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Hosted by ‘The Monkees Home Page’ since March 2001
Last updated on
This is the original
resource on the internet for the most comprehensive information regarding the concert
tour history of the musical group The Monkees.
This page is not officially affiliated with The Monkees or Rhino
Records.
"When we get on stage,
we're so together. It's unbelievable. It's such a wonderful
feeling. We've all experienced so much together. We really care
about each other, and we really know how to play off each other and that's a
wonderful thing, to have that sort of confidence in each other when you go out
on stage. That's why if anyone was to ask me why we keep getting back together,
it's a safe place to be.”
-Davy Jones, August 1996
"With a number one hit, the demands for live
appearances were mounting. The boys furiously rehearsed late into the
night and on weekends. The crowd screamed as the four leapt through fake
speakers onto the stage. Such frenzy had not been seen since the peak of
Beatlemania. Crowds were awesome and more than $540,000 was grossed
within two weeks."
-Glenn A. Baker, author of Monkeemania:
The True Story of the Monkees
For their very first tour, the Monkees performed solely as a four-piece band with Micky on drums, Mike on lead guitar, Peter on bass guitar, keyboards and banjo, and Davy on tambourine and maracas. Towards the end of “Mary, Mary,” Davy would play the drums allowing Micky to come down to center stage. Davy would also play the bass guitar when Peter moved to keyboards. The above set list was standard for the earliest shows and would fluctuate in later performances during this round of dates. Other songs added to the set for the early 1967 concerts included “The Kind of Girl I Could Love,” “Your Auntie Grizelda,” “Sunny Girlfriend” and “(Look Out) Here Comes Tomorrow.”
The Monkees' first full live concert was held in
The opening act was Bobby Hart’s band, the Candy Store Prophets. They also provided instrumental backup during the solo segments.
The performance in at the Memorial Coliseum in
"With noise and screams, I suddenly realized
the Monkees were actually freaking out properly, and much better than many of
the much vaunted psychedelic groups."
-Melody Maker review of one of the Monkees' concerts at
Wembley Pool in England, July 1967
"The Monkees demonstrated
they could carry a live show and maintain the level of excitement
throughout."
-Billboard Magazine review describing one of the Monkees'
concerts at Forest Hills Stadium
in New York, July 1967
The Monkees' 1967 summer tour commenced in Hollywood, California with a performance at the Hollywood Bowl. The instrumental lineup was similar to the first regional tour done a couple months earlier, with Micky on drums and tympani, Mike on lead guitar, Peter on bass guitar, keyboards and banjo, and Davy playing tambourine and the maracas. Davy would also occasionally play bass guitar when Peter moved to the keyboards and he would relieve Micky on drums during "Randy Scouse Git" and towards the end of “Mary, Mary.” Images of The Monkees performing and other selected footage were projected on large screens behind the band.
The 1967 concerts were critically acclaimed, and the crowds large and hysterical. The performances included a psychedelic light show, one of the first concert tours to feature such techniques. The last three North American dates (Seattle, Washington 8/25/67, Portland, Oregon 8/26/67 and Spokane, Washington 8/27/67) were recorded with the intent of releasing a live album. That album did not see the light of day until it was finally released as Live 1967 in 1987. The 8/12/67 performance at the Municipal Auditorium in Mobile, Alabama is a widely circulated bootleg recording. Summer 1967: The Complete US Concert Recordings features four complete concerts from this tour, and is available as a limited edition release from Rhino Handmade.
The Jimi
Hendrix Experience was the opening act for several American cities on the
summer tour. Hendrix joined the Monkees' tour in progress on July 8, 1967
in Jacksonville, Florida and departed the tour after multiple concerts at
Forest Hills Stadium in New York on July 16, 1967. Other opening acts
included Lynn Randell, and The Sundowners, who provided instrumental backup
during the solo segments. British star Lulu opened the concerts at Wembley in
London, England, and Epifocal Phringe supplied backup during the solo
performances. While in
"Throughout the American
tour, regular jams were carried on in hotel suites and dressing rooms, between the
Monkees, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Sundowners and Stephen Stills.
This was the first real chance the guys had to hone their musicianship and they
became eager learners."
