LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts) - So what if he looked and moved like the Ronald Reagan animatron from Disney's Hall of Presidents? So what if he sang only the low harmonies, even on already-lowered renditions of his famous
Beach Boys hits?
No one went to see Brian Wilson at L.A.'s Roxy Theater on Saturday (May 11) expecting a great concert. They went to witness rock's most influential songwriter perform, in an intimate setting, the brilliant compositions that sat in heartbreaking concert silence from 1964 to 2000.
Wilson, who turns 60 next month, returned to the Roxy -- where he recorded a live album two years ago -- to play a pair of warm-up shows for the Queen's Jubilee in England on June 3. (The Beach Boys founder will share a stage with Paul McCartney, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and others.)
To the surprise of the crowd packing the late show (which included actors Danny DeVito and Rob Schneider and Wilson's daughter Carnie) they got a great concert anyway.
Wilson's now-regular, crack 10-piece -- including members of alternative L.A.'s the Wondermints , former Beach Boys touring guitarist Jeffrey Foskett, and backup singer Taylor Mills -- compensated for nearly all their leader's live shortcomings. Transcending impersonation, they added new life to requisite hits such as "Good Vibrations," "I Get Around," and "California Girls."
But the real treats were never-before-tackled gems such as 1967's "Wonderful," 1968's "Friends," 1977's "The Night Was So Young," and two songs from the Beach Boys' mid-'70s Carl and the Passions albums, "Sail on Sailor" and the rocker "Marcella," which Wilson introduced as the band's favorite.
Wilson's between-song comments were still awkward, brusque, and childlike, and he again neglected to once touch the Yamaha electric piano he was propped up behind. He completely quit touring in 1964, citing severe stage fright, then lapsed into a mental illness he clearly is still battling. But Wilson seemed more comfortable with audiences than in the recent past. Wearing an oversized stars-and-stripes shirt, he snapped his fingers, freely illustrated lyrics with hand gestures, and cracked more than a few smiles.
The famous Pet Sounds album remained his concert centerpiece, of course. It was represented by "God Only Knows," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Sloop John B," "You Still Believe in Me," "I'm Waiting for the Day," "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times," the instrumental "Let's Go Away for Awhile," and "I Know There's an Answer," which Wilson sang using its original title/lyrics, "Hang On to Your Ego." A live version of Pet Sounds, recorded during Wilson's very first English tour earlier this year, is due June 11 on Sanctuary Records.
Other highlights included a moving rendition of his late brother Dennis Wilson's 1970 ballad "Forever," a noble attempt to reclaim 1965's "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Mike Love, and the beautiful 1970 ballad "Surf's Up," which Wilson introduced as having "the most poetic lyrics in the whole world."
