Hey, hey, it’s…two of The Monkees.
Two years ago, original members, drummer-singer Micky Dolenz and sporter of the wool cap Michael Nesmith united for their first ever tour as a duo, properly titled The Monkees Present: The Mike and Micky Show. Nez very seldom toured as a Monkee until Davy Jones’ shocking passing in 2012, only sitting out the bulk of the group’s 50th anniversary tour in 2016 from then on. Micky, on the other hand, has been there for literally everything the band has ever done. Every tour, every album, every song, he’s been there.
If you’ve ever given a thorough listen to some of those older (and newer) Monkees recordings, you’ll probably notice that Micky and Nez’s voices have always sounded like honey when blended together. That’s the whole idea behind this tour: Not only to celebrate the two Monkees who are left, but also to commemorate the true musicianship that these two shared, and continue to share.
I was lucky enough to have caught this incredibly special affair on an early stop in Denver, and of the three Monkee shows I’ve seen, (Davy Jones in 2008, Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz in 2016, and this one) it remains the most memorable. So based on the setlist, of which both die-hards and casual fans could agree on, I was ecstatic to read the news that the tour had been documented, and set for a CD and vinyl release. While we still have two months until we get to hear it on wax, fans still got a general release on streaming and CD on April 3.
While the dynamic duo managed to squeeze in most of the Monkees’ greatest hits (Last Train To Clarksville, I’m A Believer), the factors that truly made this album a home run were the deep cuts they threw in. I remember dropping my jaw in shock at the actual show, because I never thought I’d get to hear I’ll Spend My Life With You live. While that one was (sadly) axed from the release, you’d be crazy to complain about the setlist. As for Nez tunes, Sunny Girlfriend is only the second track out of 25. The live version of The Door Into Summer was the second of two singles released to promote the album. And a literal “missing link,” St. Matthew, has never in written history been played live until this tour.
Micky got his heart-stopping chance to show off his chops through deep cuts, too. There weren’t as many as Nez had, but Micky had most of the hits that show, so give him a break, alright?! Though it’s a lesser-known song, As We Go Along, off of 1968’s Head, has been a frequent addition to Monkee setlists in the 21st century. But with that said, Auntie’s Municipal Court is Micky’s St. Matthew – – never performed live before The Mike and Micky Show started.
Now, don’t confuse new songs with deep cuts: They’re not all that obscure. If you weren’t aware, Good Times!, a record featuring all four Monkees, in one capacity or another, released in 2016. Two of the more recognizable tracks from the album were thrown into the mix – Mike and Micky’s harmonious Ben Gibbard contribution, Me and Magdalena, and their more hard-rocking, Gallagher-Weller penned Birth Of An Accidental Hipster, to be exact. Oh, and just my opinion: Good Times! is the best Monkee work since Head.
There was also a minimal amount of transposition. The most notable usage of it was during M&M’s acoustic set, when they delivered a stirring performance of one of the earliest tunes written by a Monkee, for The Monkees, Papa Gene’s Blues. “We used to sit around the campfire, we used to call it, in between shooting scenes in the show, and invariably, we would end up playing Nez tunes because he was the only one writing any songs!” Micky chuckled while introducing the timeless Monkee classic.
Remember when it was just the four Monkees playing onstage and that was it? Not anymore. The duo had an absolutely superb backing band that consisted of a few extra additions that weren’t present on the last few Monkees tours: Nez’s son Christian playing guitar, as well as a slide guitarist, and a multi-instrumentalist responsible for the banjo on St. Matthew. Early in the tour, he actually opened the song with the fiddle introduction heard on the original recording.
Obviously, every show has its flaws. I mentioned earlier that the show was all about Nez and Micky blending their golden voices together. To be honest, other than a few songs on the album, it was mainly one of the two, and the female backup singers, one of which was Micky’s sister Coco. Not to say that they sounded bad at all, but the magic behind why this whole show was conceived is pretty much gone when something like that takes up the bulk of the show.
On another topic, the album has been edited and cut so much, all we get is the music. Just from the eyes of a die-hard Monkee fan, it doesn’t feel like an authentic show from the tour, if that makes sense. Normally there’s banter, a few jokes, and maybe even a few stories of the past on live albums that promote a single tour. And at the actual Mike and Micky Show, what took up about a quarter of the show? Nez goofing around, and Micky trying to reminisce about the past.
But on the other hand, we’re lucky that even with half the band in the grave, the two sole survivors even agree to make music anymore, let alone together and on the road. And one of those guys hardly ever hit the road period.
Neither of their fallen brothers were snubbed, either. For Pete’s Sake ended with Micky calling out the name of Peter Tork, who passed away of cancer up to a few months before the show was recorded. And for Davy, there was Micky on leads for A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You, and much later, Daydream Believer.
But what if Davy were there? Or Peter? It may have been a far different album. Maybe they’d boot St. Matthew so Davy could prance about on Daddy’s Song. Or maybe Peter would replace Auntie’s Municipal Court so he could sing about another auntie: Grizelda. But hey: Forget the hypotheticals. It’s the 2020s, and there’s a new Monkee album. Hallelujah.
Josh Bradley Live 