Hey Hey, They're The Monkees - One Last Time

Hard as it is to believe, it's been just about 50 years since four young men burst onto the pop music/television scene. On September 12, 1966, The Monkees, a television sitcom about a struggling band living on the beach in L.A. was first broadcast. The four actors who'd been hired to portray this band could never have imagined the lasting impact this show would have on our culture, and on their lives.
Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork had been hired to act as musicians in this fictional group; it was never imagined that they would, or could, ever become an actual band. The music, considered integral to the show, would be produced by the legendary Don Kirshner, who had a great roster of songwriters at his disposal. The music was to be done by the legendary "Wrecking Crew" studio musicians, and the four actors would provide the vocals.

 Turned out to be a pretty good formula. The first single, "Last Train to Clarksville" was released and climbed up the charts before the television show ever aired! Two albums, done under Kirshner's direction were major hits. And then, things got interesting. The decision was made to send the make believe group, The Monkees, out on tour. And so the four guys threw themselves into the project. Mike, Peter, and Micky were all musicians of some caliber; Mike having played at the Troubador in L.A., Peter having been classically trained at Julliard, and Micky had been in a band (playing guitar) in L.A. Davy, of course, had been performing since childhood, mostly singing, but he was competent on drums, and could strum a guitar as well. Long story short, as Michael has said, eventually it was like Pinocchio becoming a real boy, or, as Micky said, Leonard Nimoy becoming a Vulcan! The guys made music - much of it their own compositions - and toured to full houses all over the world.
And then, as quickly as it began, it was over. The television show was cancelled, Peter left the 'group', the three remaining guys went on for about a year, and then Mike left, and it was really the end.
Until something called MTV came along. In 1986, they ran a weekend marathon of most of the television episodes. Demand was high again, and a 20th reunion tour was scheduled. While Mike did not participate fully in the tour, he endorsed the plan, and even played with the other guys at the Hollywood Bowl. Records were re-released, and a new song, "That Was Then, This Is Now" hit the top 20. A tour that was initially limited in scope and number of dates eventually became a year long one that played stadium shows.
Through the years, the guys would get together and tour. Sometimes Micky, Peter, and Davy. Occasionally, just Micky and Davy. All four toured England in 1996 in support of the "Justus" album. They toured as solo acts as well, and enjoyed good crowds and happy fans. A full reunion was in the works back in the spring of 2012, with all four guys ready to go. And then, it happened; Davy passed away on February 29 of that year. The sadness remains to this day. But, the plans for the reunion went on, and eventually, we got to see the group nobody ever thought we'd see - Micky, Peter, and Mike.

And it was a great tour. Karen and I saw three shows in a row in the NY area, and I can tell you, at the first one, when Michael was introduced, there were a lot of wet eyes in the theater - including mine. I would have gone to every show they did that year and the next, they were that good.
Michael went on a few solo tours after that, and again, Karen and I were lucky enough to see him, and meet him backstage after his show at Town Hall in NYC. Something I'd always hoped would happen, but never thought it would.
And then, we hit 2016. 50 years since they first came 'walkin' down the street'. Everyone wondered, would there be a tour? How about a record? Would Michael join in? To our delight, we got a terrific album, "Good Times", featuring all four Monkees - Davy via a song originally recorded in 1967 but never released. And the album rocked! Debuted in the top 20 download and CD sales charts. The vinyl LP hit #1 on the vinyl charts the week it was released. And Micky and Peter went out on tour, with a great band, doing an incredible show. Michael joined them via "Skype" at their NY show (Karen and I saw that), and onstage at one of their L.A. shows. The tour goes on, and Micky and Peter are heading to Australia and New Zealand. Michael, however, just made an announcement that left some fans stunned.

In a post on his Facebook page, Michael has announced that he has been talking to Micky and Peter about playing with them at their Sept. 16 show at the Hollywood Pantages theater. And, he has said, it will be his final performance as a "Monkee". To quote him, "I expect it will be fun, and a great way for me to sign out. I see the specter of the multiple Sinatra retirement/farewells - and this seems like the perfect time for me to step off, sit down, and shut up".
So there we go. Truly the end of a big part of my life, having been a fan since the early days. Hard to imagine that after the 16th, we'll never see the three guys onstage as "The Monkees" again. As noted, Micky and Peter do a great "Monkees" show, and will carry on. But the finality of this has not been lost on me. And so, as some of you could probably have predicted, I am going to the show in L.A.
Managed to score one of only about 2 dozen tickets that were left after Mike's announcement. Last three rows of the theater, on the side - not a great seat, but I'm IN the theater. Booked the flight (yes, I will be flying), and a hotel just two blocks from the theater. As I told someone the other day, I do regret never having seen all four of the guys together; circumstance just worked against that for me. And I'm blessed at having seen Micky, Mike, and Peter in the past. But this time, circumstances are on my side, and I can manage this. The pool closes on Labor Day, I have some free time before my business kicks in again, and I can squeeze the funds together to do this. Karen, not surprisingly, said one word when I asked her if she thought I should do this: "Sure". She has gotten to know me well enough to understand what this means to me. I did offer to bring her with me, but unfortunately her schedule and workload does not permit it.
And so, on September 16, I will be in the rear of the Hollywood Pantages, which is now fully sold out (with good seats going for as much as $1,500 on the secondary market). I fully expect that I will again be among the folks in there with the 'wet eyes'. In fact, knowing myself, I'll be disappointed if they're not REALLY wet.
I'll do a couple of posts for you on the trip, and certainly will give you a full and complete posting on the show itself.