Brian Wilson Says He Did Not Know Beach Boys Would Be Playing Gig At Trump Fundraiser
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Legendary musician Brian Wilson said Sunday that he did not condone his former band the Beach Boys playing at a fundraiser in Newport Beach for President Donald Trump.
The Beach Boys touring outfit, which is lead by former Beach Boy Mike Love, performed at the fundraiser Sunday at the Lido Island home of tech mogul Palmer Luckey.
Wilson and fellow former Beach Boy Al Jardine are not part of the touring band.
"We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach, zero," Wilson and Jardine told Variety in a statement. "We didn't even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in the Los Angeles Times."
Mike Love holds a license which allows him to perform concerts under the Beach Boys name, even though Wilson and Jardine are not involved, according to Variety. All the surviving members of the Beach Boys last performed together in 2012.
Love's Beach Boys are also scheduled to play a drive-in concert at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on Friday, Oct. 23. They will be joined by actor John Stamos on the drums, who often plays with them.
The president's visit, just 16 days before the election, drew a throng of supporters lining the streets on the way to Newport Beach. There were counter-protesters, but no reports of serious violence.
The private fundraiser had been originally scheduled for Oct. 6, but had to be postponed after the president was diagnosed with coronavirus. A ticket started at $2,800 per person and went up to $150,000.
Trump had last visited Southern California back in mid-February to meet with organizers of the 2028 Summer Olympics, visit with farmers in Bakersfield and attend private fundraisers in Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage.
In August, Trump visited Northern California and met with state leaders to discuss the devastation from the historic number of wildfires which have hit California over the past several months.
