For Brian Wilson’s Birthday...

For Brian Wilson’s Birthday, I wrote this when he turned 70. Today, he's 82. Here’s my BW story:

Brian miraculously began touring again in 1999, and in 2000, he did a tour performing the entire Pet Sounds album, with orchestra in many cities.  I got tickets for the Philadelphia performance, and later found out that the tour would be stopping in Harrisburg, PA. the following night.  With Harrisburg being about a half an hour from my home, I couldn’t very well let Brian get that close and not be there as well.

The Philadelphia show was memorable for a number of reasons, even beyond being my first Brian Wilson concert (I’d seen him with The Beach Boys years earlier at Live Aid, which basically meant I watched him on a screen way at the back of JFK Stadium).  There was a full orchestra at this date, and being Philadelphia, a lot of Brian’s family and friends had traveled to attend the show.  I was able to come up with backstage passes after the show, thanks to some old radio friends.  We met many of the members of Brian’s incredible backing band, including The Wondermints, who seemed surprised and happy when I asked them to sign their debut CD from several years earlier.  Brian’s daughter Carnie was there as well, newly married, and very pleasant to talk to.  Oddly, the one person backstage who I got a little star struck over was Dianne Rovell one of “The Honeys”, and Brian’s sister-in law from his first marriage.  She graciously tolerated my fan boy gushing as she enjoyed a post-show yogurt.  Brian himself only appeared in the room for a minute or so.  Once people started to notice him, and descend on him asking for autographs, he beat a hasty retreat for the night.

While chatting with The Wondermints’ Darian Sahanaja, I mentioned that we had tickets for the next night’s show.  His face lit up, and he said “Cool, you’ll get to see the long set!”  There would be no orchestra in Harrisburg, so Brian and band would be playing their extended set, still including all of Pet Sounds. 

Well, after the show the night before, and the promise of an even better one that night, I was bouncing off of the walls.   By the afternoon, we got bored with nothing else to do with the rest of the day, so we got an early dinner and drove to the theater a few hours before the show. I went to the theater box office to get my parking validated, when I heard familiar music. We walked to the theater lobby, and up to the open, unguarded doors to the auditorium itself, where I saw Brian Wilson and his band going through their soundcheck. Here's where it really gets interesting...

Brian was teaching the band how to play the old Beach Boys arrangement of "Papa Oom Mow Mow", and he's really leading the band, putting them through their paces like a drill sergeant. "Darian, you're coming in a little too fast, Nick, really hit that first guitar note..." Brian knew exactly what he wanted to hear from each player. If he wasn't hearing it, he stopped them and corrected them until he got what he wanted. It was literally like hearing those session tapes on the Pet Sounds Sessions box, with Brian directing "The Wrecking Crew" in 1966, except it was happening right in front of my eyes. My jaw was literally on the floor the whole time. He was really working the band, too. At one point, Darian quipped "Sure, we can play all of Pet Sounds, but THIS thing..."

Look…Brian Wilson is a damaged person.  There’s no getting around that.  It’s amazing that he’s been able to get himself together enough to perform for the last decade or so.  There are those who’ll insist that he really doesn’t want to be there.  That someone, be it family, management, or whomever, is forcing him to go out on tour.  Now, I don’t know who or what gets Brian on that stage every night, but after what I saw at that soundcheck, I just can’t believe that there isn’t a part of Brian Wilson that actually wants to be there. That still wants to make music. That still wants to come out and play. The switch was definitely “ON” during that soundcheck.  Finishing SMiLE a few years later was no surprise to me, because I knew he was capable of it. I know because I've seen him do it, even if it was for an empty house, playing “Papa Oom Mow Mow”. Not based on some hot shot producer's word, not based on a bio sheet, not based on reputation. With my own eyes.

The concert itself was beautiful. The show in Harrisburg was really the one to be at. Without the orchestra's extended piece to take up time, Brian and band played for three hours with intermission.  The small, 500 seat venue was a good fit, and Brian was animated and relaxed. Pet Sounds was played in its entirety, and didn't suffer at all for the lack of orchestra. And yes, "Papa Oom Mow Mow" made it's appearance in the encore, for what I believe was the only time BW and band have performed it, before or since.

I'd met up with Darian earlier in the night, who graciously took my Pet Sounds album backstage for a squiggly signature from Brian, who he said was getting a massage while he signed it.  I take his word on that.  After the show, as I walked around the block by the tour busses, the man himself came out of the stage door, which was miraculously free of the usual fans waiting around for autographs (most were around the corner at the band's bus).  Brian stopped for a second, and we locked eyes.  I remembered his hasty retreat from backstage in Philly the night before, and I saw that same fear in his eyes as we looked at each other.  Something told me "Not this time, Reech..."  I smiled, nodded and said "Good night, Brian...thanks!"  He nodded back and sprinted on to his bus.

Happy Birthday, Brian!