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Post by AGD on Feb 22, 2024 3:06:02 GMT -5
Earlier today someone was asking me about the UK BWpS shows, and also the Pet Sounds gigs, and it got me thinking, so I dug out my list of BB and BW gigs I've seen. Here's Brians: 2002 - Pet SoundsJanuary 27th Royal Festival Hall, London January 28th Royal Festival Hall, London January 29th Royal Festival Hall, London January 30th Royal Festival Hall, London June 7th Royal Centre, Nottingham June 9th Royal Festival Hall, London June 10th Royal Festival Hall, London 2004 - BWpSFebruary 20th Royal Festival Hall, London February 22nd Royal Festival Hall, London February 26th Royal Festival Hall, London February 27th Royal Festival Hall, London July 17th City Hall, Portsmouth July 24th Royal Festival Hall, London July 25th Royal Festival Hall, London July 27th Royal Festival Hall, London 2005 June 22nd Hampton Court Festival, East Molesey July 14th The Dome, Brighton July 15th NIA, Birmingham 2006 - Pet Sounds ("final UK performance") November 12th Adelphi, London 2007 - TLOSSeptember 10th Royal Festival Hall, London September 11th Royal Festival Hall, London September 22nd Festival Theatre, Edinburgh 2009 July 11th Guilfest, Guilford September 3rd Roundhouse, London 2011 - BWRG September 16th Royal Festival Hall, London September 17th Royal Festival Hall, London 2016 - Pet Sounds (w/Alan & Blondie) May 21st Palladium, London May 22nd Palladium, London As Brian would say, it's been a trip. Out of curiosity, what were your favorites/least favorite? Obviously the BWPS gigs would have been out of this world. As you say, BWpS was in a class of its own, but the Gershwin gigs and especially TLOS were pretty much up there too, as new material = engaged Brian. Great, great shows, no qualifications or reservations. Worst shows? Hampton Court was hugely disappointing with the added "bonus" of a new sound guy who really wasn't up to the job that day. I delicately suggested to a band member afterwards that maybe a little practice would have helped, to which he responded that they'd come direct from a private gig in the Bahamas and that they'd not had any at all. Later in that tour, they were great again. Go figure. The 2016 Palladium shows were equally disappointing, because Brian just wasn't engaged at all, and in retrospect this may have been the beginning of the decline. Halfway through the first one my then partner turned to me and said, simply, "you're on your own next time"... and I couldn't argue. Not seen him live since, and now... Would have loved to have seen the 2009 US fall shows, as by all accounts (and the footage amply supports this) Brian was on fire.
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Post by John Manning on Feb 22, 2024 5:03:34 GMT -5
My last shows were Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in ‘16, and Glastonbury Extravaganza in 2017.
The 2016 show was the first time I’d witnessed a possible decline in Brian but it was all the more emotional to hear him near-talking some songs, and to have Matt Jardine’s (I think) vocals counterpoint Brian’s.
At the time I thought that would be my final BW show but when an opportunity arose the following year to take my kids to their first BW show, at Glastonbury of all places, I leaped at it. Brian wasn’t at his best but he wasn’t at his worst either, but Blondie especially tore the house down – and we had an absolute blast.
That was a special holiday for us: one of our last trips in our dear old campervan Albert; I got to share BW’s music with my kids; the gig was the last time I carried them on my shoulders, so they could see the performance (they were 5 and 8 at the time; they were too bloody heavy really and it took my back weeks to recover!); and a few days earlier we’d taken them to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, and walked through the Tardis doors together, hand in hand.
Me enforcing my childhood on to my kids, and them loving every minute of it.
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Post by E on Feb 22, 2024 7:12:42 GMT -5
My last shows were Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in ‘16, and Glastonbury Extravaganza in 2017. The 2016 show was the first time I’d witnessed a possible decline in Brian but it was all the more emotional to hear him near-talking some songs, and to have Matt Jardine’s (I think) vocals counterpoint Brian’s. At the time I thought that would be my final BW show but when an opportunity arose the following year to take my kids to their first BW show, at Glastonbury of all places, I leaped at it. Brian wasn’t at his best but he wasn’t at his worst either, but Blondie especially tore the house down – and we had an absolute blast. That was a special holiday for us: one of our last trips in our dear old campervan Albert; I got to share BW’s music with my kids; the gig was the last time I carried them on my shoulders, so they could see the performance (they were 5 and 8 at the time; they were too bloody heavy really and it took my back weeks to recover!); and a few days earlier we’d taken them to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, and walked through the Tardis doors together, hand in hand. Me enforcing my childhood on to my kids, and them loving every minute of it. 2016 was my last - as I say towards the end of the review, I thought it would be Brian's last too. After seeing some of the videos and reading reports, I'm kinda pleased I didn't see anything later than this. fridaynightboys300.blogspot.com/2016/05/brian-wilson-presents-pet-sounds-at.htmlGod bless you, Brian. And thanks!
