Article by: Brian Toglia

Featured Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

As the sun began to set in Holmdel, NJ on this breezy but humid Wednesday evening, a living legend took the stage with an accompaniment of talented artists at his back. Strolling slowly (he’s 73, this is forgiven) to his piano center stage, Brian Wilson gave a coy look to the crowd at PNC Bank Arts Center before kicking off the evening with a pristine version of The Beach Boys “Our Prayer”. The crowd was silent, letting each note (of what I consider a vocal masterpiece) wash right over them. At the song’s conclusion, every single person in the crowd rose to their feet and erupted with applause. This was certainly not the last time that would happen during Wilson’s whopping 33 song set list.

The band then shot immediately into “Hero’s and Villain’s” which, by all accounts, is the polar opposite of “Our Prayer.” While “OP” is more serine, “H&V” is a bit zany and extremely fun. This was also a good setup for the way the rest of the show would play out. Jumping from ballads like “God only Knows” directly into the high energy “Good Vibrations,” for example, was handled not only with ease, but a great sense of playfulness from Wilson. It was truly a delight to see how much fun Brian was having on stage.
 

 
The rest of the evening played out like a greatest hits of the 60’s and 70’s Pandora playlist. Pop songs like “Fun, Fun, Fun”,”California Girls”, “Surfin’ USA” and “I Get Around” had the crowd standing up and singing along, happily forgetting the time we live in and wishing it was 1969. The band also played some deeper cuts like “Darlin’”, “Wake the World”, “Wild Honey” and, one of my favorites “Surf’s Up”.(Personal note: I never thought I would have the chance to hear “Surf’s Up” sung by Brian Wilson in person. THIS was worth the price of admission alone)

Speaking of the lesser known songs, I was happily surprised by the song selection for this show. Brian could have stuck with the most easily recognizable songs from The Beach Boys catalog, but he showed guts (and wisdom) by choosing to play many of  the more complicated and lesser known tracks as well. The crowd certainly appreciated this and, to his credit, Brian knew when to let the other members of his band take the lead in songs that he no longer has the range to do. Where Wilson really shined this evening was when he played a few songs off of his newly released album, No Pier Pressure. He showed that he still has it with songs like “One Kind of Love”, “The Right Time” and “Runaway Dancer,” as these were written by Brian with his current vocal range in mind. Beautifully done!

As mentioned earlier, Brian brought a fantastic back up band with him. He was joined by founding Beach Boys member/guitarist, Al Jardine, as well as one time Beach Boy and 10 year Rolling Stone member, Blondie Chaplin. The rest of the band were each given their own time to shine at one point or another during the lengthy show, leading up to a surprise visit from New Jersey’s favorite son, Bruce Springsteen. (“Bruuuuce” chants, of course, filled the air.)
 

After 32 songs, Brian aptly chose to end his set with a song from his first solo album, the self titled Brian Wilson. The song, “Love and Mercy”, just so happens to be the title of the biopic film about Brian currently in theaters. “Did anyone know I have a new movie out right now?” said Wilson with a big smile and a little chuckle before playing the title track. It was a perfect way to end an amazing evening!

Overall, this concert had great song selections and some flawless performances. It had something for the casual fan and something for the most devout Beach Boy/Brian Wilson followers. If you have the chance, I can’t recommend enough seeing Brian Wilson during his current tour. You certainly won’t regret it!