For years now, Monkees fans have been intrigued by the group's 1969 concert tour. Conducted in the aftermath of a turbulent era that had seen the departure of Peter Tork, the commercial failure of their motion picture Head, and a lukewarm NBC television special, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Davy Jones soldiered on, playing to live audiences in North America throughout most of 1969. Their live show that year was transformed into a soul revue that featured music, comedy bits, and a multimedia presentation; all the while being backed by a true rhythm and blues band in Sam & The Goodtimers. Yet a great deal of mystery surrounds the 1969 tour. The once golden fortunes of The Monkees had dwindled in a sudden and severe fashion. By the time the last year of the decade arrived, the group's commercial power, which had resulted in four straight number one albums, three number one singles, multiple Emmy Awards, and sold-out stadiums worldwide, was hitting its nadir. As a result, less documentation exists for the 1969 tour than the ones that preceded it. An official live album was not recorded. Photographs and live footage remains scarce. And some details surrounding the composition of the show itself are still unknown. ![]() Thanks to Monkees archivist Andrew Sandoval, who carefully researched this era of Monkees history for his book, The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the '60s TV Pop Sensation, more information about the 1969 tour is available today than ever before. But, questions remain. This article will take a look at one of those unknowns, specifically the footage filmed by The Monkees for use during their '69 concerts. What made up this footage, how much of it was actually used during the show, and has it survived after all of these years? In the 1969 chapter of Sandoval's book, there are a couple of references to filming activities. During the month of March, Sandoval writes that "The group are currently preparing for their first concert performances as a trio...The plan is for an all-new stage presentation similar in style to a revue. Not only will the set be musically rearranged to reflect a more soulful direction, but the group's usual rear-projection displays will be revamped to feature completely new film footage, which is mostly shot this month. Michael is at work in his home studio to prepare a tape of sound effects for use in the concerts." Plenty of evidence exists showing Micky, Davy, and Michael were in fact busy staging and filming some sort of footage in 1969. Photographs published in various issues of the British publication Monkees Monthly throughout 1969 capture the trio hard at work. Comments at the time from Michael also seem to confirm that a lot of effort was exerted while preparing for the '69 tour. "All three of us have been out on locations, making film clips that we'll be showing on screen during the show," Nez told Monkees Monthly in its April 1969 issue. "Some of them are very funny, some a bit sad, but again the idea is to put on a complete show that reaches out and grabs you." Nez also talked about the tape effects he was recording in his home studio. "I've been spending hours in the studios getting little sound effects on tape, so we can work them into the act. It'll all add to the surprise effect, I hope, and keep the action going. Nope, I'm not telling you what it's all about. Just that when you think you're coming to a lull in the show, something kinda explodes from the tape machine. And that'll be me, friends. The product of my own studio." Professional reviews also alluded to the multimedia aspect of The Monkees' new concert show. The May 1969 issue of Monkees Monthly noted the "addition of film inserts and tape recordings" when describing the first stops on the '69 tour. While reviewing opening night in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Monkees Monthly referenced the projected footage, saying that "The scenes began with still shots of the boys interspersed with amusing shots, photos of all sorts of events and people, and ended up with a dynamic and vibrating pattern of lights tuned exactly to what the boys were playing on stage." Bob Smith of the Vancouver Sun observed that "There was a mild light show made up of Monkees film clips which garnered shouts of joy from the girls but my notes read, 'Was it necessary?'" Despite these reports, Andrew Sandoval confirmed for this piece that it's uncertain as to what specifically appeared on the stage screen during the 1969 concerts. "I do not know what was used in the backdrop for the 1969 tour," he said. Could some of the film footage or audio recordings produced in 1969 actually have been for projects beyond the concert tour that year? The Monkees were certainly not at a loss during this period when it came to ideas for future group endeavors. In his book, Sandoval cites a quote Michael gave to the Honolulu Advertiser during a stop in Hawaii for a concert there. "We're expanding. Specifically, we've just finished up the 20th episode of a radio show - a series of mini-dramas. We're looking for the right deal now." Nez continued, saying "Davy's got a friend working on a Broadway