Brian Wilson - 2018 Tour Thread

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Plus OSD in a Santa costume taking donations!

And happily putting all proceeds into the "Take The License Away" fund. Keep those donations coming! 

Don’t forget narrating Mount Vernon and the fairway with lee Marshall during the encore!

  real tears 

[Debbie KL]

Plus OSD in a Santa costume taking donations!

And happily putting all proceeds into the "Take The License Away" fund. Keep those donations coming! 

Don’t forget narrating Mount Vernon and the fairway with lee Marshall during the encore!

It all works for me. 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Can I do a Maharishi Lecture? I got the beard for it

[Rocker]

Can I do a Maharishi Lecture? I got the beard for it

Only if you eat your yoghurt

[SMiLE Brian]

Is Billy C. really Superman?

[Pretty Funky]

Can I do a Maharishi Lecture? I got the beard for it

And I can find a phone booth as a venue. Hey it was tried by the Beach Boys and the crowd stayed away in droves! 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Is Billy C. really Superman?

I'm Batman

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Can I do a Maharishi Lecture? I got the beard for it

And I can find a phone booth as a venue. Hey it was tried by the Beach Boys and the crowd stayed away in droves! 

[SummerInParadise23]

I saw  Brian's XMAS show tonight in Hollywood, FL at the Hardrock Casino. It was an awesome time but I have no doubt some Beach Boy fans felt disappointed in many of the well known songs not being performed.

Some thoughts:

Positive:

Al Jardine's voice is incredible. He was awesome on Christmas Day and a bunch more. I really hope he rejoins Mike's team at some point assuming Brian is near the end.

Blonde Chaplin's voice was also really good and funny. Not as bizarre this time around.

Rob B. (Carnie's Husband) was awesome. He's different than Matt Jardine. More charismatic and more animated. His voice is really nice. He took some really good XMAS leads.

The full band/instruments etc... Just spectacular.

Negative:

They had an 'opening act' who were really good but most people thought Brian started at 8PM and it was closer to 9PM. That might've taken a little wind out of the crowd.

They only played 8 or so non XMAS Beach Boys songs. They didn't even play California Girls, Do You Wanna Dance?, Surfin Safari,  Kokomo, I Get Around or Don't Worry Baby.

Brian's Solo XMAS songs don't go over well. Nobody knew them (including me).

Brian's voice was really weak/bad. He barely showed any emotion today and you can tell his physical status is really poor. It's sad to see but the show must go on!

I think they should drop O Holy Night, Run Run Rudolph and a few others. Replace them with Beach Boys songs.

Overall, it's really special to hear the XMAS songs in person especially Al on Christmas Day. I'd say go in with low expectations of Beach Boys songs and just more of a Christmas show with a few Beach Boys songs.

[Rocker]

Kokomo,

To be fair, Brian in all his solo years never played "Kokomo" one single time. It's just not part of his set, since he is touring as Brian Wilson and not as The Beach Boys.

I'd say go in with low expectations of Beach Boys songs and just more of a Christmas show with a few Beach Boys songs.

I might be mistaken, but isn't that exactly as what the show was promoted? Brian Wilson plays the Christmas album?


Brian Wilson Presents The Christmas album tour!
This holiday season, for the first time Brian and his crack band of musicians and vocalists along with long time bandmates Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin will be performing The Beach Boys' Christmas Album in its entirety along with cuts from his solo Christmas album What I Really Want for Christmas.

Source: brianwilson.com

[Tony S]

Watching the videos on YouTube I really enjoyed Blondie on Oh Holy Night and Run Rudolph Run. They were highlights for me. Hope they don't drop those songs.

[SMiLE Brian]

Brian still kills it on backing vocals when others are singing.

[SMiLE Brian]

OSD-Wan Jedi mind trick on summerinparadise23?

[B.E.]

Brian still kills it on backing vocals when others are singing.

Does he? It's been reported that he hardly sings any background vocals anymore. Not participating in Auld Lang Syne with the rest of the band huddled around him is hard to watch.

[HeyJude]

I saw  Brian's XMAS show tonight in Hollywood, FL at the Hardrock Casino. It was an awesome time but I have no doubt some Beach Boy fans felt disappointed in many of the well known songs not being performed.

