XPost: rec.music.artists.beach-boys   
   From: derekbill@allsummerlong.com   
      
   In article ,   
    wrote:   
      
   > First thought: Wow. Who would have imagined?   
   >   
   > The Auditorium Theater (Adler and Sullivan's masterpiece) is a   
   > beautiful building. Said Brian, after establishing that it was built   
   > after the fire, "It's the most beautiful theater we've ever seen," or   
   > words to that effect.   
   >   
   > Some strange opening bit of dialogue between Brian and someone else.   
   > "Will you follow me, pilgrim? "I will, pilgrim." I'm not quoting   
   > exactly. I was running back to my seat from the men's room visit.   
   >   
   > The opening "unplugged" numbers: this relatively simple setting (a   
   > guitar or two, bongos, xylophone or glockenspiel) showed the   
   > incredible musicianship of the group. I can't believe I've now heard   
   > "Wendy" live!   
   >   
   > I really had to do a doubletake when I saw Jeff Foskett, who's lost a   
   > tremedous amount of weight (I'm guessing a gastric bypass from the   
   > reference to what he did "for his health").   
   >   
   > The sound after the unplugged segment: Too Loud! Yikes! The sound was   
   > so loud as to lack all clarity. Bob L's bass guitar was so highly   
   > amplified that the sound began to spread--I couldn't hear the pitch of   
   > the note clearly. Nor could I hear Paul M's sax solos clearly. I   
   > dunno--my wife and I might be the odd man and woman out, but the   
   > sound, for us, was just too much. We did get clarity by putting   
   > wadded-up bits of a napkin (from the drinks area) in our ears. Then we   
   > could actually hear the music, with tremendous improvement.   
   >   
   > Brian: happy, relaxed, generally in fine voice. Sometimes a little   
   > hoarse--he was drinking from a mug and might've had a cold. The   
   > hoarseness though brought more softness to his voice. Not glued to the   
   > teleprompter. Expansive, genial. Two takes on "Row, Row, Row Your   
   > Boat."   
   >   
   > Everyone on stage was having a ball, albeit a complicated one. Many   
   > changes of instruments during SMiLE. Two or three for Jeff F in   
   > "Cabinessence."   
   >   
   > The lights: mostly distracting, esp. when they hit like another   
   > driver's headlights. I go mostly to classical and jazz, so I just   
   > don't see the need. Sometimes they were subtle and smart, as when long   
   > thin swaying shafts of light suggested (at least to me) wind chimes.   
   > But often, a distraction. The different lighting for Brian, who was   
   > dressed in black, sometimes made him look like a black-and-white image   
   > inserted into a world of color--very odd. I thought the "fire" effects   
   > were tacky--flashing fire-engine lights would have been a better   
   > touch.   
   >   
   > I did like, very very much, the "performative" aspects of SMiLE--the   
   > odd arm gestures, the pirate flag, vegetables and tooth-brushing. The   
   > Stockholm musicians must be having a ball.   
   >   
   > Van Dyke Parks--prominent in the souvenir program, never mentioned   
   > from the stage. That's an omission that I hope will be corrected, esp.   
   > in light of Jeff's comment that Brian wrote everything we heard   
   > ("Barbara Ann," "Forever" . . . not exactly).   
   >   
   > Well, it's all my opinion, the only one I've got. Cheers,   
   >   
   > Michael   
      
   Many thanks for the review.  I suspect many of us would have had the   
   same thoughts as you. I'll remember to bring my earplugs.   
      
   Derek   
      
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