Beach Boys co-founding genius Brian Wilson has once again publicly distanced himself from one of Mike Love's Trump-sponsored benefit shows. Love's touring revue of the Beach Boys performed yesterday (October 18th) in Newport Beach, California at a Trump fundraiser. The Los Angeles Times reported Love and the band "would be the main attraction performing for the president and his supporters at the Orange Country campaign event, with tickets ranging from $2,800 per donor to $150,000 a couple for co-chair status."
Brian Wilson along with fellow Beach Boy Al Jardine no longer appears with Love — who through the legal approval of the pair — holds the exclusive license perform under the group's moniker. The two band co-founders enlisted their spokesperson to tell Variety: "We have absolutely nothing to do with the Trump benefit today in Newport Beach. Zero. We didn’t even know about it and were very surprised to read about it in The Los Angeles Times.”
Back in February, Mike Love garnered a heap of negative press after Wilson and Jardine urged fans to sign a Change.org petition against his Beach Boys touring revue playing at a trophy hunting private event. Love headlined February 5th's Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada, at which Donald Trump Jr. was the keynote speaker. The Change.org petition called on a boycott of the Beach Boys until they cancelled their performance, as well as undertaking public protest at the group's shows.