-Glenn A. Baker, author of Monkeemania:
The True Story of the Monkees
"Nobody thought, 'This is
screaming, scaring-the-balls-off-your-daddy music compared with the Monkees,'
you know? It didn't cross anybody's mind that it wasn't gonna fly. And there's
poor Jimi, and the kids go, 'We want the Monkees, we want the Monkees.' . . .
We went early to the show and listened to what this man could do because he
really was a world class musician."
-Peter Tork, speaking about Jimi Hendrix
(
"The greatest live
performance ever made by a rock band..."
-Blitz Magazine editor Mike McDowell in 1978, commenting to
Michael Nesmith about the Monkees' live version of "Circle Sky"
The Monkees finished their first and only motion picture, HEAD, with the filming of the "Circle Sky" concert scene in front of four thousand fans at the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. They performed "Circle Sky" several times for the cameras and also did a handful of other special requests. Micky played the drums, Mike the lead guitar, Peter switched between bass, organ and banjo, while Davy handled percussion and also played the organ during "Circle Sky." Private home reel video footage of this concert exists. The tapes of the show were so poorly engineered that most of the vocals were inaudible. (For “Circle Sky,” Nesmith later overdubbed his lead vocal in the studio over the live Monkees instrumental performance.)
The response to this performance was so overwhelming that a second show
was added that night at the Lagoon’s
(September - October 1968)
"Not
even their new physical appearance seemed to phase their fans. A bearded Peter was resplendent in kaftan and
beads, Micky was sporting an untamed afro, and Mike was somber in dark glasses
and suit and tie. Only Davy seemed prepared to acknowledge his
popularity, with bright simple garb."
-Glenn A. Baker, author of Monkeemania:
The True Story of the Monkees
Marcie
and the Cookies opened up for the Monkees on the Australian portion of the
tour, as did the Cherokees, who also provided instrumental support during the
solo segments. In
The
The
Monkees Talk Downunder, originally released as a picture disc vinyl
album in 1988, chronicles the Monkees' visit to
Glenn A. Baker, author of Monkeemania:
The True Story of the Monkees:
"Throughout the ensuing six days of riots, hotel mobbings and
crowded press conferences, the four endeared themselves to the ultra-cynical
Australian press corp. as witty and intelligent entertainers. Go-Set
magazine was impressed enough to dub them 'Pop Personalities of 1968.'
Death and bomb threats forced them into hotel captivity and the tour, though
successful on every other level,
ended on a tragic note with the death of a 13 year old. In
Japan, the reaction was similar, though no deaths were reported."
"In the first Peter Tork-less tour, the
Monkees are evolving rapidly into a young adult act. The Monkees are
carefully bridging two images. They performed enough of their hits to
avoid alienating the vast teen market, while adding enough new material to
stake out a claim on a more mature market."
-Billboard Magazine review of
the Monkees' concert at the
Reduced
to a trio after Peter Tork's departure from the band, Dolenz, Jones and Nesmith
set out to promote their two 1969 releases, Instant Replay and The Monkees Present, with
the set featuring songs from both albums. The seven-piece rhythm and
blues band Sam and The Goodtimers (formerly of Ike and Tina Turner fame) was
the opening act on the 1969 tour and also provided instrumental backup for the
three Monkees. (Other bands were also
featured on the bill throughout the tour as opening acts.) Mike played the guitar throughout the show,
while Micky and Davy sang center stage and both occasionally played the
tambourine or the maracas. Micky played the drums only during his solo
number. The combination of the Monkees' pop/rock sound with the R & B
flavor of the Goodtimers made for a unique sounding and diverse
presentation. The concerts were staged to be more like a revue, and
featured cover songs like "Summertime," “For Once In My Life” and
"Show Me" as well as the individual solo selections of each Monkee. Sam
and The Goodtimers consisted of Sam Rhodes, Willie Webb, Tony Burrell, Clifford Solomon, McKinley
Johnson, Thomas Norwood and
Even though the trio appeared on "The Tonight Show with Johnny
Carson," "The Joey Bishop Show," "The Glen Campbell
Goodtime Hour" and Johnny Cash's show
for promotion, the tour was poorly attended at most dates, though several stops
did indeed play to a packed house. Billboard Magazine praised the
show as a gutsy and daring new adventure for the Monkees. The 1969
concerts featured silent film footage shot by Mike and Micky projected on a
screen behind them, mixed in with comedy bits and the solo spots. This
would be the last Monkees tour until 1986.
