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Last week, Micky Dolenz performed a series of sold-out performances at Avalon Theatre at Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Check out a report from the show along with some photos: You can view Micky's set list from these shows here and here, thanks to Scott Catton. You'll note that Micky performed "Kicks," a track The Monkees covered during their 1986 recording sessions for Then & Now...The Best of The Monkees. Micky added the song to his solo show in 2018. Michael Nesmith, along with Pete Finney on pedal steel, continue their mini-tour tomorrow evening at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood, California as they highlight Michael's 1972 album, And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'. Here's a review of opening night in Seattle: And don't forget about Michael's recent conversation with the Los Angeles Times: Finally, thanks to Tracy Robison for sharing his video footage of Nez and Pete from the second stop of their tour in Grants Pass, Oregon at the Rogue Theater:  (Photo courtesy of Rebecca / Jodi Ritzen)
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This past Thursday night in Seattle, Washington, Michael Nesmith, along with pedal steel guitarist Pete Finney and special guest Ben Gibbard, performed the first in a series of shows highlighting his classic 1972 album, And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'. Here is the set list, thanks to Andrew Sandoval: Two Different Roads Tomorrow & Me Some of Shelly's Blues Keys To The Car Listening The Upside Of Goodbye With Special Guest Ben Gibbard Papa Gene's Blues Joanne The Crippled Lion Keep On The Candidate Propinquity Encore Different Drum Nine Times Blue Marie's Theme Silver Moon  This past November, the 50th anniversary of Head was commemorated at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and featured special guests Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith. Monkees archivist and producer Andrew Sandoval hosted a Q&A session with Micky and Michael after the sold-out screening, which also included a slideshow created by Andrew that showcased photographs taken by legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz. The slideshow revealed many never before seen photos from The Monkees' appearance at Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah while filming the "Circle Sky" sequence for the movie Head, screenshots which can be seen below. (The slideshow can be viewed in its entirety at Michael Nesmith's Videoranch Facebook page.)  (All photos by Henry Diltz)   Michael Nesmith speaks to REBEAT about his solo albums, The Monkees, First National Band, and more1/11/2019 Recently on Facebook, Michael Nesmith talked about his upcoming tour with pedal steel guitarist Pete Finney that will highlight his 1972 album, And The Hits Just Keep On Comin', and more:  (Photo courtesy of Videoranch) Here is a message from the stream. The show you are about to see is a show Red Rhodes and I put together in 1974 based loosely on the “Hits” album (And the Hits Just Keep On Comin’, 1972) we had just made. The record was different from the live show by a difference so subtle I hadn’t noticed, until night after night of playing, on one of those nights, we got airborne. For me this music is the most fun to play especially when Red would hit the secret switch. Magic. Untethered to space and time. Riding the space unconfined. Then, sadly Red was gone, and with him, his little secret switch. So it appeared that after the few shows we did in England, and a few in the States, the career of the First National Band would end. To say I wandered a few years is an embarrassing understatement -- but I did, always waiting for the little switch. I found it after playing a short tour with Pete Finney. I found out he had the switch, too. Turns out, all steel-players do --- some use it, some don’t. The switch comes bound to the steel-player and then includes whatever instrument they are playing so the sound is unique to their musical swirl. Come ride those swirls with Pete Finney and me and let him slide us away to this land and time where we all play. Best, Nez Don't miss Nez and Pete this January! And in the event you haven't heard, Ben Gibbard & Scott McCaughey will be the duo's special guests on opening night in Seattle! Ben is the lead vocalist and guitarist of Death Cab For Cutie who also wrote "Me & Magdalena" for The Monkees' 2016 album, Good Times! Scott is a respected singer/singwriter whose band The Minus 5 released Of Monkees and Men in 2016, described as "an imaginative tribute to the Monkees’ legacy in music and popular culture." Scott also co-wrote the title track with Peter Buck (R.E.M.) from The Monkees' new holiday album, Christmas Party, and