Brian Wilson @ Warner Theater
By DCist Contributor Mehan Jayasuriya
Much like the similarly canonized Robert Johnson, Brian Wilson is an American icon for whom mythology has contributed as much to his legend of being a "musical genius" as his accomplishments have. The five years spent in a bedroom, the lost (and eventually found) masterpiece Smile, the strange, drug-induced happenings at an L.A. mansion in the 1960s and a long history of mental illness add up to something that threatens to overshadow even Wilson's widely-regarded stature as the greatest American pop composer of the 20th century. Considering that numerous books have been devoted to the subject of this legend alone, we'll skip ahead in the story, assuming that you're at least somewhat familiar with Wilson's trials and talents.
After years spent outside of the public eye and away from the stage, Wilson has returned in grand form. The past few years have found him embarking upon a worldwide victory lap. Following a series of sold-out Pet Sounds performances at London's Royal Festival Hall in 2002 and his completed Smile, released to critical acclaim in 2004, Wilson has again taken to touring, treating audiences in Europe and the United States to full performances of his most celebrated works. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of what many hail as the finest pop album ever created, new CD, DVD and vinyl versions of the classic Pet Sounds were issued (adding to what seems an endless collection of reissues) to accompany a Pet Sounds tour with long-estranged Beach Boy Al Jardine. Saturday night's performance at the Warner Theater marked the final date on the tour and allegedly, the final performance of the album in its entirety by Wilson.
While years spent in obscurity might have buried another performer, they seem to have only added to Wilson's myth — and have made his eventual comeback that much more triumphant. Bear witness to the crowd of middle-aged fans, some sporting "God Bless Brian Wilson" t-shirts; the screams of "We love you Brian!" in between songs; the $150, autographed, Brian Wilson doll being sold in the lobby. Wilson may be past his prime but you'd never guess it from the full-fledged Brianmania on display Saturday night.
Arriving onstage at 8 p.m. sharp, Wilson and friends initially arranged themselves in a circle stage left, as if singing songs around a campfire. Using a limited pallet of acoustic instruments, voices and bongos, they performed a number of Beach Boys staples like "Surfer Girl," along with a few covers, all the while exhibiting the complex vocal arrangements for which Wilson is famous. After a few of these casually performed numbers, Brian and his band transitioned to the full setup that they would use for the rest of the show: four guitars, two full-size drum kits, four keyboards and a littering of supporting instruments. "We're burning up with love here, ladies and gentlemen!" Wilson shouted, to thunderous applause.
The applause was more deafening, however, when Al Jardine walked onstage and launched into "Then I Kissed Her," a post-Wilson Beach Boys hit. Sporting his trademark pink Stratocaster, a blue jacket and a huge grin, Jardine was greeted with a standing ovation and shouts of "We love you little Al!" from the upper balcony. Together, Wilson and Jardine energetically ran through a number of Beach Boys hits, culminating in back-to-back performances of 1964's "I Get Around" (the Boys' first US #1) and the following summer's LSD-inspired "California Girls." Wilson closed out the first half of the performance with a faithful reading of "Good Vibrations," widely regarded as his single most influential composition. His "pocket symphony" sounded near-perfect, down to the warped notes of the forever distinctive electro-theremin line.
After a brief intermission, the band reappeared onstage, with Wilson declaring, quite simply, "We are now going to play you the entire Pet Sounds album". Unlike the previous hits, the Pet Sounds cuts placed Wilson's voice front and center and the results were a little disheartening. Wilson faltered at first, straining to hit the high notes and singing slightly flat on the first two songs, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "You Still Believe in Me." However, having been given time to warm up, he hit his stride on "That's Not Me," belting out a strong vocal and pivoting at the waist to gesture to his players like a pop maestro. Wilson continued to play this role for the rest of the performance, remaining anchored to a prop keyboard yet never bothering to hit even a single key (this recalcitrance is completely forgivable; after all, even Bob Dylan doesn't play guitar anymore).
Wrapping up Side A, "Sloop John B" sounded particularly strong as did its follow up, "God Only Knows." "This may be my greatest achievement in songwriting," Wilson declared while introducing the latter song. "Paul McCartney told me it was his favorite tune." Following the performance of Pet Sounds, the band came back onstage for an encore, playing more Beach Boys hits like "Surfin' USA," and covering rock and roll standard "Johnny B Goode," an ode to Wilson's idol, Chuck Berry. Brian even strapped on a bass, just like old times — though he only plucked at a few notes.
I would be lying if I told you that Wilson's final performance of Pet Sounds was note perfect or if I suggested that the pop icon is still in his prime. Brian Wilson has aged and it shows — his voice sounds weathered and he looks and sounds far less nimble than he once was. The vocal harmonies still sound great but that's thanks more to his backing band than to Wilson himself. Despite these flaws, however, Wilson still manages to give his audience something that no one else can: brief glimpses of true melodic genius. As the grey-haired crowd slowly filtered out into the lobby, the words "musical genius" seemed to emanate from every smiling face. God bless Brian Wilson, indeed.
Photo from brianwilson.com