Tonight Show Tonight

[rab2591]

Whoops, didn't see your post Roger Ryan....thanks for the link!

[Wirestone]

On the plus side -- we know he wasn't lip syncing.

On the negative -- he sounded raw.

And the grand piano is silly.

[guitarfool2002]

Just to restate something here: If the full episode from last night is available, watch the opera performance just before Brian's, it is really quite amazing what this girl can do with her natural voice.

I did miss Taylor with Brian's band last night.

[Runaways]

i don't know why they keep picking fast paced songs for him to sing on these shows.  that is not where his strong point is. 

[Myk Luhv]

I still think he could've done a good job with "I Got Rhythm" had that been the song played. I mean, sure he gets nervous and shouty, but I think his shouty vocals would've worked better on that song. Plus, I just think it's a less cliche voice and more inventively arranged and well-sun and... overall, more captivating. This was a good performance though, hiccups and all. His vocals could've been mixed higher as well, I thought. Also, the times he did not crack a smile he looked like this emoticon while singing: T_T -- it was sorta cute.

Edit: Or "Nothing But Love". That would've also been a far better choice. I am assuming, of course, that less uptempo stuff -- such as "Someone to Watch Over Me" or "It Ain't Necessarily So" -- while superior material, would not be ideal for a late-night TV spot because... I don't know, people who watch those sorts of programmes haven't much refined emotional sense or something. Who knows.

[Ron]

It ain't necessarily so would have been great. 

[guitarfool2002]

Edit: Or "Nothing But Love". That would've also been a far better choice. I am assuming, of course, that less uptempo stuff -- such as "Someone to Watch Over Me" or "It Ain't Necessarily So" -- while superior material, would not be ideal for a late-night TV spot because... I don't know, people who watch those sorts of programmes haven't much refined emotional sense or something. Who knows.

I think you're missing something here...namely, watch this clip starting around 6:40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HI9pg3o2GA

And this was right before Brian did his song. The people watching this seemed to be just fine with their emotional sense watching a slow, operatic vocal piece sung in Latin! I think Brian just wasn't as compelling last night as Jackie Evancho, and if I were his management I never would have had Brian follow her onto that stage.

[Jonas]

I'm gonna have to agree with Rerun, he doesn't sound good at all. The band sounds great, but Brian is just off...I don't think this will appeal to anyone but BW/BB fans...

[summerinparadise.flac]

that was rough...

[oldsurferdude]

The time came a long time ago to stop with the performances on the tube-

         1. They usually choose the wrong song.

          2. Brian is usually off key.

           3. Like last night, he looked like a caged animal-scared to death.

            4. This will not sell albums. It will turn people away.

Another bad management decision.

[?]

I'm gonna have to agree with Rerun, he doesn't sound good at all. The band sounds great, but Brian is just off...I don't think this will appeal to anyone but BW/BB fans...

I don't think anything he does, ever, will appeal to anyone but BW/BB fans.

[Wirestone]

That being said, the album jumped like 10 places in the Amazon sales chart today. It's back down now, but it did move.

[Dove Nested Towers]

He was really into the TLOS material when I saw him live, and singing VERY well. I don't know if/when he performed "Midnight's Another Day" on television but I think it would have gone over well. That girl is INCREDIBLE! He definitely shouldn't have been following her.

[STE]

Oh crap.  That was awful.
The band was good as usual but Brian really had an off night.

Oh crap.

[Pretty Funky]

Brian Wilson has been playing live and releasing albums for 11 years with this band. For the entire period I have read comments about his live performances, most of them negative.
I'm no Blueboarder but Brian is what he is. The record execs, concert promoters, Lettermans, Lenos understand that. Why don't we?

[Rob Dean]

I concur with all the negative posts as YES it was rather shite , but hey we will all be buying our Concert tickets won't we ??

[hypehat]

Yeah, that was pretty rough on Brian's part. Not helped by the fact he was pretty gormless up there. Somewhat depressingly, the backing sounded almost EXACTLY THE SAME as the CD. Even down to the 'Party'esque backing bits during the solo. I mean, jesus.

*Waits til his paycheck arrives as to buy tickets to RFH* 

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Brian Wilson has been playing live and releasing albums for 11 years with this band. For the entire period I have read comments about his live performances, most of them negative.
I'm no Blueboarder but Brian is what he is. The record execs, concert promoters, Lettermans, Lenos understand that. Why don't we?

Because he's capable of doing much better, and has done so.

This was Brian just going through the motions...I agree with those who said he couldn't hear himself well. He finished the song pretty well during the "quiet" part, so that kind of bears it out.

[Wirestone]

Important distinction to be made here.

Brian's live performances -- in the context of a full show with his band -- are often outstanding. Sometimes they're only okay (and on some tours he's clearly content to go by the numbers), but they're seldom atrocious all the way through. That's why people go. That's why I go. I've never been disappointed by a BW live gig.

Brian's live performances on TV, though, where he plays only one song or one and a half -- are virtually always poor. I'm almost never impressed. This time on Leno is not actually on the lower tier of his TV appearances -- which says something about how bad most of them are.

[Chris Brown]

Brian Wilson has been playing live and releasing albums for 11 years with this band. For the entire period I have read comments about his live performances, most of them negative.
I'm no Blueboarder but Brian is what he is. The record execs, concert promoters, Lettermans, Lenos understand that. Why don't we?

Because he's capable of doing much better, and has done so.

This was Brian just going through the motions...I agree with those who said he couldn't hear himself well. He finished the song pretty well during the "quiet" part, so that kind of bears it out.

That was my thought as well...he seemed like someone not having a great voice night, but couldn't hear himself on top of it.  Especially given that he's only got one good ear in the first place, I would think that having a good monitor in that ear would have helped quite a bit.  At least he looked like he was enjoying himself to some degree, as much as he ever does in his TV appearances anyways.

[Awesoman]

Brian's Leno performance = meh.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Important distinction to be made here.

Brian's live performances -- in the context of a full show with his band -- are often outstanding. Sometimes they're only okay (and on some tours he's clearly content to go by the numbers), but they're seldom atrocious all the way through. That's why people go. That's why I go. I've never been disappointed by a BW live gig.

Brian's live performances on TV, though, where he plays only one song or one and a half -- are virtually always poor. I'm almost never impressed. This time on Leno is not actually on the lower tier of his TV appearances -- which says something about how bad most of them are.

Best BW TV appearance of recent vintage - doing bvs for Neil Diamond. He was clearly having a complete blast.

[Mike's Beard]

Give props to Brian's band. They really do so much to carry an otherwise rotten performer.

[punkinhead]

to be honest, I've defended Brian over the years amongst whether it's a general BB fan, or a hardcore fan like us...

The GIOMH debacle, accepting a lot of his shouty vocals, defending and finding the best in his performances on and off the record....

but I can only defend what I believe to be something acceptable, and that performance wasn't acceptable, sorry Brian.

[shelter]

I thought he sounded rotten.  I would almost guarantee that nobody who saw that performance who wasn't already a BW fan was converted.  Atrocious.

Unfortionately I have to agree.

And I think 'The Like In A Love You' would've been a much better choice.