thing for us." Micky also discussed the goal of The Monkees moving to Broadway. "Our ultimate aim is to put on a whole show, based on comedy, in a Broadway theatre and then transfer it to the West End of London," he told Monkees Monthly in its April 1969 issue. "We'd plan to do most of the writing ourselves, dream up zany ideas for ourselves, use every bit of the stage to get ourselves across as people...it would give us a real thrill to be able to produce a whole soundtrack original-cast album of ourselves performing from the stage of one of Broadway's most legitimate theatres." In addition to the bucket list of projects The Monkees floated in 1969, take note of the pictures that appear directly above and below this paragraph. Originally published in Monkees Monthly, the captions reference short films that the group was apparently working on at the time. Could some of the '69 era film footage been meant for a new television project? "We've been offered another TV series," Michael told the Honolulu Advertiser. "Whether we'll do it, I don't know." ![]() Has any of the film taped by The Monkees for the 1969 tour actually survived? I asked Andrew Sandoval about the current whereabouts of the footage, which led to more information about the trio's efforts that year. Sandoval noted that filming also took place at RCA in Hollywood (as this picture from the Instant Replay deluxe edition shows). "I have a ton of still photos of them shooting footage on top of the RCA Building for this," Sandoval said. Sadly, it seems that any film produced by The Monkees in 1969 is either unaccounted for or perhaps lost to history. "I have never seen the moving footage, nor does anyone seem to know of its whereabouts," Sandoval explained. For the time being, and unless reels turn up in someone's collection, Monkees fans will have to continue to speculate about the filming activities undertaken by Micky, Davy, and Michael in 1969. It may never be known to what extent such footage was used during the concert tour that year or if the footage was also being earmarked for another project at the time. Perhaps these questions would make insightful inquiries for both Michael and Micky at the upcoming Monkees convention in New Jersey. Above: This is silent footage of The Monkees performing on August 25, 1969 in Toronto at the Canadian National Exhibition. What appears to be a video screen can be seen starting at 1:09. Whether this screen was a part of the group's performance that day or simply a regular facet of the bandstand is unknown.
18 Comments
2/4/2014 02:12:34
I was one of the lucky few who saw The Monkees 1969 concert when I was a mere 8 years old... when they came to Knoxville TN. At the time, I suppose I didn't know that they were on their way down. I loved the show on the strength that it was my idols I was seeing live at last, but missed Peter Tork and the familiar arrangements for Monkee hits. BUT looking back I'm so glad I saw that particular tour because it was so off the wall! I remember that seeing footage on a big screen, and if it's any help I seem to recall that some of it was silent Keystone Cops- style antics with the three Monkees. My program of the show, which I still have, would bear me out on that as I believe there were some pictures of the guys dressed in similar fashion.
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Monkees Live Almanac
2/4/2014 12:53:07
Hi Jim,
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Michael
2/4/2014 03:04:50
Great write up! Also a great story Jim.So cool you saw them on that tour. These are the type of things that intrigue me.I also hope that someone uncovers the 1968 lost japan concert footage.
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Patrick
2/4/2014 07:13:25
I really enjoyed this piece! Most of the pictures you included were ones I hadn't seen previously. Keep up the great work!
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2/4/2014 13:49:15
You are all welcome, guys. Glad you like the memories. I have no access to a scanner any longer or I would try and scan in the entire 1969 program for this site. Reminiscing about it had me trying to figure out why I, a lifelong Monkee fan, had (in those days) only their first five LPs. I had no awareness of HEAD other than the fact that I knew that the boys were making a movie, and at that time I didn't run across the soundtrack on any shelves, else I would have bought it too. I recall being surprised by the inside page of the program's cover which was an ad for an album called INSTANT REPLAY; I didn't know of it til that concert, and didn't have a copy til a decade or so later, when Monkee albums began to turn up in second hand stores. When the guys had their amazing 80s resurgence, I saw them in the very same venue I'd seen their wacky '69 tour in. This time Peter was there and Mike was the absent one, which makes me a Monkee fan that has seen all four but never in the same room at the same time!, I recall the hysteria at the comeback concert being much more of what Monkeemania circa 1967 would have been like. Still, as I mentioned earlier, I am now proud of the fact that I saw the 1969 tour because of its unique nature.
