Beach Boys co-founder Mike Love is a huge Donald Trump fan, and like Trump, he's now seemingly falling asleep at his own events.
In July, 85-year-old Love announced that "the Beach Boys," of which he is the only original member following Bruce Johnston's departure this year, were going to take a break to “recharge." They canceled nearly 30 shows scheduled through September. Then, late last month, they canceled three more shows amid concerns about Love’s health. They did perform with Love at the American Heart Association’s Heart And Stroke Ball gala on Oct. 3, but Saturday night saw their first public concert since July at PNC Pavilion at Riverbend in Cincinnati.
Actor-musician John Stamos has been a Beach Boys associate since even before his Full House days and has long been a regular part of the band's live show. Stamos and Love's son Christian, also a Beach Boys member, spoke to the crowd before a frail-looking Love was helped onstage.
"He has been going through some health issues, and he's had to cancel some shows, but he would not miss tonight," Stamos told the crowd, implying that it might have been wiser for Love to stay home. "As a family member, you want him to stay home and get healthy, but as a fan, you want to see him come out and do the music," Christian added. "So tonight we're going to support him in doing what he loves to do, which is coming here and refusing to cancel this one."
What ensued was deeply depressing. After a video montage to begin the show, Love was helped onstage and seated front and center. From about three minutes on in the clip below, he can be seen barely singing or moving, looking like a shell of himself.
Things got sadder later on when Stamos tried to interact with Love.
In the end, Love flashed a double thumbs up the an applauding crowd, but the ordeal had a strong whiff of Frankie Valli to it.
On Sunday, amid backlash, Stamos posted a statement in a joint social media post with Love, framing Love's continued participation in the tour as a chance to enjoy his presence while we still can:
I’m boarding a plane to Nashville to play with the Beach Boys at the Ryman Auditorium, struggling to put my feelings into words.
My beloved friend, father figure, musical hero and mentor, Mike Love, is facing serious health challenges. We hope he’ll be doing 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 being on stage. He says he needs his band, the audience, his friends and drummer surrounding him to lift him up.
I’ve played with Mike for 41 years. I never imagined how deeply it would affect me to see someone larger than life face 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 every bit the Mike we love.
His lyrics, optimism, unforgettable hooks and more than 7,000 concerts have brought joy to generations. What he’s given me personally is immeasurable.
Forty-one years of stages, airplanes, hotel rooms, laughter and moments nobody else saw. He married Caitlin and me. He’s shared experiences with my family, and now my son.
Mike didn’t just give me a place in his band. He gave me a place in his life.
He taught me how to entertain, hold a stage, connect with an audience and make people feel something. I carry those lessons everywhere. He’s made me a better musician, entertainer and man.
This life with Mike and the Beach Boys has become part of my identity. I’ve felt entrusted with being a steward of this extraordinary music, carrying it to new generations.
Tonight, at the Ryman, sharing the stage with Mike, I want to be completely present. Hear every harmony, familiar joke and cheer. Feel that first chord hit and watch age, illness and time disappear. Just a bunch of guys making music together.
Maybe the hardest part of loving someone is becoming so accustomed to the miracle of having them there that you forget it’s a miracle at all.
Tonight, I won’t forget.
I want to cherish every second without feeling those seconds slipping away.
That’s what I’m giving him.
We don’t know what tomorrow brings. But we have tonight.
Al Jardine & The Pet Sounds Band, which includes various musicians who have performed with the late Brian Wilson, are also on the road currently. If you're looking for a magical night of Beach Boys tunes, that's probably the tour to go see.