re: THE MONKEES:
The 2013 Monkees Reunion Tour is underway (we posted a link last week to a
current interview with Michael Nesmith running in Rolling Stone ... scroll back in you missed it.) Now comes a
concert review from their Boston show (sent in by FH Reader Tom Cuddy) along
with some EXCLUSIVE photos from their show at the Westbury Music Fair in Long Island, New York, sent in by Stuart
Hersh. (In fact, he even sent us a copy of their set list which, as we told you the other day, is heavy on Nez-tunes as well as some VERY cool multi-media effects!!!) kk
After the untimely passing of Davy Jones in 2012, it seemed like the chances of another Monkees tour was not possible. Flashing forward to later in 2012, the unexpected happened as Mike Nesmith, who, except for a brief 1997 UK tour and a cameo or two at a Monkess gig, rejoined the band for tour dates. Those dates went so well that the surviving trio just started up a summer jaunt called “A Midsummer's Night With the Monkees" (presented by MassConcerts), which stopped at the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston, MA on Tuesday, July 16th.
While the idea of a Monkees concert sans the band's most popular member may have been a little hard to comprehend to some, the band’s stellar set on Tuesday put any worries people may have had to rest.
The standard opening of Last Train to Clarksville, was followed by a sharp take on Nesmith’s Papa Gene’s Blues. Nesmith appeared to be in good voice (and in a great mood – which was a relief to see as he is sometimes labeled ... unfairly that is ... as the “moody” Monkee) and he verified this when he pulled out the rarely played The Kind Of Girl I Could Love from the band's song vault.
After Micky Dolenz’s hit-parade double shot of I’m a Believer and I’m Not Your Stepping Stone (a song about a groupie, which went way over the band's huge original teenybopper following in the 60’s), the band did almost the entirety of their 1967 Headquarters record. The is where Nesmith really shined as he took control over a trio of songs from the record. (Headquarters is that album the band is most proud of, as they had total control over it - and the one where they were finally allowed to play their own instruments). You Told Me, Sunny Girlfriend, and You Just May Be The One was a cool trip back to the early days of the Summer of Love and, except for the fact that the Beatles Sgt. Pepper came out so shorty after this (overshadowing Headquarters and everyone else in the music world), Headquarters truly might have given the band the all of credibility they so deserved.
Really taking the crowd back to the 60’s, Dolenz donned a dashiki and played timpani for his clever tune Randy Scouse Git and followed it up with a slick duet with Peter Tork on Words (one of the bands best psychedelic laced songs).
Returning to the album theme, the band doled out a handful of songs from their cult movie Head, the highlight being an outstanding take of Circle Sky. The band paid tribute to fallen comrade Jones as they left the stage and played a video clip from Head of Jones lip-synching and dancing his heart out to Daddy’s Song, which was followed up when the band pulled an audience member from the crowd to sing Daydream Believer.
The set ending What Am I Doing Hanging Round once again brought Nesmith into the forefront with the song's tale of missed opportunity with a south of the border lass - led to the climactic encore of Listen To The Band and possibly the groups best song ever, the Carole King penned Pleasant Valley Sunday. Saying that it was worth the price of admission just to see Nesmith re-create the song famous guitar lick onstage is an understatement.
To say the band is reborn would be clichéd’ – but I can’t think of a better way to describe a band that many thought was over – but who still have plenty of gas in their Monkeemobile.
After the untimely passing of Davy Jones in 2012, it seemed like the chances of another Monkees tour was not possible. Flashing forward to later in 2012, the unexpected happened as Mike Nesmith, who, except for a brief 1997 UK tour and a cameo or two at a Monkess gig, rejoined the band for tour dates. Those dates went so well that the surviving trio just started up a summer jaunt called “A Midsummer's Night With the Monkees" (presented by MassConcerts), which stopped at the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston, MA on Tuesday, July 16th.
