Brian Wilson brought ‘Pet Sounds’ back to Ottawa with visit to TD Place on Friday

Brian Wilson performed along with a 10-piece band at TD Place Arena Friday, playing to an appreciative crowd.

Walking to the piano with assistance from his bandmate, Wilson played along with some of the songs, and sang part of a verse now and then. He left singing the high notes to his bandmates, which for some songs meant all of the song, as the band performed pitch-perfect versions of Beach Boys classics like “Good Vibrations”, “California Girls” and their most famous album, Pet Sounds.

Wilson seemed to get into the swing of things most on those Pet Sounds tracks, singing more than half the lines in “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)” and “That’s Not Me”. Sometimes he’d sing the words together at the start of a bar or at the end of it, but he sang every bar on time.

The band, which included Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine, was a mix of newer and older players. They knew the songs note for note, and nailed those rich vocal harmonies the Beach Boys are famous for, playing all the songs much as they were recorded. (There were some significant exceptions—“You Still Believe in Me” was missing its famous bicycle horn, and “Good Vibrations” seemed to feature whistling in place of a theremin line).

They segued from one song into the other effortlessly, keeping the energy high. Towards the end the band helpfully noted that “the dance floor is open”, and most of the crowd stood and danced for tracks like “Fun Fun Fun” and “Barbara Ann”. The lighting work was effective, with lights swirling gently for the slower numbers, or dramatically rising up from the stage in tandem to mark a huge chorus.

Blondie Chaplin, a guitarist for the band who toured occasionally with them from the 70’s onwards, appeared for a third of the set. His intense guitar riffs were the highlights when he played, his black guitar catching the spotlight and shining through the fog into the crowd.

Opening duo Beat Root Revival impressed with an energetic set of folk, complemented with kick drum and loop pedals. The music, which was reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac even before they covered “Dreams”, went from mid tempo songs with great vocal harmonies to faster, funkier songs, featuring impressively technical guitar freakouts.

But what to make of Brian? Sitting behind the piano in centre stage, sometimes with his hands at his sides, he was often uninvolved as his own songs played around him, something only highlighted by the energy of his bandmates and his songs. Now 76 years old, this was not Brian Wilson at his peak, and it made for awkward viewing.

But sometimes, it all came together. When Brian sang those lines on “Don’t Talk”, it was transfixing—the audience was really seeing one of the most famous songwriters of the 20th Century singing one of his most famous works. Then, there was a glimmer of the true talent the artist had when he performed his music in the studio, all those years ago. It was like watching one of the greats of music history step out of black-and-white footage and onto the stage. It was remarkable, and often, it was enough.

Written by Aaron Nava

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