An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour

An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour,[1] also called Here They Come!: 45th Anniversary Tour, was the fourth and final reunion tour by American pop rock group the Monkees, including Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork. Jones died of a heart attack on February 29, 2012.[2] It was the group's first tour in a decade following Monkeemania, which ran from 2001 to 2002. The tour visited the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada. Due to the success of the first North American leg, a second leg was planned for the fall of 2011; however, dates were suddenly cancelled without explanation.[3]

An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour
Tour by the Monkees
Promotional poster for tour
Start dateMay 12, 2011 (2011-05-12)
End dateJuly 23, 2011 (2011-07-23)
Legs2
No. of shows10 in Europe
36 in North America
46 Total
the Monkees concert chronology
  • Monkeemania
    (2001–02)
  • 45th Anniversary Tour
    (2011)
  • An Evening with The Monkees (2012)

Background

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In October 2010, Davy Jones stated the group (minus Michael Nesmith) were reuniting in 2011, hinting at the possibility of the tour.[4] The three members of the group announced the tour on the BBC's The One Show.[5] The group stated the initial run was predominately in the UK, however, they hoped the success of the tour could be expanded to the U.S. The first ten dates of the tour were released on February 21, 2011. Shortly afterwards, dates in the U.S. and Canada were revealed as well. It was later reported that, if successful, the group will earn nearly £1 million each. Jones remarked that the tour was not about money but reconnecting with fans.

The tour came as a surprise to fans, following the backstage drama of the previous reunion tour. Group member Peter Tork stated that he had a meltdown on the last tour, causing tension between the other members of the tour. Tork further commented that he considered quitting towards the end of the tour but eventually chose to stay until the end of the trek.[6]

The tour was described as a "full multimedia experience." With visual design by Rachel Lichtman, it displayed clips from the group's popular TV series, rare and unseen adverts and footage from the cult film, Head.[7] It continues to state the group will play their greatest hits alongside rarities and album cuts from their nearly half-century career.[8] To introduce the tour, group member Micky Dolenz stated:

"We need to share this music once again as people want to hear music from times that made them happy. The records are being played all the time. And, the fans are still there. So, we're going to do it." "I'm looking forward to getting back together with my old buddies for some good ol' rock and roll."[9]

Making the tour unique from previous tours was the performers' choice to depart from simply doing their greatest hits, and choosing instead to include many rare songs. "Saturday's Child", a song from the Monkees' first album that had been featured on the TV show, had never been performed live. Other choices included "I Don't Think You Know Me" and "All of Your Toys", songs that were not released until 1987 on the rarities compilation Missing Links. "Hard to Believe", a song featured on their album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. but never used on the TV show, and "Someday Man", a 1969 single that never appeared on an album, were also included.

Setlist

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  1. "Scenes from The Monkees" (contains elements of "(Theme From) The Monkees") (Video Introduction)
  2. "I'm a Believer"
  3. "Mary, Mary"
  4. "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"
  5. "She Hangs Out"
  6. "Randy Scouse Git"
  7. "Your Auntie Grizelda"
  8. "It's Nice to Be with You"
  9. "I Don't Think You Know Me"
  10. "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)"
  11. "Words"
  12. "Cuddly Toy"
  13. "Papa Gene's Blues"
  14. "Listen to the Band"
  15. "That Was Then, This Is Now"
  16. "All of Your Toys"
  17. "Hard to Believe"
  18. "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?"
  19. "Sometime in the Morning"
  20. "Valleri"
  21. "Scenes from "Head" (Video Interlude)
  22. "No Time"
  23. "Circle Sky"
  24. "Can You Dig It"
  25. "As We Go Along"
  26. "Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?"
  27. "Porpoise Song"
  28. "Daddy's Song"
  29. "For Pete's Sake"
  30. "When Love Comes Knockin' (at Your Door)"
  31. "She"
  32. "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You"
  33. "Shades of Gray"
  34. "Last Train to Clarksville"
  35. "Goin' Down"
  36. "I Wanna Be Free"
  37. "Saturday's Child"
  38. "Someday Man"
  39. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
  40. "Daydream Believer"
Encore
  1. "Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky"
  2. "Pleasant Valley Sunday"
  3. "I'm a Believer" (Reprise)

Source:[10][11][12][13]

