I've been reading the reviews of Brian's Christmas shows and they seem to range from "Brian should hang it up" to "not as bad as I thought it would be". This board seems to be more forgiving, the "other" board, harsher. The last time I saw Brian live was 2015 and he sounded very good, this was prior to his "talk-singing" phase. I didn't go to the Christmas shows but I went on youtube and listened to Brian singing "On Christmas Day" in Bergan, NJ and it was very good , no talk singing just Brian singing doing a great job. Now I know people say that this talk-singing is something Brian does when he's bored, think Pet Sounds, but it's obvious Brian can bring it when he wants to. Somebody,I don't know who, needs to take him aside and say "knock it off and sing". I've loved this guy for almost fifty years but this kind of live performance is just wrong and unfair to people who pay good money to see BRIAN WILSON. I'm really not there to see Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin, or whoever is singing Brian's leads and falsetto but I'm going to see BRIAN WILSON. Love Al, like Blondie, don't care who's singing falsetto as long as it's on key, I'm there for Brian.
I think it's in the Stebbin's FAQ book, but I think Jon witnessed Brian getting a "talking to" behind the scenes during a show. It is one of those things I read and my stomach kinda drops because it does harken back a bit to the Landy era. I don't know how frequent those "talking to"s were, or if that was a one time thing. But the idea of Brian Wilson being talked to like a child is something that rests uneasy with me.
I went to a great Pet Sounds show a couple years ago, was Brian doing the talking-singing thing? For the Pet Sounds bit yeah, and he was singing off key a couple times, but man was that the most energetic show I'd been to. I don't know what the recent shows are like, but if that energy is still high then audience goers should sit back and enjoy the ride. It's funny, because in those other places that are more likely to criticize Brian's shows you'll hear the praises of Mike's band yet Mike himself can't really keep a tune given what I've seen in recent videos (I mean, there are some who trash Brian's solo records but hilariously gush over Mike's recent Christmas album). So some criticism I don't even take into account due to the obvious bias.
And frankly, if Brian is bored, he shouldn't be touring then anyways, or else, make a concert that caters to HIS wants as a performer. This is my armchair quarterback take on things, and I'm completely uneducated about this stuff, so take it with a grain of salt. Brian wants to make a rock and roll record? He should make a rock and roll record. Make it his way, let Darian mix the thing, let Brian be 100% in control of the content. Just my opinion.