Entertainment

Al Jardine says footage of Mike Love's seated Ryman show left him speechless

Kiran MachadoPublished 4m ago2 min readBased on 5 sources
Al Jardine says footage of Mike Love's seated Ryman show left him speechless
Photo by Louise Palanker / CC BY-SA 2.0

Al Jardine said watching footage of Mike Love perform seated with the Beach Boys in Nashville left him shocked and low.

Jardine, 84, was speaking about the band's show at the Ryman Auditorium on Oct. 11. Love, 85, stayed seated through the set and sang occasional background vocals. Jardine told Billboard it was "shocking" and left him "really depressed."

"Just the optics of it were just awful and I'm speechless," Jardine said. He said Love had been "going through some health issues for quite a while."

Jardine watched the clips after playing his own show on the same night. He performed at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, California. Former Beach Boys members Bruce Johnston and David Marks appeared with him.

The Ryman date followed a difficult summer for Love and the touring band. The Beach Boys paused an organised six-week summer tour in July to allow Love time to "recharge." Ahead of the Nashville show, musician John Stamos wrote that Love was "facing serious health challenges."

In June, Love said he had been struggling since the death of his sister Maureen. He said he was also battling bronchitis and COVID. Love has played more than 7,000 shows with the Beach Boys over 65 years.

Jardine spoke about Love with sympathy. He called him "a total pro" who "wants to be onstage." Then he added: "He doesn't know what else to do, so I think he's trapped."

Asked if the Beach Boys will play more shows, Jardine said: "I would hope not." He also said he and Love are not in regular contact.

The two have a long and sometimes strained history. In 2003, Love sued Jardine over touring under the names Beach Boys Family & Friends, Al Jardine, Beach Boy and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys.

For fans, this means two separate stages told one story on the same night. In Nashville, Love remained in his chair. In California, Jardine sang with two other former members. Rolling Stone described the Oct. 11 Nashville date as what could be Love's last Beach Boys show.

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