My Philadelphia review

Baseball-style trading card distributed to concertgoers at the Mann

When The Monkees arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 20, they were greeted by a week-long heat wave that had settled into the region, complete with excessive heat warnings and a blistering sun that had made it next to impossible to be out of doors without air conditioning. By showtime on Saturday evening, things were a bit more tolerable as temperatures had fallen slightly that day, but it was still steaming. Despite these conditions, Micky, Michael, Peter and company were scheduled to play the first outdoor venue on their 2013 tour, dubbed "A Midsummer's Night with The Monkees." The Mann Center for the Performing Arts is a large outdoor amphitheatre with covered seating but open spaces in the back of the venue and on the sides. The heat was a factor for concertgoers and Micky joked about it later during the show.

The Mann

My seats, thanks to the pre-sale, were ideal...four rows back on Michael's side of the stage. A little after 7:30pm, the pre-show began. A variety of clips were screened, including Micky, Michael and Davy singing "Nine Times Blue" live on The Johnny Cash Show in 1969, which was a real treat to watch on the big screen. A few vintage commercials featuring The Monkees hocking products like Rice Krispies cereal, Yardley Black Label cologne, Nerf and Kool-Aid reminded you of how all-consuming the Monkees corporate machine was in the 1960s, but these bits are always fun to watch. Some music video romps from The Monkees television series were screened as well, including "Love Is Only Sleeping" filmed in the Rainbow Room, "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)" from the "Monkees in Manhattan" episode, and two Saturday Afternoon-era romps with Changes material substituted for the original first-run music selections. Select Monkees songs were played over the house speakers as well, including "Dream World" (great to hear this one), the Headquarters version of "Mr. Webster" and Micky's pre-Monkees single "Don't Do It."

Despite the heat, there was an excellent turnout for the show and the crowd was in great spirits throughout the evening. At about 8pm, a new, albeit brief, video package was screened that served as the formal start of the show and which ultimately brought The Monkees onto the stage. Various clips comprised the video, including scenes from Head; a late 1950s Kelloggs Sugar Pops commercial featuring Micky; Peter's 1982 appearance on Late Night with David Letterman; "Goin Down" on Breaking Bad; Davy on The Brady Bunch (which elicited a large reaction from the crowd); the 1967 Emmy Awards; a 1986 Monkees MTV bumper; and finally, the opening credits of the television series with the theme song blaring, which amped the crowd for the arrival of Micky, Michael and Peter.

High Points

• "Last Train to Clarksville" remains a great opener. The version in Philadelphia was rousing and got people on their feet early.
• The harmonizing between Michael and Micky throughout the evening was impeccable, first noticed on "Papa Gene's Blues" and "The Kind of Girl I Could Love" and later during the Headquarters set, "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" and "Circle Sky."
• Beyond having Nez back in the fold, the fact that so many of his songs are in the set adds a whole new element to seeing The Monkees in concert. It shows the strength of his contributions, and furthermore, it's great that the fans can now celebrate those contributions with him. Plus, he looked like he was having a lot of fun up there.
• Peter's instrumental presence in the show has never been more prominent. His keyboard work on "No Time" and "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" was fantastic as was his slide guitar on "The Kind of Girl I Could Love," and it's fun to hear Peter recreate his bass lines on songs like "You Just May Be the One." His use of the banjo on "You Told Me," "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" and "Sweet Young Thing" show not only his versatility as an instrumentalist but also of The Monkees' music catalog.
• Speaking of "No Time," I can't say I was excited to see this one back in the set, but its performance at the Mann changed my viewpoint. From Michael's "serious" introduction to Micky's first burst of notes, Peter's keyboard work and Michael's hilarious turn at the lyrics, it left an impression on me by the end of the night.
• The Headquarters set remains a real treat. Micky's drumming during this segment was stronger than last year and he flat out rocked the kit during "Mary, Mary."
• Dave Alexander's recreation of Peter's organ solo during "Early Morning Blues and Greens" must be noted. It advances the mood that Peter has already established with his fine rendition of the song.
• Kudos to the entire backing band as well, who in my estimation are the best group of musicians to have supported The Monkees on the various tours since the 1980s. You have the presence of longtime Monkees travelers like Wayne Avers, Aviva Maloney and Alexander. The family connection consisting of Coco Dolenz and Christian Nesmith brings a nice element, and newcomers Rich Dart and John Billings (who was having a great time onstage in Philadelphia) provide a powerful rhythm section. In years past I thought Wayne could sometimes be too flashy on the guitar while taking too many liberties with the arrangements, but his work on this tour and the last one (not to mention the 2011 tour as well) has been very tasteful, to his credit. It's also nice to see a lot of critics highlighting the band in their reviews of the show.
• Micky's voice is in terrific shape. "Porpoise Song" was delivered dramatically but "As We Go Along" is also a showstopper. Despite singing "I'm a Believer" and "Steppin' Stone" for the gazillionth time, he still gives it his all during these songs. Micky also seemed more comfortable this time around in his new role as 'master of ceremonies,' filling the void left by Davy.
• "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" has become a great set closer. I didn't necessarily feel that way during the 2012 tour as I thought the performance lacked something, but Michael appears more confident in his delivery of the song this go around. The fact that the trio joined together on Micky's mic in Philadelphia to sing the chorus was an extra treat.

