When the Beach Boys postponed the band’s summer tour in July, a statement insisted that “we’ll be taking a short break to recharge before getting back on the road in September.”
Finally, after months of postponed shows, the veteran rock band returned to the stage October 10 for a performance in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Sadly, the reason for those months of postponements was all too clear when lead singer Mike Love was brought to the stage, laboring to walk while assisted into a chair at center stage.
Frail and nearly unrecognizable, he sat in a chair, basically immobile while struggling to sing along as others took on the lead vocals he’d been handling for decades.
Love subsequently appeared with the Beach Boys for a second show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. When video of Love onstage went viral, fans found his appearance so alarming that they took to social media to speculate on his health — and wondered why he was performing at all in such a clearly weakened state.
‘Serious Health Challenges’
“Full House” alum John Stamos, a longtime member of the Beach Boys, issued a lengthy social media post revealing that 85-year-old Love was facing “serious health challenges,” but had defied doctors’ orders by insisting he perform.
“The Mike Love we see tonight may not be exactly the Mike we’ve always known,” Stamos warned fans ahead of the Nashville show. “But he’s still every bit the Mike we love.”
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Beach Boys founding member Al Jardine, 84, weighed in on Love’s condition, and admitted he was as stunned as fans were by the apparent deterioration in his health.
Jardine, who’s had his share of disagreements with Love in the past, said he hasn’t been in contact with Love for some time. However, he was nonetheless disheartened by the condition of his former bandmate.
When asked if he’d seen the recent footage of Love onstage, Jardine told the magazine, “Well, yes, it’s shocking and I was really depressed. I had to really shake myself out of it just to get onstage. Just the optics of it were just awful and I’m speechless.”
When Jardine’s interviewer observed it seemed unlikely the band would do too many more shows with Love in such a weakened condition, Jardine agreed.
“I would hope not,” Jardine said. “That’s just not right, that I can see. Obviously, he’s a total pro. He wants to be onstage, but he just doesn’t know how not to do it. He doesn’t know what else to do, so I think he’s trapped.”
Mike Love’s Last Show?
After that Ryman show, the Beach Boys’ aren’t scheduled to perform until November, with two concerts booked.
Time will tell whether Love will return for those shows, or if fans in Nashville had witnessed his final performance.
“One thing about him is he’s stubborn and he’s steadfast, and he did not want to miss the Ryman,” the singer’s son, Brian Love told the Nashville audience, as reported by Variety. “I mean, for good reason. Look at this place. So we are happy. We’re gonna be positive. We’re gonna sing along. But I remember something he told me when I was a child, and it stuck with me. I said, ‘Dad, why do you do so many shows?’ I mean, we’re talking about a guy who’s done over 100 concerts a year well up into his 80s. That’s just incredible, right? So he told me, ‘Well, if you don’t do as many concerts, you don’t see as many towns, and then that means less people get to hear the amazing Beach Boys personally.’ So he’s always cared for the small towns, the fairs… This is obviously a much more well-known, beautiful venue. But he cares about the listener, and I think it’s such an honor to be part of that. And we’ve gotta live in the moment.”
Stamos added, “All we have is tonight, really, and I think it’s gonna be very, very special. Mike, he insisted on being here… He’s done over 7,000 live shows. And tonight’ll be 7,422, I think exactly. I think that’s where we’re at. He’s counting… We love you, and have the greatest night ever, and God bless you all.”
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Beach Boys Alum Al Jardine ‘Speechless’ After Ailing Mike Love’s Frail Appearance Leaves Fans Concerned