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I don't normally post in the ICE forum much but I hope I can be forgiven for this exception, which includes a somewhat lengthy anecdote that I don't blame anyone for skipping.
Not quite 2 weeks ago I had my first-ever visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Still sad over the recent passing of Brian Wilson, I purchased a copy of his 2016 memoir I Am Brian Wilson, which I just finished last night. Back in college30 years earlier, I had read Wilson's original biography Wouldn't It Be Nice, which I enjoyed but also found extremely depressing. Since then I have of course learned that that book has been largely discredited as being under the control of the nefarious Dr. Eugene Landy, which made sense. Even when I read it, the effusive praise of Landy in the book as a near-Christlike savior figure seemed way over the top and like something Brian himself hadn't actually written.
I really enjoyed this newer book a lot and it's led me back into a deep dive of the Beach Boys music even more than his death a few months back did. They are the musical act I have seen the most times in person at 6, although not since 1998. I did really want to see them for the 50th anniversary tour when Brian performed with them again, but of course the great Mike Love didn't want to extend the tour past the original dates so they might come somewhat near North Dakota. I would still be willing to see Al Jardine perform someday, but with Brian's passing there is no chance in hell I will ever see any band fronted by Mike Love again.
The Beach Boys were the first musical artist I ever loved, based solely on my parents Endless Summer LP which I was obsessed with from the age of 5. The first time I saw the group in person, the South Dakota State Fair in 1991, was literally the first time I ever heard any Beach Boys music that wasn't on Endless Summer or named "Getcha Back" or "Kokomo". I even saw the band 4 times before I ever heard the Pet Sounds album in its entirety, although one of the best Christmas gifts I ever got was the Good Vibrations 5-disc box set in the 90s.
Besides that initial concert, I saw the band a handful of other times, including once when John Stamos (a beloved figure among BB fandom, I'm sure) sat in on drums and another when they did a joint tour with another of my favorite bands, Chicago, in 1997, and it's still my favorite time seeing either band. I do remember Carl Wilson's voice sounding particularly lovely singing "God Only Knows" that night, although I did note that he was sitting down for pretty much the whole show, even if I didn't really think anything of it at the time. As every fan knows, he died less than a year later of lung cancer. I only saw the band one more time after that, and here's the aforementioned anecdote.
For decades, my favorite Beach Boys song has been "Wouldn't It Be Nice", a song that was NOT on that Endless Summer album I listened to a hundred times. Rather, that was a song I fell in love with hearing it in person. I didn't even know the band members' names the first few times I saw them in concert, but I assume it must have been Al Jardine replaced Brian as its lead singer on tour, although I suppose it could have been Carl. That song was magic to me, even more than "Good Vibrations", "God Only Knows", "California Girls","Sloop John B" or any of the others I loved the most. Hell, it's even what led me to buy Brian's aforementioned first autobiography mentioned above of the same name.
However, I don't know why I thought this, but for some reason I assumed for a long time that most people didn't love the song as much as I did...I thought it was at best generally considered one of the "really good" Beach Boys songs, not one of the "great" ones. I don't really know why I thought that for sure, but it didn't seem to generate as much chatter about it as the biggest songs did, or stir quite as much excitement in concert as, say, "Fun Fun Fun" or "I Get Around". Or even...."Kokomo".
But I deeply loved it, and when I finally heard it in its context as the lead track on Pet Sounds, I loved it even more. It still feels like a terrific juxtaposition between the joyful and hopeful idealism of the singer and what the listener knows about the truth behind the myth...about Brian, about the Beach Boys, about life. I adore that song to this day, and I can't imagine it will ever not be my favorite.
Carl Wilson died in early 1998. The last time I saw the band was later that year when they performed at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota. I had already noticed the previous year that the act was a bit stripped down from the first several times I saw them in the early to mid-90s, when they had a troupe of hot girls who would appear dressed in cheerleader outfits, hula skirts, bikinis, and so on for several songs and dance out in front of the band. It was hokey but fun. When I saw them in 1997, the dancing girls were gone. I assumed it was probably because they were doing a slightly stripped down show since they were on a joint tour with Chicago, but in retrospect I realized the dancers were probably dropped for budget reasons as the crowd sizes would drop over the years.
All the same, I really, really, REALLY enjoyed the band the first 5 times I saw them perform.
And then there was their October 1998 show in Rochester, Minnesota.
It was only a little over a year since the previous time I'd seen them, but it was so different. It was a Friday night but the vibe was just dead. Lifeless. There was no buzz in the mostly older crowd who had grown up with the music. The band didn't seem like they really wanted to be there for some reason, and weirdly the crowd didn't either. Over the years I've come to learn what an asshole Mike Love is but I have to give credit where it's due, he put on a great show interacting with the audience those first several times I saw the band. But that night, his schtick was as lifeless as the band. The crowd didn't really laugh at his jokes or respond to his attempts to pump them up.
And it didn't help that the band didn't even sound good that night. The singing was adequate, but in terms of musicianship they performed more like your typical small-town bar band on Saturday night where at least the audience can be drunk. And it wasn't even really the Beach Boys PLAYING anyway. Al Jardine was still there as well as long-time guy Bruce Johnston. They even had David Marks, who had replaced Al for a little while back in the early days, playing and singing many of Carl's vocals. The singing was at least adequate for the most part (but not the same without Carl) but in terms of instrumental performance, it just wasn't there.
It was mostly just a depressing experience, and I even was realizing during the show it would probably be the last time I saw them perform unless Brian ever returned. Without any of the Wilsons, what was the point? Each song got modest applause, but none of the frenzied cheers that the crowd always gave them all the other times I saw the band. The crowd wasn't even singing along. Even songs like "Fun Fun Fun" or "I Get Around" that should have stirred the crowd just fell flat, and it all made me so sad that about halfway through I just wanted it to be over so my friend Mary and I could leave, and honestly, I think 90% of the audience was feeling the same way.
But there was one exception towards the end of the show.
The opening notes of my favorite Beach Boys song started to play, followed by that big snare drum beat. Then a voice---probably Al, but I don't remember for sure---sang the words "Wouldn't it be nice..."
And the whole building came to life.
The crowd. The band. It was like a surge of electricity went through the whole place. Almost instantly, the whole audience came to its feet, dancing, clapping.......and singing. By the time the second verse kicked in, "♫ Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up in the morning when the day is new? ♪", EVERYBODY was singing. And just for that one song, the band sounded great as well. Utterly perfect.
It only lasted for 3 minutes, but for 3 minutes it was the Beach Boys magic of old, the same magic of their recorded music and the same magic they'd given me on stage for years even without Dennis or Brian. It was truly great, and even though the last few songs were more like what everything prior to "Wouldn't It Be Nice" had been (the crowd sat down right away afterwards and didn't "buzz' again for the rest of the show) I've never forgotten how that one song that night made me feel.
Anyway.
I never saw Brian Wilson perform live, even as a solo artist, and now I never will. But I really enjoyed reading his book and of course I will always have his music for the rest of my life. Despite all his demons, I hope he was happy in his.
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