I took my cousin Tommy with me to see Brian Wilson, this past Saturday.
These days, the sixty-six year old is a honest-to-goodness music legend touring behind a new album of songs called "That Lucky Old Sun".
A few years ago, Wilson finally released "Smile". That album was the revisiting of an old project that many people thought they would never actually hear. When he finally released it, "Smile" marked a musical moment that somehow "closed the circle" for many fans of The Beach Boys. Even the musicians that knew Brian Wilson said that he looked like someone who had lifted a tremendous weight off his shoulders.
So, was there anything left to do?
Clearly, "That Lucky Old Sun" marks a new chapter in Wilson's career. Its clear that these songs are devoted to telling the listener just how much Wilson loves California and how fondly he remembers his childhood. This is a man finally at peace with his past.
When Wilson took the stage, he was backed by his amazing ten-piece band "The Wondermints". If you close your eyes - you would swear someone put on a Beach Boys CD. This group of musicians deftly execute the complexities of these songs with smiles on their faces. It's clear that they love this music and admire the man who wrote these songs.
The band opened with "California Girls" and rolled through an hour of Beach Boys classics with absolute precision. The audience was ecstatic. Wilson was in good voice and his band never missed a beat.
After a twenty-minute intermission, the band performed "That Lucky Old Sun" from start to finish. Normally, I would find something like this boring. But, I have to say - the album actually holds up better live than it does when you are just sitting and listening to it. In fact, the songs were so beautifully performed, it made me want to revisit the album and listen to it more closely.
Towards the middle of the set, a screen behind the drummer showed pictures of Wilson as a teenager. The crowd cheered and screamed out, "We love you, Brian!". Wilson responded, "I love you, too!" Then, the screen showed snapshots of Brian with Dennis and Carl Wilson. Again, this was a bittersweet moment - and the crowd cheered loudly to show their love. It made the hair on my neck stand up. It was clearly a show of love for this man that acknowledged how far this man has come - and how much he's lost on the journey.
After a brief pause, Wilson and his band rounded out the night with a few more classic songs by The Beach Boys, as well as a cover of "Johnny B. Goode". For me, the highlight of the night was Wilson's performance of "God Only Knows". He introduced the song by saying that Paul McCartney told him that it was one of his favorite songs.
Clearly, Paul spoke for just about everyone in attendance. It was a moving moment in an evening that was filled with special moments. It isn't often you get to see a music legend perform live.
When you get the chance, take it.
No comments:
Post a Comment