Concert review - Brian Wilson at Birmingham Symphony Hall

Brian Wilson

Birmingham Symphony Hall

Concert review by Alex Homer

Brian Wilson, the legendary composer and performer who started his career in the Beach Boys, dazzled a packed house at Birmingham's Symphony Hall with an array of American songbook classics and tunes from his extensive back catalogue.

The music legend, wearing a trademark Hawaiian shirt, put on a set lasting more than two-and-a-half hours, with his backing band showing a typical display of stacked harmonies and orchestral sound.

The evening kicked off with music from his critically-acclaimed latest album, Brian Wilson Re-imagines Gershwin, which harked back to the iconic Broadway talents of George Gershwin.

Reportedly Wilson spent up to eight hours a day perfecting harmonies for the album and he delivered a spotless performance last night including tracks 'S Wonderful, I Got Rhythm and Nothing But Love, with notable Beach Boys influences.

California Girls greeted the hundreds of clamouring fans on their return from the mid-gig break, quickly moving through the set list to Wilson's first ballad, Surfer Girl, which he wrote as a 19-year-old.

This reviewer was lucky enough to see Wilson at Bestival on the Isle of Wight last week and can safely say last night's performance had more energy. The quality of the singing was all the more clear for the famous Symphony Hall acoustics.