Tour Items, A summer tour?? Calling all small monkees fans!

If anyone wants me to purchase Monkees items for them on the current
concert tour, here are the details:

white t-shirt $30
black t-shirt $30
photo $5
mousepad $20
plush monkey $20

Payment can be made by either of the following services from your checking=

account or credit card:

http://paydirect.yahoo.com/
www.paypal.com

send payment to: brad@flexquarters.com

Checks in the mail will not reach me in time. Add $4.00 per item for USA
shipping, $6 each for overseas shipping (surface)

thanks!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: “Kampert, Pat”

Hi Brad:

I’m a reporter for the Chicago Tribune’s KidNews section, geared to kids
8-14. I’m doing a story about how kids that age are really interested in a
lot of older music and wanted to contact some Monkees fans in that age grou=
p
to ask them why they enjoy the Monkees so much, and what kind of reactions
they get from their friends and family about their musical preferences. Is
it OK to post such a request for kids and/or their parents to contact me on
your message board?

Thanks for your help.

Patrick Kampert
Chicago Tribune
815-356-2282
PKampert@tribune.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Monkees official tour web site:

http://monkees2001.com/

has put up some new tour pictures.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: KitKat

Murder, She Wrote
Bloodlines
60 min.
Families’ fortunes ride on a once-injured Thoroughbred whose trainer (Micke=
y
Rooney) is murdered. Catherine: Tippi Hedren. Wally: Don Murray. Tracy: Ami
Dolenz. Lloyd: Stephen Macht. Paul: Sean O’Bryan. Jill: Shawnee Smith. Ange=
la
Lansbury.

Mon 2 A&E
&
Mon 2 3:00 PM

Tue 3 10:15 AM Invisible Mom 2 SHOWTIME

Peace Out!
KitKat

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Jeff

MIME-Version: 1.0
Hello all,

Those of you in areas with stations that carry the syndicated (Monday-
Friday) version of “7th Heaven”: the original episode featuring Peter
is scheduled to air Monday, April 2.

The 100th episode of “7th Heaven” is being rerun the same night on
the WB at 8pm EST, also featuring Peter in the last ten minutes or so.

Jeff

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Michelle

Hey everybody,

Just thought everyone would like to know that I wrote
an email to that reporter who was nasty to the Monkees and their fans from
the Washington post. If you would like to do the same her email addy is
wiltzt@washpost.com
Michelle

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Bernita Myers

Our local paper has an article today about the upcoming schedule for the
two main concert venues in the Pittsburgh area:

“…If you grew up with Buffy and Jody (or even older sister Cissy), you’ll
be thrilled to know that the talent on tap at the Post-Gazette Pavillion
and the I.C. Light Ampitheatre this year includes a Mike Love-only version
of the Beach Boys as well as the Monkees, the Turtles and Tommy James….”

The schedule does not have the Monkees listed with either the “Summer
Oldies Celebration” or “That 60’s Show”. There is a statement following the
(sparse) confirmed dates at the I.C. Light Ampitheatre that says:
“Performers whose concert dates have not been set: The Monkees, Lyle Lovett
and the Beach Boys.”

So….!

This could mean that their tour is continuing into the summer. Or, it could
mean that Fishof is just keeping his options open, by including “The
Monkees” as a possibility.

I hope it’s the former. : ) The show that we saw in Columbus was great.
And this time I’ll make sure that I bring my camera!

-Bernita

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Marlene

Hi, I had tickets to see Davy in concert in reading, PA. on Feb. 24th, that=

one was rescheduled for April 22 according to the theater. Now, I have
just found out that on was cancelled and will not be rescheduled. This is=

so horrible, now I have missed out on seeing Davy and The Monkees at all,
because I could only afford tickets to one concert and I purchased these
back in October, even before The Monkees announced their reunion tour……=
.

Thanks for reading this!

Marlene

++++++++++++++++++++
Reviews:
++++++++++++++++++++

From: Bernita Myers

Columbus Concert Review

The show was great! The energy and enthusiasm were tremendous, both from
the audience and from the guys.

Peter and Davy both seemed to be really “on” and really connected. They
were both moving around the stage a lot, fooling around, and even dancing
together quite a few times. Davy would start something and catch Peter’s
eye and he’d follow along, or vice versa. Lots of eye contact with each
other and lots of grins. Micky wasn’t moving around quite as much, and when
he sang, seemed to be keeping his eyes closed a lot of the time. I saw
several times when Davy was trying to catch Micky’s eye, and then would
look at Peter and the two of them would launch into some silliness together=
.

