After many Beach Boys fans and followers expressed concern for Mike Love after seeing footage of the group’s Saturday night show in Cincinnati, John Stamos stepped in with a statement acknowledging that Love is in poor health while they are doing these shows and suggesting that his longtime friend’s time on stage may be coming to an end.
“I’ve been playing with Mike for 41 years. I never imagined how much it would affect me to see someone larger than life take on something so human and fragile,” Stamos said in his Instagram post, managing expectations before performing with the Beach Boys at a show scheduled for Sunday at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
“We hope he does what he loves for years to come, but we don’t know what the future holds. We’ll do it tonight,” Stamos said. The actor-musician added, “The Mike Love we see tonight may not be exactly the Mike we’ve always known. But he’s still the Mike we love.” (Scroll down to read Stamos’ full statement.)
The Beach Boys had been off the road since July, canceling several months of dates as Love dealt with health concerns, with a promise to pick up where they left off. More concerts continued to be canceled, one by one, until the band finally returned to action, first with a private performance, then a return to public touring with Saturday’s Cincinnati show. But many were alarmed by what they saw in the fan-posted video, with Love appearing much weaker and less engaged than he did even on the July shows.
The band’s frontman for the past six decades remained seated and largely still during the entire Ohio show, taking none of the many lead vocals he still did when the Beach Boys performed for three nights at the Hollywood Bowl in July. A short clip that quickly circulated on social media showed Stamos urging Love to do some hand gestures from his seat, and the Beach Boys mainstay happily complied, but without much apparent energy, before returning to his seat.
The Nashville concert is the last on the Beach Boys’ itinerary until mid-November, when they are scheduled to play Orlando on November 11 and Bristol on November 13. After that, they only have one publicly announced concert for 2027, unlike the usual touring schedule they would usually have announced around that time, leading fans to wonder if they may really be ready to finish Love’s time fronting the band.
Coincidentally, across the country, another Beach Boys mainstay from the beginning, Al Jardine, is playing a Sunday night concert in which appearances have been promised by two other historic Beach Boys members, Bruce Johnston (who until a few months ago was still part of Love’s touring unit) and David Marks.
Full statement from John Stamos from Sunday afternoon:
I board a plane to Nashville to perform with the Beach Boys at the Ryman Auditorium, I have a hard time expressing my feelings.
My beloved friend, father figure, musical hero and mentor, Mike Love, is facing serious health issues. We hope he does what he loves for years to come, but we don’t know what the future holds. We have tonight.
Mike is a fighter. Despite doctors, family and friends urging him to focus on his health, he insists on going on stage. He says he needs his band, the audience, his friends and the drummer around him to lift him up.
I’ve been playing with Mike for 41 years. I never imagined how much it would affect me to see someone larger than life confront something so human and fragile.
The Mike Love we see tonight may not be exactly the Mike we’ve always known. But he’s still the Mike we love.
His words, his optimism, his unforgettable choruses and more than 7,000 concerts have brought joy to generations. What he brought to me personally is immeasurable.
Forty-one years of scenes, planes, hotel rooms, laughter and moments no one else has seen. He married Caitlin and me. He has shared his experiences with my family and now with my son.
Mike didn’t just give me a place in his group. He gave me a place in his life.
He taught me how to entertain, how to hold a stage, how to connect with an audience and how to make people feel something. I carry these lessons everywhere. He made me a better musician, artist and man.
This life with Mike and the Beach Boys has become part of my identity. I felt charged with being the guardian of this extraordinary music and passing it on to new generations.
Tonight, at the Ryman, sharing the stage with Mike, I want to be completely present. Hear every familiar harmony, joke and cheer. Feel that first chord and watch age, illness and time fade away. Just a bunch of guys making music together.
Perhaps the hardest thing about loving someone is getting so used to the miracle of having them there that you forget that it’s a miracle.
Tonight I won’t forget.
I want to cherish every second without feeling those seconds ticking away.
That’s what I give him.
We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But we have to do it tonight.
Gn entert
