Brian Wilson still has ‘Good Vibrations’

"It’s great to be here — in Scotland."

The first artist to play Live At The Marquee in 2005, he returned to Cork last night to tease his audience with Beach Boys’ classics and show he still has those ‘Good Vibrations’.

The ‘Mozart of Rock’, the ‘Gershwin of his generation’, the ‘new Schubert’. Take your pick. Brian — the last of the Beach Boys’ Wilson brothers — has been at the receiving end of more clichéd praise than any entertainer this side of the pearly gates.

Little wonder, as he has been creating musical treasure for over half a century as a singer, songwriter, bassist, pianist, composer, producer and arranger. Not bad for a 72-year-old ex-drug addict with bipolar who still hears voices in his head.

The problem with being a pop legend and still above ground is that, no matter what you do, you can never quite live up to past glories. But Wilson — accompanied by fellow Beach Boys founder Al Jardine — makes a game attempt.

He often appears uncomfortable and hesitant on stage, but he was in cheery form last night, clearly enjoying gigging with Jardin, the bandmate he first performed with in the ‘60s when the Beach Boys pranced around in their tighty whities on Californian beaches.

Leading off with ‘California Girls’, the 10-piece band rollicked through decade after decade of Wilson hits.

A medley of surf songs that he once described as “symphonies to God’ was followed by his ode to teenage anxt, ‘In My Room, and ‘Surfer Girl’, a song he wrote at the age of 19 while driving to a hot-dog stand.

While his voice is fragile after many years in rehab, Wilson triumphs with his grand musical arrangements and bright harmonies.

The singing, for the most part, is left to Matthew Jardine, Al’s eldest son, whose voice is very much in the Beach Boys mode.

His attire wasn’t though. There wasn’t a tighty whitie in sight.