While the idea of a Monkees concert sans the band's most popular member may have been a little hard to comprehend to some, the band’s stellar set on Tuesday put any worries people may have had to rest.
The standard opening of Last Train to Clarksville, was followed by a sharp take on Nesmith’s Papa Gene’s Blues. Nesmith appeared to be in good voice (and in a great mood – which was a relief to see as he is sometimes labeled ... unfairly that is ... as the “moody” Monkee) and he verified this when he pulled out the rarely played The Kind Of Girl I Could Love from the band's song vault.
After Micky Dolenz’s hit-parade double shot of I’m a Believer and I’m Not Your Stepping Stone (a song about a groupie, which went way over the band's huge original teenybopper following in the 60’s), the band did almost the entirety of their 1967 Headquarters record. The is where Nesmith really shined as he took control over a trio of songs from the record. (Headquarters is that album the band is most proud of, as they had total control over it - and the one where they were finally allowed to play their own instruments). You Told Me, Sunny Girlfriend, and You Just May Be The One was a cool trip back to the early days of the Summer of Love and, except for the fact that the Beatles Sgt. Pepper came out so shorty after this (overshadowing Headquarters and everyone else in the music world), Headquarters truly might have given the band the all of credibility they so deserved.
Really taking the crowd back to the 60’s, Dolenz donned a dashiki and played timpani for his clever tune Randy Scouse Git and followed it up with a slick duet with Peter Tork on Words (one of the bands best psychedelic laced songs).
Returning to the album theme, the band doled out a handful of songs from their cult movie Head, the highlight being an outstanding take of Circle Sky. The band paid tribute to fallen comrade Jones as they left the stage and played a video clip from Head of Jones lip-synching and dancing his heart out to Daddy’s Song, which was followed up when the band pulled an audience member from the crowd to sing Daydream Believer.
The set ending What Am I Doing Hanging Round once again brought Nesmith into the forefront with the song's tale of missed opportunity with a south of the border lass - led to the climactic encore of Listen To The Band and possibly the groups best song ever, the Carole King penned Pleasant Valley Sunday. Saying that it was worth the price of admission just to see Nesmith re-create the song famous guitar lick onstage is an understatement.
To say the band is reborn would be clichéd’ – but I can’t think of a better way to describe a band that many thought was over – but who still have plenty of gas in their Monkeemobile.
-- John Reed
Music-News.com
OMG!!!:
For years now we've been complaining about the way our classic music is handled in the press by young, novice reporters who don't even do the slightest amount of research to their subject matter.
But THIS one takes the cake ... it has to be the WORST pre-show press I have EVER seen in my life regarding The Monkees' then up-coming appearance at The Westbury Music Fair.
I kid you not ... THIS is the way the piece ran, word for word, highlighting the up-coming shows. (And, speaking of highlighting, I've highlighted DOZENS of blatant errors that literally knocked me out of my chair this morning. Can you believe this shit?!?!?)
The American-British pop group, The Monkees were brought together from the casting process of a TV series aired initially between 1966 and 1968. The original foursome; Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Michael Nezmith and Micky Jones were talented musicians, actors and later in their career proved to be songwriters too. In 1966, they had their debut onNBC with the immediate hit ‘Last Train to Clarkesville’. By the mid nineties, The Monkees have proved themselves as having their own legacy to leave, releasing the first album solely produced by the fur band members independantly; Justus. Peter Tork left The Monkees in 2001, whilst the surviving trio continued to stick together. Since then Michael Nezmith has released a solo album and the three Monkees are setting the way touring during 2012 and 2013 with hits such as ‘Hey hey, we are the Monkees’, ‘A manufactured image’, ‘You know we love to Please’ and ‘No Philosiphies’. Time has undoubtedly vindicated their music, making it still as fresh as the day it was recorded.
My guess is that ANY third grader could have researched and written a better piece ... and THIS guy probably got paid to do this!!! Unfrickin'believable!!! (kk)
