Brian Wilson says ‘no’ to more Beach Boys reunion shows
This post has been updated. See note below for details.
On the night the Beach Boys won the first performance Grammy Award of the group’s half-century long career, it was the spirit of another artist’s song that Brian Wilson invoked backstage after collecting the award for historical album bestowed on “The Smile Sessions” on Sunday: We are never, ever getting back together.
Like ever.
Asked whether he anticipates another round of Beach Boys reunion shows following the successful 50th anniversary tour the group mounted in 2012, Wilson told reporters “No, I don’t think so.”
Wilson’s manager, asked to confirm the report, told The Times: “Truer words were never spoken.”
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The tour, which made Pollstar’s list of the Top 100 highest-grossing tours of the year, notoriously ended on a sour note when singer Mike Love announced he would resume touring with his own lineup of the group, including longtime member Bruce Johnston, but without founding members Wilson, Al Jardine and guitarist David Marks.
Love’s move set off a firestorm of media coverage and fan comments, much of it critical of Love, who years ago was granted sole permission to use the Beach Boys name by Wilson, Jardine and the estates of deceased members Carl and Dennis Wilson.
Sunday’s Grammy was the second award for Wilson, who previously won for another “Smile”-related performance from his 2004 solo reconstruction and completion of the long-shelved concept album. He won the award for rock instrumental for the track “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow.”
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Accepting the Grammy, Wilson didn’t mention the Beach Boys by name, but did salute his “Smile” lyricist collaborator: “Van Dyke Parks and I knew we were ahead of our time in 1965. In 2004, we released it. So, good!”
In 2001,r the Beach Boys received a Grammy lifetime achievement award and last year performed on the telecast in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the quintessential Southern California fun-in-the-sun band’s first chart hit, “Surfin’.”
Update at 2:38 p.m.: An earlier version of this post stated that the Beach Boys received the lifetime achievement award last year. The group received it in 2001.
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