One concert from this tour (thought to be the
Dolenz, Nesmith and Jones performed their last concert together on
December 6, 1969 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City,
Former Monkees confidant Brendan Cahill told Monkees historian Andrew
Sandoval in 1991 that a short American club tour was conducted by Dolenz and
Jones in 1970 to promote the Changes album. Sandoval writes in the
liner notes of the 1991 Listen
to the Band box set that such a club tour took place, but later could
not completely confirm the idea in an internet interview
conducted in 2006, as Cahill is now deceased.
In his book,
Sandoval does report on a performance that took place on
Visit The Ultimate Tour to learn even more specifics regarding the 1969 North American tour.
1975
- 1977
THE GREAT GOLDEN HITS OF THE MONKEES -
THE GUYS WHO WROTE 'EM & THE GUYS WHO
SANG 'EM
NORTH AMERICAN / FAR EAST TOUR
Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart
(July 1975 - March 1977)
DJBH set lists varied from night to night, but usually consisted of:
In 1975, all four Monkees convened at Micky's house to consider several offers to reunite the group, including one from McDonalds (to film a commercial) and another from the "Midnight Special" television show. A possible tour was also discussed, but Michael and Peter both rejected the plans for different reasons. Although the meeting was a positive and friendly event, the Monkees did not reunite. However, Dolenz and Jones were interested in working together again.
Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart (DJBH) was the brainchild of Christian DeWalden, a publisher/producer and friend of Bobby Hart. After the failed attempt to reunite the Monkees, Dolenz and Jones subsequently agreed to tour alongside Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Boyce and Hart were responsible for writing and producing some of the Monkees' greatest hits. The foursome toured as The Great Golden Hits of the Monkees - The Guys Who Wrote 'Em and the Guys Who Sang 'Em. Their concert combined Monkees classics, new material and Boyce and Hart hits. The band appeared on "American Bandstand," "The Mike Douglas Show," "Dinah!" and "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" to promote their activities.
The group made its first public appearance on July 4, 1975 at Six Flags Over Mid-America in St. Louis, Missouri, where they were met by a crowd of 12,500. Onstage, Micky would occasionally play acoustic guitar while Davy played the tambourine on a few songs. Boyce and Hart would also play guitar throughout the show. The backing band included Keith Allison (guitar and backing vocals), Rick Tierny (bass), Steve Johnson (keyboards) and Jerry Summers (drums). Keith Allison was a friend of Michael Nesmith's in the early 1960s and worked with Boyce and Hart on their albums. Allison was also featured as a session musician on several Monkees recordings.
Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart toured North America before heading to Japan, Thailand and Singapore. They have the distinction of being the first American band to play in Thailand. An album of all new material, Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart, was released in May 1976 on Capitol Records. The first single, "I Remember the Feeling," became a minor hit on the West Coast in the United States and was a concert highlight during this era. In mid-1976 the foursome filmed a television special (directed by Dolenz) called "The Great Golden Hits of the Monkees," which showcased the band performing musical numbers and comedy skits. The TV special was syndicated and aired across the United States in 1977. A videocassette of the special was sold in the United Kingdom and Japan in the early 1980s.
Peter Tork made a guest appearance with DJBH onstage at California's Disneyland on July 4, 1976. As DJBH came to a close, Micky, Davy and Peter reunited in the recording studio with ex-Monkees producer Chip Douglas to record a holiday single, "Christmas Is My Time of Year." The single's flipside was "White Christmas," and it was released in late 1976 to members of the Monkees fan club only.
A live recording of a DJBH show, Concert
in Japan (recorded on
By March 1977, Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart had disbanded. While
Tommy and Bobby went back to their songwriting careers, Micky and Davy
continued touring, backed by Micky's sister
"Every date was jammed not only with
teary-eyed original fans but with wildly enthusiastic teenagers who appeared to
sing along with the lyrics of every number. Each show was laced with the
slapstick lunacy that the audience would have recognized from the television
series, which had been rerun in Australia over the previous two years."
