‘Mike & Micky’ Bring Back Monkee Magic on Tour

In September 2016, the Monkees performed at the Pantages in Hollywood during their 50th anniversary tour. The show was to be Michael Nesmith’s last ever with the band, ending a (more-or-less) half-century stint as one of the “pre-fab” four. It was an emotional night and certainly felt final — I can remember shedding a tear or two during Nesmith’s duet with Micky Dolenz on “Me & Magdalena,” the heartfelt anchor of their latest album, Good Times!, penned by Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard.

And for almost two years, Nesmith kept his word. Dolenz continued to tour with fellow Monkee Peter Tork past the Pantages show; Nesmith finally busted out his solo First National Band catalog at a few shows earlier this year. (Davy Jones, sadly, passed away in 2012.)

So when word came down that Nesmith and Dolenz were hitting the road this summer for a string of concerts under the “Mike & Micky Show” banner, fans were surprised, delighted, and probably a little confused. Didn’t Nez say he was done with this whole Monkees thing? What brings him back now?

No one is more bemused by this than Nez himself; on the current tour, during opener “Good Clean Fun” (which, by the way, is only one of a few deep tracks the duo has dusted off this go-round — we’ll get to that in a moment), he makes a production of the line, “I told you I’d come back, and here I am,” punctuated with a self-deprecating chuckle.

If he’s a hypocrite, no one cares. Honestly, every time I see Nesmith perform, I have the exact same thought: I can’t believe it. For anyone who got hooked on the Monkees post-1969, the opportunity to see Nesmith perform with his bandmates seemed like an unrealistic dream.

Aside from a handful of public appearances, he was basically a recluse as far as we were concerned. When he dropped off the 1997 Justus reunion tour, we Monkees fans flipped the proverbial table in frustration. Now we’d never see Nez in person!

In fact, this mystique — for fans of my generation, anyway — was part of his legend, his allure. So when he finally emerged after Jones’ sad, untimely demise and completely coincidentally (…) decided to join back up with Dolenz and Tork, who’d both been on the concert circuit themselves and as the Monkees with Jones, the euphoria was unprecedented.

I first saw Michael Nesmith — my favorite Monkee — in the flesh at a show in Cleveland in December, 2012. I screamed like it was Beatlemania. Hell, I probably would have spoken in tongues had I not been so intently focused on the show.

And although I’ve now seen him countless times — and, thankfully, developed some sort of chill — it’s nevertheless special to think, “Wow, when I was a kid, I never thought this would happen.” This is why, for me at least, Nez coming out of Monkee retirement is less a breaking of a promise than a sigh of relief. I hope he never stops sharing his music with live audiences as long as he’s able and happy.

This particular tour, which I caught on Saturday night at the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles, evokes memories of the 2014 Monkees go-round with Nesmith, Dolenz, and Tork. That particular tour was the most deep-track-heavy show I remember, probably because rumor had it that Nez was calling the shots. Or maybe it just seemed that way because, by sheer virtue of having Nez onstage, a whole slew of songs came with him — beloved tracks that no one but he could tackle.

Though the “Mike & Micky Show” also seems heavy on the Nez, it’s also well-balanced to accommodate the duo’s distinct personalities and give each his time to shine. Most exciting for me, personally, is the inclusion of the stunning country rocker “St. Matthew,” a bottom-of-the-barrel deep cut from the second volume of Missing Links outtakes released in the ’90s.

Originally produced during the same ’68 Nashville sessions that gave us “Listen to the Band,” “St. Matthew” is no less elaborate or instrumentally dense. The current touring band carries it off perfectly thanks to the addition of Pete Finney (pedal steel) and Paul Kramer (banjo, fiddle, and guitar) to the core group of Wayne Avers (guitar), Christian Nesmith (guitar), John Billings (bass), Rich Dart (drums), Alex Jules (keyboard), and Coco Dolenz and Circe Link (background vocals and percussion).

“St. Matthew” is only one setlist addition pandering to hardcore fans. Popping up for the first time is a Nesmith-written album cut from The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees, “Auntie’s Municipal Court,” one of a few Monkees songs that Nez wrote and Micky sang. The harmonies are beyond sublime, picking up where the ethereal feel of the original left off. And hearing it is, obviously, delightful — another, “No way!” moment.

In the past, I’ve called the Nesmith/Dolenz pairing “sacred,” and not just because the two played off each other so well on TV. Their vocals, when combined, create something irresistable, something that elevates the Monkees’ sound beyond bubblegum. Even today, the combo has the same effect, probably because Dolenz’s radio-ready leads and Nesmith’s country-tinged twang are still as strong as ever.

Onstage, the two are complements. Dolenz is forever the consummate entertainer, whether it’s a skip across the stage during “Goin’ Down” or belting out the beautiful “Porpoise Song” while perched dramatically on a stool. Those Head numbers are Micky’s highlights for sure — during the set, he appropriately takes it down a notch for “As We Go Along,” Carole King’s ballad also from the Monkees’ 1968 cult classic.

Dolenz also does something else that’s unexpected. The show’s second half opens with a mini-acoustic set that includes — major spoiler alert — “Randy Scouse Git,” of all things. Gone is the bravado of past tours in all its poncho-and-timpanied glory. (Not that all the schtick doesn’t have its proper place — just not here.)

Instead, the track is performed “the way I wrote it,” explains Dolenz — on acoustic guitars. The version gives the song something resembling poignancy, especially when Dolenz and Christian Nesmith join forces on vocals and guitar, respectively, for the ad-libbed scat portion, which had the crowd in near hysterics.

While the setlist also includes the necessities (“Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” etc. etc.), its legacy will be the slew of lesser- and never-heard-live cuts, including “The Door Into Summer” (aptly titled) and “Steam Engine,” which made its setlist debut on the Monkees’ 50th anniversary tour. A slowed-down version of Nesmith’s solo track “Grand Ennui” also makes an appearance, and while it’s not one of my favorite moments of the show, it was apparently included at the insistence of none other than Micky Dolenz himself.

I had one profound(ish) moment as I watched the band onstage at the Orpheum: During a few rare false starts from Dolenz or Nesmith, I briefly thought to myself, “How could they forget how this song starts? Or that there’s a bridge there?”

Then, it dawned on me — as fans, our relationship with these songs, especially the deeper dives, is completely different, and probably more evergreen, than either Dolenz’s or Nesmith’s. Of course we know every single intricacy because these tracks occupy a different, maybe more prominent, place in our consciousness. They, in varying degrees, moved on (and, uh, came back, as it were).

In reality, these guys haven’t sang some of these songs in literally 50 years. The fact that they dig deep and come up with unforgettable moments to please even the most jaded fans speaks volumes. The music is alive for us all the time — just a click or a record spin away. On this tour, it comes alive for — and with — them, too.

Want more Monkees? Check out our ranking of their top 50 songs:

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Allison Johnelle Boron

Allison Johnelle Boron is a Los Angeles-based music writer and editor whose work has appeared in Paste, Goldmine, Popdose, and more. She is the founder and editor of REBEAT. Her karaoke song is "Runaway" by Del Shannon. Find her on Twitter. All writing and opinions are unaffiliated with any company or organization and are strictly her own.