 Last night in Madison, Wisconsin at Overture Center for the Arts, Micky Dolenz and his band concluded a string of limited engagement shows meant to honor the legacy of The Monkees. "Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees," produced by Monkees historian and author Andrew Sandoval, opened on April 5 at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee (where The Monkees performed live in 2013 and also filmed an appearance with Johnny Cash in 1969). The Live Almanac covered the Nashville debut, complete with video footage, photographs, set list, and a look at the tour merchandise. Joining Micky onstage for these special shows were members of The Monkees' touring band, featuring Coco Dolenz, Wayne Avers, John Billings, Rich Dart, Pete Finney, Alex Jules, and Emeen Zarookian. At each stop, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork were honored with individual video and song tributes, and the set list included numbers that haven't been aired in some time, with "Valleri" (performed in the style of the first recorded version), "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," "Saturday's Child," "Can You Dig It," "Sometime in the Morning," "No Time," "Let's Dance On," "D.W. Washburn," and "That Was Then, This Is Now" all making appearances. During the pre-show, fans were treated to rare and unique audio selections playing over the house speakers, carefully curated by producer Sandoval in playlists that varied from city to city. The promotional materials for the "Celebrates The Monkees" shows also advertised rare photos and film from Micky's personal archives. Some of the highlights projected on the screen behind the band included footage of The Monkees rehearsing at the Hollywood Bowl in 1967, Micky, Davy, and Michael atop the RCA Building, filming a Kool-Aid commercial and more all from 1969, home movies, outtakes from the 1986 video shoot for "That Was Then, This Is Now," and The Monkees inside the recording studio. Micky will return to the road later this month, performing concerts and making various personal appearances throughout the summer. Check out Micky's current itinerary to see if he is coming to your town! In the meantime, enjoy some performances below from different cities on Micky's "Celebrates The Monkees" tour (tribute videos screened for Michael, Davy, and Peter can be seen in the Akron, Ohio footage) and don't forget the Live Almanac's previous coverage of opening night in Nashville, Tennessee. April 6: Richmond, Kentucky @ EKU Center for the ArtsApril 8: Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music CenterApril 9: Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music CenterApril 11: Wheeling, West Virgina @ The Capitol Theatre (more)April 12: Akron, Ohio @ Goodyear TheaterThanks to the Monkees Forever YouTube channel for providing the complete show in Akron, Ohio. Watch the tribute videos for Michael Nesmith (11:50) and Davy Jones (29:00) below, as well as footage of The Monkees rehearsing at the Hollywood Bowl (45:10): The tribute video for Peter Tork begins at 14:10: April 15: Riverside, IA @ Riverside Casino & Golf ResortApril 16: Madison, WI @ Overture Center for the Arts
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Earlier this week, Micky Dolenz debuted his new concert show, "Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees," at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The photos below of Micky and the band at the Ryman are courtesy of Sherri Hansen, a longtime Monkees fan and friend of the Live Almanac who for years has provided this site (and fans worldwide) with numerous photos and videos from Monkees concerts, group and solo. Sherri's photography was also featured in the compact disc and vinyl editions of The Monkees Live: The Mike & Micky Show that was released by Rhino Records in 2020. Thanks very much to Sherri for sharing her photos from Tuesday's performance at the Ryman, showcasing Micky, Coco Dolenz, Wayne Avers, John Billings, Rich Dart, Pete Finney, Alex Jules, and Emeen Zarookian. This evening, Micky Dolenz debuted his new concert show, "Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees," at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Thank you to Andrew Sandoval for sharing a copy of the night's set list, and be sure to get your tickets for this special limited run engagement!  Here's a look at items for sale at the merchandise booth, which includes copies of the long out-of-print The Monkees: The Complete Series Blu-ray recently discovered by Rhino/Warner. Other pieces include vinyl and CD copies of Dolenz Sings Nesmith along with a T-shirt featuring the album's cover art, Monkees tour programs from 2012 and 2013, and Monkees Farewell Tour shirts from 2021:  (Photo courtesy of The Monkees' official Facebook page - click image to visit) Thank you to Sherri Hansen, Alan Adkins, Michael Lawson, Jill Mitchell, The Junk Rocker, Derek Miner, and others for sharing some of their footage from the performance at the Ryman: And Happy Birthday to Coco Dolenz, who was serenaded by Micky, the band, and the crowd during the show in celebration: 
Here he comes! This spring, Micky Dolenz will pay tribute to his fellow Monkees bandmates, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, during a special limited run of shows. "Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees" opens on April 5, 2022 at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
"We will be fully delving into The Monkees' songbook, as well as Micky's personal archive of films and photos to create a unique evening of memories," said manager Andrew Sandoval when the tour was announced in February. "It will give Micky and the band an opportunity to share the music he made alongside Davy, Peter, and Michael and reminisce on their journey as brothers for five decades. We have also been talking about Micky singing some songs he's never done on stage before, as well as pulling out older Monkees album tracks that have not been performed in many years." Watch Micky talk about the "Celebrates The Monkees" show in the video below, which includes some snippets of rare footage from his archives featuring The Monkees, Jack Nicholson, and more:
Joining Micky onstage will be members of "The Mike & Micky Show" band: Wayne Avers, Coco Dolenz, Emeen Zarookian, Rich Dart, Alex Jules, John Billings, and Pete Finney. Tickets are currently on sale.