-Glenn A. Baker, author of Monkeemania:
The True Story of the Monkees
In 1985 Peter Tork attended a concert in New York City featuring the 'Happy Together' tour, which showcased several regrouped sixties rock and roll bands. Tork was so impressed with the dynamics of the show that he approached its promoter, David Fishof, after the concert and expressed interest in the Monkees doing something similar. Fishof quickly began an effort to reunite the band.
This low-key tour of Australia by Davy and Peter was the first of many concert tours the soon-to-be reformed Monkees would undertake during the next three years. It was actually scheduled before the deal had been finalized to officially reunite the Monkees. With American music channel MTV airing the television series and Rhino Records already re-releasing the group’s nine original albums (the reissue campaign had initially begun in 1985), plans were underway for Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith and Tork to embark on a small 20th anniversary reunion tour of the United States in the summer of 1986 to commemorate the occasion. Little did Davy and Peter know that when Micky eventually joined them later that summer in America that Monkeemania II would explode, ushering in a new era in the history of the Monkees.
Davy and Peter played to full houses everywhere on this Australian tour, giving strong performances of Monkees songs with extra treats here and there during the set. For the most part, they shared lead vocal duties on Micky’s songs.
"Critics
of the band wouldn't believe it--and they certainly wouldn't have been there to
witness it themselves--but The Monkees are a legitimate rock and roll
band. They're also entertaining, something that can't be said about some
of their '80s counterparts.
The Monkees are a hard act to follow."
-USA Today review of the Monkees' concert at Jones Beach
Amphitheater in New York City,
The Monkees’ 20th anniversary reunion tour was one of the biggest grossing tours of 1986, having sold out every date on the itinerary. The tour was originally booked in small amphitheaters for a period of six weeks, but quickly stormed into larger capacity arenas and stadiums, keeping the trio on the road for an incredible seven months straight. Michael Nesmith had originally planned to participate in a small reunion tour. Before the North American tour commenced, it became obvious that it was growing with no end in sight, as weeks turned into months when it came to bookings for Monkees concerts. Because of prior business commitments, Mike was forced to pull out of such an extended tour and any accompanying projects.
A press conference was held on May 28, 1986 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City to officially announce that the Monkees would embark on a 100-plus city tour. (Nesmith originally planned to be at this press conference with Dolenz, Jones and Tork to explain his absence from the tour, but scheduling conflicts prevented his attendance.) Two weeks of rehearsals were undertaken at a Catskill Mountains resort in New York before the tour officially kicked off on May 30, 1986 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Herman’s Hermits, Gary Puckett and The Union Gap and the Grass Roots were featured as opening acts on the extremely successful 20th anniversary reunion tour. An eight-piece backing band, including a horn section, provided instrumental support for the three Monkees. Peter played rhythm and lead guitar throughout the show, as well as the banjo on “Cripple Creek.” Micky occasionally played a stand-up electric drum kit at the front of the stage, and Davy played the tambourine. Micky played guitar on “Pleasant Valley Sunday” at most of the shows. The backing band included Dusty Hanvey (guitar), Larry Nelson (keyboards), Mark Clarke (bass), Eddie Zyne (drums), Kevin Osborne (trombone), John Leslie (saxophone), Lon Seaman (trumpet) and Jim O'Connor (trumpet).
Media reviews were glowing. A new compilation album featuring three
newly recorded songs, Then and
Now…The Best of The Monkees, went platinum. One of the new songs, “That Was Then, This Is
Now,” became a Top 20 hit in the summer of 1986 and was played at every stop,
helping spur its radio airplay. An
original Tork composition, “MGBGT,” as well as Davy’s “I’ll Love You Forever,”
rounded out the new material being played. Cable music channel MTV was
airing marathons of the Monkees' original television series, and the TV show
began to air daily on the channel in 1986. The Monkees acted as guest
VJ's on MTV to promote the tour and host the marathons.
