WASHINGTON -- Standing on stage in front of thousands who turned out for A Capitol Fourth rehearsals Tuesday, returning host John Stamos addressed his 3-month-old son Billy and the values Stamos hopes he will learn in his life. Legacy, not only for father and son, but the country as a whole seems to be a big theme of the annual Fourth of July concert.
"Everything seems very fragile. You want the world to be the best place it can be for him," the "Full House" actor told USA TODAY earlier in the day. "I mean, I always wanted the best for our world and our country, but now even more so."
The concert (on PBS 8 ET), which features performances by Andy Grammer, The Temptations, Luke Combs, Pentatonix and The Beach Boys, is the perfect place to start, he says.
"I was going over the music last night," Stamos said. "It’s all really heart music. It’s all emotional. It’s good stuff."
The Grammy winning acapella group Pentatonix will be debuting their new mashup of "Stay" and "The Middle" live. The song gives Matt Sallee, who replaced Avi Kaplan last fall, a chance to perform his first solo.
"These guys treat me like family," Sallee said. "They welcome me with open arms. It’s cool coming from singing in small bars and weddings to singing at the Capitol of the United States. It’s big things like that and dreams coming true."
Pentatonix beatboxer Kevin Olusola believes music and fireworks have a uniting power that can cross party lines and bring people together.
"We love this country regardless of the political climate," Olusola said. "The thing we get to do is bring music to people. I think that’s the most important thing we can do. That’s the way we show joy. That’s the way we show love. That’s way we show our gifts to so many."
It's a sentiment Stamos shares.
"I looked out at those 300,000 people last year, as I will on this Fourth of July," Stamos said, "and know some are Republican, some are Democrats, some are in the middle, but they all are American, and they all brought their family, and they all sang and dance and celebrated like the person next to them."
In addition to hosting, Stamos will be hopping on the guitar and drums to play with his longtime idols The Beach Boys for summer fun, fun, fun. They say never meet your heroes, but Stamos has turned it into a more than 30 years friendship and collaboration. And it was in DC in 1985 that they played together for the first time.
"I remember some of those early days when I would be sitting in the corner hearing them rehearse a song," Stamos said. "It was Fourth of July. We were at the Mall of America, and they were singing beautiful acapella. They’re mortals, right. They’re drinking coffee, talking and joking, and all of a sudden they kicked into 'America The Beautiful' and they became above human. Their voices together, I can’t even explain it. It was euphoria."
Rocking a Jonas Brothers teeshirt, a little bit of Uncle Jessie shines through when Stamos flubs a line, shrugs and smiles at the camera. His most famous character isn't lost on the actor. Stamos says he believes the core family values of "Full House" are why people still watch it today and why his son will watch it in the future.
"What do you go to when you feel uneasy or anxious, you go to what makes you feel good and safe," Stamos said. "That’s what ‘Full House’ is. That’s what The Beach Boys is to me. I think that’s what this concert is, too. People at home can turn it on and go, 'We’re not as fractured as it may seem. We can still come to the nation’s capitol and play music and celebrate being American.' "
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