Well, now that I've finally got a moment, let me regale you with tales from my first Monkees concert in 25 years, where, unlike at my first one, Davy Jones was absent (RIP. Sigh), Mike Nesmith was in attendance (still an only child, holla!) and no one was smoking pot near me (still one of the most bizarre memories of my childhood). But much like the first one, I got my hands on a program (and buttons - but both purchases were a fluke because I've never seen mobs descending upon concert merchandise booths like that in my life. I managed to snag a vendor who was selling stuff by the stairs, otherwise I probably would've gone home empty handed.) like so:
Two programs, 25 years apart. I, like, had to be symmetrical in my purchase.
Anyway, I brought along Former Production Gal Aimee, as she has an appreciation for all things retro and was way excited a few months ago when I told her The Monkees was airing on Antenna. She was also almost as tickled as I was to hear "I'm a Believer" randomly playing in a restaurant in Prague during our Euro Adventure in May. So she was a logical choice for a seatmate. As we were heading to our seats, we passed a burly tattooed guy who I heard say, "The Monkees were what got me into music," which pretty much sums up the varying demographics of Monkee fans. There were many age groups represented (the upper section where we were sitting seemed to be mostly my age and older - the lower sections apparently had the young'ns) and everyone was giddily polite. Seriously, it was one of the nicest concert-going crowds I've ever been part of, which is refreshing, considering what I have to deal with at Yankee games sometimes.
The lead-up to the show included clips of their old commercials and videos for the songs they didn't end up performing, which was a good way to get everyone psyched up (for real - there was lots of squealing and "woo"ing for "Love is Only Sleeping"), and when Mike, Micky and Peter finally came out, the place went nuts.
I'm not going to lie - seeing the three of them up there without Davy ended up being a bit more of a bummer than I thought it would. I mean, it was hard not to think "Imagine the four of them together? For the first time in the U.S. since 1969" That would've been friggin' awesome. But it didn't take away from the evening. They opened with "Last Train to Clarksville" and in order went through their early stuff and some more obscure songs, hit a bunch of songs off Headquarters, then onto the later hits and the Head soundtrack, and closing with "Pleasant Valley Sunday." It was one of the more solid setlists I've seen from a favorite artist/group, and my only wish would've been to see an acoustic version of a song or two, but I'll live.
There was a nice, relaxed vibe going on between the three guys, and it was awesome to hear Mike doing the vocals on "his" songs (only he can do "Papa Gene's Blues" for me to be at one with my childhood) and to see him goof off a bit, especially while supplying Moog synthesizer noises. (You kind of had to be there.)
And it's an absolute treat to see/hear Peter play like 14 different instruments (that might be slightly exaggerated. Still, the dude is mad talented and probably suffered unfairly the most under the whole "THE MONKEES DON'T PLAY THEIR OWN INSTRUMENTS brouhaha of years past) and employ some of the best facial expressions, especially when picking up a pair of fan-tossed sparkly underwear off his keyboard.
But let's talk about Micky Dolenz for a minute. Dude 1) Still sounds almost exactly like he did 45 years ago (I did not expect him to sound so good on "She," my favorite Boyce & Hart-penned song, which is rife with high notes) and 2) Has a ridiculous amount of energy for a man of 67. Aimee and I were both completely in awe of it and it needs to be recognized/commended.
The tributes to Davy were sweet without being cloying or sappy. It included the guys leaving the stage while a clip of "I Wanna Be Free" played, and the guys leaving the stage again when the band backed an on-screen clip of Davy's song-and-dance number from Head, "Daddy's Song" which was is pretty fantastic. And I say this as the rare Monkees fan who is, um, not a huge fan of the movie. Then it came time for "Daydream Believer," which included a Micky-led singalong, one of the best concert crowd moments I've had the pleasure of being part of.
It's sort of ironic that it was Davy's death that pretty much woke up my long-dormant adoration of the group, and it's the reason I was at that concert that night. I mean, I had the opportunity to see the three remaining guys, who were a huge part of my childhood, play together again and to appreciate some not widely appreciated music in person (really, people, get over the snobbery and listen to Headquarters, which is oozing with pure joy, and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones LTD, which is one of the more catchy cynicism-laced albums you'll ever hear). I can only hope that maybe they'll do another tour sometime, because being 10 years old again (with 35 years' worth of wisdom to know good stuff when you hear it) for an evening? Is pretty dang good for the soul.
