Back when the Beach Boys 50h Anniversary tour was just a rumor, Brian Wilson said that now his brothers Dennis and Carl were dead, he had no interest in playing with the rest of the band. But the money was so big he'd probably have no choice.
Well, here is the Brian had no choice tour.
I love the Beach Boys music not for what it was but for what it is as living, breathing songs. If you can't get nostalgic over the Gershwins, how can you get nostalgic over the Beach Boys? These are classic lessons in songwriting, they aren't archival pop moments. The precisely idiotic John Stamos, a man who can hear no difference between "Please Let Me Wonder" and "Kokomo", repulsive claim that these are songs to reconnect you to your youth, and feel warm in side, deserves to be widely scorned.
Two songs played at the Beacon Theater on Wednesday night, proved Stamos correct in his horrible accusation, and also, the Beach Boys a disappointment. "They couldn't do a decent job on "Heroes And Villains" and "Good Vibrations". The harmonies were off, the intricate stop gate of "Heroes" and swirling pop synthesized "Vibrations" creaked, these are difficult orchestral pop masterpieces and they couldn't play them right. Age? A year earlier Brian Wilson at the Highline performed completely perfect versions of both songs.
But Wilson was seriously engaged on the Re-Imagining Gershwin tour, and this is, for all its historic importance, a paycheck. He said so. Wilson loathes his cousins and old friends. And he has reason to, the Beach Boys without Wilson slaughtered his songs for decades. And don't give me Mike Love co-wrote some of the early songs . If Love is so great why is that EVERYTHING he has ever written?"
The nearly 3 hour set plus intermission, breaks neatly into pre and post Pet Sounds. The first set stumbles bad out of the gate and the first four songs, with Mike Love singing lead, are a mess. Love, who was always an irritating MC has gotten worse with age, and his voice is hit and miss, sometimes he misses it completely. "D it Yourself" is despairing. Jon Pareles in the New York Times wrote "memory and a knowing backup band supplied what mortal performers cannot.". It didn't for me at first.
But an excellent "Surfer Girl" followed and then hit after hit after hit.
Sometimes it was everything we had hoped it would be "Please Let Me Wonder" was just about the most wonderful thing on Earth. Brian Brian's weakening voice didn't matter on a song, a real early one, whose main point was fragile feelings. Al Jardine was fabulous on every single song he song, easily the best of the singers and a revelation to hose who hadn't heard his terrific solo album, A Postcard From California (very Jimmy Webb meets Brian Wilson). Especially a breathtaking "Cotton Fields" The harmonies were either great or not great, but a truly wonderful "Why do Fools Fall On Love?" reminds you as to where Wilson cut his chops. After the intermission, they reveal more of the story with two (what do you consider "Surfing USA"?) Chuck Berry covers. Brian Johnston sounds fine on "Disney Girls", And, wow, "Marcella" from Carl And The Passions: So Tough!!
The first set ends with four flying car songs in succession, "Shut Down" includes the first instrumental break of the night! The Ramones would be proud… and they are rolling right along.
The evenings best moment opens the second set, the Beach Boys surrounding Brian Wilson at his white piano for a simply beautiful "Add Some Music To Your Day". Take your nostalgia and plant it like a Sunflower. A couple of songs later the Beach Boys, buoyed by the very strong back up band (lead by a member of Brian's solo band) and an audience singing along on the top of its voice are excellent on "Wouldn't I be Nice". "Forever" is used to tribute the late drummer Dennis Wilson and a little later a video of Carl singing "God Only Knows" is played while the Boys harmonized with it. Very moving stuff.
Then they lockjam some greatest hits, and encore with the execrable "Kokomo". Wilson gets up from behind the piano and straps on a bass for "Barbara Ann" and the band sends us home with "Fun Fun Fun".
Some thoughts:
1.Music isn't nostalgia when you listen to it all the time, you can't escape these songs. They are everywhere.
2. Brian Wilson has long since wrestled himself away from the questions of living in the past.
3. Some of these sounds are the definition of fun, but not always simple fun. They aren't museum pieces, they aren't lost in a certain time and place, but this concert felt as though it was. Even with the OK new song in tow.
4. The vocals, the harmonies, went from ugh to quite good.
5. Love is a terrible MC.
6. Al Jardine has a great voice.
7. Guitarists David Marks and Bruce Johnston are more then welcome.
8. Brian Wilson has long suffered a disconnect on the stage.
9. I loved the concert and wouldn't have missed it for anything.But I preferred Brian Wilson's solo concerts whatever the market might decry to the contrary.
The songs were great, the playing a little uneven, the singing all over the place. Go and see it.
Grade: A-