At the Schnitz, Brian Wilson Shows He Wasn't Quite Made for These Times, Either

By Martin Cizmar

I know there's an answer.

Why is Brian Wilson—74 years old, his voice so frail he couldn't quite push through certain lines without pausing for breath—touring to mark the anniversary of Pet Sounds? Didn't he hate touring even when he was a younger, healthier man?

Did anyone else at the Schnitz on Oct. 7 notice he was miserable, scowling, so happy to get off the stage that he walked gingerly from behind his prop piano as soon as he'd finished his part of the set's final song?

Related: ""Brian Wilson Is Coming to Play Pet Sounds for the Final Time. Here Are the Six Hottest Remaining Beach Boys Takes."

Can Brian, after everything his once perfectly tuned ears have been through, tell how hard it is for Al Jardine's middle-aged son and the rest of his backing band to approximate those delicate harmonies from Pet Sounds? Or was this band intentionally optimized for the surf rock-era songs, without regard for how bad they'd sound on "God Only Knows"?

Did anyone want to hear an extended, jammed-out version of "Wild Honey" except for hammy '70s session guitarist Blondie Chaplin, who played it? Whatever happened to the dream of continuing the proper Beach Boys reunion with Mike Love? Could we ever bring it back once it has gone?

All photos by Thomas Teal.

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