Brian Wilson: "Pet Sounds: The Final Performances" Tour

It is one of those albums that haunts you years after you first hear it. It doesn't sound like anything else yet is immediately recognizable and familiar. Brian Wilson (alongside a band called The Beach Boys) recorded "Pet Sounds" back in 1966 and it remains a remarkable achievement both in its continued resonance and its ability to still sound contemporary. It is the signature hallmark of an artist who despite many years of personal hardship continues to make music that is relevant.

Brian Wilson is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of the album by touring and playing "Pet Sounds" in its entirety. Billed as the "Pet Sounds: The Final Performances" the tour has been running for some time now with this recent run added back in October 2016. It is hard to imagine anyone, let alone someone with the rough life that Brian has had, to be touring at his age. But it was clear from the performance in Lynn that the man thrives on stage. The man and his band were tighter than many bands lots younger that I have seen recently.

Sure, you could think about this as a "nostalgia" tour. The median age of the audience was probably around 60. But the crowd was smattered with several groups of people clearly born around the turn of the millennium and I think that again speaks to the resonance of the music. There were many moments in the show that had people up and out of their seats moving. The set list (apart from the straight-through playing of "Pet Sounds") was a nice overview of the Beach Boys career with a few rarities thrown in.

Joined by fellow B. Boys Al Jardin and Blondie Chaplin (a "recent" addition to the Beach Boys having joined them in the early 1970s) it was about as close as a reunion as one can get. It was lovely hearing "Sail On, Sailor" from the "Holland" album with Blondie on lead: rare opportunity indeed. And the Beach Boys songs in total were lovely to hear. Backing singer, guitarist, etc, Matt Jardine (son of Al) did an amazing job of hitting the high notes that Brian once hit. It was clear that the musical lineage is strong there. If you are a fan of their more popular singles then you won't be disappointed. All of them were spot on.

But clearly the highlight (and much of the reason we were all there) was to hear "Pet Sounds." And boy, was it a pleasure. Enough can't be said of Wilson's backing band. Obviously Al and Blondie were fellow stars on stage but this was Brian's show. It was evident from his performance that this album was a labour of love and something he was really excited to revisit and perform. Many of the songs brought people to their feet. "Sloop John B" had to have been one of the most popular. It's a song I'm kinda "meh" about having heard it over and over for ages but again, to see and hear it live is on another level. This ain't classic rock radio. And the beauty of the song "Pet Sounds" was unbelievable. The album really is a masterpiece and Brian and his band knocked it out of the park. If this is truly the final performances of this album live then you really need to see this show. "Pet Sounds" is a classic for a reason and you don't want to miss this opportunity to hear it performed by the man who so lovingly created it.

Brian Wilson performed "Pet Sounds: The Final Performances" at Lynn Memorial Auditorium, Lynn, MA on April 29, 2017. For upcoming dates on the tour, visit Brian Wilson's website.