In 1986 the Monkees celebrated their 20th anniversary with the release of "That was Then, This is Now", a hit single that went to #20 on US pop charts. That was my introduction to the group, as well as the TV series which I was never as impressed with. When I got a little older I started collecting their albums and really enjoyed them--especially the songs they wrote. In 1991 or so I saw the film "HEAD" which I in turn showed to friends, family, teachers, and classmates (not kidding). Over the years my cassette collection turned into one composed of CDs and my interest in the Monkees never waned.
However, it wasn't until June 24, 2011 that I was able to see them in concert (minus Michael Nesmith who chose not to participate). Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork didn't disappoint. They burst on the stage full of energy and immediately went into "I'm a Believer". As I sang along with the audience I got a little choked up--how many times have I sung along with the recordings, now I was singing with the Monkees, albeit a few dozen feet away.
There were several highlights. One occurred when Peter picked up his banjo and started singing the Nesmith-penned ditty "Papa Gene's Blues". I thought it was amazing, especially since in the old days Mike and Peter had very different artistic and leadership differences. Eventually Peter left the group in late 1968 and Mike assumed full control. Peter's rendition of "Papa Gene's Blues" made it seem as though all has been forgiven.
Davy very touchingly introduced the song "I Wanna Be Free". He mentioned that in the show they weren't allowed to talk about war, race relations, or other hot topics. He joked: "Fortunately, all that's behind us now and we don't have any of that stuff to worry about anymore", after the audience laughed he continued, "I think this song means more to me now than it did then."
When they performed "That was Then, This is Now" the screen behind them showcased photographs of Peter, Micky, and Davy when they were babies and children. I thought that was a great way to connect with the audience; these were personal pictures from their own family collections, not publicity shots or footage from the series or films.
They told some stories and shared a few perspectives, but mostly they gave the audience most everything they wanted from the evening; 35 of their most memorable songs.
It will be an evening I remember for a long time.
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The Monkees Live in Concert
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Re: The Monkees Live in Concert
That sounds great! The Monkees has got some really good songs.