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M.I.U. Fan
Kahuna
God's Lonely Man
Posts: 101
Likes: 189
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Post by M.I.U. Fan on Feb 22, 2024 9:09:51 GMT -5
My first show was June 15 1999 in Northampton Massachusetts. I was 22 and it was the first time I drove out of state for a concert. It's so long ago now my memories are pretty hazy. It was an honor to finally see The Man in person. The setlist was fantastic. But yeah, you had a feeling that Brian could get up and leave at any moment.
The following year at the Pet Sounds show he looked much more relaxed and confident. There was less doubling of his lead vocals by Jeff. Pet Sounds live in its entirety, who would ever think?
The next year he was with Paul Simon. Shorter set, but now some Smile stuff was starting to trinkle in. Autograph table between sets seems like madness now. What did we do to deserve a free meet and greet session? I got Brian and the entire band to sign my program. Melinda too!
The Smile tour was probably the best ever. I saw the show 3 times in a week, and Brian was fully engaged in two out of the three.
That Lucky Old Sun show was just as great as Smile, and it was new music, so Brian could take some pride in the good reactions it was getting. I still love the record, his best solo work. And this was the show that I got to go backstage to meet Brian with Jeff and Ray Lawlor. I was terrified, probably came off nervous and stupid, but what an honor.
2009 random fall tour was the best I had ever seen, just because Brian was absolutely at peace. He was talkative, funny, and he played his piano audibly on nearly every song. He was present, truly part of the ensemble, not just reading words off a prompter. This is my personal favorite Brian concert memory. Monster Mash in November!
Fast forward past the reunion and Jeff Beck to 2016. Pet Sounds again. I made a very long drive to see him. While the additions of Blondie and Billy Hinsche to the band added some excitement, Brian was mostly talking his way through Pet Sounds, which was a disappointment. I remember guiltily wishing Matt would just sing lead on some of the songs.
I thought that would be it for me, but the next year the show was stopping in my town, so I just had to go. At this point we're all getting tired of Pet Sounds live. The show wasn't much better than the previous year, the main highlights being the band intros and my shaking Al Jardine's hand after the show.
That was my last Brian Wilson concert.
Brian actually came to my town with Chicago, but luckily I had a scheduling conflict and didn't attend. Based on the videos I wouldn't have wanted to be there. Seeing Brian struggle to the stage with a walker and then nod off for most of the show? No thank you. I love him, but enough is enough. I want to remember him as he was when his concerts were great events.
Lots of shows under my belt, lots of memories, mostly good. It was a great ride that lasted far longer than anyone would have imagined. I'll miss not having a BW show to look forward to.
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Post by Sam_BFC on Feb 22, 2024 15:25:03 GMT -5
Man as I recall, Brian's vocal performance at the Gershwin show was near-indistinguishable from the record.
Agree 2016 Palladium was so-so at best. I think my most recent was Toronto November 2018. Actually, the first part of the show, whilst not super high energy, featured very good performances. The Pet Sounds part was the less enjoyable talk-singing style, but I think I did very well to see that first section for my most recent show.
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Post by Mikie on Feb 22, 2024 15:47:37 GMT -5
Great post, M.I.U. Fan! I shared many of your experiences there.
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Post by dauber on Feb 23, 2024 16:44:08 GMT -5
For me, by far the best Brian show was the Gershwin show in Toronto in 2011. Brian was SO ON, and the crowd was just eating him up big-time. Unbelievable performances. Dare I say, even better than the Smile shows.
I think I've seen Brian 32 times between 1999 and 2022 inclusive, the worst easily 2022. (Interestingly, I was much more happy with the Brian portion of the show than the Chicago portion of the show. I saw Chicago on their own the following year, and they did pretty much the same set except nothing from their latest album, but it was awesome. I don't know what was so flippin' different!) In 2022 Brian just didn't look right. He'd sing maybe a few lines from each song and just kind of give up, leaving Al, Matt, Blondie, or Darian to take over. There could have been several factors involved: his physical problems combined with progressing age, that it was a pretty busy tour (so many dates!), playing in much larger venues than he's used to, playing outdoors in the hot humid summer, possibly dementia kicking in, and if Melinda was ill, that might have been on his mind as well.
2019 Brian was maybe SLIGHTLY better than he'd be in 2022.
Interestingly, though, 2021 was almost a renaissance. Brian was VERY on; I'd say it was much closer to the Brian of 2002 (except he was in a wheelchair) in terms of his performance, enthusiasm, etc.
Whatever the case, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if the summer of 2022 was the last time I'd ever have a chance to go to a Brian show, I'm okay with that. Brian has done so much, given us so much great music (including during his touring years)...if he's ready to hang it up, good for him. But what I will have a hard time with: not seeing the band. They were all like old friends, including the newer members.
