Sometime around the Fall of 1982, Kent State's WKSU was selling off a huge chunk of its record library. Pretty much anything that wasn't classical was being hawked. As a dirt-poor college student funding his own education, Lord knows where I came up with dough to buy anything, but when it came to music I always somehow made it happen.I bought 3 LP's: A Bobby Fuller Four 'best of' (on Rhino, still new-kids-on-the-block then), a Velvet Underground comp of some sort (some weird import or 'radio station only' thing), and The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees (Monkees' 5th album). We had the Monkees LP when we were kids, but it was pretty well worn. I needed a new one.
The gentleman who took my money gave his seal of approval on the Velvets LP, looked confused by Bobby Fuller and laughed at The Monkees. "Why don't you put this back and grab some real music?"
Again, this was in 1982.
I don't hold a grudge, do I?
Cut to 30 years later.
The reformed Monkees (including the ever-reluctant Mike Nesmith) announced a 12 date US tour. With the recent passing of Davy Jones it wouldn't be complete, but with Mike on board it would be special. He was definitely in my top ten list of people I wanted to see before I die. Had to go.
Like a lot of folks, I had first seen The Monkees (minus Nesmith) in 1986 during their 20 year reunion tour. That was a great show. It was me, my then-girlfriend Carol and my sister Mary Jo. As a kid, Moj's wall was plastered with pictures of Davy Jones. When he did I Wanna Be Free, she was in tears. We had 2nd row seats. There were about 18,000 people behind us. Great show.
Saw them again in '96 with my concert partner Karen at Nautica in Cleveland. Outdoor venue. It poured. POURED. STILL great. Karen scored backstage passes for us. Met Micky. Very nice. I had to split and play a gig of my own on the other side of town at the old Euclid Tavern. Karen got Davy and Peter to sign my copy of Birds and the Bees. Karen came through. As usual.
Saw Micky solo several times, once with my niece Jane and most recently with my wife and kids.
My kids LOVE The Monkees, just like I did at their age (Ava is 8 and Jonah is 5). Runs in the family. I introduced them to their music after I'm A Believer was featured in Shrek. Eventually they started watching The Monkees TV show on cable.
I bought 3 tickets and me and the kids impatiently waited for November 17th to roll around.
Then, show day. Finally.
In lieu of an opening act, they showed a video compilation of Monkees Kellogg's and Kool-Aid commercials. I had seen a few of these in the past, but not all of them. I had no idea that they had done so many. The kids loved these (this may have been Ava's favorite part of the show!).
The kids also got a kick out of how many of the audience members were dressed. We saw two Mike Nesmiths, both with green wool caps and red double-rowed, white buttoned shirts. One of these gentleman had a Gerry Garcia styled beard, though. Hey, why not? The kids got a kick out of that.
Lights out. Wow, this was a loud crowd and everyone was on their feet.
LOTS of musicians up there, but no Monkees yet. They kicked into a medley of hits as the video screen reminded us of what once was. And there was Davy. Young and completely alive. Sort of sad, really.
Still, the vibe was anything but sad as the anticipation built.
And out they strolled.
They looked excited to be there as the audience showed their appreciation. It was a gas to see Mike up there. Once again, a Monkee.
First up: Last Train To Clarksville. Standard opener for them.
Next, Papa Gene's Blues. Nesmith makes his presence known.
These were followed by Your Auntie Grizelda, She, Sweet Young Thing and I'm A Believer.
Now, what just happened? One of their biggest hits was the sixth song in the set?
Hmmmmmm......
All the hits were present, but they weren't the highlights of the evening. Silly as it may sound to some, this tour was one for the Monkees inteligencia. A few reviews I read used this fact as an area of complaint. Casual fans were in for some unknown songs.
Where most tours emphasized the first two Kirshner era LP's, this tour would also highlight the post-Kirshner period. There's a lot of great stuff there, starting with The Monkees 3rd LP, Headquarters.
With Headquarters, The Monkees had in a sense struck out on their own, playing most of the instruments themselves and writing most of the material. Finally they were in charge. Though the LP fared less well than the previous 2 LP's, it still managed to reach the number one spot.
From Headquarters they did You Told Me, Sunny Girlfriend, You Just May Be the One, For Pete's Sake, Early Morning Greens and Blues, Randy Scouse Git. All sounded great.
I had read that it was The Monkees intention to do a part of the Headquarter portion as a 3-piece; Mike on guitar, Peter on bass and Micky on drums, as they usually appeared on the television show (Davy was usually shown shaking the maracas or occasionally playing guitar. In real life,drums were his strong suit).
Just a 3-piece, huh? Hmmmmm...... I was curious as to how it would sound. It's a tough thing for any band to pull off, but let's face it; Micky would rather play guitar and so would Peter, for that matter. Still, it was an interesting prospect.
When the time came, all the other musicians on the stage either left or picked up maracas. The Monkees really were going to go it alone.
You know what? They sounded good. Really good, actually. Sure, Micky seemed a little uncomfortable, but you wouldn't have known it to listen. Plus, they really seemed to be enjoying it. I must admit that I felt a little ashamed. I had lost faith in this band that I'd been defending most of my life. I shouldn't have been worried.
Ye of little faith, indeed.
I was glad that they did a few of my daughter's favorites including Auntie Grizelda and Goin' Down. Goin' Down is a manic, seemingly stream of consciousness sprint through several verses, expertly sung by Micky.We were all amazed when Micky gave the mic to a girl in the front row who started where he left off and didn't miss a beat. Pretty amazing.
The highlight of the evening for my son and me was the portion spotlighting The Monkees' movie, Head. The band skillfully played along with scenes from the little-seen film, much to the delight of the crowd. From the soundtrack album, they did Porpoise Song, Can You Dig It, As We Go Along, Circle Sky, and Long Title: Do We Have To Do This All Over Again. Davy was featured in a video segment of Daddy's Song. Sure, casual fans would not be familiar with all these songs, but the more dedicated fans were elated.
Next came Daydream Believer (sung primarliy by an emotional audience member), and finally Mike's What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round.
They left the stage, but returned for two encores: Listen To The Band and Pleasant Valley Sunday.
Much applause, then it was over.
I think it was important for there to be kids there. Us older folks loved The Monkees when we were kids. The fact is, kids (at least my kids) love them now. Here I was thinking I had turned my kids onto The Monkees. Actually, it was The Monkees who turned my kids onto The Monkees. They came to "monkey around." right? My kids love to monkey around. Makes perfect sense.
Thanks to the constant video elements, Davy came out of all it looking young and full of life. It was an interesting juxtoposition between Mike, looking all of his 70 years, and Davy being allowed to have not aged a day since 1966. A lot of years have passed.
But the music was still there. And it was still fun.
And why shouldn't music be fun?
Thanks for all the joy, Monkees.
We need it.
