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This was a paper I wrote for my Writing Class during the Fall 1998 semester. Thanks SO MUCH to Ev3a, whose account of the concert on her webpage helped refresh my memory!
"Here we come, walking down the street, we get the funniest looks from all the people we meet. Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees . . . " played as Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones ran out onstage to thunderous applause from the Rosemont Theater crowd this past August second. Thus began the best concert I’ve ever seen, which was both entertaining and musically interesting. After thirty years, the Monkees know what the fans want.
One thing the fans expect is comedy. Due to the roots of the group, as an "out-of-work rock n’ roll band" in a television series, the fans expect the same comedic talent that made the show great, and the Monkees deliver it. After the very first song, "Last Train To Clarksville," Micky hopped up from the drums and walked towards the wings, shouting "Well, good night! You’ve been a wonderful audience!" Peter and Davy had to call him back. Micky returned, asking "Oh, we have time for one more?" For the song "Valleri", Davy walked out onstage in an Elvis impersonator’s costume! Later, while getting ready to perform his solo, Micky joked that Davy must have been using a particular mike stand, as it was pushed down to its lowest height (and Davy is only 5 feet, 3 inches tall). Then Micky launched into his impression of the Monkees in another thirty years, starting to sing their theme song and forgetting the words until reminded by the audience. Next, Micky mentioned that he was in a band before the Monkees, called Micky and the One Nighters (so called because that’s how long the band lasted, or so he says). When a young audience member shouted out that they remember the band (most Monkee fans know of the band), Micky told the person that "your mother wasn’t even born!" Several minutes later, he interrupted his routine for a moment to add, "your GRANDMOTHER wasn’t even born!" Joking between the three Monkees continued throughout the entire concert. They finished the concert by doing what is known as the "Monkee-walk" off-stage.
The Monkees made sure to choose their set list carefully, including top hits like "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Daydream Believer", recent hits like "Heart & Soul" & "That Was Then, This Is Now" from 1986, songs off their newest album Justus, like "I Believe You" and "You and I", and traditional favorites like "Randy Scouse Git", "Goin Down", "For Pete’s Sake", and "The Porpoise Song". Musically, the Monkees are better now than ever before. Playing with a backup band to augment their music (and make up for the fact that the Monkees are currently a three-man group onstage, due to the fact that Michael Nesmith no longer tours, and since Davy plays few instruments, they need a backup band), they manage to combine superb musicianship with great onstage performances. Of course, the backup band deserves some credit, consisting of a group of superb musicians. The backup band members include Sandy Gennaro on drums, Aviva Maloney, a wonderful lady who plays both keyboards and saxophone, Wayne Avers on guitar, and musical director Jerry Renino on bass. Micky has recently begun playing the drums again on tour, after an absence of a few years, and has said he could never go back to be only a front man again. But he still will come down from the drums to play guitar on "Daydream Believer" or a kettle drum for "Randy Scouse Git", or just come to the front of the stage to perform while singing the old favorite "Goin Down". Peter, the true musical dynamo of the group, proficient on many instruments, constantly smiles while playing keyboards, bass, lead guitar, or singing, depending on which song they’re playing. Davy spends the entire concert showing that he won’t let age slow him down -- over fifty and he still bounces around the stage with the energy of a seven-year-old.
While every song they played was simply wonderful (as they should be, with the group having had thirty years to perfect most of the songs), there were some songs that truly stood out. Those songs include Peter’s recent composition "I Believe You", his solo "Lucille", the closing theme in the second season of the show "For Pete’s Sake", Micky’s solo "Since I Fell For You", Micky’s performance of "Goin Down", Davy’s solo "Girl", "Valleri", "Daydream Believer" and from the Monkees movie Head, "The Porpoise Song".
