1987 NORTH AMERICAN ‘HERE WE COME AGAIN’ TOUR

1987 NORTH AMERICAN ‘HERE WE COME AGAIN’ TOUR

Dolenz, Jones and Tork

(July – October 1987)

For updated information on this article, see the web site: monkeesconcerts.com

“The Monkees aren’t just a nostalgia act…their first newly recorded album in eons displays plenty of pop savvy.  The first single, “Heart and Soul,” is an impressive release that rocks politely…and should raise the re-established outfit to the status of being more than a mere novelty.”
–Billboard Magazine, July 1987

The set list for the 1987 North American tour varied from night to night, but usually followed this order:

• Last Train To Clarksville
• A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
• (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
• Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
• No Time
• Cuddly Toy
• Zilch / Randy Scouse Git
• Can You Dig It  (Peter lead vocal)
• I’ll Be True To You
• She
• Gettin’ In
• Sometime In The Morning
• Valleri
• Your Auntie Grizelda
• That Was Then, This Is Now
• Every Step Of The Way
• Bach’s Two-Part Invention in F Major  (Peter’s keyboard solo)
• I’ll Love You Forever / I Wanna Be Free
• Goin’ Down
• It’s Nice To Be With You
• For Pete’s Sake
• Zor and Zam
• Daddy’s Song
• Ditty Diego / Monkees Rap
• Don’t Bring Me Down
• Daydream Believer
• Shades Of Gray
• Listen To The Band
• When Love Comes Knockin’
• Through The Looking Glass
• Hold On Girl
• Cripple Creek
• Pleasant Valley Sunday
• Encore:
• I’ll Be Back Up On My Feet
• Heart And Soul
• I’m A Believer
• “Good Clean Fun” (with Peter on banjo and lead vocals) was played early in the tour but was dropped from the set list. Other songs played on various nights included “Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again,” “Mary, Mary,” “You Just May Be The One” (Peter lead vocal) and “Circle Sky” (Micky, Davy and Peter shared lead vocal duties).

 

The Monkees’ 1987 North American tour followed hot on the heels of the extremely successful 20^th anniversary reunion tour of 1986.  They were also touring in support of their new studio album, Pool It!, and the show featured several tracks from the album.  The first single, “Heart And Soul,” quickly became a concert favorite and was prominently featured in the encore.  The song’s accompanying video received heavy airplay on cable TV music show “Nick Rocks,” as did the second single from Pool It!, “Every Step Of The Way.”  The set list also contained songs rarely played live in concert.

The three Monkees played a larger role instrumentally during this tour, with Micky behind the drum kit for a good portion of the show.  Peter switched back and forth between rhythm, bass and lead guitar, keyboards and banjo. Davy played the tambourine and occasionally an electric-acoustic guitar. Otherwise, the Monkees were backed by the same supporting band that had been on the 1986 North American tour, except a new backup drummer had been chosen and an extra guitarist had been added to round out the sound.  The backing band included Dusty Hanvey (guitar), Larry Nelson (keyboards), Mark Clarke (bass), Sandy Gennaro (drums), Jeff Jones (rhythm guitar), Kevin Osborne (trombone), John Leslie (saxophone), Lon Seaman (trumpet) and Richard Fanning (trumpet).  Weird Al Yankovic, at the height of his popularity, was the opening act for the Monkees.

The 1987 performances were more theatrical and included costume changes, comedy bits, video screens and a stage designed in the mold of the Monkees’ house from the television series.  This was the first tour in which Peter began performing his keyboard solo, “Bach’s 2-Part Invention #8 In F” (originally performed by Peter on the 1969 NBC special “33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee“).  Peter also handled lead vocals on his composition “Can You Dig It,” unlike the album version of the song where Micky is the lead vocalist.

In September 1987, “The New Monkees” television show premiered in syndication across the United States.  The series was based on the concept of the Monkees’ original TV show.  The New Monkees released an album to accompany the premiere, but both projects were critical and commercial flops.  The series lasted 12 episodes, and then the project sank without a trace.  On the other hand, the original Monkees’ summer tour ended in October in front of a crowd of 70,000 in Tampa, Florida.  It was successful enough to finish in the top 10 grossing concert tours of 1987.

Following the conclusion of the tour, the Monkees were sued by their manager David Fishof, who claimed he was owed large sums of back profits.  The Monkees’ relationship with Fishof actually began to sour in early 1987, when Fishof booked the trio to appear at MTV’s Super Bowl party TV special.  When the Monkees could not attend due to scheduling conflicts, forcing Fishof to cancel, MTV took this move as a snub.  As a result, the channel refused to air the Monkees’ new music videos from the Pool It! album.  It should be noted that TV Guide magazine obtained and later reported about MTV request logs that showed “Heart And Soul” as one of the top 10 most requested videos throughout the summer of 1987.  Fishof’s lawsuit was dismissed by a judge in late 1988.