Brian Wilson brings ‘Pet Sounds’ to life
Beach Boys legend, band performall of the 1966 classic album
Let’s hope Brian Wilson changes his mind again.
I was there for the 2007 retirement party for “Pet Sounds” at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, when the Beach Boys legend performed the classic album for what was supposed to be the final time in concert. Nine years later, I was happily back to see the “Pet Sounds” farewell tour on Wednesday at the Masonic in San Francisco.
Yes, Wilson might really mean it this time around, which means this tour is fans’ last chance to hear “Pet Sounds” played live in its entirety. But I’m keeping my calendar open for 2025, just in case.
The truth is it’s painful to think that the 74-year-old Southern California native, who was the subject of last year’s terrific biopic “Love and Mercy,” might stick “Pet Sounds” on the shelf and keep it there.
That might be OK if “Pet Sounds” merely ranked as another good pop record. But, it’s so much more than that: It’s one of the towering artistic achievements of Western Civilization.
As such, Wednesday’s performance of the masterwork — celebrating the 50th anniversary of its release — was met with attentive reverence from the near-capacity crowd. (Wilson was also scheduled to perform at the Masonic on Thursday.)
Wilson and his alwaysmarvelous backup band — featuring fellow former Beach Boys Blondie Chaplin and Al Jardine — did a solid job in bringing “Pet Sounds” to life onstage, rebuilding the album’s nearly unmatched collection of harmonies, melodies and groundbreaking pop sounds for fans.
The approach varied from tune to tune, with the musicians sometimes replicating, other times re-imagining the music from the album.
The lyrics, now a halfcentury old, haven’t lost an ounce of magic, still conveying such charming, often heartbreaking, wide-eyed innocence.
Before launching into “Pet Sounds,” the 12-piece ensemble warmed up with a 16-song first set that featured such early Beach Boys favorites as “Little Deuce Coupe,” “I Get Around” and, best of all, the ageless “Surfer Girl.” The troupe worked at a quick pace, traveling through the first dozen songs of the night in about 30 minutes.
Wilson had a decent night on the microphone, mostly staying on track and in tune with the music. Jardine and Chaplin also sang lead on a few numbers, but the finest vocals of the night came from Jardine’s son, Matt Jardine, who possesses a gorgeous falsetto.
After taking a short break, Wilson launched into “Pet Sounds,” which he de- scribed to fans as “a nice album.” First up was the yearning “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” followed by the lovely “You Still Believe in Me” and the reflective “That’s Not Me.” “Sloop John B,” Wilson’s terrific take on the traditional folk song, was a major highlight. And, then, Side One was done.
“You know what we have to do now?” Al Jardine said to the crowd. “We have to flip the record over.”
That led to the stillamazing “God Only Knows,” which Rolling Stone magazine once placed at No. 25 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, with such beauties as “I Know There’s an Answer” and “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” to follow.
Each offering brought joy, of course, as well as sadness, with the realization that our time with “Pet Sounds” was drawing to a close.
It’s not like we won’t hear this album’s bestknown cuts, such as “God Only Knows” and “Sloop John B,” played on future tours. But there’s something about hearing all 13 of these mesmerizing tracks played in the original order that conjures up magic.
Closing “Pet Sounds” with the expected “Caroline, No,” Wilson and crew returned for a six-song encore that included “Good Vibrations,” “Barbara Ann” and, lastly, “Love and Mercy.”