Some thoughts:

Positive:

Al Jardine's voice is incredible. He was awesome on Christmas Day and a bunch more. I really hope he rejoins Mike's team at some point assuming Brian is near the end.

Blonde Chaplin's voice was also really good and funny. Not as bizarre this time around.

Rob B. (Carnie's Husband) was awesome. He's different than Matt Jardine. More charismatic and more animated. His voice is really nice. He took some really good XMAS leads.

The full band/instruments etc... Just spectacular.

Negative:

They had an 'opening act' who were really good but most people thought Brian started at 8PM and it was closer to 9PM. That might've taken a little wind out of the crowd.

They only played 8 or so non XMAS Beach Boys songs. They didn't even play California Girls, Do You Wanna Dance?, Surfin Safari,  Kokomo, I Get Around or Don't Worry Baby.

Brian's Solo XMAS songs don't go over well. Nobody knew them (including me).

Brian's voice was really weak/bad. He barely showed any emotion today and you can tell his physical status is really poor. It's sad to see but the show must go on!

I think they should drop O Holy Night, Run Run Rudolph and a few others. Replace them with Beach Boys songs.

Overall, it's really special to hear the XMAS songs in person especially Al on Christmas Day. I'd say go in with low expectations of Beach Boys songs and just more of a Christmas show with a few Beach Boys songs.

Some others have already spoken to some of this. But other than arguing that non-fans being comped tickets on the night might be confused (and even then it's a stretch), there shouldn't have been any expectation to hear mostly the same old "Beach Boys hits", nor some of those specific songs listed.

This tour has been marketed from the outset not only as a "Christmas" themed show, but a show where the *entire* 1964 Christmas album would be played. Tour materials also mentioned Brian would be doing other additional Christmas songs. That right there amounts to what would be the majority of any typical Brian show. They then added a short additional set of some "classics."

Why would anyone but casual fans or non-fans want to see Brian drop rarely-performed songs like this solo XMas songs or the '77 Christmas songs (which I'm sure are just as "unknown" to casual audience members as his 2004 solo stuff) to play the same hits he plays at most shows?

The *entire deal* with this tour is that it's something different.

Also, as others alluded to, why would anyone expect Brian to perform "Kokomo?" He has NEVER performed the song in nearly 20 years of solo touring, and as many including Mike Love himself is quick to remind us, Brian isn't even on the original recording and had nothing to do with it. For the record, Brian has very rarely performed "Surfin' Safari" as well. And, while he has done "Do You Wanna Dance?" on some tours, I'm not sure why anyone would prioritize that song as a well-known hit they'd want to see him perform; it was a cover version to begin with of course.

As for "O Holy Night", I would guess it probably came up because it's on Brian's 2004 Christmas album.

But to recap, anybody complaining about too many Christmas songs or not enough "hits" were clearly just ignoring the ticket and promotional materials for this tour. Any fans who want the band to do "Kokomo" instead of "Winter Symphony" should just avoid a Brian Wilson tour and go see Mike Love's band. You will absolutely hear "Kokomo" at his show.

[Joel Goldenberg]

I was also at the Hollywood show and it was fantastic! Was a thrill to hear Winter Symphony- Al sang it exactly as Brian did and Brian joined in nicely. Brian sang best on his solo Christmas songs. Blondie's voice is phenomenal and his eccentric humor is great. Unfortunately somebody in the audience kept yelling "Beach Boys!"

[guitarfool2002]

I was also at the Hollywood show and it was fantastic! Was a thrill to hear Winter Symphony- Al sang it exactly as Brian did and Brian joined in nicely. Brian sang best on his solo Christmas songs. Blondie's voice is phenomenal and his eccentric humor is great. Unfortunately somebody in the audience kept yelling "Beach Boys!"

Hmmm...Could it have been the poster above who was disappointed Brian didn't perform Kokomo? 

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

I was also at the Hollywood show and it was fantastic! Was a thrill to hear Winter Symphony- Al sang it exactly as Brian did and Brian joined in nicely. Brian sang best on his solo Christmas songs. Blondie's voice is phenomenal and his eccentric humor is great. Unfortunately somebody in the audience kept yelling "Beach Boys!"

Hmmm...Could it have been the poster above who was disappointed Brian didn't perform Kokomo? 

