Beach Boy to tour NZ

Brian Wilson, the pop genius behind the original Beach Boys, is confirmed to play a three-date New Zealand tour in December.

The jaunt follows the release of his "lost masterpiece" of an album Smile which he and his band will play in its entirety, as well as other Beach Boys hits including California Girls and Good Vibrations.

Someone who has already seen Wilson in concert this year is Chris Knox, who nearly shed a tear at the March performance in Paris.

"It was an incredibly moving experience because he'd been through so much psychological upheaval and shit with his family and to perform live his most contentious bit of music was incredibly brave. To do this nearly 40 years later was even more incredible.

"The band were amazing. They dotted the 'i's and crossed the 't's but they were loose at the same time. They weren't anal about it."

Knox believes the Pet Sounds tour Wilson did a few years back helped him get used to playing live again.

Smile, which was re-recorded, was released earlier this month, more than 37 years after he shelved it. Most thought it was lost forever because of Wilson's reclusiveness, drug-taking, and psychological problems.

Smile was originally meant to be released a few months before The Beatles released Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

There has been general acclaim over the official release of the long-lost much-bootlegged album Smile. The critics have been raving. TimeOut's Graham Reid said: "In '67 the Beach Boys were sounding ahead of their time, and that impression remains ... Brian Wilson may be crazy. But he sure ain't mad."

Wilson will bring a 19-piece band, including a nine-piece string section, to the shows in Christchurch (December 17), Wellington (December 18) and Auckland's Aotea Centre (December 19).

Knox has one more recommendation about the Wilson experience: "Musically, it'll knock your socks off."