The Beach Boys have been split up into two different entities for quite a while. Those entities are the original Beach Boys and The Beach Boys touring group. Fronted by Mike Love and Bruce Johnson, the touring group is an almost entirely different lineup that merely uses the licensing of the band’s original name and catalog. That said, Brian Wilson only joined the lineup a handful of times over the years. Given Love and Johnson’s separation from the original Beach Boys, they were able to decide on their own bookings. One of those bookings caused a rift between both of them, Brian Wilson, and Al Jardine.
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In 2020, Mike Love and Bruce Johnson’s Beach Boys scheduled a headlining performance during the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada. The convention supports trophy hunting and ultimately is a celebration of the sport, providing attendees with the opportunity to purchase hunting trips, firearms, taxidermy, and other products and experiences related to the sport.
Due to the controversial nature of the convention, Jardine and Wilson urged their fans to try to stop the show. They mobilized their fans by forming a petition aiming to put an end to the show at the SCI convention.
The Petition and Brian Wilson’s Official Statement
On X, the now departed Brian Wilson wrote, “It has been brought to my attention that on Wednesday, February 5, The Beach Boys touring group licensed by Mike Love are headlining at the Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada…”
“This organization supports trophy hunting, which both Al and I are emphatically opposed to. There’s nothing we can do personally to stop the show, so please join us in signing the petition at…” The petition Wilson attached to his post concluded with a letter from manager Elliott Lott, urging fans to stop purchasing tickets, merchandise, and music from The Beach Boys unless Love, Johnson, and The Beach Boys configuration pulled out of the concert. In total, the petition received 139,513 supporters.
Mike Love and Bruce Johnson ended up performing at the convention despite the attempts from Wilson, Jardine, and other advocates. Regarding the reason behind the decision, Mike Love stated, “We look forward to a night of great music in Reno and, as always, support freedom of thought and expression as a fundamental tenet of our rights as Americans,” via Pitchfork. This performance marks the first and last Beach Boys performance at the big game hunting convention.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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