Monkees see, Monkees do: Band makes final run after 55 years

A melancholic excitement settled over me the evening of Sept. 25 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio as The Monkees made their final appearance in Texas.

The remaining members of the Pre-Fab Four are on their farewell tour. Then The Monkees will be no more.

Sadly, only two members remain, Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith. Davy Jones passed away in 2012 and Peter Tork in 2019. I’ve been a fan of The Monkees ever since MTV reran their 1966 television show in 1986. Something about it just grabbed me. It was my junior year in college at Adams State and the goofy humor and bubblegum pop tunes just resonated with me. And it wasn’t just me. Interest in the band exploded and led to a 20^th anniversary reunion tour.

I saw them in concert that August at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver. The next year I caught back-to-back performances at the Minnesota State Fair. Each of those times the band consisted of Micky, Davy, and Peter. Mike only occasionally joined his bandmates on the tour. He was always the aloof loner of the bunch. His seriousness about the music caused him to famously clash with the show’s producers. But it was mostly his commitment to other projects that kept him from Monkeeing around on the various tours over the years.

That Saturday night at the 1,700-seat Tobin Center, however, he did plenty of Monkee business. Hampered by age and health (he is 78 and underwent heart surgery in 2018), Nesmith didn’t play any instruments (ironic since he had been so adamant about The Monkees playing them on the show), but he played many air instruments and did many other corny hand gestures. He also took a few breaks from the show, leaving much of the work to Dolenz.

Micky has always carried the load for The Monkees, being the only one to appear in each incarnation of the band over the decades. I had the privilege of conducting a backstage interview with Micky during a solo tour in the early 1990s in Norfolk, Virginia. That was the last time I saw him until that Saturday in San Antonio.

Although spry for guys in their late 70s, their show lacked the energy and pizzaz that it had 35 years ago, and that’s understandable. I just hope I’m that energetic at their age. After 55 years as The Monkees, this is their last rodeo. They have about 30 dates to go and then it’s over. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Micky do solo tours, but as a band, this is it. It’s probably a good thing, too, as it appeared Mike has pretty much checked out already.

Nez was clearly having fun, but often seemed to be lost in his own little world. There were times when he had full command of his Texas twang, but most of the time his voice could barely be heard over the nine-piece band (which includes Nesmith’s son, Christian Nesmith, on guitar, and Micky’s sister, Coco Dolenz, on backup vocals).

Micky was in full command of the performance, singing lead vocals on most of the 28 songs they performed. It was bittersweet to hear him sing parts normally done by Jones and Tork, especially on “Daydream Believer.” There were fitting tributes to absent friends and plenty of camaraderie built by five and half decades of Monkeeing around.

Last year’s The Monkees Present: The Mike & Micky Show was supposed to be the farewell tour, but COVID cancelations pushed it out to this year.

At the Tobin Center, Mike and Micky sang the obligatory Monkees hits such as “Daydream Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” and “I’m a Believer.” Much of the show centered around deeper cuts and lesser-known hits. The crowd went nuts at each reference to San Antone in “What Am I Doing Hanging ’Round.”

The concert was a chance for the duo to showcase songs that Mike had lead vocals on as well as many of the songs he wrote, including “Different Drum,” which was not recorded by The Monkees but became a hit for Linda Ronstadt.

Midway through the show the band took a 20-minute intermission, after which Micky came out and sang “Porpoise Song.” He then left and Mike came out and sang “You Told Me,” before being rejoined by Micky.

As the show went on, I couldn’t help but appreciate not only seeing Mike for the first time, but also hearing many of the songs performed live. A lot of those deeper cuts didn’t make the set lists in earlier tours because of the depth of top 40 hits they had to choose from.

Considering all the singles, numerous albums, a movie (“Head”) and a hit television show, it still blows my mind that they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are lesser acts in the hall and these guys are more than deserving after 55 years of Monkee business.

 joe@fredericksburgstandard.com

Photo by Johnna Ann Alberthal

Photo by John David Scarcliff