Bridge School Benefit: Concert Review
By DJ M on October 22nd, 2006
In Brian Wilson/B. Boys
MERCURY NEWS "Seven years after returning to the road, the Beach Boys' troubled genius Brian Wilson no longer cowers behind a keyboard, looking as if he had been forced out on stage at gunpoint. Saturday he sat at a stool at center stage, clapping with the music and even flashing the occasional smile. His singing was good on opening selections from Smile and Pet Sounds, and the wealth of strong voices in his marvelous 12-piece ensemble allowed him to opt out of the more difficult parts. 'Good Vibrations' featured Young on organ, and the famous theremin part was played on flute, in keeping with the day's acoustic theme."
BILLBOARD "Brian Wilson also translated the wall-of-sound of his usual performances into a more stripped-down approach, singing while sitting on a stool as opposed to playing piano. The set sported one hit after another, from 'Heroes & Villains' and 'God Only Knows' to 'Surfin' U.S.A.' and a cover of Chuck Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode.'"
MERCURY NEWS BLOG "Half an hour after the Foo Fighters left the stage, Brian Wilson and his band kicked things off with "Our Prayer," a gorgeous bit of wordless vocal harmony from Smile, that segued into 'Heroes and Villains.' Seven years after returning to the road, Wilson no longer cowers behind a keyboard, looking as if he had been forced out on stage at gunpoint. He sat at a stool at center stage, clapping with the music and even flashing the occasional smile. His singing was good, although the assortment of strong voices in the 12-piece ensemble allowed him to opt out of the more difficult parts. Hearing those amazing Wilson arrangements performed by a great live band is always a treat. 'Good Vibrations' featured Neil Young on organ, and the famous theremin part was played on flute, in keeping with the day's acoustic theme. A cover of 'Johnny B. Goode' was made redundant when it was followed by Wilson's own 'Surfin U.S.A.' and 'Fun, Fun, Fun.' Why do a real Chuck Berry song when you've got such great knockoffs in your catalog?"