was closely aligned with R.E.M. as an auxiliary musician in the studio and on stage with the group from 1994 until their their breakup in 2011. Here's a complete list of tour dates and ticket links for Michael Nesmith and Pete Finney in January 2019: January 17: Neptune Theatre / Seattle, Washington January 19: The Rogue Theater / Grants Pass, Oregon January 20: Sofia Center For The Arts / Sacramento, California January 22: Troubadour / West Hollywood, California January 24: The Coach House / San Juan Capistrano, California January 26: Sweetwater Music Hall / Mill Valley, California  On May 17, 1968, The Monkees finished their first and only motion picture, Head, with the filming of the "Circle Sky" concert scene in front of four thousand fans at the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. They performed "Circle Sky" several times for the cameras and also did a handful of other special requests. Patio Gardens, a venue housed inside the Farmington, Utah amusement resort Lagoon, was the original location for the filming of "Circle Sky." The venue was changed at the last minute to the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City for logistical reasons, despite fans already waiting in line at Patio Gardens. To make amends, The Monkees delivered a 30-minute set later that evening in front of a crowd of five thousand at Patio Gardens. This particular show was not filmed or recorded, and a setlist has yet to surface. The two Utah-based concerts in May 1968 would constitute the last live performances by all four Monkees in the United States until 1986. This past November, the 50th anniversary of Head was commemorated at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and featured special guests Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith. Monkees archivist and producer Andrew Sandoval hosted a Q&A session with Micky and Michael after the sold-out screening, which also included a slideshow created by Andrew that showcased photographs taken by legendary rock photographer Henry Diltz. The final part of the slideshow revealed many never before seen photos from The Monkees' performance at Lagoon's Patio Gardens, screenshots which can be seen below. (The slideshow can be viewed in its entirety at Michael Nesmith's Videoranch Facebook page.) A special thanks goes to the Live Almanac's friends at Written In Our Hearts for inspiring this post based on screenshots they had previously shared from the Diltz slideshow!                    Jack Nicholson, center, co-wrote and co-produced The Monkees' feature film "Head" and was in attendance at Lagoon (All photos by Henry Diltz)  (From the January 1968 issue of Teen Screen) Kool-Aid acted as a commercial sponsor when The Monkees television series debuted in syndication on CBS in the fall of 1969.  "The Christmas Song," the classic holiday standard performed by Michael Nesmith on The Monkees' new album Christmas Party, debuted in music video form today on RollingStone.com. Produced, directed, and animated by Jonathan Nesmith and Susan Holloway, the clip features newly recorded dialogue by both Nesmith and Micky Dolenz. John Hughes of Rhino Records has shared with The Monkees Live Almanac a few screen shots from the upcoming music video for "The Christmas Song," the classic holiday standard performed by Michael Nesmith on The Monkees' new album, Christmas Party. The video, directed by Jonathan Nesmith and Susan Holloway, will debut on Monday, December 17! Jonathan and Susan were also responsible for the music video for "You Bring the Summer" in 2016, and based on their previous efforts, Monkees fans are in for a treat. Thanks, John!    Ken Mills is joined by Monkees Tour Manager Andrew Sandoval to talk about the busy touring schedule in 2019, including Mike Nesmith and Pete Finney dates in January, the Mike and Micky Show US dates in March, and Aussie and New Zealand dates in June. Plus, Bronwyn Knox-Lawler talks episode 3 of the Monkees: Monkee vs. Machine…& More!  Just announced! Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz will embark on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in June 2019. These concerts will represent Michael's first "Monkees" shows in Australia since 1968 (he last performed there as a solo act in 1977). Micky, along with Peter Tork, played to audiences in Australia and New Zealand most recently in 2016 during The Monkees' 50th Anniversary Tour. "The Mike & Micky Show" officially returns to the road this March when it stops in 12 US cities before making its way down under. Tour dates for Australia and New Zealand can be found below, and tickets go on sale Friday, December 14! June 8: Isaac Theatre Royal / Christchurch, New Zealand June 9: Great Hall / Auckland, New Zealand June 10: Michael Fowler Centre / Wellington, New