Dave's Den

Brian Wilson Concert Review

Saturday night I went to see Brian Wilson at the State Theater in Minneapolis. Including this show, I've seen him on his last four trips to the Twin Cities. Mr. Wilson's shows are unique, to put it mildly. It's almost as if you're seeing a seven year old child on stage, but one with tremendous musical talent and the ability to reach down and grab you at an emotional level. Saturday was no exception.

Brian made his entrance looking like he'd just happened upon the stage on his way from the gym. He wore a white and blue striped shirt, some workout pants and a pair of tennis shoes. During the first set, which consisted entirely of old Beach Boys hits and a couple of more obscure tunes, Brian looked rather sleepy and disinterested. He flubbed a few lyrics, and didn't give the appearance of someone who's heart was really in it. The band, however, was top-notch as usual, keeping the ball rolling even over Brian's missteps. In the surreal category, at one point Brian got the audience to sing a couple rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

The intermission music was a crazy mix of old Beach Boys hits done as if they were part of an Austin Powers soundtrack. Strange, but funny.

The second set consisted of the entire, uninterrupted performance of Brian's latest CD, That Lucky Old Sun. Brian seemed to perk up for the new material, almost as if the old stuff was more of a burden. With Brian more engaged and obviously enjoying himself, it made for a memorable performance. Midnight's Another Day just blows me away, as does the closer, Southern California. In the most obvious show of emotion I've ever seen from him on stage, he wiped a tear from his eye on each of these songs. The encore consisted of more Beach Boys staples, and the show closer was the always gorgeous Love and Mercy.

Even though it appears on occasion that he's in cruise control with his band covering for him, he can still hit emotional highlights that speak to me directly on a very personal level. It's an amazing feat, considering he's 67 years old and still doing his thing. While this performance didn't hit the consistent highs of the Smile or Pet Sounds tours, it was still tremendously enjoyable, and it's a privilege to see a living legend who is still engaged enough to be artistically creative in his later years.