Brian Wilson

I recently had a rare Saturday at home with no plans for the day. I was catching up on some correspondence and for a change I was reading the newspaper the same day it was delivered. There was nowhere I had to be and no one I had to see. Suddenly that late afternoon it all changed when I was offered a free ticket to see one of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s largest icons, Brian Wilson, at the legendary Massey Hall. The show was only hours away but I didn’t hesitate to accept. It also helped that the hall is only three or four blocks away. I had noticed the concert listing a month or so ago but dismissed the idea of going when I saw the $100 plus prices for the floor tickets. Many famous jazz albums have been recorded at Massey as well as the recently released Neil Young album. Dylan played here in the early years with the musicians who would later be known as The Band.

At precisely 8:00 I met Nick Krewen at the will call window. Nick is a free lance music critic in Toronto and the generous ticket holder. We had only recently become acquainted on Facebook through one of my cousins. My cousin knew of our common interest in music and suggested that we be ‘friends’. Nick had actually interviewed Brian Wilson earlier in the day and I think that led to his last minute ticket windfall.

We settled into our tenth row floor seats and Nick and I started sharing our music backgrounds. It was odd to be hearing bits from his recent interview with the man who was about to perform for us. I have seen the Beach Boys several times over the years but never with Brian Wilson. Considering his history it was remarkable that he was even touring and it was a thrill to finally see him. His band was top notch and he also had a string quintet for half a set. They played nearly every Beach Boys hit you could think of and then after a short break the band returned to play all of Brian’s recent Gershwin album for the second set. I thought the audience would cool off for this round but they were along for the full ride and the enthusiasm never wavered. We were rewarded with six more Beach Boys tracks to go out humming to.

Nick and I hit the diner across the street for a quick coffee and exchanged a few more stories before heading back home still marvelling at how my day turned out.

NICK'S INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN WILSON

REVIEW OF THE SHOW WITH PLAY LIST

HISTORY OF MASSEY HALL