2001 NORTH AMERICAN ‘MONKEEMANIA RETURNS’ TOUR

2001 NORTH AMERICAN
‘MONKEEMANIA RETURNS’ TOUR

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

a)  Dolenz, Jones and Tork
(March – August 2001)

b)  Dolenz and Jones: “The Stars of the Monkees”
(September, October, December 2001)

“These guys can play.  But, now that they don’t have to prove it, the Monkees are free to do what they do best, to entertain.  They are blessed; they can do that, still, by just being themselves.”
–St. Petersburg Times review of the Monkees’ performance in Clearwater, Florida, 3/1/01

The set list for the March – May 2001 North American concerts:

• Last Train To Clarksville
• A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
• Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again
• Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
• Randy Scouse Git  (featuring Micky playing the tympani drum)
• Your Auntie Grizelda
• Mary, Mary
• It’s Nice To Be With You
• Goin’ Down
• Girl
• Lucille  (Peter solo)
• Purple Haze bit  (Micky)
• Since I Fell For You  (Micky solo)
• Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby?  (Broadway song sung by Davy solo)
• Shades Of Gray  (Davy and Peter lead vocal)
• Bach’s Two-Part Invention in F Major  (Peter’s keyboard solo)
• Valleri
• I’m A Believer
• ‘Unplugged’ set:
• -What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round?  (Micky, Davy and Peter)
• -Take A Giant Step  (Peter)
• -Papa Gene’s Blues  (Micky)
• -You And I  [Justus version]  (Davy)
• That Was Then, This Is Now
• The Girl I Knew Somewhere
• She Hangs Out
• Can You Dig It  (Peter lead vocal)
• Circle Sky
• Higher And Higher
• Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)
• Listen To The Band
• Daydream Believer
• Encore:
• For Pete’s Sake
• (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
• Pleasant Valley Sunday
• Also played on various nights were Davy’s Oliver medley : “Consider Yourself,” “I’d Do Anything” and “Who Will Buy?”;   “I Wanna Be Free,” “I’ll Love You Forever” and “Hard To Believe.”

 

The set list for the June – August 2001 North American concerts:

• Last Train To Clarksville
• Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
• For Pete’s Sake
• The Girl I Knew Somewhere
• Valleri
• Randy Scouse Git  (featuring Micky playing the tympani drum)
• Mary, Mary
• Your Auntie Grizelda
• I Wanna Be Free / I’ll Love You Forever
• Goin’ Down
• Can You Dig It  (Peter lead vocal)
• Girl
• Higher And Higher
• A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
• Bach’s Two-Part Invention in F Major  (Peter’s keyboard solo)
• No Time
• Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again
• She Hangs Out
• Purple Haze bit  (Micky)
• Since I Fell For You  (Micky solo)
• Lucille  (Peter solo)
• Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby? (or) the Oliver medley (or) It’s Nice To Be With You  (Davy solo)
• That Was Then, This Is Now
• Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)
• Listen To The Band
• Daydream Believer
• Encore:
• I’m A Believer
• (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
• Pleasant Valley Sunday
• Also played on various nights early in the summer was “Circle Sky.”

 

During the year 2000, the Monkees were the subject of the VH-1 series “Behind the Music.” The band was also the centerpiece of the E! Entertainment Network show, “The E! True Hollywood Story,” and VH-1 produced and aired a movie of the week telling the story of the Monkees. Because of the extra focus on the band, Monkees album sales increased and their most recent greatest hits package was certified gold in sales. David Fishof, the promoter from the 1986 and 1987 tours, approached Micky, Davy and Peter about doing a small tour of the United States to showcase the enthusiasm.  Perhaps because of bad feelings from the aftermath of the 1997 United Kingdom tour, Michael Nesmith was not asked to join the 2001 tour.  A new box set chronicling the Monkees’ recorded output from 1966-1996, Music Box, was released in conjunction with the tour.

The three Monkees hit the road for the first time in nearly four years in March 2001, with a young up and coming act, Natural, as the guest band.  Most of the backing band from the 1996 and 1997 tours returned to support the trio onstage.  The backing band consisted of Aviva Maloney (saxophones/flute/keyboards), Jerry Renino (bass), Dave Alexander (keyboards), Sandy Genarro (drums), Wayne Avers (guitar), Sam Albright (saxophone), Eric Biondo (trumpet) and Greg Briggler (trombone).  Renino also toured with the Monkees in 1989 and 1996-1997 as did Genarro in 1987 and 1997, and Avers and Maloney in 1996-1997.  Instrumentally, Micky played rhythm guitar and on occasion, the drums, Peter switched back and forth between electric and lead guitar, keyboards and banjo, while Davy handled percussion work and occasionally played an electric-acoustic guitar.  An “unplugged” set was done in the first half of the tour (March – May) with just the three Monkees onstage, featuring Peter and Micky playing acoustic guitars.