All of them sounded wonderful. Micky’s voice was clear and strong (without
the overly dramatic/verging-on silly edge that he sometimes gets.) Peter’s
voice was also strong and Davy too – he didn’t lapse into some of the
warbley “Bee Gees” style that he had been doing recently.

The first half of the concert was “lighter”. They were more playful, joking
around more. The second half (after intermission and after “Natural”)
seemed more like the concerts in the UK; concentrating more on the music.
There was less banter and it seemed as though they just did one song right
after the other. And the music was louder. And tight. Everything just
flowed.

I was pleased to see that their clothes were mostly all quite reasonable.
Nothing silly or over the top. No Elvis, no sombrero, no outfits that made
me feel like cringing. Micky’s hair was pony-tail free, and Davy’s hair
looked good; a little longer, with some grey. (My kids loved when Micky
pointed at Davy’s hair during one chorus of “Shades of Grey”). Peter’s hair
was standing up all over but I thought it looked kind of flattering.
(Although I heard my 8 year old saying: “I guess they were in a hurry to
get here just like we were. Peter didn’t even have time to comb his
hair…”) I didn’t buy the picture they were selling, but it was a very
flattering picture of all three.

“Natural” was fine. Cute young guys. A few of their songs were catchy. My
kids all still liked the Monkees better. I had two thoughts about Natural.
One thought is that the reason that they were performing in the middle of
the show was to give MD&P a longer break. Combining Natural’s set with the
intermission gave the guys a good 45 minute rest. I cannot really convey
the level of energy that Davy, Peter and Micky showed. That was one of the
things that my husband and sister both commented on – their intense energy.
My husband was especially sobered by the thought that this concert wasn’t
just a weekly event; it was sandwiched in a very busy schedule.

The other thought about Natural is that Davy, Micky and Peter must feel
pretty good about themselves. I would think it would be kind of
intimidating, as 50-somethings, to showcase some good-looking really young
kids right in the middle of their set. Of course the audience was there for
the Monkees, and even though Natural got quite a few shrieks and catcalls,
the Monkees were clearly the audience’s favorite.

A few surprises:

They sang “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) which was not on any set list
that I’ve seen so far.

Micky only played drums for one song, (I think “Mary, Mary”) but he did
sing lead for it. (That’s not including the kettle drum for “Randy Scouse
Git”.)

There were some new jokes. And no “Tarzan” joke.

People had commented about the antics of the 3 horn players, and they
really were funny. They sort of danced or pantomimed during the songs they
weren’t playing on. Peter looked over at them and imitated them a few times=
.

A few disappointments:

I wish that they would each do something different for their solo song. I
understand that there wasn’t a lot of rehearsal time, but still; they all
do solo concerts and surely have something else up their sleeve. Peter’s
“Lucille” is my favorite of the bunch, but it would be fun to hear
something else from him. Micky does a good job on “Since I Fell For You”,
but he does a good job on *lots* of songs; I’d love to hear him crooning
something new. And, if I never hear “Girl” again, it would be fine with me!
Davy has some wonderful solo songs, and I am just sick of hearing “Girl”!

The merchandise was pretty limited. And pricey. I understand that they
didn’t have a lot of lead time to come up with tons of stuff. But I wonder
why they weren’t selling Monkee CDs or even solo CDs.

Highlights:

Davy and Micky joined Peter at the keyboard and they sang “Shades of Grey”,
with Davy and Peter each taking the lead for one verse. It was lovely.

The unplugged set. They could have done the whole show like that, as far as
I’m concerned. They were keeping up some of the bantering, but the music
and vocals were wonderful. It just sounded so fresh.

My 10 year old neice sat through the entire concert with the most
tremendous huge grin! Her eyes were glittering and she was just thrilled!

It was a really long concert. Not too long – they really covered quite a
lot of songs. Very satisfying. : )

-Bernita
hoping for a summer tour – I’d definitely see this show again!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Kim Land

Recent Monkees concert March 25, 2001 in Merrillville, Indiana

Hello, just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the Monkees concert in
Merrillville, Indiana, on Sunday, March 25, 2001.

The Monkees themselves, the quality of music, and the enthusiasm of
everyone connected with the show made it a really great experience.
Was really surprised to see the variety of age groups in the crowd – all
the way from teens to 60’s, and everyone seemed to be having as good a
time as we were. In spite of having seen the old TV show years ago I
didn’t realize how naturally funny Mickey and Peter are in person – all
three of them were so entertaining.

