REVIEW: The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith recall their heyday at San Jose Civic
Micky Dolenz (L) and Michael Nesmith of the Monkees perform at San Jose Civic in San Jose on Sept. 15, 2021. Roman Gokhman/STAFF.
SAN JOSE — Storytelling and classic songs held equal weight at a concert with Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees at The Civic Wednesday night.
Following two pandemic postponements, the duo and its eight-member band finally performed in San Jose in what was touted as a farewell tour. The concert spanned hits, more obscure numbers and newer arrangements of songs written or made famous by the Monkees, as well as Nesmith’s solo material. Between the two of them, Dolenz and Nesmith had released two albums leading up to the tour, a collaborative live album and a Dolenz effort covering his good friend and partner’s songs. Many of those songs made it into the set.
But as much as those songs brought a nostalgic blast to attendees, the vignettes the two shared about the origins of songs, their memories of each other and the late Peter Tork and Davy Jones also captivated fans, many of whom were in the age range to have grown up with the band and its hit ’60s TV show.
The concert was broken up into two sets, the Micky Dolenz getting most of the vocal highlights in the first and Michael Nesmith in the second. The more than capable band, which included Nesmith’s son Christian Nesmith on guitar (he arranged many of the songs performed, as well as the Dolenz Sings Nesmith album) and Dolenz’s sister Coco Dolenz as one of two backing vocalists. As in previous tours, Nesmith didn’t play an instrument and Dolenz stuck to some light percussion instruments. That left the band to provide the sonic firepower, which it handled well.
The group opened with the twangy “Good Clean Fun,” with the two Monkees sometimes harmonizing and sometimes exchanging lines. The instantly recognizable “Last Train to Clarksville” came next, and here and during a few other early songs, Nesmith’s voice wasn’t very noticeable even though he was singing. At this point Dolenz was dressed dapperly in a suit and his signature fedora and promised that there would be a variety of songs featured, including songs of the bizarre kind.
“We are doing the entire White Album,” he joked as the band launched into “The Kind of Girl I Could Love.” It was the first of many dad jokes that were warmly welcomed by fans.
Micky Dolenz (L) and Michael Nesmith of the Monkees perform at San Jose Civic in San Jose on Sept. 15, 2021.
The duo told the story of how “Different Drum” was a song Nesmith pitched for the Monkees, but the show’s producers turned him down (a theme that was repeated numerous times over the years), and then it ended up as a hit for Linda Ronstadt. The performance, meanwhile, was one of the show’s early highlights. Another Nesmith tune, “Sunny Girlfriend,” transitioned right into the psychedelic “Mary Mary,” led by organ and guitar. Following “You Just May Be the One,” the two joked about how no one ever really figured out what the Tork-penned “For Pete’s Sake” was about.
One of the more entertaining stories was about the song “Randy Scouse Git,” which Dolenz said was inspired by a party hosted by the Beatles. The Monkees had to change the name of the song for British audiences, however, as in England it translated into “Horny Liverpudlian Putz.” Nesmith, meanwhile, debated whether the Beatles had invited the Monkees to that party, or kicked them out of the party. The song itself was one of the best ones of the first half of the show and allowed Dolenz to sing loud while striking a timpani.
Nesmith told another compelling story during the second set as an introduction to “While I Cry,” which he’d go on to perform without Dolenz. Without spoiling it for future audiences, it involved John Lennon introducing him to the music of Jimi Hendrix. Also, Nesmith wanted to write something different from standard Monkees’ fare of the time and again received massive pushback from executives who said it “wasn’t something the Monkees were supposed to do.” This one actually did make it onto a record: 1969’s Instant Replay.
Nesmith’s voice crackled a bit like Johnny Cash as he delivered the lines in spoken-word delivery alongside a pedal steel accompaniment. The song had never been performed until the start of the current tour (the San Jose show was the fifth stop), and Nesmith was clearly emotional to play it, tearing and choking up at the end.
“It was never a hit, and I don’t think it’s ever gonna be a hit. But I hope you like it and go home and listen to it on your 78,” he said.
Nesmith and Dolenz all played bluesy rocker “Love Is Only Sleeping,” off 1967’s Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., for just the fifth time ever (all on this tour).
As the band launched into a riff from “As We Go Along,” which was rearranged into a version that recalled early Coldplay, Nesmith spoke about what being able to keep performing means to him.
“These concerts are life-giving. They are community,” he said as an ethereal pedal steel entered the mix. That preceded a rollicking version of “Circle Sky” that allowed the entire band to get loose.
The second set contained the biggest hits, but it began softly with Dolenz singing ballad “Porpoise Song” solo before Nesmith came on for the aforementioned “While I Cry.” Pedal-steel-inflected tunes “Me & Magdelena” and “Papa Gene’s Blues” came next. The latter, an early Nesmith song, featured some of the best harmonizing of the night.
Then the band began picking up the pace with “The Girl I Knew Somewhere” (the first Nesmith number that producers of the TV show allowed the band to record and release), the driving “Tapioca Tundra” (with Nesmith nailing the vocals), psychedelic country romp “Auntie’s Municipal Court” and “What Am I Doin’ Hangin’ ’round?”
The two Monkees and their band concluded with the hit combo of “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “Daydream Believer,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “Listen to the Band” and “I’m a Believer,” by which point fans were dancing in front of their seats.
Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.