The Beach Boys and John Stamos were irresistible summer fun during night of nostalgia at Capital Credit Union Park
ASHWAUBENON - The Beach Boys saved “Fun, Fun, Fun” for night’s end, but the fun started the moment the band and its not-so-secret spark plug walked out onstage Thursday.
On a picture-perfect, 80-degree July night, the group introduced as “America’s band” whisked a crowd at Capital Credit Union Park away on a nearly two-hour, sun-kissed summer vacation fueled by an endless catalog of hits, sweet nostalgia and, in no small way, charismatic musician and actor John Stamos.
Riding the wave was as easy as throwing a lei on over your Pink Floyd T-shirt, showing off your favorite aloha shirt with parrots, palm trees or Packers logos, or digging out that Jesse and the Rippers T-shirt that has been hiding in your closet since Stamos’ days as freewheeling rocker Uncle Jesse on TV’s “Full House" in the 1980s and '90s.
After that, it was all about just letting the good vibrations wash over you, and there were plenty to go around in a ballpark that looked sold-out, or just shy of it, and felt about as close as you can get to “Cali-forn-I-A” in Green Bay.
83-year-old Mike Love was 'the Energizer Bunny' of the night
The stop on The Beach Boys’ Endless Summer Gold Tour celebrated a group — an institution, really — whose first record, “Surfin’ Safari,” came out 62 years ago. The concert, accompanied by a treasure trove of old video clips, photos, album covers and dreamy ocean footage, was both a reminder of how much time has passed and how timeless the hits are. The songs still make people smile, hold hands and break into dance moves that run the gamut from a gingerly sway to the twist to a Wisconsin stab at hula.
The magic of songs like “Surfin’ USA,” “I Get Around” and “California Girls” is that even if you had no idea you did, you know every word. All you had to do was listen to the chorus singing along to “Kokomo”: “Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take ya. Bermuda, Bahama, come on, pretty mama.” It was little kids to great-grandparents.
The Beach Boys, with John Stamos, performing “Surfin’ USA” Thursday night in Green Bay. pic.twitter.com/c2lUVCjHMf
— Kendra Meinert (@KendraMeinert) July 12, 2024
“Thank you for showing up,” said a spirited and spry Mike Love, lead singer, the lone original member still touring with the group and, as Stamos called him, “the Energizer Bunny.”
At 83, it’s not so much the power of his voice as his iconic presence and effortless cool that guided the 10-piece band through the night’s setlist. He never left the stage, took a seat or looked like he wasn’t having the time of his life.
His son, Christian Love, who sang lead on a glorious “God Only Knows,” and members Bruce Johnston and Brian Eichenberger helped make sure the harmonies and high notes were there. Every time saxophonist Randy Leago got to jump out front, it was a blast.
John Stamos dedicated 'Forever' to employee at the band's hotel
And then there was Stamos.
It’s hard to imagine last week’s announcement that he would be joining the band as percussionist for the Green Bay stop didn’t boost last-minute ticket sales in much the same way his performance boosted the energy of the night. Making his entrance in a sleeveless shirt and sunglasses, he looked like a rock star and also somehow still the same age he was when he was on “Full House” more than three decades ago. He turned 60 last year.
“I Get Around” felt like it could have been his theme song. He was all over all night — behind the drums, darting from one end of the stage to the other with a guitar, out front helping to belt out “Sloop John B,” shaking double tambourines, playing bongo drums, sticking the mic stand out in the audience for sing-alongs, mixing it up with a parade of fans who joined the band onstage for “Barbara Ann” and running his hand through his hair in that “Have mercy” kind of way. A kid in a candy store, based on the grin alone.
A longtime friend and on-and-off performer with The Beach Boys, Stamos talked about his gratitude for the band and respect for Love.
“He is so infectious with his love of his music. Nobody loves singing these Beach Boys songs more than this gentleman here,” Stamos said. “... He will go to the tiniest place to get into, the hardest place to get out of, because he knows how important his music is.”
The two had some fun back-and-forth onstage when Love introduced “Be True to Your School” as a song that came out in 1963. “That was the year I was born,” Stamos said.
“John, you don’t have to remind me of the year of your birth,” Love joked. “Your mom and I had some great times in the ’60s.”
There were screams when Love introduced Stamos to sing “Forever,” the song The Beach Boys backed him up on for the episode of “Full House” where Uncle Jesse got married. Stamos referenced losing close friend and “Full House” star Bob Saget in 2022 and his father before he began.
“I don’t say that to bum everyone out, but I just remind myself and everybody that every day is so precious, every moment is so precious. I hope that you take a little piece of this night home in your heart and just keep it there when you need to go to a little safe place or a happy place, an optimistic, positive place,” Stamos said.
“Bob never left anything on the table. He always said, ‘I love you and I care about you.' So let’s not forget to do that and be kind to one another. This song is called ‘Forever’ and that’s how long love should last.”
Stamos dedicated the song to the “real sweet girl” who had been helping the band at their hotel. She told him “Forever” was her wedding song and that she was going to be at the concert.
The genius and staying power of The Beach Boys — members past and present and “Pet Sounds” and beyond — was on full display on Thursday. If you run into someone today with an extra bounce in their step, it just might be because they experienced the sheer bliss of singing along to “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” or getting lost in the comforting embrace of "In My Room" under the stars the night before.
All that and a great 30-minute set by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason and his band, too. He delivered his biggest solo hit, "We Just Disagree," a hearty helping of Traffic's "Rock and Roll Stew" and a trippy "Feelin' Alright."
Of the latter, he told the crowd, "I don't want to scare you or anything. I wrote this song 58 years ago, and over 60 artists have covered it. Every bar band has played it and still plays it, and you probably sang it in a karaoke bar somewhere. And you're gonna sing it tonight and maybe get off your a--es and dance. Never know."
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Beach Boys and John Stamos were sheer summer fun at Green Bay concert