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Turning Frowns Upside Down

by Chip Boehm
kboehm1@mscd.edu

Everyone has a favorite Beach Boys song. From the early songs about riding waves to the orchestrated majesty of the Pet Sounds era to the R&B influence of Wild Honey, the Beach Boys' catalog offers something for nearly all tastes.

Whichever gem in their catalog you choose, there's a good chance you'll hear it this Friday. Brian Wilson performs Smile will appear at the Universal Lending Pavilion, better known as that circus tent in the parking lot of the Pepsi Center. Based on previous shows the first set should be a tour de force of Beach Boys hits. The second set will feature Smile performed in its entirety.

Brian Wilson has been touring this album with the same crack band who initially made the live performances of Pet Sounds possible 5 years ago. Excellent musicianship combined with their studio talents allowed for the long awaited follow up to that album, Smile. Plenty has already been said about the importance of Smile. The wait of over a quarter century guaranteed its place on most critics' year-end best-of lists.

Wilson's enormous influence is evident in modern recordings by Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, and the entire Elephant 6 Collective as well as current darlings of the scene, such as the Arcade Fire, Architecture in Helsinki, and Animal Collective.

The live performances of Smile have proven close to perfection for music fans. Even when Wilson makes a "boo-boo," as happened during "God Only Knows" at the recent Live 8 concerts, his purity of will power shows just how badly he wants these shows to connect with the audience. He fully believes in his symphonic compositions as a transcendental experience.

Wilson's concert, his only scheduled appearance in the region, is the centerpiece of "A Night of Legends and Champions," a benefit for the Metropolitan State College of Denver Athletics Scholarship Fund for Student Athletics. The event kicks off with the KOOL 105 Beach Party, complete with a beach sand volleyball court, at 4 p.m. Aug. 26 immediately outside the Universal Lending Pavilion box office.

Students and alumni of Metro State can purchase tickets for themselves and friends at a 25% discount by entering the discount code "metrostate" on Ticketmaster.com. No money? No worries, the venue's open architecture makes it possible to hear the performances from anywhere nearby.

Brian Wilson will bring a Smile to the faces of fans at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Universal Lending Pavilion. Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com.