Apparently Brian Wilson was a big hit at the recent Rainforest concert.

At the twentieth anniversary "Rainforest" show, held at Carnegie Hall Thursday night, the usual star suspects – Sting, Billy Joel and James Taylor - turned out to croon. But the evening found a clear highlight in a section devoted to the summery West Coast music of guest star Brian Wilson.

Coming towards the close of this long, slow, and often aimless night, Wilson provided some needed animation and helped redeem much of what came before.

But the show didn't kick into high gear until Wilson and his band came out to bat out 8 undying hits. From the sumptuous chords of "God Only Knows" (with Sting taking some verses) to the creamy pep of "Fun Fun Fun" (with James Taylor adding his own touches), Wilson's songs provided a model of complex harmonics spun into blissful pop. You could make fun of the middle-aged stars twisting along to these songs like drunken uncles at the wedding. Or you could carp about the tossed-off feel of the rest of the night. But hey, it's a benefit show meant to generate good will and big bucks not to floor you with inspiration. And at those modest goals, it succeeded.