Brian Wilson in Tampa

Eric (10 years old) is the big Beach Boys fan in the family. Not sure how this is, but it's true and has been for the last three or four years. I'm sure I'm to blame because I do own about 1,800 records which should include some of the greatest ever made. Anyway, about three years ago I put together a collection of CDs for Eric and Betsy to listen to when they were driving from Florida to Connecticutt to see her parents. So the got a dose of Beatles, Simpsons, and who knows what else, as well as "Endless Summer" by the Beach Boys.

Eric came home from the trip having memorized the lyrics of all twenty Beach Boys hits from that album. And who can blame him, They really were great. But that was long ago. Right?

Over time, because of Eric, I've purchased a few more Beach Boys collections, including their excellent box set "Good Vibrations: 30 years of the Beach Boys." Great stuff. Brian Wilson really deserves to stand on the same plateau as Bob Dylan, the Beatles & the Stones.

Anyway, unbeknownst to me, Brian Wilson recovered from the most severe aspects of his depression/insanity/mental illness and has been touring with a great band since 1999. Who knew! About three weeks ago I read about a concert of his on powerlineblog.com It turns out that Brian had stepped back in time 37 years and completed an album called SMiLE that was at the time going to blow away Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. And he apparently succeeded, according to the guy at PowerLineBlog.

O.K. The internet and Google are great. I google Brian Wilson, find his web site, and discover that he will be in Tampa on October 21. Drop almost $300 on tickets for the three of us. (Yes, Eric was there and I hope 80 years from now when he is a doddering 90 year old he's telling his great grandchildren that he saw SMiLe performed live.)

Concert Review (short version): Wow.

Further explanatory notes: You always fear, when seeing an icon from 30 or 40 years prior that you will see something more than a false nostalgia and a rote, uninspired, hack job through the old catalog. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. Brian is a bit kooky and a bit fragile, but he is backed by a 10 piece group of the utmost caliber that clearly loves him and loves his music.

They must have played at least a dozen of the most famous top twenty Beach Boys tunes. Then they broke for twenty minutes before playing SMiLE in ints entirety. I'm not a talented enough writer to properly convey how great it felt to sit and watch the whole piece be performed. Go buy the album and listen to it two or three times a day like I have. And then think about seeing it live. All I can add it that the 19 band members on stage worked really hard throughout the 45 minute performance. And they were perfect. Is there something better than perfect? Can we give them extra credit as well? It was that good.

At 62 years old, more than 35 years after he mattered to the pop world, Brian Wilson has delivered the best pop album ever recorded. And we saw it live. To quote Homer Simpson "WhooHooo!"