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petsite
Author/Historian/ Researcher
Posts: 1,980
Likes: 3,255
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Post by petsite on Feb 23, 2024 17:14:29 GMT -5
Whatever the case, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if the summer of 2022 was the last time I'd ever have a chance to go to a Brian show, I'm okay with that. Brian has done so much, given us so much great music (including during his touring years)...if he's ready to hang it up, good for him. But what I will have a hard time with: not seeing the band. They were all like old friends, including the newer members.
That is what I am thinking. I am going to miss hooking up with them before the shows. I love those guys so much. And they are among the most talented people around. Even McCartney has said as much.
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Post by newbbfan on Feb 23, 2024 20:48:05 GMT -5
Also and surely someone here must have said this in some details so pardon me for any neglect on my part, Brian's performance with the Beach Boys in that 2012 Tour was absolutely wonderful in every respect. Think of that song California Dreaming where the five of them are just rocking the house. Those five Beach Boys together, there was really nothing like it.
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Post by AGD on Feb 25, 2024 8:31:00 GMT -5
I'm somewhat amazed - and a tad concerned - that I could forget an entire BW show I went to, but this is the case. I also saw this:
8th March 2004, Symphony Hall, Brimingham (BWpS)
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Post by filledeplage on Feb 25, 2024 12:41:36 GMT -5
Mikie - that was great. I remember "textus" and his wonderful posts from SDV2, of course.
It would be great if he found us here and jumped in. 🎈
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Post by Mikie on Feb 25, 2024 13:05:20 GMT -5
Fille, I'm moving the Textus' article to the thread that I originally intended - the "20 Years Ago Tonight" thread.
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barto2
Grommet
Posts: 35
Likes: 52
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Post by barto2 on Mar 2, 2024 8:55:05 GMT -5
I can't take it. I just can't stop listening to midnights another day and summers gone. Crying watching the live performances, seeing Melinda, Jeffrey. I am a young(er) fan, I didn't know the trauma of losing Dennis and Carl. All I know is this music that means so much to me is dying and it's really hard to stomach. I know this is the nature of life but it's so hard sometimes.
I don't want Artificial Intelligence. I just want to put on headphones and hear the sound of some incredible human beings pouring their souls into microphones. A fragile moment in time, captured perfectly. What a beautiful journey it's been. I'm sorry if this triggers anyone else's sadness, I'm just really feeling it today.
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Post by filledeplage on Mar 2, 2024 9:28:05 GMT -5
I can't take it. I just can't stop listening to midnights another day and summers gone. Crying watching the live performances, seeing Melinda, Jeffrey. I am a young(er) fan, I didn't know the trauma of losing Dennis and Carl. All I know is this music that means so much to me is dying and it's really hard to stomach. I know this is the nature of life but it's so hard sometimes. I don't want Artificial Intelligence. I just want to put on headphones and hear the sound of some incredible human beings pouring their souls into microphones. A fragile moment in time, captured perfectly. What a beautiful journey it's been. I'm sorry if this triggers anyone else's sadness, I'm just really feeling it today. A lot is retrospective and looking back, almost philosophically. That's a good place to be as an artist, but not as a fan, to the point of becoming so entrenched that it affects you. It can be a fine line. Yes, a lot of it is, both tragic and sad but we must be able to take some of this in stride alongside everyday living, and we have to be able to function on an everyday basis, no matter what, by working out, or getting out, for a change of scenery. Dennis' loss was a shock, but not a complete surprise, because we knew he had substance issues, and Carl's was not a surprise, yet shocking, in that fans only had recordings and performances to hold onto. And Carl's relative youth leaving kids. They are still integrated into the Touring band and remembered at Al's shows. You are correct that this is the nature of life. And mostly on the AI thing. I think it could have a place in the right hands for all artists. They have a lot of upbeat, and fun and live stuff that can lift our spirits. Alongside other great musicians. 🎈
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Post by Awesoman on Mar 2, 2024 13:26:45 GMT -5
I can't take it. I just can't stop listening to midnights another day and summers gone. Crying watching the live performances, seeing Melinda, Jeffrey. I am a young(er) fan, I didn't know the trauma of losing Dennis and Carl. All I know is this music that means so much to me is dying and it's really hard to stomach. I know this is the nature of life but it's so hard sometimes. For what it's worth the music itself is not dying and will be around long after all of us are long gone. If music from Bach, Beethoven can still find audiences and even continue to be studied in the modern era, so can Brian's music.
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Post by radiantradish on Mar 2, 2024 17:07:06 GMT -5
I’ve been listening to C50 - the Japan gig and the official live album. It’s so wonderful. All the band is performing so brilliantly.
Al’s strong, clear leads and harmonies. Mike nailing the leads Brian beautifully taking mid harmonies and Carl parts Dave killing it on lead guitar Bruce with harmonies as sweet as ever. Jeff holding it all together with his unfailing falsetto.
It makes me happy and sad. It was the last time. But it was a great time. As a younger fan I cherished it. In retrospect I feel they could have made Jeff a “Beach Boy” given his long history and pivotal role in that final era.
Favourite cut from the whole thing? All This Is That. Everyone nails it.
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