One of the best song off of the 1996 release Justus, the first Monkees record completely written, produced and performed by the Monkees themselves, is Peter’s composition "I Believe You". The recorded version itself is lovely, but to hear the song live is beyond belief. For once, Peter stepped to the front of the stage and just sang, not playing any instruments. During the song, the lights dimmed on the entire stage, leaving just a single spotlight on Peter. Emphasizing the lyrics with gestures, Peter delivered one of his best vocal performances, showing that he is a musical master on more than just instruments. For his solo, Peter chose a traditional rock n’ roll song, "Lucille", giving the song the hard vocal edge that fits it, and the roaring guitar that the song needs. Peter’s other standout performance was on the song "For Pete’s Sake", written for the Monkees’ third album Headquarters and chosen to play during the closing credits of the second season. For a change, the song’s own composer sang the lead, instead of Micky, who sang the lead on the original recording, and Peter certainly did his song justice.
Micky also had some musical standouts. First, there was his solo, "Since I Fell For You", a song which goes back to Micky’s musical experiences pre-Monkees, when he sang a lot of rhythm & blues, and this was a true R&B song, which Micky sang with his usual theatrical flare. He applied that flare to another song, "Goin Down", a rare group composition, written by all four Monkees with Diane Hilderbrand, which didn’t fare very well on the charts, but has become a hit with the fans. For this song, Micky followed Peter’s example from "I Believe You" and performed at the front of the stage, singing directly to the audience. For his other musical highlight, "Randy Scouse Git (Alternate Title)", Micky stepped out from behind the drum set to play a kettle drum placed towards the front of the stage. Micky sings his own composition, the first song he ever wrote in fact, with wonderful energy, dancing around the kettle drum during the verses and running back to add the main beat to the chorus.
Davy’s best musical highlight has to be his solo, "Girl", during which he stepped offstage, walking along on the seats, and drawing half the women in the theater towards him. Conceding to his diminutive height, he spent most of his time while he was in the audience performing from atop the seats, so he could still tower over the crowd just a little bit. A close second was his energetic Elvis impersonation during the song "Valleri", one of the group’s many top 5 hits. Leaving Peter and Micky to man the stage alone, Davy snuck backstage during the song "Oh My My" to change, and when the opening chords of "Valleri" sounded, he bounded on stage wearing a white Elvis-style suit, Elvis wig, and sunglasses. This got a roar of laughter from the audience. Of course, this was but one of many costume changes for the energetic "heartthrob" of the group. The group’s finale was their final number one hit, "Daydream Believer", and one of their best-known and best-loved songs. During this song, Davy not only sang with his usual energy and skill, but asked the audience to join in. Of course, that was an easy request for the audience to fill, as many of them had been singing along with the entire concert. Of course, Davy’s energetic movement onstage often upstaged his own vocals. During "Last Train to Clarksville," he bounced around the stage playing his tambourine, pranced around in a Mexican sombrero during "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," and performed his dance from the movie Head during "Daddy’s Song."
Comparing this year’s concert tour to previous Monkee tours, one will notice a quieter, more polite audience, and more emphasis on music than performing. Watching video footage of early concerts, such as in the episode "Monkees on Tour" which closed the first season of the show, it is nearly impossible to tell what the set list was, due to the ear-splitting screaming from the audience. The group did not use a backup band except for a few songs, and the solos, preferring to play their own music, but it would not have mattered, as no one, not even the Monkees themselves, could hear what they played. During the 20th Anniversary concert tour in the late 80s, screaming from the audience was still evident, but at least the fans had quieted enough so that the music could be heard. Now, in the 90s, for the Monkees’ 30th anniversary, their fans have matured and now scream very little.
Now is the best time to go, as the Monkees have reached a state of maturity in their music and concert style, and one can now enjoy the music, being able to hear the songs clearly. The Monkees interact with the audience, accepting flowers and other gifts held out to them from the audience, and even reading a banner handed to them by a group from the audience, which said how wonderful the group was and asked if they would play "Tear the Top Right Off of My Head", a song written by Peter for the Monkees movie Head in 1968 and a favorite among fans. I definitely recommend attending a 30th Anniversary concert, and suggest bringing a bouquet of flowers to hand to the guys while they do their solos. However, don’t expect to meet the guys or get an autograph unless you know someone, as security is tight, and only people with backstage passes get autographs. That’s what the solo shows are for: Davy’s solo shows, Peter’s Two Man Band shows, and Micky’s art shows. But no solo performance can compare to the chemistry when Micky, Davy and Peter perform together.
Last updated 15 JUN 98
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