Mike Love Books Beach Boys Shows Without Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys are in the middle of their 50th anniversary reunion tour, stunning crowds from New Orleans to New York – on Sunday night at New York’s Jones Beach, they played a joyous 47-song set ranging from early hits to deep cuts, like Smile’s “Our Prayer” and Sunflower’s “Add Some Music to Your Day.” But while the band continues to extend its 50th anniversary tour with more dates in the U.S. and overseas, frontman Mike Love is also planning for what happens when the tour is over; he’s already booked fall dates with his touring version of the Beach Boys, without the group’s other principal founding members.
The news surprised Brian Wilson. “I wasn’t aware that Mike had some shows in South America,” Wilson tells Rolling Stone. “News to me.”
Watch: The Beach Boys Perform Classic Songs in Our Studio
Wilson remains enthusiastic about the Beach Boys’ current reunion tour. “There has been talk of doing more shows with the Boys and possibly a new record, which I would love to do,” he says. “This reunion is blowing my mind.”
Love has licensed the Beach Boys name since 1998, touring with auxiliary Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and hired musicians. Wilson has toured under his own name, and Al Jardine has performed with his Endless Summer Band. They all put their touring bands on hold for the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary reunion tour. “You’ve got the Love band, who’ve been together for years and have developed a style. Brian’s band has been going for a long time, too – so we’ve been coming from three different places,” Jardine told RS’s Jason Fine in a recent feature story.
Love and Johnston have one show booked so far, in South America in October, as first reported by Peru’s El Comercio.
Another Beach Boys date was announced for October 6th at Winnie, Texas’s Nutty Jerry’s, but last night the venue announced the date was canceled. “The group that was scheduled to perform at Nutty Jerry’s is not the same lineup as the current ‘Beach Boys 50th Anniversary” tour,’ the venue said in a statement. “As a result Nutty Jerry’s did not feel that we could advertise the show as the ‘original’ Beach Boys. Nutty Jerry’s regrets the misunderstanding and any inconvenience to our loyal customers.”
Adds Wilson, “As for me, the tour is going great. I’m having a blast. I love watching the Boys on stage. That’s Why God Made the Radio charted at Number Three! Can you believe a Number Three album?”