In news that should be of no surprise to Beach Boys fans, there is tremendous discord within the band as their 50th anniversary tour winds down. The surviving members will play a pair of shows this week in London, but just days later, Mike Love is shedding Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks from the lineup and returning to the road with his own lineup of the Beach Boys. "I'm disappointed and can't understand why [Love] doesn't want to tour with Al, David and me," Wilson recently told CNN. "We are out here having so much fun. After all, we are the real Beach Boys."
Jardine is also unhappy, going so far as to share a petition for fans to sign on his Facebook wall. "To Mike Love," the letter reads. "In order to preserve the validity of 'The Beach Boys' as a whole, and not as a 'money saving, stripped down version' that only contains one original member, and one member that joined in 1965, we ask you to reinstate the three other members to the touring group for your final years performing. It's the right thing to do, and it's what the fans want!" So far, it's been signed 943 times.
Love and Johnston have been touring as the Beach Boys since the late 1990s. Love filed a lawsuit against Jardine in 2001 when he performed under the name "The Beach Boys Family and Friends," but earlier this year, they buried the hatchet to record a new album and launch a world tour. It was unclear how long the reunion would last, until official tour dates surfaced for Mike Love's Beach Boys – making it clear that Love was no longer interested in continuing with the other surviving members. "The post 50th anniversary configuration will not include Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks," read a press release announcing the new dates. "The 50th Reunion Tour was designed to be a set tour with a beginning and an end to mark a special 50-year milestone for the band."
No matter what happens, there's likely to be some awkward backstage moments at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Arena later this week.
