Wouldn’t It Be Nice: Brian Wilson Brings ‘Pets Sounds’ To Albany – Review, Photos & Setlist

Words & Images by: Bryan Lasky

Brian Wilson :: 04.26.17 :: Palace Theatre :: Albany, NY

View Bryan’s photo gallery below his review.

A wide range of ages packed Albany’s Palace Theatre to witness Brian Wilson perform his timeless opus Pet Sounds from front to back. The show was an almost entirely seated affair, but at various points – including the entire encore, the crowd was moved to get up and groove to the famous beach vibes that were coming from Wilson and his band.

From the start of the performance it was one hit after another with “California Girls,” “Dance, Dance, Dance,” and “I Get Around.” It’s amazing how many great three minute songs Brian and The Beach Boys wrote in the 1960s. Joining Brian were Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin, with Al on stage for the whole show and Blondie coming in and out. The voices on stage sounded surprisingly strong after all these years and the amount of touring they have done behind the album.

The 11-piece band makes each track sound exactly how they do on record, something that The Beach Boys struggled to do back in the day. The first set came to a crescendo with Blondie doing his best Carl Wilson on “Feel Flows,” followed by a scorching one-two punch of “Wild Honey” and “Sail On, Sailor” that had Blondie stalking the stage as he wailed away on his guitar.

After a short intermission, the band came back and tackled Pet Sounds. Brian was engaged the entire second set and was happy to give little introductions to many of the songs on the album. The moment those first notes of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” rang through the theater, the audience erupted in joy. Seeing this album live instantaneously transports you back to 1966. After “Sloop John B,” Al joked with the audience about turning the record over to side two, miming the flip as he said it.

The biggest ovation was held for right after a beautiful “God Only Knows,” extending so long Wilson asked the audience to sit back down so they could continue. The entire band was introduced before the encore where one song just bled right into another. Closing a show with a run of “Good Vibrations,” “Barbara Ann,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Love And Mercy” was stunning. The band was so locked-in you would have thought it was just one long song.

With a big band bow to a thunderous applause, Brian shuffled off the stage quickly with nothing but a smile on his face. It was an absolute honor to hear him perform one of the most iconic albums of all time.

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