  Good one GF!!

[Competition Clutch]

I was also at the Hollywood show and it was fantastic! Was a thrill to hear Winter Symphony- Al sang it exactly as Brian did and Brian joined in nicely. Brian sang best on his solo Christmas songs. Blondie's voice is phenomenal and his eccentric humor is great. Unfortunately somebody in the audience kept yelling "Beach Boys!"

Hmmm...Could it have been the poster above who was disappointed Brian didn't perform Kokomo? 

:LOL:

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Whenever Brian decides he will do his last show, I want him to do it as s joke

[rab2591]

Kokomo for Brian's last show I would love to see that band cover 'Summer of Love' as a joke. That thought got me thinking about Brian's last shows...

My ideal vision for Brian's final tour:

Brian's Rock&Roll album is completed, original name of the album Pleasure Island is used for the final title. On it are covers of his favorite rock and roll songs (the songs that really spoke to him during his most creative times), also on it are some killer originals that he, Al, and Blondie wrote together on tour. Also, the album comes with a bonus EP of an 8 minute finished version of 'Can't Wait Too Long'. But onto the concerts:

The concerts would start with a crazy dark auditorium, and stage is completely dark. You hear Ding Dang faintly and people stop talking as the music gets louder and louder. Brian walks out on stage, walks to his piano and joins in on the song. 4 minutes of Ding Dang that just get more epic with each loop, the Moog is loud as hell, Blondie starts shredding on his guitar, Al joins in with the singing. With absolutely no break, the band dives right into 'God Please Let Us Go On This Way'.

So the final tour would consist of songs from Pleasure Island, a mass of Love You songs, Moog synth accompanies any classic Beach Boys tune. The concession stands sell beer but also steak and cake. Brian's favorite deli would go on the tour and cater for the band. Also, Brian would sit in his leather recliner during the songs he doesn't sing lead on.

It would be a party ! Who gives a hoot if Brian's voice isn't perfect that night? He is up there having a blast because these are the songs he wants to perform for the masses.

Oh I hope such a tour will happen.

[harrisonjon]

I was at Hollywood, FL and agree with the above. I enjoyed the Xmas arrangements very much because they show off aspects of Brian's history that are not covered in regular BW or BB shows. I thought 'We Three Kings' and 'Winter Symphony' were especially awesome and Darian coming back (he wasn't there when I last saw the group) made this a lot more enjoyable than the Pet Sounds show I saw in Atlanta in 2016.

Brian's voice - I was dreading all his vocals to be honest because the voice has completely gone, far more than ten years ago (when it was already difficult to like). I thought he did OK on songs in a lower register but he shouldn't go near Wouldn't It Be Nice, which he just cannot handle at all. He gets through God Only Knows by breaking each line into two and just about gets away with it, although I thought it was out of time with the band, whose arrangement is faster than he takes the lines.

Rob B. was a bit too animated for my taste, too showbizzy, but technically very good, I agree. I missed Matt on the Pet Sounds songs. Al was great on the Xmas tracks, as noted, and I hadn't known that his first ever BB lead was on the Xmas album.

It amazes me how Paul von Mertens and Probyn Gregory are able to create a whole brass section.

Some of the people in the audience were total idiots and I would not allow them to color my perception of the concert.

My one criticism is that I don't think they should have put White Christmas and Auld Lang Syne at the end, after the BB hits. A better structure might have been 1964 album then some Beach Boys then the solo/1977 tracks then finish with Rhonda etc. Also show some adventure by including a BB track not played in any previous tour, such as a track from Friends or 2020 (given that those albums have just been reissued digitally).

Kokomo can fcuk off

[Joel Goldenberg]

My brother was irritated and I was amused by the guy dancing wildly in front of the stage in Hollywood.

[SummerInParadise23]

Joel, the guy dancing all night in front of the stage was so funny. Extremely entertaining! Especially when they did the last song around the piano! He looked like he was conducting an orchestra! I have video of that.

[SummerInParadise23]

Also, I mentioned 'Kokomo' to get people excited on purpose. I believe it's called 'Trolling'! I also never got why Brian rarely plays Surfin Safari. Wasn't that the first song that did really well compared to Surfin'/Luau etc.. ?