a song from beginning to end since C50.
Surfer Girl- I was in tears. Brian's voice was so sweet, I could hear his piano plain as day, I had my girlfriend's head on my shoulder. What more could a guy want?
Don't Worry Baby- Matt's voice is so much better than Foskett's. What an upgrade...the crowd goes wild every time too.
Salt Lake City- First time I EVER heard this live by any Beach Boys! Brian was killin' it...he even got a little rock 'n roll growl goin'!

Wake The World- Al Jardine is the fountain of vocal youth. Brian kept saying "and now...the great Al Jardine!" and when he introduced him again later he said "and now, for the nine-thousandth time...!"  
Add Some Music- Brian was so into it and loving it that he sang right over Al's few lines...all is well!
Cotton Fields- It was great to hear this one back in the set. Would be nice if we got this AND California Saga!
Darlin'- Darian hits a homerun on this everytime. He's such a class act...Billy Hinsche added a cool historic vibe like Blondie, but I'm glad to see Darian back up there.

Sail Away- The only song the entire night that fell flat with the crowd. It was much better organized than last year, but it just didn't really catch.
Wild Honey- Earth shattering as always.
Sail on Sailor- Likewise, superb. In the bathroom during intermission two old geezers behind me were complaining about Blondie's guitar being too loud...

PET SOUNDS
-Brian introduced every single song.
-His vocals were lightyears better than Baltimore. The only complaint there would be "You Still Believe in Me" but he gave it his all. I really think he should just let Matt sing this one.
-He introduced "That's Not Me" as: a song about a guy who looked in the mirror one day and said...THAT'S NOT ME! It's called "That's Not Me".
-The band was rushing "I'm Waiting For The Day". They did it in Baltimore too. It's simply too fast.
-He did his "Please Be Seated" after Sloop John B & God Only Knows...as well as In My Room & Surfer Girl in the main set.
-Instead of "so what good would living do me?" he sang "so what the hell would living do me?" on "God Only Knows".
-After "Here Today" he jumped right into Row, Row, Row Your Boat and led the audience from the piano...it was incredibly bizarre.  

ENCORE
-This was probably the most hilarious rock and roll thing I've heard Brian utter on stage and it went like this after the band intros...

Brian: Did you all come out tonight to hear some bad vibrations?
Crowd: No!
Brian: How about some bad...SHITTY...GODAM VIBRATIONS?!
Crowd: NO!!!
Brian: How about...SOME GOOD VIBRATIONS!!!

I was nearly in tears with laughter. His delivery was so unexpected and downright ridiculous and hilarious all at once. I was blindsided.  

Anyway...Brian was REALLY into the rest of the songs in the encore, unlike usual...and sang almost all of them himself with great strength. It was such a great night. Very well worth it. And on top of all that, a very good friend of mind from Beach Boys land did the VIP package and was kind enough to take my Meet-n-Greet photo from C50 which was previously signed by Mike, Bruce, David, and Alan under various circumstances, and complete the set for me with the great...Brian Wilson.  

[RubberSoul13]

and by "setlist posted here" I meant HERE: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/brian-wilson/2016/the-music-center-at-strathmore-north-bethesda-md-23fd8cd3.html

it's legit!

[Robbie Mac]

I am very glad to hear you got Brian on a good night. The nights I saw him (Friday and Saturday in Nashville ) sound like they were similar in terms of quality.

[Scaroline No]

Just wondering if anyone else here was at the July 4 show at Massey Hall in Toronto? I thought Brian was great that night, pretty chatty as well, but unfortunately I couldn't make out anything he said due in part to his lack of enunciation, but I also think I may have been in a sound drop zone (side view lower balcony, I could hardly see him ). If anyone here heard and remembers what he said, I'd love to know.

I suspect I wasn't the only one having problems understanding his banter though. There was a moment where he said something and almost no one in the audience responded, no clapping, no hollering or anything, just kind of an uncomfortable murmur, lol. I'd love to know what that was about.

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

Brian: Did you all come out tonight to hear some bad vibrations?
Crowd: No!
Brian: How about some bad...SHITTY...GODAM VIBRATIONS?!
Crowd: NO!!!
Brian: How about...SOME GOOD VIBRATIONS!!!

This is awesome   

Thanks for the review, great to hear!

[HeyJude]

When Brian is swearing and is showing a lot of energy on stage, it usually means he's in a good mood and having a really good night.

He was like this all the way back in 2000 when I saw him on the PS tour. He did the "how loud can you yell?" bit, but kept going and eventually was yelling out "how loud can you f*ckin' yell?"

