Brian Wilson creates a powerful night of music with Jeff Beck.
The unusual duo met in 2005 when Jeff Beck performed as tribute to Brian Wilson. Wilson had won the MusiCares Award that year. Wilson decided that he would one day need to work with the two time hall of famer.
Brian Wilson took the stage in the beginning. He performed with a full band of, at times, 13 members on stage at once. Amongst them were Al Jardine and David Marks. They were also members of the Beach Boys before they went their separate ways.
During their featured section of the show, the band played a mix of Beach Boy classics. To name a few, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Don’t Worry Baby” and “Good Vibrations.” This had the crowd on their feet. They performed several songs from the innovative Pet Sounds album. This involved them using less than common instruments, like the theremin. In which has been used as a sound effect in many older movies. The instrument itself requires no physical contact by the musician. It operates by sensing where the individuals hand is and using frequency to bounce off of the antennas accordingly.
Brian Wilson has become less mobile as his age advances. However, that has not taken away from the excitement of his performing. The audience’s enthusiasm and dancing made up for his lack of mobility. He performed seated behind his piano for the majority of the evening.
Beck took the stage next. He performed for almost an hour of non-stop guitar melodies. He was accompanied by another guitarist, a bassist, drummer and an aggressive violinist who made the commonly classical instrument scream rock and roll. His songs had no words but words weren’t necessary. His mastery of guitar was so phenomenal it bordered along the lines of a magic show as opposed to a musical performance.
Finally, the two groups came together for a set mainly lead by Beck’s guitar with the vocalists. They used their voices as instrumental back up in a rock/ Doo-wop fashion. The collaboration was interesting to say the least.
Rarely have I ever seen such a beautifully odd combination. They brought the crowd back in time. Between the music and the atmosphere created by psychedelic images set on a screen above the stage the evening was sure to please the audience that came ready to embark on this mystical journey.
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