“Hello, Clearwater!” former Beach Boy Brian Wilson exclaimed last night.
“Retirement” is not a word in the 76-year-old’s vocabulary. Drugs causing him to become schizoaffective nearly took his life, and a mercilessly abusive doctor nearly made him reach rock bottom. But here’s the thing about the sole founder of The Beach Boys: He loves music. He loves it enough to almost never be off the road, especially in the last five years aside from the making of his biopic Love And Mercy in 2014. In 2016, the year The Beach Boys’ legendary Pet Sounds album turned 50, Brian announced a tour to play the whole album all the way through, with fellow original Beach Boy, rhythm guitarist Al Jardine, and everyman Blondie Chaplin, a man who toured with The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones, (of whom some of his walking actions imitated). He had played it on the road many times before, but this would be the last time, he claimed.
The guys already brought Pet Sounds to Tampa Bay in 2016, at St. Pete’s Mahaffey Theater, and back to Florida last year at Orlando’s Walt Disney Theater. Clearwater hasn’t had Brian here since his 2013 tour with Yardbird and legendary guitarist Jeff Beck, who was also in Tampa this year, with Paul Rodgers and Ann Wilson. Tonight wasn’t even the scheduled date for his arrival. The show was supposed to take place on May 18, but due to successful back surgery Brian needed in early May, he had to push the date forward. Of course, you have to put your health before your fans, and because my favorite composer did that, this was almost definitely not one of his final shows.
Around 9:00, following an acoustic, yet frenetic opening set from Irish-British duo Beat Root Revival, the entire band came out at the same time. Wilson is unfortunately immensely fragile, and therefore had to be assisted to his white piano.
The first part of the show, or at least everything before Wouldn’t It Be Nice, was a series of semi-hits. By that, I mean not songs that any old Joe in the street would know instantly, but the songs that a Beach Boys fan would think are overplayed, in comparison to others. California Girls opened the show, and later, a sing-along of “the first song Brian ever wrote for The Beach Boys,” Surfer Girl, and an all-in California Saga. “Cool, clear-water! I get it!” Al Jardine called out during the applause.
Two songs then came from Blondie Chaplin, and finally, the needle dropped on Pet Sounds. And it wasn’t only Brian’s band playing, either. An eight-piece orchestra (The Ruth Eckerd Hall Chamber Orchestra, as described in the band intros later on) joined in for the authentic strings on the album. Wouldn’t It Be Nice was crooned by Brian’s son-in-law Rob Bonfiglio, who has apparently replaced Jardine’s golden voiced son Matt. Not to say that’s a bad thing at all – both can hit those falsettos that Brian no longer can.
The crowd of boomers joined in on side A’s ending, the Jardine voiced Sloop John B, and then the record flipped. As you’d probably expect, God Only Knows, often called the best song of the 1960s (some may say of all time) got a thirty second standing ovation. That doesn’t seem like long, but it was long enough for Brian. “Please be seated,” he requested so he could know when to begin the non-melancholy, LSD inspired I Know There’s An Answer. Finally, during Pet Sounds’ crushing finale, Caroline, No, Brian was helped off mid-song, just to walk out once again during the band introductions that kicked off the encore. Now THAT got the crowd on their feet.
And all but one were played in the original key, too. The antagonist of God Only Knows legend-wise, Good Vibrations, kicked it off, going into Help Me, Rhonda, sung by Jardine. And of course, there were bigger ones that even non-fans know. Barbara Ann, Surfin’ USA, and Fun, Fun, Fun. And it indeed was all fun, fun, fun and games until the last number: Love And Mercy, one of, if not, the most adored pieces by Brian, post-Beach Boys.
I think a good chunk of the folks who came out to see Pet Sounds live one last time (whatever) only came to see Brian because he’s a living legend. You know something? I don’t know about anybody else, but if Brian comes back here again, (you know he will) you have to either not be a fan, or crazy, to sit it out. Also, The Beach Boys with Mike Love are going to rock Ruth Eckerd in a more corporate way in February, and anyone going to that show, but not Brian’s solely because of his condition, should really rethink their love for the band.
And not to mention Brian’s coming back next month for a Christmas show in Sarasota. On one hand, he should take it easy. On the other hand, God only knows where we’d be without him.
Josh Bradley Live 