Hey hey we're the Monkees
So you know we are
Monkees fans.
Saw them in concert several times. I cried the day Davy Jones died.
So you know that when the surviving Monkees announced a tour, Drew and I would have to go. I mean, Nesmith hadn't toured with the band since 1997. I'd never seen him perform.
The tour started in early November. Last night was the final concert of the tour, at the Beacon in NYC. And we had tickets for the show.
Our evening began at Viand Cafe. This is a small coffee shop/diner on the same block as the Beacon theater. having spent so much money on the tickets for the show, we were looking to keep dinner simple and relatively inexpensive, and this place fit the bill. Half of the patrons in the restaurant last night were Monkees fans on their way to the show. I ordered a Reuben -- hearty rye bread and lean pastrami served with sauerkraut and melted cheese. It was served as an open-faced sandwich accompanied by potato salad. The sandwich was very good, the potato salad merely ok -- potatoes could have been cooked a little longer, and I would have liked more dressing. I brought half the sandwich home, it was that large. Drew had scrambled eggs, which were served with hash browns and toast, and a side order of saugage. Service was efficient but not outstanding. We will most definitely go back the next time we have tickets for a show at the Beacon.
A word about the Beacon theater. We saw an oldies concert there about a year ago, so last night was our second trip to this venue. the theater itself is anice venue for a concert, but the lobby...way too small for the theater, very long and narrow and crowded. They open the doors to the lobby an hour before the show, but they don't let you go into the theater itself until half an hour before show time, so the corwding becomes almost impossible to deal with.
Now, about the show.
Drew's friend Larry saw the show Saturday night at the Paramount in Huntington, so we knew what to expect. And of course, it lived up to expectations. They sang most of the group's big hits. they sang a number of songs they hadn't performed in awhile, songs that were written by Nesmith and/or originally performed by him. Similar to the Westbury show we saw last year, they made extensive use of video from the band's heyday -- scenes from the TV show and from the movie Head. Very enthusiastic crowd, they amost never actually sat in their seats.
The most cathartic moment: the audience sing-along of "Daydream Believer" while videos of Davy played on the screen.
This was quite possibly the very last Monkees concert. Nesmith is not likely to agree to another tour. Peter and Mickey have toured together as a duo, but they don't use "the Monkees" when it's just the two of them.
It wasn't just a concert, it was an event. And as Drew said, worth every penny.
Saw them in concert several times. I cried the day Davy Jones died.
So you know that when the surviving Monkees announced a tour, Drew and I would have to go. I mean, Nesmith hadn't toured with the band since 1997. I'd never seen him perform.
The tour started in early November. Last night was the final concert of the tour, at the Beacon in NYC. And we had tickets for the show.
Our evening began at Viand Cafe. This is a small coffee shop/diner on the same block as the Beacon theater. having spent so much money on the tickets for the show, we were looking to keep dinner simple and relatively inexpensive, and this place fit the bill. Half of the patrons in the restaurant last night were Monkees fans on their way to the show. I ordered a Reuben -- hearty rye bread and lean pastrami served with sauerkraut and melted cheese. It was served as an open-faced sandwich accompanied by potato salad. The sandwich was very good, the potato salad merely ok -- potatoes could have been cooked a little longer, and I would have liked more dressing. I brought half the sandwich home, it was that large. Drew had scrambled eggs, which were served with hash browns and toast, and a side order of saugage. Service was efficient but not outstanding. We will most definitely go back the next time we have tickets for a show at the Beacon.
A word about the Beacon theater. We saw an oldies concert there about a year ago, so last night was our second trip to this venue. the theater itself is anice venue for a concert, but the lobby...way too small for the theater, very long and narrow and crowded. They open the doors to the lobby an hour before the show, but they don't let you go into the theater itself until half an hour before show time, so the corwding becomes almost impossible to deal with.
Now, about the show.
Drew's friend Larry saw the show Saturday night at the Paramount in Huntington, so we knew what to expect. And of course, it lived up to expectations. They sang most of the group's big hits. they sang a number of songs they hadn't performed in awhile, songs that were written by Nesmith and/or originally performed by him. Similar to the Westbury show we saw last year, they made extensive use of video from the band's heyday -- scenes from the TV show and from the movie Head. Very enthusiastic crowd, they amost never actually sat in their seats.
The most cathartic moment: the audience sing-along of "Daydream Believer" while videos of Davy played on the screen.
This was quite possibly the very last Monkees concert. Nesmith is not likely to agree to another tour. Peter and Mickey have toured together as a duo, but they don't use "the Monkees" when it's just the two of them.
It wasn't just a concert, it was an event. And as Drew said, worth every penny.
Glad you got to go. You're right about Nesmith, and I almost think the three of them *needed* this tour as much as the fans did.
ReplyDeleteSigh. It was wonderful.
ReplyDelete