Brian Wilson has just announced a 14-date fall run playing his greatest hits. The East Coast and Midwest trek begins on October 5th in Huntington, New York at The Paramount and runs through October 23rd at Waukegan, Illinois' Genesee Theatre. Once again, Wilson will be joined by fellow Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin.
Wilson has just revamped his official BrianWilson.com website and posted demos of a string of tunes — including a pristine version of his 1995 backing track to the fan favorite, “Desert Drive.”
Brian Wilson told us that performing live is both a part of life and a means to an end: “We have to make our money, and we have to live and survive and bring music to people.”
Al Jardine believes that whether it's 1961 or 2021 — if a song can deliver, the people will show up to hear it: “I don't think there's any substitution for a good melody. I may be old fashioned that way, but I still like to sing to a song, or whistle. I remember Mr. Wrigley wanted the Beach Boys to do a chewing gum commercial, but for some reason, either we couldn't whistle or he didn't have a good melody. I don't know what happened, but good well-written songs will never die.”
Blondie Chaplin’s early-‘70s tenure with the band coincided with the beginning of Brian Wilson’s infamously dark and reclusive periods. But Chaplin maintains, that when it came to music, Wilson was not only able to thrive, but transcend any personal issues outside of the studio: “Whenever he showed (up) in the studio, he was hands-on. I loved that fact when back in Holland, on the Holland (album) sessions — on ‘Funky Pretty’ — he was the one who came in there, got the voices together, and ended up giving, like a rough mix. And okay, everybody got nervous because he pushed everything (in the mix) to the max of what it sounded like and the mixing of the voices. I thought it was fantastic! But the other guys got a little bit nervous just about him being so loose with then sound and they tapered it back. But when he was involved and he came in there, it was always a gas and it always made me go: ‘Well, that’s the way it should go, ‘cause he’s hearing it this way.'”
JUST ANNOUNCED: Brian Wilson – with Al Jardine & Blondie Chaplin – tour dates (subject to change):
August 29 – Long Beach, CA – Terrace Theater
October 5 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
October 6 – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theater
October 8 – Wallingford, CT – Oakdale Theatre
October 9 – Lowell, MA – Lowell Memorial Auditorium
October 10 – Rochester, NY – Kodak Center
October 12 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre
October 13 – Morristown, NJ – Mayo Performing Arts Center
October 15 – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
October 16 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live
October 17 – Reading, PA – Santander Performing Arts Center
October 19 – Greensburg, PA – The Palace
October 20 – Akron, OH – Goodyear Theater
October 22 – Nashville, IN – Brown County Music Center
October 23 – Waukegan, IL – Genesee Theatre
