The Beach Boys have pulled out of their upcoming shows at EPCOT’s Eat to the Beat Concert Series. The veteran California act was slated to perform at the Walt Disney World theme park on November 11 and 12, but fans started to question whether the Florida shows would take place as planned after Mike Love—the only original member currently performing with The Beach Boys touring band—appeared visible frail during his stops at Cincinnati, OH’s PNC Pavilion at Riverbend and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on October 10 and 11. A group dubbed John Stamos and the California Sound, led by the Full House actor, will take The Beach Bous place during their EPCOT engagements. It is unclear if the California Sound will feature members of The Beach Boys touring band or other players.
Since 1998, Love has exclusively held the license to perform under The Beach Boys moniker, though he reunited with the surviving classic-era members for an album and extended run of shows in 2012. Bruce Johnston, who joined a few years after The Beach Boys’ formation, had been part of Love’s touring group until earlier this year when he decided to step away. Love continued to play concerts with his combo into the summer but then cancelled a slew of dates for health reasons. When he returned for those two October shows, he remained seated throughout the gigs and only contributed backing vocals. Stamos, a hardcore Beach Boys fan who has been an auxiliary member since the 1980s and introduced the legendary band to new generations by featuring them on Full House, traveled with Love to both shows and served as the evenings’ de facto frontman. He also posted an emotional message saying that he didn’t “know what tomorrow will bring” and that Love had been facing “serious health issues,” casting some doubt on the band’s future. Love has since said that he is recuperating and hopes to return to the stage in the near future.
In an odd turn of events, as Love was performing in a diminished state in October, Al Jardine—the only other surviving original Beach Boy—had invited Johnston, fellow ’60s member David Marks and several other members of the group’s extended family to join him during a California homecoming with his Pet Sounds Band. Convoluting things even more, Gary Griffin, who performed in Stamos’ band on Full House Jesse and the Rippers, is also a member of the Pet Sounds Band. On The Beach Boys’ homepage, Love’s version of the band still has two dates on the books, a November 13 stop at Bristol, VA’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and a May 8 stop at Enoch, AB, Canada’s River Cree Resort and Casino.