Tour dates

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Date City Country Venue
United Kingdom[8][14][15][16]
May 12, 2011 Liverpool England Echo Arena Liverpool
May 14, 2011 Manchester O2 Apollo Manchester
May 15, 2011 Newcastle Newcastle City Hall
May 16, 2011 Glasgow Scotland Clyde Auditorium
May 19, 2011 London England Royal Albert Hall
May 20, 2011 Sheffield Irwin Mitchell Oval Hall
May 21, 2011 Birmingham NIA Academy
May 23, 2011 Plymouth Plymouth Pavilions
May 24, 2011 Cardiff Wales Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
May 25, 2011 Nottingham England Royal Concert Hall
North America[8][14]
June 3, 2011[A] Atlanta United States Chastain Park Amphitheater
June 4, 2011 Clearwater Ruth Eckerd Hall
June 5, 2011 Pompano Beach Pompano Beach Amphitheater
June 6, 2011 Jacksonville Florida Theatre
June 8, 2011 Glen Allen Innsbrook Snagajob Pavilion
June 9, 2011 Morristown Mayo Performing Arts Center
June 10, 2011 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
June 11, 2011 Niagara Falls Canada Avalon Ballroom Theatre
June 12, 2011
June 15, 2011 Lowell United States Lowell Memorial Auditorium
June 16, 2011 New York City Beacon Theatre
June 17, 2011 Westbury NYCB Theatre at Westbury
June 18, 2011 Atlantic City Borgata Music Box
June 19, 2011 Vienna Filene Center
June 20, 2011 Hershey Hershey Theatre
June 22, 2011 Pittsburgh Stage AE
June 23, 2011 Detroit Fox Theatre
June 24, 2011 Columbus Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
June 25, 2011 Cincinnati Procter & Gamble Hall
June 26, 2011 Indianapolis Murat Theatre
June 28, 2011 South Bend Morris Performing Arts Center
June 29, 2011 Waukegan Genesee Theatre
June 30, 2011 Merrillville Star Plaza Theatre
July 1, 2011[B] Apple Valley Weesner Amphitheater
July 2, 2011[B]
July 3, 2011[C] Council Bluffs Stir Concert Cove
July 5, 2011 Denver Paramount Theatre
July 8, 2011 Tacoma Pantages Theater
July 9, 2011 Ridgefield Sleep Country Amphitheater
July 10, 2011 Saratoga Mountain Winery Amphitheater
July 13, 2011 Bakersfield Fox Theater
July 14, 2011 Santa Ynez Samala Showroom
July 15, 2011 Cabazon Morongo Events Center
July 16, 2011 Los Angeles Greek Theatre
July 21, 2011[D] New York City (Free concert) Coney Island
July 23, 2011[E] Milwaukee Marcus Amphitheater
Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
A This concert was a part of the "Delta Classic Chastain Summer Concert Series[17]
B These concerts were a part of "Music in the Zoo"[18]
C This concert was a part of the "Stir Cove Concert Series"[19]
D This concert was a part of the "Seaside Summer Concert Series"
E This concert was part of "Festa Italiana"[20][21]
Cancellations and rescheduled shows
August 26, 2011 Westbury, New York NYCB Theater at Westbury Cancelled[3]
August 27, 2011 Hyannis, Massachusetts Cape Cod Melody Tent Cancelled[3]
August 28, 2011 Hampton Beach, New Hampshire Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Cancelled[3]
August 31, 2011 Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania Tower Theater Cancelled[3]
September 1, 2011 Durham, North Carolina Durham Performing Arts Center Cancelled[3]
September 2, 2011 Huntington, West Virginia Big Sandy Superstore Arena Cancelled[3]
September 4, 2011 Cleveland, Ohio Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica Cancelled[3]
September 7, 2011 Englewood, New Jersey Bergen Performing Arts Center Cancelled[3]
September 8, 2011 New Brunswick, New Jersey State Theatre Cancelled[3]
September 9, 2011 Albany, New York Times Union Center Cancelled[3]
September 10, 2011 Bushkill, Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains Performing Arts Center Cancelled[3]
September 12, 2011 Saint Charles, Missouri Family Arena Cancelled[3]
September 23, 2011 Coquitlam, Canada Red Robinson Show Theatre Cancelled[3]

Box office score data

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Venue City Tickets sold / available Gross revenue
Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater 2,094/ 2,094 (100%) $114,688[22]
Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville 3,212 / 4,172 (77%) $96,360[23]
Beacon Theatre New York City 2,745 / 2,745 (100%) $194,275[24]
Hershey Theatre Hershey 1,944 / 1,944 (100%) $123,960[25]
Lifestyle Communities Pavilion Columbus 1,540 / 3,500 (44%) $66,348[22]
Morris Performing Arts Center South Bend 1,924 / 2,564 (75%) $110,488[22]
Stir Concert Cove Council Bluffs 2,913 / 3,500 (83%) $111,410[26]
Greek Theatre Los Angeles 5,076 / 5,826 (87%) $228,983[27]
TOTAL 21,448 / 26,345 (81%) $1,046,492

