Almost four decades to the day John Stamos first played with The Beach Boys during a Fourth of July concert at the Washington Monument, the actor and musician took the stage with the band as a special guest Thursday night in Elk Grove Village.
“Discord is at an all-time high and decency at an all-time low, but thank God we have The Beach Boys music to get us through,” Stamos told the crowd at the kickoff to Elk Grove’s 2024 Mid-Summer Classics Concert Series near Rainbow Falls Waterpark.
Stamos, known for his role as Uncle Jesse on the popular late-80s/90s sitcom “Full House,” was an up and coming actor — as Blackie Parrish on soap opera “General Hospital” — when he joined The Beach Boys for the Independence Day 1985 concert.
Three years later, he was playing drums in the music video for their hit “Kokomo.”
The band likewise made cameos on “Full House,” and in a 1991 episode — when Stamos’ character got married — he performed the band’s 1971 single “Forever,” and went on to record a version with “Jesse and the Rippers.”
Stamos, wearing an American flag vest and playing drums and guitar with the band, performed the song Thursday in dedication to fellow “Full House” co-star Bob Saget, who died in 2022.
“I lost a friend a couple years ago, and he always said, ‘I love you. I care about you.’ So make sure to tell the people you love that you love them and you care about them,” Stamos said. “This goes out to my friend Bob. ‘Forever.’ And that’s how long love should last.”
he band — today led by co-founder Mike Love and longtime member Bruce Johnston — performed hits from its vast catalog, from the surf to the speedway.
NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski — in town for the Chicago street race and doing a preconcert promotional appearance as part of Elk Grove Village’s July 4 festivities — stayed for the hour-and-a-half show, which included performances of “Little Deuce Coupe,” “409,” “Shut Down,” “Little Honda,” and “I Get Around.”
Stamos is touring with the band on select dates this summer, and is expected to perform again with them Sunday night at Ravinia in Highland Park.