Really enjoyed hearing some of the compositions written by Mike Nesmith
too, which as we recall had not been included in the earlier concerts in
the late 90’s. The band members who played towards the back of the
stage who also doubled as dancers were hilarious and added a lot to the
show! Enjoyed the band Natural very much as well.

Hope you will be returning to Merrillville, Indiana in 2002 or 2003 – if
so, we’ll be there again, and with more of our friends!

Thanks,

Kim Land

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Donna_M_Cusano

Hi Brad,

Had to put in my two cents about this Washington Post review. I thought th=
e
Monkees were great in Atlantic City! Every time I see them, I feel six aga=
in!
(And that’s not such a bad thing since I’m turning 40 later this
summer!!!) And
I certainly do think they have grown old gracefully. Sounds like the write=
r is
a l little jealous and might want to consider a few nips and tucks.

On another note….can you post a note on the web site to ask anyone who mi=
ght
have pics from the 3/16 concert to email me at dms81061@aol.com. Would lov=
e to
get a copy and would be willing to pay. My camera died and I know there we=
re a
lot of people taking pics. Thanks.

Donna

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: (Kelly O’Toole)

Columbus Concert

After 15 years and a 6 hour drive from Michigan, I finally got to live a
dream. I saw the Monkees on March 22 at the Palace Theatre in Columbus,
Ohio.

“Weren’t they good?/They made me happy”–these lines from “Listen to the
Band” summarize the evening. Micky, Davy and Peter looked and sounded
great. They were all that I’d hoped they would be. . .and more! What
impressed me most was the incredible energy
of all the performers. The Monkees gave 110%. A tremendous vibe hung in
the air, a vibe that the Monkees were happy to be performing together
and happy that we all came to see them. I felt as if they were giving
everyone a warm embrace.

The only damper on the evening, for me, was the migraine I’d been having
since that afternoon. Unfortunately, the medication I’d taken didn’t
even begin to relieve the pain, which is unusual. I felt ok until
Natural took the stage and played 5 times louder than the Monkees had.
Suddenly my head felt as if it had been the kettle drum Micky had banged
on during “Randy Scouse Git.” I got so hot I thought I might burst into
flames. My stomach was performing Riverdance.

My husband helped me outside for some fresh air. He left me on the
sidewalk, at my request, to make the 5 minute walk to our hotel for a
Migraine Ice. (It’s a gauze pad that adheres to your forehead and stays
cold for hours.) I’m sure anyone who saw me thought I was drunk, stoned
or crazy: I paced the sidewalk holding a cold damp towel (given to me
by a theatre employee–thank you!) to my head, trembling and muttering
prayers that I would stay well enough to make it through the Monkees’s
second set.

When my husband returned he steered me to a fairly empty section of the
balcony where few people would see me–the Migraine Ice doesn’t exactly
make a favorable fashion statement. We could still see well and because
I wasn’t blocking anyone’s view I was on my feet dancing and singing for
the rest of the show. The “Daydream Believer” singalong was awesome.

Afterward I curled into a fetal position until the theatre emptied and
then my husband helped me wobble back to the hotel. The migraine lasted
3 days, but I barely remember the pain. However, I’ll never forget the
magic of that concert. I feel lucky to have been there. I only wish I
could’ve thanked the Monkees personally for the fabulous concert and for
the immeasurable happiness they’ve brought me through the years. Thank
you, Monkees. And to all Monkees fans: Peace, love and good health.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Corleen LaVare

