If the saga of the Beach Boys in the 21st century is ever turned into a book, the events of Oct. 11, 2026, will likely take up an entire chapter. Two concerts took place almost simultaneously — Mike Love‘s touring incarnation of the Beach Boys at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, in Cerritos, California — that were unlike almost any other that the former bandmates (and longtime antagonists) had played throughout their long lives on the road. The evening began at the Ryman with John Stamos and Brian Love, Mike Love’s son, addressing the audience about Mike’s fragile health, much like they did in Cincinnati the previous night.
We’re gonna sing along … We’ve gotta live in the moment.” “Mike, he insisted on being here,” Stamos added. And tonight’ll be 7,422, I think exactly … We love you, and have the greatest night ever, and God bless you all.” The curtain then opened to reveal a frail Mike Love seated in a chair at the center of the stage. For the second evening in a row, unlike every Boys Boys concert in history, he handed over all the lead vocal duties to his band members, and contributed just background parts.
He hasn’t spelled out the nature of his current health problems, but it’s clear that his weakened state made it hard for him to contribute. An emotional Love managed to get to his feet with help from his bandmates as the curtain closed. There are three remaining Beach Boys concerts on the books — Nov. 11 in Orlando, Florida, Nov. 13 in Bristol, Virginia, and one in May 2027, in Enoch, Alberta.
In a letter to fans several hours before going onstage, John Stamos alluded to the possibility that the Nashville date may be Love’s last with the band. But there’s a part of me that wonders if this could be the last time I get to stand behind Mike, play those songs, watch him work an audience, and feel that indescribable magic that happens when those harmonies fill a room.” Just around the time the time the curtain was closing at the Ryman, those magical Beach Boys harmonies began filling up the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. This was advertised as a traditional Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band concert, but days earlier Jardine told fans that he’d be joined by original Beach Boys guitarist David Marks and longtime member Bruce Johnston, who left Love’s touring unit in February after six decades of dedicated service.
There’s been little love lost between the Love and Jardine camps in recent years, so many Beach Boys fans were surprised to see longtime Love loyalist Johnston agree to share the stage with Jardine for the first time in over a decade. After opening with a familiar quintet of oldies (“California Girls,” “Do It Again,” “Catch a Wave,” “Hawaii” and “Surfer Girl”), Jardine welcomed Marks to the stage for “Surfin’ Safari,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” and “I Get Around.” Amazingly, Marks played lead guitar on the original recordings of several of those songs before his 16th birthday. Related Content The Beach Boys Played Their First Public Concert in Three Months With an Alarmingly Frail Mike Love The Beach Boys Cancel Yet Another Planned Comeback Concert Beach Boys Abruptly Cancel September Comeback Shows Watch Al Jardine Sing the Beach Boys Deep Cut ‘Back Home’ for First Time in 49 Years Not long after Marks left the stage, Johnston came out for Bobby Freeman’s “Do You Wanna Dance?” and the 1965 Beach Boys deep cut “You’re So Good to Me.” It’s unclear exactly why Johnston left the Beach Boys in February, why he failed to show up for their Hollywood Bowl shows in July after initially pledging to be there, and the state of his relationship with Jardine these past years remains somewhat of a mystery, but it was a huge moment for fans to see them once again together.
After a brief encore, Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band returned for a complete performance of the 1977 oddball Beach Boys LP The Beach Boys Love You, and Marilyn Wilson, Brian Wilson’s first wife, joined them to sing her original vocal parts on “Let’s Put Our Hearts Together.” If all this wasn’t enough, Jardine kicked off the encore with the 1979 Beach Boys obscurity “It’s a Beautiful Day.” It’s the first time any member of the group has played the song in a concert setting. To wrap up the evening, Jan and Dean’s Dean Torrence — yet another surprise guest — came out for “Help Me, Rhonda” alongside Johnston and Marks. They were joined by Carnie Wilson for “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Fun, Fun, Fun” to send everyone home.
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