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Monkees Live Almanac
2/5/2014 12:48:30
Jim,
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2/6/2014 01:50:44
Thanks! I will check it out. I have few ideas where mine could be at this time, so it'll save me having to look for it.
Rich C
3/20/2014 14:27:48
I just saw this post. I really wish somebody would ask Mike or Micky about these films.
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Joe B.
7/20/2014 12:53:59
I saw the Monkees in 1969 at the California State Fair in Sacramento, CA. I was 13 at the time. I don't remember a lot about the concert, but they played before a jam-packed grandstand at the fair's racetrack. I remember they arrived about a half hour (perhaps more) late. My strongest memories were of "Listen to the Band" and something I wrote in the back of the concert program - "The girls screamed too loud!"
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Monkees Live Almanac
7/20/2014 14:45:50
Great story, Joe. Thanks for sharing!
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LordByron
4/23/2015 18:08:23
Hey Gang, I can't believe I didn't see this entry before but I actually asked Davy about this probably one year before he died, the last time he appeared at something called the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Maryland. From what he told me briefly, the guys had made about 45 minutes of edited footage that was "all them, from top to bottom" in his words but that the sound stuff could not possibly synch up enough at every single venue, it was too complex, too costly, or the Monkees themselves had not accounted on recording it to translate to big stadium systems well enough so they were forced to play stuff completely silent and "we kinda lost interest"- the gist I got from my 15 minutes with him was that they wanted new video material to pad out the set so they could play longer shows. That's only a very small germ of information but hope it helps!
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Monkees Live Almanac
4/24/2015 11:42:39
Great story! Thanks a lot for sharing it with us. Please feel free to expound on what else Davy relayed to you about the '69 film footage!
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David Kilderry
5/10/2016 03:00:32
The first camera used in the pics here is a Beaulieu R16 16mm camera, the other larger camera looks to be a Mitchell 16mm camera. I understand that Mickey owned a 16mm camera himself, perhaps the Beaulieu was his? One or both were also likely from a rental house in Hollywood. Has anyone asked Mickey or Mike?
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Jack Garrett
5/10/2016 07:50:39
My cousin, Randy, saw the band in North Carolina on the 1969 tour and was impressed with their backing band and told me they did a funky, extended arrangement of "I'm A Believer." Randy said Micky and Davy just did vocals and Mike played rhythm guitar along with the Goodtimers. He said Tommy James was on the same bill but was probably confusing concerts. He has since passed away, but said it was a great show with lots of theatrics.
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Jason
5/10/2016 09:35:50
I've never understood why things fell apart so fast. That's a pretty decent audience that has come out for them.
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Fabmom
5/10/2016 10:17:27
I understand completely - the same thing happened for tweens, and for fans of the Beatles as their music became too complex for young fans. They went in an artistic and mature direction based on their own fulfillment desires and teenybopper fans could not relate. I know of many girls who switched from the Monkees to the Partridge Family! (and Davy for David C.) Then of course, Head was NOT for their young fans either and it all moved into that trippy stage that was too mature for the bulk of their fan base.
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Jon Stebbins
5/10/2016 10:59:10
This is interesting, but I think the real mystery is the 1968 Japan and Australian tour footage. The Japan shows were filmed for TV, audio exists, but no sign of the actual footage as of now. That would be the grail.
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Joe B.
8/30/2018 21:44:46
I already commented once back in 2014, but re-thinking about seeing them at the California State Fair in '69, I don't remember any video footage at all being played.
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