[RubberSoul13]

Looks like they've gotten the setlist into a comfy spot, with the only change being the alteration between Cal Saga & Cotton Fields lately...nothin' wrong with that! I feel like if there's one more chance left for deep cuts that aren't currently in the set...it's NYC. I wouldn't be totally shocked by Honkin' & Funky Pretty making comebacks that night.

[CenturyDeprived]

When Brian is swearing and is showing a lot of energy on stage, it usually means he's in a good mood and having a really good night.

He was like this all the way back in 2000 when I saw him on the PS tour. He did the "how loud can you yell?" bit, but kept going and eventually was yelling out "how loud can you f*ckin' yell?"

I f*ckin' love when Brian curses in jest. Seriously!

[TV Forces]

Hi everyone.

I haven't heard any reports on meet & greets in quite some time.  I just got my e-mail for the Detroit one and it mentions no personal items will be signed.. only the 2 things they give you.

Is that a new thing?

Is it strictly enforced?

Thanks!

[RubberSoul13]

Hi everyone.

I haven't heard any reports on meet & greets in quite some time.  I just got my e-mail for the Detroit one and it mentions no personal items will be signed.. only the 2 things they give you.

Is that a new thing?

Is it strictly enforced?

Thanks!

I didn't do meet and greet but a friend of mine did. She took my meet-n-greet photo from C50 that I had previously signed by other BB's plus one page of the setlist she got from the Baltimore show and they signed both items no questions asked. They gave her the Pet Sounds poster and sheet music for "God Only Knows" but did not sign them because she had two items with her.

[Jonathan Blum]

After Strathmore Hall, I think I have a new favourite Brian Wilson show ever -- and I wasn't even there!

I got my parents tickets for my mom's 75th birthday.  My parents are basically the same generation as the Boys themselves -- they've always been a part of their world, it's down to their copies of "Endless Summer" and "Pet Sounds" that I first discovered them.  But the only previous time they got to see Brian in concert was on the Jeff Beck tour, which was a bit more than half a concert...  though what a half-concert that was.  I told that story here at the time...  it was a week after my grandmother's funeral, my wife and I were still in town and found out that Brian was playing, we figured it would be good for the whole family to go...  and that proved to be the catharsis my mom needed.  It was "Sloop John B" that did it -- it reminded her of going sailing with her parents when she was young, and how good her mother was to her but now she was gone and she just wanted to go home...  but by the end of the song she was smiling and applauding and adoring the whole concert.  The music got her through.

It's now one of our most treasured family memories.  So when Brian was back in town near her birthday... I figured they deserved a full concert without the Jeff Beck breaks.  I couldn't make it home from Australia for this, so it'd have to be just the two of them.  I got them tickets the day they went on sale...  but technical difficulties at my end meant that they ended up with nosebleed seats.  Bugger.

Anyway, I told one of the bandmembers the story and asked if maybe they could arrange for "Sloop John B" to be dedicated to my mom, or whether it would be possible to find them better seats.  And they said sorry, the show was sold out...  but there were still places available at the soundcheck...

Long story short -- we got my parents the full soundcheck experience!  Photos, autographs, the lot.  They didn't just get the concert, they got to see the band working up close, with Darian and Al going over which lines of a song went to who (Mom said Al still got it wrong in the show itself!), and the meet-and-greet.  All the extras my wife and I have never actually been able to justify for ourselves, we were able to get for them.  Dad was thrilled, and Mom, well, I think now she wants to adopt most of the bandmembers!

Pretty much since the show ended she's been sending dozens of photos, and email after email of notes and memories from the show.  There's something weirdly joyful about seeing a 75-year-old woman end up typing almost in txtspeak because she's still in fangirl mode:

"Drummer is AMAZING- guess I’m over using the word!
Paul GREAT!
Probyn super talent- wow all those instruments- Paul announced he learned French horn for this concert!
Darian has tall hair- aside from TALENT!!"

It's icing on the cake that, according to all reports, this was an especially good show.  But rather than feeling jealous that I missed it, I'm just basking in the sheer brilliance of Mom and Dad's reflected glow.  By this point, I've seen Brian and company eleven or twelve times over the years (...My God, I've lost count!); I've seen them ranging from an off night to absolutely transcendent.  It gets easy for us fans to take their tremendously high baseline for granted.  And their last trip to Sydney was, for me, a bit of a bum note -- the first show was fairly rough (understandably, it was their third show in four nights with an international hop in between), we missed meeting the bandmembers at the fan gathering between the shows, I wasn't able to get a last-minute ticket to the second show, and the night was marred by some assholier-than-thou fan behavior of the sort I'm only used to reading online rather than experiencing in person.  So there was a part of me that was worrying that those bad vibrations could possibly be my last experience of a Brian Wilson show.

