The ‘Beach Boys’ Played Their First Concert Without Any Actual Beach Boys

Technically, the group that played at Epcot Center's Eat to the Beat concert series was billed as John Stamos and the California Sound

The Beach Boys cancelled the vast majority of their concerts over the past few months as Mike Love battles a medical ailment that left him gaunt and unable to stand or sing at their last few shows. But Disney World’s Eat to the Beat concert series at Epcot Center kept the booking, though the billing changed from “the Beach Boys” to “John Stamos and the California Sound,” who are essentially the Beach Boys touring band, including longtime special guest John Stamos, without any actual members of the Beach Boys. (In the 65-year history of the Beach Boys as a touring act, and the well over 7,000 shows they’ve played, nothing like this has ever happened.)

Every act that plays Epcot Center performs truncated sets for park guests that begin at 5:30 pm, 6:45 pm, and 8:00 pm. That gave John Stamos and the California Sound time to only play nine songs over 30 minutes at each show, but they made the most of it, and even paused so Stamos could soak in the moment and thank the fans. 

“I am so filled with so much gratitude,” he told the crowd. “Thank you so much for showing up tonight. God bless you all. If you would have told me when I was a kid, standing in line for Space Mountain, more zits than friends, I was about 13 years old, wearing my dad’s Members Only jacket, trying to pick up girls, failing miserably, that one day I’d be on this stage playing at Eat to the Beat at the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, I just wouldn’t have believed it.”

“This place means so much to me,” he continued. “We shot the video for ‘Kokomo’ at the Grand Floridian [resort] here, 1988. We shot a couple episodes of Full House at the Magic Kingdom, which was a special thing…Before we go any further, we want to send some love to our dear friend Mike Love. He can’t be with us tonight, but we’re sending him lots of love and good vibes from Florida tonight. He’d be so proud. I can’t think of a better way to send him love than with a little California Sound.”

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The set included just four Beach Boys songs: “California Girls,” “Kokomo,” “Forever,” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” Stamos and the group filled it out with Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” Mitch Ryder’s “Devil With the Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly,” Chan Romero’s “Hippy Hippy Shake,” the Surfaris’ “Wipe Out” and “Les Poissons” from The Little Mermaid. On the latter tune, Stamos put on a chef’s hat and delivered it in as character as Chef Louis from the 1989 animated film, complete with a French accent.

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Three more Epcot Center shows are scheduled for Thursday, but the future for both the Beach Boys and John Stamos and the California Sound is extremely murky. Earlier this week, the Hard Rock Live in Bristol, Virginia, canceled a Beach Boys show that was booked for November 13. It was their final show on the calendar for 2026.

As of now, they have nothing booked beyond May 8, 2027, makeup date at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Alberta, Canada. Ideally, Mike Love will be in better shape at that point and be once again able to front the Beach Boys. If not, it might be another chance for John Stamos and the California Sound to strut their stuff.