Micky Dolenz to Honor Departed Monkees Bandmates With Special Tour
Micky Dolenz is going to honor his departed Monkees bandmates Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones with a special tour. He’s billing it as Micky Dolenz Celebrates the Monkees, and it kicks off in April.
“I felt it was important to gather the fans and properly celebrate the lives of Davy, Mike and Peter,” Dolenz said in a statement. “People have been contacting me, requesting that I honor them in a way where the extraordinary impact of the Monkees can be properly acknowledged. We spent such a great deal of time together; they were like my brothers, and I want to share some of the great joy we had together.”
Dolenz will be backed by a seven-piece band for the show, and will play all the Monkees hits in addition to signature songs by all three of his former bandmates, including Nesmith’s “Different Drum” and “Papa Gene’s Blues,” Tork’s “For Pete’s Sake” and “Can You Dig It?”, and Jones’ “(Look Out) Here Comes Tomorrow” and “Valleri.” He’ll also share stories from his time in the group, and show unseen images from his personal archives.
Dolenz is the voice behind many of the group’s most famous songs, including “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” He is also the only Monkee to participate in every single reunion project the band ever attempted with the exception of a brief 1986 Austrian tour that featured just Jones and Tork.
“I never resented being known as a Monkee,” he told Rolling Stone last year. “Your career is like a train that takes an enormous amount of inertia to get it going. When it finally gets going, some people try to stop the train. Those are the people that you see in concert and they go, ‘I’m not going to sing any of my old hits. I’m going to change my entire image.’ They try and stop the train. Very seldom does that happen. It’s virtually impossible, and you just piss the fans off.”
Dolenz spent last year on an extensive Monkees farewell tour with Michael Nesmith that wrapped up just 26 days before Nesmith died from heart failure. “I found out a couple days ago that he was going into hospice,” Dolenz told Rolling Stone just a few hours after the news broke. “I knew what that meant. I had my moment then and I let go. It’s just good to know that he passed peacefully.”
Micky Dolenz Celebrates the Monkees 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 12 – Akron, OH @ Goodyear Theater
April 13 – Joliet, IL @ Rialto Square Theatre
April 16 – Madison, WI @ Overture Center For The Arts