During the very early part of the tour, Peter did “Peter Percival Patterson’s Pet Pig Porky” before “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” Peter, as he would do on all future tours, handled lead vocals on his self-penned “For Pete’s Sake,” unlike the album version of the song where Micky sings the lead vocal. Peter also sang the complete lead on “Shades Of Gray,” slightly different from the album version featuring Davy singing the lead vocal with Peter. This arrangement would continue for most of the following Monkees tours. "Listen To The Band," with all three members sharing lead vocal duties, would also be an arrangement that would continue during all future Monkees tours.
The presence of the Monkees on MTV, the success of the new single and the popularity of the tour resulted in seven of the nine original Monkees albums returning to the Billboard Top 200 chart, along with the Then and Now collection. By the end of 1986, Rhino Records had sold over 2 million albums in the Monkees back catalog.
Nesmith attended a Monkees concert in disguise at Arlington Stadium in Texas on June 22, 1986. He finally joined Dolenz, Jones and Tork onstage for the encore performance at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California on September 7, 1986. The final two dates of the tour (Civic Center Arena in Charleston, West Virginia on 12/1/86 and Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on 12/3/86) were recorded. The subsequent live album, 20th Anniversary Tour 1986, was sold at the 1987 concerts and through mail order only. It was reissued on compact disc as Live! and sold at the 1996 concerts as well.
All four Monkees took part in filming a Christmas medley music video for MTV in early December 1986. Afterwards, the quartet hosted a party at a Manhattan nightclub to celebrate the end of the 20th anniversary tour.
"I got some inkling of
what the whole thing was about. I wondered to myself if I could have ever been
a Monkees fan, because I really liked that experience; I liked the way Micky
sang, I liked the way Davy sang and the way he looked. I liked the love that
was exchanged between the audience and the performers, and the reciprocity of
it, which was complete. There was a lot coming off the stage from those guys,
and a lot going back to the people. It was edifying on one hand, but on the
other hand it was uplifting. I had never realized that that was going on at
Monkees concerts because what I was trying to do was play loud enough so I
could be heard."
-Michael Nesmith, interviewed
after attending his former bandmates' concert at
Arlington Stadium in Texas,
"Nesmith walked slowly out onto the stage
and toward the other Monkees, who comically feigned incredulity. Then all
four embraced at center stage while the capacity crowd cheered wildly."
-Stan Becker of Rhino Records, on the super-charged atmosphere of the
Greek Theatre concert, 9/7/86
Mike
joined
Micky, Davy and Peter for an encore performance on the last night of a three
night stand for the Monkees in
Davy and Peter returned to Australia in the winter of 1987 for another
successful tour. Micky stayed in the United States during this time
period negotiating a new Monkees album and feature film. The duo made
many television appearances on Australian TV in promotion of the concerts.
Peter sang three non-Monkees songs, including “Tolane,” “Higher and Higher” and
“MGBGT,” which had been played during the ’86 North American concerts. Peter
also sang “Since You Went Away,” which eventually was released on the Monkees’ Pool It! album. Davy added
three songs to the set from his 1988 solo album, Incredible: “After Your
Heart,” “Hippy Hippy Shake” and “Incredible.”
The backing band consisted of most of the musicians from the 1986 North American tour, with a few local players added in as well.
"The Monkees aren't just a nostalgia
act...their first newly recorded album in eons displays plenty of pop
savvy. The first single, "Heart and Soul," is an impressive
release that rocks politely...and should raise the re-established outfit to the
status of being more than a mere novelty."
-Billboard Magazine, July 1987
The set list for the 1987 North American tour varied from night to night, but usually followed this order:
The
Monkees’ 1987 North American tour followed hot on the heels of the extremely
successful 20th anniversary reunion tour of 1986. They were
also touring in support of their new studio album, Pool It!, and the show featured
several tracks from the album. The first single, "Heart And
Soul," quickly became a concert favorite and was prominently featured in
the encore. The song’s accompanying
video received heavy airplay on cable TV music show “Nick Rocks,” as did the
second single from Pool It!, “Every
Step Of The Way.” The set list also
contained songs rarely played live in concert.
