Brian Wilson launched what proved to be his final tou r in Phoenix. No one knew that at the time, of course, but you could feel it in the air that the singer was nearing the end of his touring days.

A l Jardine is feeling a little uneasy. It’s about five hours until a concert at the South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset, Massachusetts, where he’ll play nearly all of the oddball 1977 LP The Beach ...