Beach Boy beauty

I was out of town the night of the Brian Wilson concert, but my son and I were lucky enough to see Brian and the gang in Morgantown, W. Va., the previous Sunday night.

The concert in Morgantown was exquisite. If there ever was a doubt that Wilson is one of America's greatest songwriters and arrangers, it vanished by the second song. Couldn't tell by "Monster Mash," of course, but listening to "God Only Knows," "Don't Worry Baby" and "Heroes and Villains" also made me want to weep. And I don't even like country music.

It was obvious that this perfectionist has taken great care to make certain that we heard the music the way he created it, down to the woodwinds and multiple percussionists and, as Scott Mervis pointed out in his review (Nov. 7), the angelic voices, at least to the extent that it could be re-created on a stage and played live. I appreciate his respect for his audience, much more so than the party atmosphere at the fake Beach Boy concerts.

But he still left room for partying at the end, so he is at least somewhat in touch with his inner Beach Boy and the Beach Boy in all of us. I then spent the week after Morgantown trying to convince everyone I know to go to Munhall Friday night. I asked one of my friends if he was going to the concert, and he said "No, I'm staying in my room." It's a good thing Brian came out of his; it's a concert I'll never forget.

Kenny Steinberg
Squirrel Hill

Puppet for the band?

I was at the Brian Wilson show last Friday, and I'm not too sure how I feel about what I saw. On one hand, I recognized the talent of the musicians and, of course, the brilliance of the music. But I feel like his band is too polished and that it lacks the soul of the original Beach Boys. Jeff Foskett's voice is great, but it doesn't have the hurt in it that Brian's did. Foskett sounds like a singer, where Brian sounded like an artist. It felt like everyone was hitting the right notes (beautifully) but not really feeling it.

Scott Mervis' comparison of Brian as a DJ was very accurate. During the show, I said to my wife, "The band really doesn't need him up there." After seeing/hearing Brian live on TV and on CDs for the past 10 years or so, I kind of knew what to expect. I went into the show with low expectations but had hoped for a transcendent experience. It happened a few times, like on "Heroes & Villains," but I felt like whatever emotion was building was often interrupted by Brian's scripted between-song banter.

I felt bad for him a little, too. For example, whose idea was it to make him stand there and hold a bass? He clearly wasn't playing, so why was he holding it? From what I've read, for most of Brian's life, he has been a puppet for the band. Him standing there with the bass, as an image, made me think of that.

Overall, though, I'm glad I saw him. He's still Brian Wilson.

Justin Calderone
Verona

Quantum's Cadillac

Bob Hoover did not see the "Candide" production my husband and I saw on Sunday [Leads drive Quantum's 'Candide' on entertaining journey," Nov. 10 -- Hoover attended Friday night]. The acoustics at the former Don Allen repair shop were remarkably good, the voices, staging, action and costumes were wonderful. The story does end saying that work is a salvation, but that is how it was written.

We wonder if he understood the allusions to the garage, with the musicians and at times the cast in mechanics' uniforms. The Eldorado Cadillac connects both the garage and the idea of the perfect setting, one of the locales in the play.

We loved the production, our first visit to Quantum. Bravo! We look forward to seeing more of its plays.

Eleanor Hershberg
Squirrel Hill

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.