CONCERT PREVIEW
Brian Wilson and Jeff Beck
8 p.m. Oct. 4. $35-$55. Chastain Park Amphitheatre, 4469 Stella Drive N.W., Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
Brian Wilson is a man of few words.
But when he’s really, really rocked by something — say, the guitar playing of Jeff Beck — he can’t contain his effusiveness.
“No one plays like Jeff Beck. No one. I met him seven years ago at my MusiCares (event) and I remembered how great he sounded on his guitar, so we had him come to the studio five months ago and he blew our minds,” Wilson, 71, said recently from his base in Los Angeles.
It’s a phrase he repeated several times when asked about Beck, even though he never crossed paths with the legendary guitarist during the Yardbirds’ days and doesn’t have a favorite Beck composition.
The idea for this joint tour, which kicked off Sept. 27 and plays Chastain Park Amphitheatre this Friday, came after Wilson invited Beck to play on his upcoming solo album, which Wilson describes as “very mellow, ballads and piano songs.”
But this isn’t your ordinary double bill.
The two marquee names will take the stage together with Beach Boys members Al Jardine and David Marks and delve into an inventory of hits. Then Wilson will perform a solo set that he said will include “Beach Boys classics, some new songs and a lot of lesser-known Beach Boys songs.”
Beck, 69, takes over the second half of the show with his four-piece outfit to explore his catalog of rock classics, and the foursome of Wilson, Beck, Jardine and Marks will cap the night with their own favorites as well as Yardbirds material.
Wilson said he’s looking forward to touring with Beck, whom he got to know well in the studio.
“That guy can play anything,” he remarked with more than a hint of admiration.
While the Beach Boys famously toured last year for their 50th anniversary, the Wilson/Jardine/Marks faction will apparently remain a separate entity from the Mike Love/Bruce Johnston Beach Boys, currently touring again under that name.
When asked if he thought the full band would get together again anytime soon, Wilson simply said, “I doubt it.”
In addition to the tour with Beck and upcoming album, Wilson will also be the topic of a biopic, tentatively slated for release next year. John Cusack will play Wilson — “He blew my mind,” Wilson said of the actor’s portrayal — and the singer is content that it will be an accurate depiction of his life.
“People are gonna learn what I went through in my life. They’re going to learn a lot about my music, too,” Wilson said.
So what is left for a man who has seemingly achieved every musical milestone to accomplish?
“A good rock ‘n’ roll album. A Phil Spector-type album,” Wilson said. “I’m going to start one in December or January. I’m going to do it.”