I saw the Monkees in Verona NY on March 21st. It was
the best thing i have ever seen! During “Look Out
(Here Comes Tomorrow) when Davy usually says “Mary I
love you” and then “Sondra I love you” he yelled “Mary
I love you” and he put his head on Peter’s shoulder
like he was crying and then he turned and yelled “and
Sondra loves Mary, it’s 2001 what can i say?” My mom,
my aunt, and a friend of ours and i stayed at the
hotel overnite. The hotel people told us that they
left and someone else said she saw them get on a bus,
so we finally gave up and went to do other things.
Mom and her friend (Bunny) went to the casino in the
hotel while my aunt and i headed for the pool. When
we got there we saw that the pool had closed at 10:00
(it was well after 11:00) so we started to head back
to the room. As we were waiting for the elevator, my
aunt started pounding on my arm and yelling “it’s
micky dolenz! micky is over there!” I laughed cuz i
thought she was joking. Then i heard someone who was
working with the band say “oh wow Micky Dolenz”
(sarcastically) and i turned around and HE WAS THERE!
(then i saw his face…now i’m a believer lol) So my
aunt and i rushed over to the casino and found mom and
bunny, then went off in search of micky. After
wandering around for about twenty minutes, we gave up
and headed to this restruant called the Emerald. Just
as we got there he walked out. Mom, Bunny and i
followed him down the hall (Aunt Debbie was hungry and
tired of stalking the poor man so she went into the
restruant). He went into a store so we waited for him
at the door. when he came out Bunny asked if he would
sign autographs for us; he said “sure”. Mom snapped a
picture of him signing (Bunny and i are just staring
at him) and then asked if could get a picture of him
with her daughter. He said “sure, which one is your
daughter?” (Mom is 40, Bunny is 45, and i am 17) and
then he put his arm around me and mom took the
picture. When he started to walk away i called out
“thank you” and he said “you’re welcome darlin'”. In
school yesterday my best friend gave me a necklace
that says “darling” because of that. i guess that is
all i have to say about it for now except that i am
trying to get that picture on the yahoo club Randy
Scouse Git2 but the scanner is giveing me a hard time.
Gleeb,
Tammy
AKA: CT the Davy-mauler-Micky-catcher
AKA: Darlin’

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Christi York

Merrillville, IN show

What a show! This was my 3rd Monkees concert and was
the best! So far…. We sat in the 7th row and even
moved up in the middle of the show. The guys were
great and no matter what the critics say, so was the
show.
While waiting to get into the theater, we met some
cool people. Jessica and Ashley were seeing them for
the first time and were soooo excited. There were
some empty seats around us so they got to join us
after intermission. I’m glad they had a good time.
Also in line, we met a little girl named Atlanta. She
was such a huge fan. She was singing songs that even
I didn’t know the words to. It is so neat to see fans
of so many ages.
Back to the show….
I took a blue glo stick in and it proved to be a
useful tool. Considering I was the only one with
anything ike it, the guys kept looking and waving. At
one point Davy was mocking me! If anyone is going to
a how, let me suggest that you taking something like
it. At the end of the show, when everyone crowds the
stage, I was waving the stick and Peter and Micky (my
absolute fave) came over and I touched them!!!! Micky
even touched the stick. Needless to say, the ‘blue
dork stick’ will not be thrown away.
All in all, an AWESOME show! the guys were great, the
band was great, and Natural was great! Looking
forward to the next tour.

Gotta love em….comicchicyork

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Mary Bainter

Monkees – Merrillville

My husband and I and our four year old son went to the concert in
Merrillville, IN on Sunday. My husband would be a first generation fan, I
guess I am second generation, and our son – third? All we know for sure is
he thinks he IS Mike Nesmith.

I was really surprised at just how many little children were there.
Especially since it is very hard to find the Monkees on TV now. But I can
see there are a lot of young fans. And then there were those who had to be
at least in their 70’s & everyone in between.

The show was great – worth every penny. The guys were great. They had an
excellent band. They played just about everything we wanted to hear (after
all they didn’t have time to play every song they’ve ever recorded). We
were glad to hear Shades of Grey, The Porpoise Song, and other songs that
are not necessarily as well known as Last Train to Clarksville. We really
enjoyed their humourous conversation between songs too.

By the time of the intermission our son was getting tired and we were ready
for a little break. And I’m sure Micky, Davy and Peter needed one too. We
really thought having Natural play then was a good idea. My husband took
our son for a little walk (in hopes that it would help him stay awake for
the rest of the show). I took a short break and came back in for part of
their performance and it really was pretty good. I especially liked the
medley of Billy Joel songs they did.

When the Monkees came back on stage – we were refreshed and ready for more.
We especially enjoyed the encore songs when the guys came back out and just
about the whole audience was singing and dancing along with them.

We were seated towards the back but my husband went up near the front a few
times to take pictures. One time he took our son along so that he could se=
e
the guys better. I think that was when he really understood that he was
seeing the real Monkees.

After the show we waited (with many others) around a stage door hoping to
get autographs or even just say “Hi!”. We waited probably close to an hour=
.
Then someone came and told us that the guys were staying in the hotel
(attached to the theatre). The man told us that Davy had went to his room
already but Micky was in the Restaurant/Bar and would probably give some
autographs. He wasn’t sure where Peter was.

