John Stamos thrills fans as he joins the Beach Boys in highly anticipated performance: Riot Fest review

At 6:20 p.m. Saturday, John Stamos finally entered the world of Riot Fest.

While the threat of nearby storms had everyone biting their nails in anticipation of a delay or cancellation of The Beach Boys’ set on the Riot Stage, fate saw it through — light rainfall be damned.

“How about it, after all these years, John Stamos is here?” singer Mike Love asked an exalted crowd, taking the words out of everyone’s mouth. First appearing on guitar, wearing his signature black leather jacket and pompadour hair, Stamos was the apple of the camera’s eye, eliciting hearty cheers every time it panned over him.

“He’d like to dedicate this one to the ladies in attendance and a couple of guys,” Love added before the band launched into “Surfer Girl.” It followed “Surfin’ Safari and Surfin USA,’” in case anyone needed a reminder of the California band’s favorite pastime to sing about.

The good vibrations were powerful. A few songs in — and just around the time Stamos moved over to his spot on the drums — the rain nearly stopped. Stamos is no newbie to The Beach Boys camp — they’ve known him since his days as Blackie in “General Hospital,” Love shared. And Stamos has been guesting on the kit for 40 years, the first time on July 4, 1985, when the band played at the Washington Monument for almost a million attendees.

A longtime fan of The Beach Boys, Stamos’ mission has been to introduce the music of the legendary band to a younger generation, often putting their music in his various shows, like “Forever,” the song his Full House character Jesse Katsopolis used to woo his paramour Aunt Becky (Lori Loughlin). Stamos came to the mic to take that one on at Riot Fest, dedicating the song to the late Bob Saget and his widow, Kelly Rizzo, who was in the crowd, he said. This all took place while footage of the sitcom played on screens in the background.

“I’m so grateful to all of you for showing up and ribbing me all these years,” Stamos shared, referring to the fest he long has called Riot Fart. By this point, he’d shed his leather, revealing the special Riot Fest tee made in his honor.

“You’ve kept me humble and the best part is I get to stand here with the greatest band in history,” he added. “When discord is at an all-time high and decency at an all-time low, at least we have music of The Beach Boys.”

For the better part of 62 years, the band’s music has been part of the American soundtrack as recognized on hit after hit the group performed Saturday, including “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Barbara Ann,” “Kokomo,” “Good Vibrations,” “I Get Around” and more. Though the band now looks quite different from when it started. Of course, it’s missing Brian Wilson, who passed earlier this year and wasn’t touring with the Mike Love iteration of the band after a yearslong feud. (A proper tribute to him would’ve been appropriate Saturday other than the archival footage and pictures on the background screens.)

Other founding member Al Jardine is also not part of the current Beach Boys iteration. And while other originals have now passed, a younger batch of musicians has picked up the slack for Love’s rough vocal pitch nowadays. That includes Stamos, who was a force on drums, including a deft solo on “Be True To Your School,” which came out in 1963 — the year he was born, Love reminded the crowd.

While there was no symbolic butter statue going up in flames at the end of the set to signify this special moment in Riot Fest history, it was still one no one will ever forget.