When the Beach Boys played Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Sunday night, no major announcements were made from the stage, but the sense of importance for the fans in attendance was palpable, with many thinking they might be witnessing Mike Love’s final show headlining the band’s touring edition.
It wasn’t just outside conjecture, but something that came as close to the Beach Boys’ organization as possible — from John Stamos, who appeared with the group on and off for 41 years, and who, in the hours leading up to the show, strongly hinted that the Nashville concert might mark the end of the road for his friend.
Stamos wrote as part of a nearly 1,200-word Facebook post on Sunday: “Although I always knew there would come a day when things would change, I never really allowed myself to imagine what that day would be like. I’m not saying tonight is the end. God, I hope it’s not. But there’s a part of me that wonders if this might be the last time I get to stand behind Mike, play these songs, watch him work in front of an audience, and feel that indescribable magic that happens when those harmonies fill a piece.
While Stamos’ statement strongly established the idea that this could be Love’s last night as Beach Boy, his “I hope it’s not” addendum also established that there would be no official statement to that effect on the Ryman stage – even though rumors were circulating in Nashville that it had already been decided that this would be the swan song.
When Sunday’s show started about a half-hour after its scheduled time, Stamos and Love’s son, Christian Love, who also plays with the band, appeared in front of the Ryman curtain to deliver short speeches, setting the stage for what fans were about to see.
“One thing about him is he’s stubborn and steadfast, and he didn’t want to miss the Ryman,” Christian Love said. “I mean, for good reason. Look at this place. So we’re happy. We’re going to be positive. We’re going to sing. But I remember something he said to me when I was a kid, and it stuck with me. I said, ‘Dad, why are you doing so many shows?’ : “Well, if you don’t do as many concerts, you don’t visit as many cities, and that means less people get to hear the incredible Beach Boys personally.” So he always cared about the small towns, the fairs… It’s obviously a much more famous and beautiful place. But he cares about the listener, and I think it’s such an honor to be a part of it.
Stamos added: “All we have is tonight, really, and I think it’s going to be very, very special. Mike, he insisted on being here… He’s done over 7,000 shows. And tonight there will be 7,422, I think exactly. I think that’s where we are. He matters… We love you and have the best night ever, and God bless you all.”
The traditional historical video that usually opens the modern-day Beach Boys followed, then the curtains opened to reveal Love already in place at his seat, the group ready to launch into the long-running show opener, “Do It Again”…but not with Love on lead vocals. For the rest of the show, Love stayed put, singing but ceding his usual lead vocals and emcee roles to others. He briefly addressed the crowd, saying he had “faced some health issues, but I had to go to the Ryman.”
At the end of the show, Queen’s “We Are the Champions” played over the speakers. Stamos and Christian Love helped Mike to his feet, then, on either side of him, raised his arms into the air in a triumphant pose, until the curtains closed in front of them.
What happened between the curtain rise and the final pose was a lot like what happened the night before in Cincinnati, at the Beach Boys’ first public concert since several dates were canceled starting in July.
The big difference was that after the Cincinnati show, a viral video of Love’s fragile state led music fans to post comments on social media about whether Love and his organization knew the time had come for him to retire. But after Stamos’ public comments on his social accounts Sunday, which made it clear that no one saw this as a sustainable way to continue touring, fans’ moods shifted from one of sorrow and concern to a greater sense of emotion and appreciation.
The Beach Boys’ touring machine has been churning almost non-stop for about 65 years, as Stamos and Christian Love noted in the intro, driven by Mike as one of the most inveterate and even seemingly compulsive tourers in pop music. Now, only three dates are listed on the group’s official website, with the next one being November 11 at Walt Disney World. Whether those dates will be met is anyone’s guess, but Stamos’ declaration that this might be the last time certainly left the impression that, barring a sudden rebound in Love’s health, no one should bet on him hitting the road again.
Could The Beach Boys continue to tour without him as leader? Fans have already theorized various ways the music could continue to be shot without Love’s active participation. A “Beach Boys friends and family” setup with Stamos, Christian Love and the current band is a hypothetical scenario, although touring without any original members could reduce the group’s appeal. It’s certainly not lost on fans either: Al Jardine is still in good shape and is actively touring with Brian Wilson’s old road band…and indeed, he was performing Sunday night in SoCal with former members Bruce Johnston and David Marks sitting in. It’s unclear whether Jardine and potentially one or both of the others would want to return under the official Beach Boys umbrella (and Johnston, who was in Love’s band until earlier this year, had announced he was firmly leaving the road).
The afflictions currently affecting Love have not been made public, although he opened up about his health struggles in June, writing: “The loss of my sister, Maureen, on the first anniversary of my cousin Brian’s death, combined with my continued recovery from what started as bronchitis, followed by COVID, has taken a toll on me both emotionally and physically. I feel stronger every day physically, but I am heartbroken emotionally. I couldn’t imagine being other than with our audience. To me, our audience is the medicine, and music is the medicine. Thank you all for your outpouring of love, well wishes and prayers for healing.
Yet he had been able to stand or sit on a stool when the Beach Boys made a three-night stand at the Hollywood Bowl in early July, even though his voice was shaky enough to set off alarms among fans. In personal appearances in the spring and summer, he was able to speak at length, lucidly and sometimes poignantly, whether in an appearance at the Grammy Museum promoting the “Love You” box set (covered by Variety here) or a Capitol Records party celebrating the 60th anniversary of “Pet Sounds” (including Variety interviewed him, here). There’s not much to know publicly about his condition, other than that the past three months may have been physically tougher on the once-unstoppable singer than the previous ones.
While speculation about what form a future road show version of the Beach Boys might take is inevitable, it’s also possible that the touring operation will officially end after six and a half decades with Love’s retirement – if, indeed, that’s what it is. The Nashville audience — some in the crowd saying they’d been coming to see the band since 1963 — clearly felt the sense of occasion, and perhaps the paradox that it’s also possible to have an endless summer and fall.
Stamos had posted a 400-word statement on Instagram on Sunday, which Variety reprinted in a previous article. He went much more in-depth in the 1,200-word expansion of his Facebook statement. This longer version follows here:
I board a plane to Nashville to perform with the Beach Boys at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, and I struggle to express 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. That said, we have tonight.
Mike is a fighter. Although his doctors, family and friends tell him to focus on his health, he insists he needs to be on stage. Mike tells us that he needs his band, his audience who loves him, his friends and the drummer around him to lift him up.
And something about that hits me harder than I expected.
I’ve been playing with Mike and the Beach Boys for 41 years. Forty-one years old. That’s longer than I’ve done in my life. And although I always knew that a day would come when things would change, I never really allowed myself to imagine what that day would be like.
I’m not saying that tonight is the end. God, I hope not. But there’s a part of me that wonders if this might be the last time I get to stand behind Mike, play these songs, watch him work in front of an audience, and feel that indescribable magic that happens when those harmonies fill a room.
The Mike Love we see tonight may not be exactly the Mike Love we’ve known all these years. But he’s still the Mike Love we love. The man is still there. The spirit is still there. THE…
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