To commemorate Micky's opening night at the Ryman in Nashville, several fan festivities are being planned by Wine Down Nashville, which has been owned and operated by Amy and John Billings since 2019. John is a veteran musician with a long list of credits who was the bass player in The Monkees' touring band and continues to perform at Micky's solo shows. This weekend on Facebook, he previewed the unique events that will take place in the lead up to the performance at the Ryman:
As John said in the video above, be sure to like and follow the "Monkee Mania Weekend" page on Facebook for updates on guests, events, and all the fun that will usher in the Nashville concert.
In what surely will be an entertaining event, John will share the stage at Wine Down Nashville on Saturday, April 2 with drummer Rich Dart, who has performed with The Monkees since 2012 and with Micky Dolenz for even longer. (UPDATE: This event is now sold out.)
(Click image above to RSVP)
On Sunday, April 3, Wine Down Nashville will welcome Pete Finney, the pedal steel extraordinaire who was a member of Michael Nesmith's First National Band Redux and also played with Micky and Michael on the various "Mike & Micky Show" tours, along with the multitalented singer-songwriter Chris Scruggs. Pete and Chris will be joined by host Jay McDowell for an evening of music and memories of Michael Nesmith. Purchase your tickets to this event by clicking the image below:
On the day of Micky's show at the Ryman, take a moment at Wine Down Nashville to celebrate Coco Dolenz's birthday with a special "Birthday Brunch" in Coco's honor. Tickets are now available!
And if that's not enough to get you ready for Micky's Nashville opener on his "Celebrates The Monkees" tour, Jodi Ritzen of Monkee Meet and Greets is sponsoring several different get togethers (featuring the likes of Wayne Avers and Sandy Gennaro), including a preshow event at Wine Down Nashville before Micky's concert at the Ryman.
(Click image above to RSVP)
Be sure to watch this post for future updates, and get your tickets now for "Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees"!
Micky Dolenz will hit the road this April for a special series of shows designed to pay tribute to his longtime bandmates Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. "Micky Dolenz Celebrates The Monkees" opens on April 5, 2022 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and will close in Madison, Wisconsin on April 16 at Overture Center for the Arts.
Joining Micky onstage will be the members of "The Mike & Micky Show" band: Wayne Avers, Emeen Zarookian, Gemma Dolenz, Rich Dart, Alex Jules, John Billings, and Pete Finney. "We will be fully delving into The Monkees' songbook, as well as Micky's personal archive of films and photos to create a unique evening of memories," said manager Andrew Sandoval earlier today on social media. "It will give Micky and the band an opportunity to share the music he made alongside Davy, Peter, and Michael and reminisce on their journey as brothers for five decades. We have also been talking about Micky singing some songs he's never done on stage before, as well as pulling out older Monkees album tracks that have not been performed in many years. It is unclear if we will be doing anything beyond these nine shows in this format, but we are truly looking forward to being together again to celebrate the Monkees in song." Tickets go on sale this Friday, February 11 but presales will begin on Tuesday, February 9 with the presale code CELEBRATE for all shows. Check out the official press release with tour dates below, as well as the most up-to-date press coverage regarding the announcement of the tour. OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Micky Dolenz of The Monkees will embark on a special series of concert dates in April 2022. Honoring the contributions of his bandmates – the late Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith & Peter Tork – in song and with personal multimedia footage of the legendary performers, Dolenz will celebrate their lasting legacy on record and film. Launching on April 5 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, the tour will end on April 16 at Madison’s Overture Center For The Arts. TOUR DATES
April 5: Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
April 6: Richmond, KY @ EKU Center For The Arts April 8: Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center April 9: Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center April 11: Wheeling, WV @ The Capitol Theatre April 12: Akron, OH @ Goodyear Theater April 13: Joliet, IL @ Rialto Square Theatre April 15: Riverside, IA @ Riverside Casino & Golf Resort April 16: Madison, WI @ Overture Center For The Arts PRESS COVERAGE
Fox News: Micky Dolenz, last surviving Monkees member, to embark on tribute tour: ‘Like my brothers’
UPDATE 4/1/2022: Andrew Sandoval discussed the upcoming tour and more in a post on Facebook today:
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