Brian in Topanga 1996 video on Youtube!

[onkster]

Somebody just posted this a few days ago:
https://youtu.be/1ITOSw-PzPA

My first wife and I were at that show--she got us the tickets! It was a beautiful day, a nice small crowd, and an eclectic roster of performers: Stan Ridgway, Rickie Lee Jones, Billy Swan, Van Dyke Parks...I feel like I've forgotten somebody (but not Billy Preston!) Chris Douridas of KCRW hosted this, as I recall.

Brian's in strong voice, and the performance is sloppily fun. He's in a great mood, and the crowd is diggin' him. Van Dyke performed a second set--I recall he did sing Orange Crate Art, and told an odd story about being in a gay bar with Ry Cooder back in the day.

Rickie Lee Jones led the crowd in a sweet a cappella version of "Don't Worry Baby".

Stan Ridgway sang a really weird song about a murder, and Brian got a realllllly spooked look on his face.

Billy Swan did "I Can Help", of course.

I believe the show was a benefit for upkeep of the Will Geer Amphitheatre.

It sure is nice to have a record of this!

[guitarfool2002]

How fantastic is that? And how fortunate you were to have seen it in person. I don't think a lot of fans who came into this later realize just how truly big these events were at this time, considering not more than a few years before this, the thought of Brian Wilson performing anywhere was hoping for the impossible. No less, having Van Dyke Parks with him on the same bill, and with new material in the works.

This was an exciting time all around, you can see how Brian was into this and even playing with the crowd in his interactions, and the crowd was giving back the love to the songwriter/performer and the songs. What a great time to be a fan, and that's what also makes seeing these things again a little melancholy. Oh, to be young again, right? 

[juggler]

Goosebumps during that rendition of GOK.    I imagine it's what it might have been like to witness Beethoven personally banging out an unpolished Für Elise.  It's one of those ultra-rare moments when you're witnessing something very special from a transcendent musical genius.

[Rocker]

You guys definitely need to check out the youtube-thread in the media section more often   

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,2412.msg671702.html#msg671702

[Jim V.]

You know everybody talking about how Brian is more active to the eye or whatever you'd call it, I think it comes down to this...the less there needs to be from Brian on-stage, the less you'll get. Look at the late '70s Beach Boys. Obviously the touring group had showed for over ten years that they could do great shows without Brian. When he played with them live during the late '70s and early '80s you didn't see him usually doing all that much. But if you look at the mid '80s when he started doing the occasional solo appearance, you'd see him playing piano and singing with gusto. This basically continued up until the Imagination period. But then you watch something like that Fender Presents appearance he did with Blondie and Nicky, you see an engaged and upbeat Brian.

Now obviously these days he moves a bit slower then he did 25 years ago. Who of us doesn't? But I think when he wants to, he can still deliver.

[thetojo]

One of my (and my wife's) fondest memories of Brian was, I think, it was 2002 Pet Sounds Tour and Brian came to the fore during the encode wearing a Santa hat and playing bass on a few numbers. It was so great just to see him standing up and moving around a bit and genuinely enjoying it.

What was odd about it, and it didn't detract from the joy of that experience, but what was odd was that he did not seem to want to help the roadie who would not only hand him the bass, but also reach around and put the shoulder strap on him as well. It struck me as so strange I still remember it clearly, but then I probably saw at least 3 shows of that tour.

[Wirestone]

It's amazing to consider this show was 25 years ago now. Gulp.

[UEF]

You know everybody talking about how Brian is more active to the eye or whatever you'd call it, I think it comes down to this...the less there needs to be from Brian on-stage, the less you'll get. Look at the late '70s Beach Boys. Obviously the touring group had showed for over ten years that they could do great shows without Brian. When he played with them live during the late '70s and early '80s you didn't see him usually doing all that much. But if you look at the mid '80s when he started doing the occasional solo appearance, you'd see him playing piano and singing with gusto. This basically continued up until the Imagination period. But then you watch something like that Fender Presents appearance he did with Blondie and Nicky, you see an engaged and upbeat Brian.

Now obviously these days he moves a bit slower then he did 25 years ago. Who of us doesn't? But I think when he wants to, he can still deliver.

BW's band and the current BB band are kinda the same in that regard; the more you fill the stage with session musicians, the closer it sounds to the record and the less interesting it gets.

Live bands sound better with fewer rather than more musicians

[Robbie Mac]

You know everybody talking about how Brian is more active to the eye or whatever you'd call it, I think it comes down to this...the less there needs to be from Brian on-stage, the less you'll get. Look at the late '70s Beach Boys. Obviously the touring group had showed for over ten years that they could do great shows without Brian. When he played with them live during the late '70s and early '80s you didn't see him usually doing all that much. But if you look at the mid '80s when he started doing the occasional solo appearance, you'd see him playing piano and singing with gusto. This basically continued up until the Imagination period. But then you watch something like that Fender Presents appearance he did with Blondie and Nicky, you see an engaged and upbeat Brian.

Now obviously these days he moves a bit slower then he did 25 years ago. Who of us doesn't? But I think when he wants to, he can still deliver.

BW's band and the current BB band are kinda the same in that regard; the more you fill the stage with session musicians, the closer it sounds to the record and the less interesting it gets.

You say that like it’s a bad thing.

[Pretty Funky]

Oh I personally have enjoyed both ‘live’ eras. When I first saw them in 78 it was the sound we just knew they produced live. It was a rock concert. It just was what it was, and it pretty much stayed that way until Brian’s late 90s resurrection. Then the music really became front and centre to my ears. While I wouldn’t want to go back personally, I would have liked an acoustic era something along the RS performance of 2012, even just for one tour.

[UEF]

You say that like it’s a bad thing.

It is. Live bands always sound better when they have to struggle a bit to get the song across.