But now?  Seeing the show without seeing it, through the fresh eyes of my mother...  a woman who would never describe herself as a die-hard fan, but still knew almost every song they played, and has been enjoying them for as long as Brian's been writing and playing them...  suddenly I knew all over again just how good this band is. 

So what if I didn't see this show?  I've seen so many great shows with these guys that I can construct pretty much the whole thing note-for-note in my head.  The music is woven through my memories; as the man himself sang at one of the Gershwin shows we were lucky enough to see, they can't take that away from me.  And my mom, untainted by fan overthinking, just got all of her good memories in one hit.

But possibly the best memory I have now is a photo I literally never imagined existing:



("Unexpected additions to the lineup for next year's Beach Boys tour, Phyllis and Sam Blum attribute their joining Wilson's re-formed group to the fact that Sam has been proudly rocking the Mike Love 'do for longer than Love has...")

Anyway -- tremendous thanks to everyone in the band for all your help, in making my mom's birthday present more spectacular than she ever imagined!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[RubberSoul13]

Thanks for sharing such a superb story! I must admit, I got a bit glossy reading! 

I have more experience with concerts associated with family loss than I'd like...but thank God for them. On 11/20 last year I lost a very close uncle and Brian's concert was the only place I needed to be that night. The biggie, was just last month...as I sang "Let it Be" with 20,000+ other McCartney fans at Verizon Center, my grandfather lost his battle with cancer. I took my aunt (his sister-in-law of 56 years and the woman that got me started in music) for the second night and it was probably the most emotional concert experience of my life. It's such a powerful thing. God bless 'em all.

[CenturyDeprived]

After Strathmore Hall, I think I have a new favourite Brian Wilson show ever -- and I wasn't even there!

I got my parents tickets for my mom's 75th birthday.  My parents are basically the same generation as the Boys themselves -- they've always been a part of their world, it's down to their copies of "Endless Summer" and "Pet Sounds" that I first discovered them.  But the only previous time they got to see Brian in concert was on the Jeff Beck tour, which was a bit more than half a concert...  though what a half-concert that was.  I told that story here at the time...  it was a week after my grandmother's funeral, my wife and I were still in town and found out that Brian was playing, we figured it would be good for the whole family to go...  and that proved to be the catharsis my mom needed.  It was "Sloop John B" that did it -- it reminded her of going sailing with her parents when she was young, and how good her mother was to her but now she was gone and she just wanted to go home...  but by the end of the song she was smiling and applauding and adoring the whole concert.  The music got her through.

It's now one of our most treasured family memories.  So when Brian was back in town near her birthday... I figured they deserved a full concert without the Jeff Beck breaks.  I couldn't make it home from Australia for this, so it'd have to be just the two of them.  I got them tickets the day they went on sale...  but technical difficulties at my end meant that they ended up with nosebleed seats.  Bugger.

Anyway, I told one of the bandmembers the story and asked if maybe they could arrange for "Sloop John B" to be dedicated to my mom, or whether it would be possible to find them better seats.  And they said sorry, the show was sold out...  but there were still places available at the soundcheck...

Long story short -- we got my parents the full soundcheck experience!  Photos, autographs, the lot.  They didn't just get the concert, they got to see the band working up close, with Darian and Al going over which lines of a song went to who (Mom said Al still got it wrong in the show itself!), and the meet-and-greet.  All the extras my wife and I have never actually been able to justify for ourselves, we were able to get for them.  Dad was thrilled, and Mom, well, I think now she wants to adopt most of the bandmembers!

Pretty much since the show ended she's been sending dozens of photos, and email after email of notes and memories from the show.  There's something weirdly joyful about seeing a 75-year-old woman end up typing almost in txtspeak because she's still in fangirl mode:

"Drummer is AMAZING- guess I’m over using the word!
Paul GREAT!
Probyn super talent- wow all those instruments- Paul announced he learned French horn for this concert!
Darian has tall hair- aside from TALENT!!"

