Fifty years have passed since 23-year-old Brian Wilson, then a member of one of the most financially viable bands of the 1960s, decided to take Beach Boys in his own direction, with an album called Pet Sounds. The reaction at the time was shock — it didn’t chart as highly as one of the band’s albums should have, and listeners were stumped by the introspective feel.
However, the album has aged well as a performance of it, in full, on Thursday night in Dubai proved. Wilson, now 74, was at the front of the stage, behind a piano, and hyping up the songs, despite looking frail enough for there to be concern as to whether he could finish the show (he did, but was off the stage as soon as he could). Although he sang on many tracks, his role here was more that of bandleader, guiding the excellent 12-piece band through the album, and the Beach Boys’ other hits.
I’m not interested in comparing Wilson’s stage presence to that of his 1960s contemporaries such as the indefatigable Mick Jagger, or even Paul McCartney, who is less balletic but does at least stand up during his concerts. Wilson has well-documented mental health issues that date from even before Pet Sounds — panic attacks and stage fright, for example — and so for this audience member and fan, seeing the man himself on stage was as much of a treat as could be expected.
The band, as mentioned, were superb, and included founding Beach Boy Al Jardine and later member Blondie Chaplin, as well as Jardine’s son, Matthew, a great substitute for the estranged Mike Love.
Playing a full album in concert is not new for bands but it was a first for this reviewer, and Pet Sounds is a great one to perform this experiment with. The band bookended the album with the hits everyone knows the Beach Boys for — I Get Around at the top of the night, and then later, Good Vibrations, Barbara Ann, Surfin’ USA, and Don’t Worry Baby.
As someone born after the release of Pet Sounds, I found it hard to understand the reception of this album — people were freaked out because there were dogs barking in the background of a track? Or because Wilson sings “sometimes... I feel... very sad”? There are so many wonderful songs on this album.
But hearing it in full, with the more chart-friendly tracks before and after, the difference is stark — one could even see it in the audience, and their reactions. People can’t help but dance to Barbara Ann. What’s great is that it got the recognition it deserved soon after, and remains a classic. Wilson has many, many more dates to play on this tour, however. I hope he holds up.
