Music

Beach Boys Cancel September Comeback Shows Without Explanation

The Beach Boys scrapped all four September comeback dates one day before the tour was to resume, citing "circumstances beyond our control" as Mike Love's health questions linger.

Beach Boys Abruptly Cancel September Comeback Shows
Beach Boys Abruptly Cancel September Comeback Showsstriatic / Openverse

The Beach Boys cancelled all four of their scheduled September comeback shows just one day before the tour was set to resume, offering no explanation to fans.

The group had planned to return to the stage September 24 at The Big E Arena in West Springfield, Massachusetts, followed by a September 25 date at the Univest Performance Center in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, and two performances on September 27 at the Alabama Theater in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. All four dates were scrapped on the eve of the restart.

The Univest Performance Center attributed the Quakertown cancellation to "circumstances beyond [our] control." The Alabama Theater used identical language. A spokesperson for the Beach Boys did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

The cancellations extend a troubled stretch for the band, which has been off the road for two months while frontman Mike Love recharges following a series of unspecified health issues. Those issues forced the postponement of more than 30 dates on the Pet Sounds 60th anniversary tour.

The Beach Boys played over 40 shows this year celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 1966 album. But fans grew alarmed by Love's gaunt appearance and diminished singing voice. A series of shows was postponed in early June because Love was suffering from an unspecified illness. Longtime member Bruce Johnston left the group early in the year.

Slate's Luke Winkie delivered a blunt assessment of a May 30 gig in New Brunswick, New Jersey. "Love looked sallow and enfeebled; legs stiff, arms flat by his side," Winkie wrote. "When he opened his mouth to sing, his once resonant tenor was reduced to a whisper, all warbled, strange, and barely there, decimated by the encumbering decades. My friend shot me an ashen look, the same one I remember him giving me during the opening salvo of the doomed Joe Biden debate."

The tour resumed June 14 in Chelsea, England, and ran through a July 18 gig in Valdosta, Georgia, including three nights at the Hollywood Bowl — even though Love was still struggling vocally. In late July, the band pulled the plug on 30 shows booked through late September.

"We've been having a blast out there, and to keep the good vibrations going strong, we'll be taking a short break to recharge before getting back on the road in September," Love said in a statement at the time. "Thanks for your love — we can't wait to see you back out there for a September to Remember."

That promise of a "September to Remember" has now collapsed. Unlike the heavy touring schedule the Beach Boys have maintained over the past six decades, the plan for the remainder of 2025 was deliberately light: the four September shows, four concerts in October, and two in November.

As of now, the band is still scheduled to return October 9 at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, Illinois. Whether that date survives remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Al Jardine continues to tour internationally with veteran members of Brian Wilson's former touring unit, a group he has dubbed the Pet Sounds Band. Unlike the hits-heavy set favored by Love, Jardine's ensemble digs deeper into the catalog, with a particular focus on the 1977 oddball LP The Beach Boys Love You.

With Love's health unaddressed publicly and the September dates gone, the October 9 Bloomington show now stands as the next test of whether the band's 60th-anniversary celebration can reach the finish line.

Original: alabama-theatre.com

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