Pack It Up, Beach Grandpa

Off the Florida Keys, there’s a place called Retiring With Dignity. The Beach Boys have suddenly canceled their September tour dates one day before the first of these shows was set to occur, casting further doubt over front man Mike Love’s health. Rolling Stone was the first to report the news, noting that all of the band’s concert venues for the month have canceled the shows citing “circumstances beyond control.” Love, at 85 years old, is the sole member of the original Beach Boys lineup who still tours under that name, performing all their classic, SPF-friendly hits with younger instrumentalists. (Al Jardine and his own Pet Sounds Band, who wade deeper into the Beach Boys’ catalogue, are also actively touring as an amusing contrast of sorts.) In mid-July, Love released a statement to confirm the cancellation of the band’s remaining summer shows so he could take a “short break to recharge” despite “having a blast out there.” Footage from recent Beach Boys shows, though, had many concerned that Love was reaching Frankie Valli levels of uncanny due to a frail voice and appearance. Dean Torrence, a producer who pioneered the “California sound,” recently told Rolling Stone that he was worried about Love’s well-being. “He’s struggling now. He’s not well, and he’s struggling, but he’s not going to stop until it’s really over,” he said. “And I think he wants to probably even die on the road.” Hey, it happens more than you think.