Review Music: Brian Wilson | Roundhouse | Beach Boys | Californian sunshine

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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with RóISíN GADELRAB
Published: 10 September 2009

Former Beach Boy Brian Wilson

Warm welcome for Beach Boy Brian

REVIEW: BRIAN WILSON
Roundhouse

AS THE rain clouds gathered over the Roundhouse, Beach Boy Brian Wilson’s
appearance brought promises of a little
Californian sunshine.
Cliched I know, but there really was a
sprinkling of middle-aged men in shorts and Hawaiian shirts gathered outside and more than a few young surfer boys with Point Break hair. But for the most part the audience was made up of couples of a certain age on a nostalgia trip.
Wilson, a little older and less mobile, in a happy peach shirt, stayed mainly sitting, running through the hits, peppered with newer songs from his later days, punctuated by uncle-at-a-wedding hand dancing.
The playlist was so long it stretched across three pages – 38 songs in total – and Wilson and his band had a scheduled interval to recharge their batteries.
His fans were enthralled as he effectively recreated Beach Boys harmonies with the help his sidekicks.
Wilson was
professional, obliging photographers in the pit – who only have three songs to get their shot – with lots of eye contact and cheesy smiles.
The definition of rock ’n’ roll has moved on so much from the times of The Beach Boys so when he did shout out “let’s get a bit of rock ’n’ roll here”, to cheering and clapping, he evoked little more than some slightly faster hip swaying.
Wilson charmed his fans, who, understandably, are a forgiving crowd. But age has caught up with him. He did well to make it through the set, but it would take a lot more than some short-term summer songs to lift the clouds off anyone other than a devoted follower.

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