 Smile holds a particular fascination for Wilson fans |
Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson gained a five-minute standing ovation after performing his lost album Smile for the first time on Friday night. Wilson brought the house down at the Royal Festival Hall after his forgotten work was finally performed.
The 61-year-old suffered an emotional breakdown during the making of the album in the 1960s, which was not completed and went unreleased.
Wilson is due to play a further five nights at the London venue.
Grown men wept as the 61-year-old performed a set of around 20 songs, including classics such as Wouldn't It Be Nice and California Girls.
Wilson opened the sell-out concert with an intimate unplugged set accompanied by his 11-strong band.
They then played a selection of surf classics including Sloop John B and Dance Dance Dance, before Wilson played Smile in its entirety.
Smile was concluded with the pop classic Good Vibrations, and after a standing ovation Wilson rocked the concert hall to the sound of party classics such as I Get Around, Surfin' USA and Barbara Ann.
Shows in Bristol, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham will follow the London performances.
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