Brian Wilson and Paul Simon
Tour of the Living Icons

By Robert E. Martin
Photos by Kay McEntee

Let me say at the outset that I have never seen Brian Wilson in
concert before. I can't tell you if the beleaguered leader of the The Beach
Boys is 'back', because by the time I was old enough to go to concerts, he
had already retired from the group. Similarly, apart from his 'comeback
recordings' of recent years, I never caught last year's symphonic Pet
Sounds tour, nor his solo appearances from the year prior.

What I can tell you is that his July 3rd appearance with Paul Simon at DTE
Energy confirmed in my mind that I was witnessing the genius of one of
popular music's most gifted composers in action.

As he climbed behind his keyboard, Wilson's look was serious, in direct
contradiction to the buoyant ebullition of his music.  But it is a
testament to his strength that Brian has overcome his notorious 'fear' of
large audiences and assembled one of the best 10-piece pop 'orchestras'
I've yet to encounter.

Consisting of two guitarists (one with a rack of 12 guitars at his side
that he was constantly changing, even in the middle of songs to achieve the
correct tone) along with a 4-piece horn section, vibraphone player, and a
band of vocalists that sounded like a choir from heaven, the inimitable
Brian Wilson led his group through a set that included such popular
favorites as Dance, Dance, Dance, In My Room, I Get Around,  and California
Girls, to the more obscure arrangements of Pet Sounds, Surfs Up,  and
Imagination.

In an earlier interview that day, Wilson admitted that the reason he is so
serious onstage is because he is 'auditorially hallucinogenic'.
Translation: he here's voices, "wolves' in particular. And the thought that
he has overcome, or at least 'managed' his fears & phobias to the point
where he could not only perform & conduct, but sing  each of his parts
without missing a note was a sight to behold.

Humbled, astonished, and enraptured are all emotions this reviewer felt
strongly. The thought that Brian could overcome his personal difficulties
to perform the poignant & powerful music created in his youth, and still
deliver it with a sense of excitement and yes, innocence, was inspirational.

Hell, it's what rock 'n roll is all about.

By the time Paul Simon took to the stage with his 12-piece band (the first time I ever saw three drummers with complete drum sets in one group) to perform his 'worldbeat' music, Brian was off next to the concession stand actually signing autographs.   As for Simon, again one could not escape the feeling of witnessing a great performer at the height of his power.  Moving through a set that included Graceland, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, and Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes, the peak for me was when Simon left the band in the dark and picked up his acoustic guitar to perform a trilogy consisting of Sounds of Silence, Homeward Bound, and I Am A Rock.   And by the third encore of Mrs. Robinson, The Boxer, and Loves Me Like a Rock, the energy could have displaced DTE and turned the venue back into Pine Knob. With an audience that cut across the generational time spectrum, it was obvious that what we had witnessed was the power of two groundbreaking artists that do not grow dim with age.