“How do you pick your favorite Beatles album?” Monkee Micky Dolenz asked a sorta-packed Ruth Eckerd Hall Tuesday night.
The It Was Fifty Years Ago Today Tour is a celebration of The Beatles’ legendary White Album, which released fifty-one years ago this year. The lineup of this show isn’t any ordinary lineup. You’re basically getting a Ringo Starr All-Starr Band show, minus the Beatle. Todd Rundgren (an actual All-Starr), Christopher Cross, and Dolenz, as well as Badfinger’s Joey Molland and Chicago’s Jason Scheff, are gracing stages around the United States with their own tunes, and White Album jams every night.
All five were present to vocalize and shred during The White Album’s, and the show’s, opener, Back In The USSR, appropriately followed by Dear Prudence, sung by Jason. Todd had leads on Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey, and Micky even walked out for a brief moment during the chorus, when the word “monkey” was said. Most everyone in the audience got the joke, I hope.
Each guy on the bill got their own two-song set, revisiting their careers outside this tour. Micky was up first, with I’m A Believer and Pleasant Valley Sunday, back to back. “It’s so good to be back in this…beautiful venue.” he commented. “I’ve screwed up many songs on this stage!” He’s not wrong: Last time he played this stage was in 2016, with the late, great, Peter Tork.
Joey Molland was next. Joey is the last surviving member of Badfinger, so understandably, he had to pay tribute to his fallen bandmates with Baby Blue, and No Matter What. “What do you think?! So far, so good?” he asked before getting showered in roars of approval and standing ovations.
Jason Scheff sat behind the piano for Hard To Say I’m Sorry, and on bass and vocals again for 25 Or 6 To 4. He was onstage pretty much all night playing bass, so he didn’t get as little stage time as the others.
Todd Rundgren’s set was opened with a Jason comment about how he was “one of the first, multi-instrumentalist, amazing rockers.” And sure enough, the Utopia frontman still plays his own guitar licks. Or, he did for I Saw The Light, anyway. Hello, It’s Me triggered him to wander around stage with the mic.
He later ripped into a larger-than-life rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, with him doing Eric Clapton’s iconic solo, on a replica of Clapton’s Fool Gibson. He had apparently claimed this song when the tour was being planned, because he performed it flawlessly on a 2003 George Harrison tribute album, entitled Songs From The Material World.
After a brief intermission came just about everything else on the beloved White Album. Todd singing leads on Revolution One, Chris on a “very poignant today” Blackbird, among tons of others, and Micky killing Happiness Is A Warm Gun. Unfortunately, Joey was onstage for hardly any of the second part, but Jason was up there throbbing that bass, damn near close to full time.
Now, Todd is known for his outlandish style in the prog world, so it’s totally believable that he wanted to work some costume changes into the show. For example, he was firmly walking around barefoot in white jammies, during Sexy Sadie, and later, during The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill, he came out in hunter-style regalia, and a large water gun, of which he sprayed into the audience many a time.
My only (very slight) complaint about the show was that Micky’s acrobatic voice didn’t get to flex at all during Helter Skelter. That went to Todd, who still knocked it outta the park. “He’s got blisters on his fingers.” he, in a monotone voice, ended the song, pointing to the backing drummer.
Right after, all musicians on the bill reported to the stage to share vocals on the joyous finale of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. These guys know well that they could be out doing their own things now. Todd could be out with Utopia or solo. Maybe Micky is pondering doing another leg of The Monkees Present: The Mike & Micky Show, or Joey Molland may want to start a solo tour, saluting his fallen bandmates.
But nope, instead, this is no doubt the year to pay tribute to unarguably the most iconic band of all time.
Josh Bradley Live 