So we went in. There were quite a few people waiting. We could see Micky a=
t
the bar eating. We talked to some other families that had been at the show=
.
After Micky was done eating he signed some autographs and I was able to get
my son’s stuffed monkey signed. He said “Thank you, Darlin'” and I felt
like a teenager again.
It was certainly worth the wait.

Our only regret is that the concert is now over – and the rest of the
concerts are too far for us to travel to. I really hope the rumors about a
video being produced are true. We would certainly buy one, just to help us
remember all the details of a wonderful evening.

Mary Bainter

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: “jeanine d.”

Merrillville story….

As I sit down to write this, it is my intention to remain mature when
re-living my experiences over this past weekend in Merrillville, IN.
Please, please, please remember, I’m a 34 year old single mom of an 8
year old boy who has nothing but reality hitting her in her face 98% of
the time.

The Monkees have a way of making me forget all the little dramas of
daily life. I think that is what has kept me such an avid fan over the
years. They’re not like the other “teen idols” I worshipped as a
child.
While the other “boys” have spent a great deal of their adult life
trying to prove themselves as serious artists and becoming bitter men,
the Monkees have remembered what the whole phenomenon was about. They
have fun with the fact that they were crazy, wacky boys and they know
that to the true fan there is no need to prove their talents.

Which brings me to the concert this weekend=85..

As the guys walked out on stage I was so happy! I couldn’t even clap or
scream initially, I was in awe. I really thought that I would never get
a chance to see the three of them together on a stage ever again. I
had heard Davy say in a television interview that he didn’t ever see
himself being part of a Monkee project ever again and I thought that I
would have to live on the memories of past concerts. Well I thank my
lucky stars I was wrong! WHATA NIGHT!

They all looked fabulous and they sounded even better. I had read some
postings and knew that the show would be long and that they would play
some songs that I had never heard them play in concert before (I really
don’t know how many shows I’ve seen) but all of the hype could not have
prepared me for what was to follow. The things that impressed me the
most:

1) The “unplugged” set—All I could think was—Screw anyone who says
these guys aren’t talented.
2) All the songs from Head—I always tell people who doubt my Monkee
worshipping that if they could only hear some of their less popular
songs, they would convert.
3) Micky’s blues number—-he ALWAYS blows me away with that one
4) Pete’s Bach solo—all I can say is YOWZA!!

Although the concert was long, I was disappointed it was over as soon as
it was.

We left the concert and went back to the hotel bar where some drunk,
obnoxious men hit on me and my friend for a half hour while we relived
our night. Then when I had just got comfortable with my memories and my
Long Island Iced Tea, I turned around to see Micky walking up to the
bar.

(Here’s where you need to know that Micky, above all others, is the guy
I would most want to hang out with. You know that question, If you
could have a dinner party and invite three people dead or alive, who
would you invite???? Micky would get the invitation. Who cares about
the other two. Through all the bad times I’ve had I’ve always been
able to rely on him. I can pop in my videos and laugh at him or I can
play my CDs and dance around my house. In a way, he’s been my security
blanket. It goes way beyond that, but to go into it further may lead you
to question my sanity.)

Well there he is, sitting at the bar=85.with a zillion people around him.
All I could think was=97That poor guy, he can’t even eat his burger in
peace—but GOD! I want to go say hi too! So I sat in my chair trying
to decide whether or not to let the guy have some privacy. Well he
didn’t get any privacy for what seemed like an hour. Finally the crowd
was gone and I decided I had to go get a picture, if he was willing, or
I would regret it for a long time. He posed for the picture and I was
happy. We aren’t best friends, in fact, I can’t remember if he even
said anything. But he was nice enough to smile and put his arm around
my waist and I will remember that for a REALLY long time.

As the night went on Peter showed up, I won’t say what he was up to, but
what WERE you up to Pete?!?!?

Davy came too. He wanted to watch the Oscars.

I just want to let all three of them know that last Sunday night, they
made this 34 year old single mom of an 8 year old boy very happy. I
hope that they realize the impact that they have on some of us. Their
concerts are some of the most treasured memories I have. I get to be
wild, wear funky clothes and be truly happy. Tuesday I had to go back
to work at my really conservative job and come home to help my little
one with his homework and cook dinner and pay the bills and do the
laundry=85.but in the middle of all of the chores and daily grind, I find
myself thinking about the three of them and smiling. This weekend will
keep me going for a long time. Just as their past concerts have so many
times before.

Love is the ultimate trip,

Jeanine

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