So what if Brian Wilson took the stage 15 minutes earlier than scheduled? Or if he performed 50-year-old songs in their original key, even though some of the notes are by now a little out of range?
Perhaps the most confounding yet resilient figures ever in rock music, Wilson has earned the right to do whatever he wants. The Beach Boys founder, supporting both a brand-new album and the biopic Love and Mercy, brought his summer tour to Humphreys, where his Hawaiian shirt was the perfect complement to the palm trees swaying around the venue’s perimeter.
Wilson let the crowd know from the start that he’d be celebrating his band’s hefty legacy, opening with a version of “Heroes and Villains” that, thanks to a sizable backing band that included original Beach Boy Al Jardine, was true to the controlled chaos of the studio take. His nearly two-hour set was heavy on the hits, including “God Only Knows,” which he nonchalantly introduced as the best song he ever wrote. Not his favorite, mind you — the best, end of story.
Because no matter how awkward and uncomfortable he seems on stage, Wilson is still going to play – and say – whatever he wants.
So what if Brian Wilson took the stage 15 minutes earlier than scheduled? Or if he performed 50-year-old songs in their original key, even though some of the notes are by now a little out of range?
Perhaps the most confounding yet resilient figures ever in rock music, Wilson has earned the right to do whatever he wants. The Beach Boys founder, supporting both a brand-new album and the biopic Love and Mercy, brought his summer tour to Humphreys, where his Hawaiian shirt was the perfect complement to the palm trees swaying around the venue’s perimeter.
Wilson let the crowd know from the start that he’d be celebrating his band’s hefty legacy, opening with a version of “Heroes and Villains” that, thanks to a sizable backing band that included original Beach Boy Al Jardine, was true to the controlled chaos of the studio take. His nearly two-hour set was heavy on the hits, including “God Only Knows,” which he nonchalantly introduced as the best song he ever wrote. Not his favorite, mind you — the best, end of story.
Because no matter how awkward and uncomfortable he seems on stage, Wilson is still going to play – and say – whatever he wants.