Zealand June 12: Queensland Performing Arts Centre / Brisbane, Australia June 15: Palais Theatre / Melbourne, Australia June 16: Astor Theatre / Perth, Australia June 18: Sydney Opera House / Sydney, Australia  The Monkees visited the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee when they were guests on the July 19, 1969 edition of The Johnny Cash Show. The trio sang Michael Nesmith's "Nine Times Blue" in an appearance that was filmed earlier that May. Micky, Davy, and Mike were later joined by Johnny for a comedic take of "Everybody Loves a Nut," originally featured on Cash's 1966 novelty album. Today, Andrew Sandoval announced on Facebook that Michael Nesmith will perform the songs from his 1972 album And The Hits Just Keep On Comin' with pedal steel guitarist Pete Finney for a series of shows on the West Coast throughout January 2019. Here is the text of Andrew's announcement: "I am pleased to announce that in a few weeks, Michael Nesmith will return to the concert stage to perform his classic 1972 album, And The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ for a series of West Coast shows. Accompanied by just his trusty pedal steel guitarist, Pete Finney, these performances will mark the first time Nez has toured in a duo format since 1975. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, November 21, 2018. VIP Meet & Greet packages will also be available in limited numbers. "Although his recent performances have focused on his legendary 1970s albums recorded for RCA, this is the first time he will perform any of his albums in its entirety. And The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ is significant in Nesmith’s catalog, because it returned him to his roots as a singer-songwriter where his career began before The Monkees. Featuring just the accompaniment of Red Rhodes on pedal steel, his music and message achieved real purity on the album’s ten original songs. "Hits served as the truest songbook that Michael would ever issue on record and it remains among his most satisfying albums. In addition to the album’s ten songs, you can expect to hear many of Nesmith’s other key tracks of the era, such as “Joanne,” “Silver Moon,” “Some Of Shelley’s Blues” and “Propinquity.” If I don't see you in January for these shows, I hope to catch up with you for the Mike & Micky Show, which is hitting the Northeast & Midwest in March!" A complete list of venues and cities appears below, and tickets go on sale this Wednesday, November 21: January 17: Neptune Theatre / Seattle, Washington January 19: The Rogue Theater / Grants Pass, Oregon January 20: Sofia Center For The Arts / Sacramento, California January 22: Troubadour / West Hollywood, California January 24: The Coach House / San Juan Capistrano, California January 26: Sweetwater Music Hall / Mill Valley, California  After a series of critically acclaimed shows in June 2018 that were ultimately cut short due to illness, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz are bringing their "Mike & Micky Show" back to US concert venues in 2019. In an announcement made this morning on The Monkees Tour Facebook page, the duo revealed an expanded tour itinerary that not only includes the four cities rescheduled from last June but another eight shows in brand new markets. Here are the dates and links to purchase tickets for "The Mike & Micky Show" tour this March. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 16! February 28: Mohegan Sun Arena / Uncasville, Connecticut (Private Show) March 1: Chevalier Theatre / Medford, Massachusetts March 2: Ovation Hall / Atlantic City, New Jersey March 3: American Music Theatre / Lancaster, Pennsylvania March 5: Count Basie Theatre / Red Bank, New Jersey March 6: Keswick Theatre / Philadelphia, Pennsylvania March 8: The Paramount / Huntington, New York March 9: Beacon Theatre / New York, New York March 10: Palace Theatre / Albany, New York March 12: Royal Oak Music Theatre / Royal Oak, Michigan March 14: Mystic Lake Casino / Prior Lake, Minnesota March 15: Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds / New Buffalo, Michigan March 16: The Family Arena / St. Charles, Missouri The Monkees Live Almanac chronicled the 2018 "Mike & Micky Show" tour as it happened. Complete coverage of those concerts, including reviews, photos, videos, and more can be found in the Live Almanac's archives. UPDATE 12/5/2018: Just announced - "The Mike & Micky Show" will also visit Australia and New Zealand in June 2019.  (Image courtesy of The Monkees Tour Facebook page)  Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Andrew Sandoval (Photo by Chris Willman and courtesy of Variety.com) |
"Mike & Micky Show" in 2019
"And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" Tour
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