It's icing on the cake that, according to all reports, this was an especially good show.  But rather than feeling jealous that I missed it, I'm just basking in the sheer brilliance of Mom and Dad's reflected glow.  By this point, I've seen Brian and company eleven or twelve times over the years (...My God, I've lost count!); I've seen them ranging from an off night to absolutely transcendent.  It gets easy for us fans to take their tremendously high baseline for granted.  And their last trip to Sydney was, for me, a bit of a bum note -- the first show was fairly rough (understandably, it was their third show in four nights with an international hop in between), we missed meeting the bandmembers at the fan gathering between the shows, I wasn't able to get a last-minute ticket to the second show, and the night was marred by some assholier-than-thou fan behavior of the sort I'm only used to reading online rather than experiencing in person.  So there was a part of me that was worrying that those bad vibrations could possibly be my last experience of a Brian Wilson show.

But now?  Seeing the show without seeing it, through the fresh eyes of my mother...  a woman who would never describe herself as a die-hard fan, but still knew almost every song they played, and has been enjoying them for as long as Brian's been writing and playing them...  suddenly I knew all over again just how good this band is. 

So what if I didn't see this show?  I've seen so many great shows with these guys that I can construct pretty much the whole thing note-for-note in my head.  The music is woven through my memories; as the man himself sang at one of the Gershwin shows we were lucky enough to see, they can't take that away from me.  And my mom, untainted by fan overthinking, just got all of her good memories in one hit.

But possibly the best memory I have now is a photo I literally never imagined existing:



("Unexpected additions to the lineup for next year's Beach Boys tour, Phyllis and Sam Blum attribute their joining Wilson's re-formed group to the fact that Sam has been proudly rocking the Mike Love 'do for longer than Love has...")

Anyway -- tremendous thanks to everyone in the band for all your help, in making my mom's birthday present more spectacular than she ever imagined!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Amazing story.

[guitarfool2002]

Tower Theater, Philly September 23rd 2016 show: Incredible. Don't miss this tour. This was a good of a show as I've seen.

Some photos:

Packed house, sold-out crowd at the Tower.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

That was an AMAZING story, Jonathan! Thank you for sharing!


Craig, those are some great photos.

[Sam_BFC]

Great pics.

Brian, Al and Blondie looking great.

So good to see Darian back; hope he makes it to London.

[Scaroline No]

Wow! Thank you for sharing your photos!

[beatle608]

Hi everyone.

I haven't heard any reports on meet & greets in quite some time.  I just got my e-mail for the Detroit one and it mentions no personal items will be signed.. only the 2 things they give you.

Is that a new thing?

Is it strictly enforced?

Thanks!

If that is the case, then wow. That is absurd. A person spends $500 and they can't even get a thing or two from their own collection signed!? Pure greed.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Thanks for the fabulous pictures, Craig! Looks like it was a great night for everyone who was there. How was Brian?

[Debbie KL]

Thanks for the fabulous pictures, Craig! Looks like it was a great night for everyone who was there. How was Brian?

Agreed! Thanks for the amazing photos.

[guitarfool2002]

Thanks for the fabulous pictures, Craig! Looks like it was a great night for everyone who was there. How was Brian?

Agreed! Thanks for the amazing photos.

You're welcome! I'm more than happy to share them and appreciate others doing the same for shows they attend.

Brian was "on" Friday night, there was an energy literally from the first song that went throughout the whole night. It felt like the band and Brian were not only having fun, but giving it their all. It's hard to describe but you could feel something really charged up in the air from the beginning. Pet Sounds was triumphant. And, the crowd was all-in, they gave appreciation and that energy back to the stage and it was really quite a night in a classic Philly venue. Lot of history there, and a certain vibe too.

This is a review posted by Philly station WXPN of the show. It nails it. Reliving the magic indeed. Has more photos at the link too:

http://thekey.xpn.org/2016/09/24/reliving-the-magic-with-brian-wilson-at-the-tower-theater/

Setlist courtesy WXPN also at the link:

California Girls
Dance, Dance, Dance
I Get Around
Shut Down
Little Deuce Coupe
Little Honda
In My Room
Surfer Girl
Don’t Worry Baby
Salt Lake City
Wake the World
Add Some Music to Your Day
California Saga: California
Darlin’
Sail Away
Wild Honey
Sail On, Sailor

Pet Sounds Album

Encore:
Good Vibrations
Help Me, Rhonda
Barbara Ann
Surfin’ U.S.A.
Fun, Fun, Fun
Love and Mercy


(personal note - Some of those songs were as good if not better than I had ever heard them performed. Sail On Sailor was as good as it gets. No one does it like Blondie.)