By Paul T. Mueller
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost half a century since the Monkees were one of the biggest bands around. Even harder, maybe, to believe the hold their music still has on the imagination of those who grew up with it. But despite the years and the loss of singer Davy Jones in 2012, the old magic was still there at Houston’s Arena Theatre on August 1, as the onetime pop sensations kicked off the second half of their “Midsummer’s Night with The Monkees” tour.
The remaining members – Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork – gave the audience of a couple of thousand or so what they came for – well-crafted mid-’60s pop songs, many of which were big hits. Beyond that, they gave proof, if any is still needed, that the Monkees long ago transcended their made-for-TV beginnings and turned into a real band.
Despite advancing years – around 70, give or take a year or two – the trio still had the energy, halfway through a 24-date tour, to blow through a two-hour, 29-song show, albeit one punctuated by several breaks during which recorded audio and projected video were left to carry the load. Dolenz and Tork did most of the bouncing around; Nesmith mostly stood in place, although he seemed a bit more animated when performing his own compositions.
The show’s first segment featured eight songs from the first two albums, The Monkees and More of The Monkees, starting with a lively rendition of “Last Train to Clarksville.” A little later came the sing-along favorite “I’m a Believer,” written by Neil Diamond and performed – as Dolenz pointed out for the benefit of the kids in attendance – by The Monkees long before Shrek came along. Dolenz also proved capable of bringing some proto-punk attitude to his vocal on “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.”
The second segment featured several songs from the fine third album, Headquarters, which Tork described as the first on which The Monkees really felt like a band. Highlights included two fine Nesmith compositions, “You Just May Be the One” (the only song on which Tork played bass) and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere,” with Nesmith on lead vocal. Tork did a nice job with the wistful “Early Morning Blues and Greens.”
After another break, the band returned with slightly newer fare, including “The Door into Summer” (the first-ever live performance of the song, according to the band’s Facebook page) and “Goin’ Down,” featuring some fine jazzy vocals from Dolenz.
Yet another break was followed by several songs from Head, the band’s trippy 1968 movie. They were followed by the evening’s only real acknowledgement of the missing Monkee – a projected clip of Jones dancing in a tuxedo while singing “Daddy’s Song,” also from Head. But the show’s real emotional high point followed, when Dolenz brought an audience member onstage to help sing “Daydream Believer.” What his guest – a shortish, middle-aged man with a noticeable accent – lacked in polish, he made up for in enthusiasm, belting out the familiar lyrics with the gusto of a true fan. The applause that followed was well deserved.
The Monkees, backed throughout the show by a fine seven-member band that included one of Dolenz’s sisters and one of Nesmith’s sons, finished the main set with an excellent rendition of “What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round?” (co-written by Michael Martin Murphey). They returned after a short break for an encore consisting of “Listen to the Band” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” a bit of social commentary written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
No doubt there are plenty of people who are never going to believe that The Monkees were, are or ever will be more than “The Pre-Fab Four,” but the band provided its Houston audience ample evidence to the contrary.
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