Review: The Monkees Farewell Tour at the Wind Creek Event Center 10-22-21

 

By Fred Velez

The first time I saw any of The Monkees in concert was in April of 1976 when Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart performed as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart at The Riverboat Club in New York City at the base of the Empire State Building. After seeing many concerts with different variations of The Monkees in both group and solo configurations over the past 45 years, there was a bittersweetness to seeing Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, PA on October 22nd, 2021 on The Monkees Farewell Tour.

Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith. Photo by Fred Velez

Davy Jones and Peter Tork have sadly both passed away, leaving the surviving members, Micky and Michael Nesmith, to carry the group banner for what definitely looks like the final time. There have been some early concerns for the health of Nez, who looked frail and a bit unsure based on photos and fan videos from the early part of the tour in September. But, as the tour progressed, Nesmith became more engaged and energized from the enthusiasm and the love that was being generated by the fans attending the shows. Backed by a great band, with Micky’s sister Coco Dolenz on background vocals, The Monkees performed a show that was both wonderfully entertaining as well as an extremely emotional experience.

Starting with ‘Good Clean Fun’, with Michael Nesmith assuring the crowd with the lyrics “I told I’d come back, here I am!”, and from there launching into The Monkees first hit ‘Last Train to Clarksville’, the show was off to a great start with a mixture of Monkees classics heavy on Nesmith’s contributions to the groups’ catalog, with Dolenz helping out on the vocals. Micky Dolenz acknowledged Nez’s songwriting with his cover of ‘Different Drum’ from his recent ‘Dolenz Sings Nesmith’ album. Davy Jones and Peter Tork were remembered and represented in the show with Micky singing lead on Tork’s ‘For Pete’s Sake’ and the songs associated by Davy ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You’ and ‘Daydream Believer’ with Dolenz and Nesmith waving fondly skyward to their deeply missed comrades.

Micky Dolenz, Photo by Fred Velez

The second half of the show began with a simple piano rendition of ‘Porpoise Song’ from the movie ‘Head’, Micky gently singing the song and emphasizing the lyrics “Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye”, it’s meaning now taking on a new connotation. Among the many highlights of the show, the most emotional came from Nesmith’s rendition of ‘While I Cry’ from 1969’s The Monkees ‘Instant Replay’ album. This is a song that whenever I had the opportunity to personally talk to Nez, I always asked him to consider performing the song in concert as it’s my favorite Nesmith penned Monkees song. Nez spoke/sang the song, which added to the poignancy of the lyrics, aided by the gentle instrumental backing and vocals by Coco Dolenz and the rest of the band. By the time Nesmith tearfully concluded the number, I know that I wasn’t the only person with misty eyes in the place and the audience gave Nez and the band a well deserved standing ovation.

 

Coco Dolenz, Pete Finney, Micky Dolenz, Wayne Avers, Michael Nesmith.

Photo by Fred Velez

Of all the Monkees concerts I’ve attended over the years, this one was perhaps the most emotional one for me, knowing that this would be the last time that I and many other fans will ever be seeing Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith performing together. With Davy and Peter gone, and this tour coming to it’s conclusion in November 2021, I can reflect with a smile and a tear on the joy I’ve received as a Monkees fan for the past 55 years.

Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith. Photo by Fred Velez

To Micky, Michael, Davy and Peter, Thanx for the ride, Guys.

Set List:

Good Clean Fun
Last Train to Clarksville
The Kind of Girl I Could Love
Different Drum
Sunny Girlfriend
Mary, Mary
You Just May Be the One
​For Pete’s Sake
The Door Into Summer
​Randy Scouse Git
Love Is Only Sleeping
Birth of an Accidental Hipster
​St. Matthew
​As We Go Along
Circle Sky
Pleasant Valley Sunday

Porpoise Song
While I Cry
Me & Magdalena
Papa Gene’s Blues
The Girl I Knew Somewhere
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
Tapioca Tundra
Auntie’s Municipal Court
What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round?
Goin’ Down
Sweet Young Thing
Steppin’ Stone
Daydream Believer
Listen to the Band
I’m a Believer

Fred Velez, 2021.

Fred Velez is the author of the books ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You: The Monkees From A Fan’s Perspective’ and ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit you 2: The Monkees From International Fan Perspectives’.