Critical reception

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Shows on the European leg of the tour received high praise from most music critics. Jade Wright (Liverpool Echo) gave the performance at the Echo Arena Liverpool an eight out of ten. She wrote: "Showing a refreshing lack of vanity, they chose to perform against a screen showing clips from their TV show— they may be older now but the energy and enthusiasm they put into the show meant the comparison was not an unkind one".[28]

The concert at the historic Royal Albert Hall in London received four out of five stars. Caroline Sullivan (The Guardian) felt the trio indulged the crowd with a throwback to the 60s. She writes, "With the Albert Hall full to capacity with old fans (and one or two young ones, possibly lured by their anomalous 1968 psychedelic movie Head), the Monkees are free to indulge themselves. They play 40 songs, including vaudeville numbers that involve zany voices and walks".[29]

Further praise came from Simon Price (The Independent). He thought the concert at the Royal Concert Hall was a "crowd-pleasing performance". He explains, "Almost apologetically, they run through the reassuring hits to happy-clappy acclaim. As Jones, Dolenz and Tork lap up the applause, most of the hall is relieved they finally played "Daydream Believer". Me, I'm thinking I need to buy Head immediately. Either way, everyone's happy. And yes, they do walk the walk. As, in many senses, they always did".[30]

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References

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  1. ^ Fontaine, Janis (31 May 2011). "Monkees celebrate 45th anniversary with tour visiting Pompano". The Palm Beach Post (PB Pulse). Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  2. ^ Poniewozik, James (February 2012). "RIP Davy Jones, The Monkees' Daydreamboat". Time. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Monkees axe anniversary tour". Toronto Sun. 9 August 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  4. ^ "Monkees in talks for 2011 reunion". Jam!. Quebecor. 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Monkees announce 10-date concert tour". United Press International. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  6. ^ Greene, Andy (7 March 2011). "Exclusive: The Monkees Resolve Personal Issues for 45th Anniversary Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  7. ^ "A new music film spotlights Monkees songwriters Boyce & Hart - The Ask". MusicFilmWeb. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  8. ^ a b c "THE MONKEES CELEBRATE THEIR 45TH ANNIVERSARY BY HITTING THE ROAD FOR THE FIRST LIVE PERFORMANCES IN A DECADE!" (Press release). The Monkees' Official Website. 25 February 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  9. ^ Zumpe, Lee Clark (24 May 2011). "Hey, hey – It's The Monkees!". Tampa Bay Newspapers. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  10. ^ Mason, Jeffery T. (13 May 2011). "Monkees Opening Night Setlist". KOOL-FM. CBS Radio. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  11. ^ Mitchell, Sharon (26 May 2011). "Review: The Monkees, Royal Concert Hall". Nottingham Post. Northcliffe Media. Retrieved 2 June 2011.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Russell, Mike (23 May 2011). "Review: Monkees, City Hall". Sheffield Star. Johnston Press. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  13. ^ Davies, Diana (23 May 2011). "The Monkees at Birmingham NIA – concert review". Express & Star. Midland News Association. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  14. ^ a b Hall, Tara (3 March 2011). "The Monkees prep for 45th anniversary trek". Soundspike. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  15. ^ Reevers, China (23 February 2011). "The Monkees Announce Spring Tour Dates". Paste. Paste Media Group LLC. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  16. ^ Stickler, Jon (21 February 2011). "The Monkees Reunite For UK Tour". Stereoboard. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  17. ^ "The List: Facts about the Monkees". The Washington Post. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  18. ^ Swensson, Andrea (28 February 2011). "The Monkees announce two nights at the Zoo". City Pages. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  19. ^ Lawler, Joe (8 April 2011). "Stir Cove Concert Series line up". Metromix. Des Moines, Iowa. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  20. ^ Miller III, Stanley A. (28 April 2011). "The Monkees set to play Festa". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  21. ^ Durkin, Erin (14 July 2011). "Free Brooklyn concerts will continue for the summer but at Coney Island". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  22. ^ a b c "Billboard Boxscore – Current Scores". Billboard. 16 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  23. ^ "Billboard Boxscore – Current Scores". Billboard. 20 August 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  24. ^ "Billboard Boxscore :: Current Scores". Billboard. 9 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  25. ^ "Billboard Boxscore – Current Scores". Billboard. 26 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  26. ^ "Billboard Boxscore – Current Scores". Billboard. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  27. ^ "Billboard Boxscore – Current Scores". Billboard. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  28. ^ Wright, Jade (13 May 2011). "Review: The Monkees at Liverpool Echo Arena". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  29. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (20 May 2011). "The Monkees – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  30. ^ Price, Simon (29 May 2011). "The Monkees, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2 June 2011.