Because the spring concerts were enthusiastic sell-outs, the tour was extended in North America for the summer months.  Natural retained the opening spot on the second leg of the tour with the Monkees, but left at the end of July to begin their own tour.  The summer concerts featured different stage banter than the spring dates, as well as a re-arranged set list.  The trio and the backing band performed on “Live with Regis and Kelly” and the “CBS Early Show” in late May to promote the start of the summer tour.  At the July 15, 2001 performance at Westbury Music Center in New York, Micky sang the National Anthem at the start of the concert in rehearsal for his rendition the next day at Shea Stadium before a New York Mets baseball game.  The Monkees’ concert at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California on August 18, 2001 saw the band perform “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B,” which featured a duet with Micky and his sister, Coco, accompanied by Peter on piano and featuring a special arrangement by Albright, Biondo and Briggler of the horn section.   The end of the North American summer tour was promoted with an appearance by the Monkees and their band on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in late August, their second appearance on Leno’s show since 1996.  A new live album, 2001: Live in Las Vegas! (recorded at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in March 2001), was made available only at the summer concerts.

Midway through the critically acclaimed summer tour, Peter Tork announced to his bandmates that he would honor his contractual commitments to the Monkees through the end of the summer schedule, but then would leave the tour in an effort to rejoin his solo project band, Shoe Suede Blues.  Internal tensions mounted greatly.  The Monkees’ concerts in the United Kingdom, scheduled for the fall of 2001, had already seen tickets go on sale with the promise of the full trio appearing.  Subsequently, on September 2, 2001, Peter received a phone call from tour manager David Fishof informing him that Micky and Davy were insisting that Tork not show up at the Monkees’ remaining North American dates in September, citing irreconcilable differences as the cause of his termination.  The Monkees’ last performance as a trio was on August 31, 2001, at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim, California.  The Anaheim concert just happened to be recorded and filmed.  The subsequent release, Live Summer Tour, was made available on DVD and compact disc in stores and online.

Dolenz and Jones appeared as the Monkees on the last four dates of the 2001 North American tour in Illinois (9/7/01), Texas (9/8/01), Pennsylvania (10/13/01) and Arkansas (12/1/01).  The set list was rearranged and Peter’s songs removed, with the exception of “For Pete’s Sake,” which was played at the first Dolenz/Jones show with Micky singing the lead vocal as he had done on the album version.   These final shows began with the introduction, “Welcome to the Monkees Show, featuring the stars of the Monkees, Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones.”

The set list for the first North American summer concert in Illinois featuring Dolenz and Jones only:

• Last Train To Clarksville *
• Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)
• For Pete’s Sake  (Micky lead vocal)
• The Girl I Knew Somewhere *
• Valleri *
• Randy Scouse Git  (featuring Micky playing the tympani drum) *
• Mary, Mary *
• It’s Nice To Be With You
• Circle Sky
• I Wanna Be Free / * I’ll Love You Forever
• Goin’ Down *
• Girl *
• No Time *
• A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You *
• She Hangs Out *
• Purple Haze bit  (Micky)
• Since I Fell For You  (Micky solo)
• Oliver medley  (Davy solo)
• That Was Then, This Is Now *
• Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)*
• Listen To The Band *
• Daydream Believer *
• Encore:
• I’m A Believer *
• (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone*
• Pleasant Valley Sunday
• (*) denotes the songs played at the second duo concert in Texas on 9/8/01 (shortened due to bad weather)

 

Dolenz and Jones performed an abbreviated third show as a duo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 10/13/01 at Veteran’s Stadium:

• That Was Then, This Is Now
• Pleasant Valley Sunday
• A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
• Last Train To Clarksville
• Valleri
• (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
• I’m A Believer
• Daydream Believer

 

The fourth concert as a duo and the last in 2001 occurred on 12/1/01 in Arkansas.  The set list was similar to the 9/7/01 Illinois show, except “For Pete’s Sake,” “Mary, Mary” and “Circle Sky” were all dropped, as was the “Oliver medley” and “It’s Nice To Be With You.”

Dolenz and Jones were scheduled to appear as the Monkees in United Kingdom arenas in the fall of 2001. The UK tour was rescheduled for March 2002 after the tragic events in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC in the United States on September 11, 2001.

“These men have made it safely from the Tiger Beat era to the Tiger Woods era, unlike many of their scoffing contemporaries who didn’t.  Reinventing themselves this time around as grand old men of American pop, The Monkees are more than a nostalgia trip.  They’ve evolved into legitimate rock legends whose concerts still make a joyful noise.”

“As for genuine rockers who called the Monkees a joke, well, the jokes’ on them.  Somewhere along the way Dolenz and Jones have made a musical run at Tork and become fine musicians.”
–The Portland Press Herald review of the Monkees’ performance in Portland, Maine, 7/10/01.