(Photo by Michelle Weinstock)

• Choosing an audience member to sing "Daydream Believer" continues to work. I was wondering if this way of performing the song would have lost some of its luster after receiving this same treatment on the 2012 tour, but it hasn't. The footage of Davy on the big screen during it still packs a powerful punch. With its placement coming right after the airing of Davy's performance of "Daddy's Song" from Head, it's a nice way to celebrate Davy and maintain his presence in the show.
• The Head set continues to impress and helps give the soundtrack the recognition that for so long was overdue. It's great seeing Nez onstage performing these songs, and there's not a weak link throughout.
• The reworked "Sweet Young Thing" is something I would love to hear cut in the studio.
• The revamped video production was superb and the screen is very sharp. The incidental video breaks between each segment of the show also helped to reinforce the 'multimedia' theme of the evening.

Things I'd Do Differently

• Peter on bass instead of guitar for "Circle Sky"...
• Micky and Peter should stop sharing Micky's microphone during "Words." In Philadelphia and on all the other footage I've seen on YouTube, Micky seemed a bit rushed with the lyrics when having to step aside for Peter to use his microphone for the response lyric.
• Though I enjoyed the genuinely funny performance of "Daily Nightly" on the 2012 tour, complete with Nez imitating the Moog synthesizer part in lieu of the real thing, the routine seemed a bit worn this time around. Granted, there were many in the audience who probably did not attend a show on the 2012 tour and for them it was fresh, but I still came away thinking that this bit should have been retired. Where "Daily Nightly" falls in the set list seems like it would have been a great spot for something like "Salesman" or "The Door Into Summer." 
• At the end of "Mary, Mary" the band breaks into a small pseudo-jam, kind of like the old days. I'd really like to see the play out of the song extended. Micky was on fire on the drums and the whole thing ended too quickly.
• In an interview with Rolling Stone right before the tour, Nez relayed that there would be an acoustic section in the show with just acoustic guitars and vocals. I really would have liked to have seen this set!
• I feel like "Tapioca Tundra" still needs a little work. It felt a bit sluggish on the 2012 tour but it has noticeably improved this summer. (Remember that when this song appeared in the set on the 2012 tour, it was the first time it had been performed live since the '69 tour.) That being said, I'd like to see Nez speed it up a bit when it comes to the delivery of his vocal. Rich Dart is moving the rhythm fast like on the original track and Nez sometimes is a step behind him. (It's still great to see this song in the set list, however.)
• The T-shirts being sold at the merchandise booth left little to be desired. I would have liked to have seen the images used on the poster available at the shows on a shirt, instead of the caricature-like images that dominated the selection. However, the tour program is nice with some great pictures and is well worth purchasing.

All in all, the concert in Philadelphia, the fifth stop on the 2013 tour, was a fantastic presentation. As great as the 2012 show was, I feel this performance was superior. It will be disappointing if a live album is not produced from this current round of concerts. 

Kudos to Andrew Sandoval and company for overseeing the rebirth of The Monkees on the concert stage since 2011, one that has included a vast exploration of the group's song catalog as well as the addition of the multimedia aspects. All of it has made for a memorable stretch in the latest chapter of Monkees history. Perhaps Matthew Hay Brown, when reviewing the show in Washington, D.C. at the Warner Theatre, put it best: "Never have they sounded better, appeared more assured or been more enjoyable than right now."

For pictures from the concert in Philadelphia, click here and here.

And check out this cool cover of "Listen to the Band" by Hubert Laws that was played over the house speakers as concertgoers made their way out of the Mann:

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"Last Train to Clarksville" at the Mann (Photo by Andrew Sandoval)