The three Monkees played a larger role instrumentally during this tour, with Micky behind the drum kit for a good portion of the show. Peter switched back and forth between rhythm, bass and lead guitar, keyboards and banjo. Davy played the tambourine and occasionally an electric-acoustic guitar. Otherwise, the Monkees were backed by the same supporting band that had been on the 1986 North American tour, except a new backup drummer had been chosen and an extra guitarist had been added to round out the sound. The backing band included Dusty Hanvey (guitar), Larry Nelson (keyboards), Mark Clarke (bass), Sandy Gennaro (drums), Jeff Jones (rhythm guitar), Kevin Osborne (trombone), John Leslie (saxophone), Lon Seaman (trumpet) and Richard Fanning (trumpet). Weird Al Yankovic, at the height of his popularity, was the opening act for the Monkees.
The 1987 performances were more theatrical and included costume changes, comedy bits, video screens and a stage designed in the mold of the Monkees’ house from the television series. This was the first tour in which Peter began performing his keyboard solo, “Bach's 2-Part Invention #8 In F” (originally performed by Peter on the 1969 NBC special "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee"). Peter also handled lead vocals on his composition “Can You Dig It,” unlike the album version of the song where Micky is the lead vocalist.
In September 1987, “The New Monkees” television show premiered in syndication across the United States. The series was based on the concept of the Monkees’ original TV show. The New Monkees released an album to accompany the premiere, but both projects were critical and commercial flops. The series lasted 12 episodes, and then the project sank without a trace. On the other hand, the original Monkees’ summer tour ended in October in front of a crowd of 70,000 in Tampa, Florida. It was successful enough to finish in the top 10 grossing concert tours of 1987.
Following the conclusion of the tour, the Monkees were sued by their manager David Fishof, who claimed he was owed large sums of back profits. The Monkees’ relationship with Fishof actually began to sour in early 1987, when Fishof booked the trio to appear at MTV’s Super Bowl party TV special. When the Monkees could not attend due to scheduling conflicts, forcing Fishof to cancel, MTV took this move as a snub. As a result, the channel refused to air the Monkees’ new music videos from the Pool It! album. It should be noted that TV Guide magazine obtained and later reported about MTV request logs that showed “Heart And Soul” as one of the top 10 most requested videos throughout the summer of 1987. Fishof’s lawsuit was dismissed by a judge in late 1988.
This sold-out tour featured Micky joining Davy and Peter in Australia for the first time since Davy and Peter had started touring there as a duo in 1986. The trio celebrated the 20th anniversary of their ultra successful 1968 trip to Australia. A new backing band, minus the horns, supported the three Monkees. For the most part, Micky played drums on the songs he didn't sing the lead vocal, while Peter stuck mainly to electric guitar and banjo, and Davy played his usual tambourine parts. One of the concerts was filmed and later released by Davy’s promotional company, Dome Press, in 1989.
The only other concert appearance made by the trio this year was on
August 20, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois at the Vic Theatre. A Peter Tork
solo show was the highlight of a Monkees convention being held in
The Monkees’ first visit to Europe since 1967 brought a sell-out crowd to nearly every venue and the media extensively covered their return. Most of the tour centered in the United Kingdom. The Monkees were in such high demand that extra dates had to be added to the original schedule. A performance in Holland on April 21, 1989 was broadcasted on European radio. British band Seven opened up for the Monkees at most dates. The tour kicked off with a press conference at London's Hard Rock Cafe in early March.
The band undertook an exhaustive media campaign prior to the tour. Amongst other things, UK record label K-Tel released the album "Hey Hey It's The Monkees Greatest Hits" which jumped to #12 on the British charts and sold over 100,000 copies, spurred by a massive TV and radio campaign. The album went gold, and the Monkees were presented with a gold record at the final show in Reading, England on April 24, 1989.
These critically acclaimed concerts included several of the skits performed during the 1987 North American tour. A very well received acoustic set was added to the show, featuring Peter on the acoustic guitar. Micky played the drums often, Peter switched back and forth between electric and lead guitar, keyboards and banjo, and Davy played the tambourine and maracas. Yet another new band (with the horn section returning) was chosen to back the three Monkees on this tour. The backing band consisted of Doug Trevor (rhythm guitar), Glyn Evans (bass), Frankie Hepburn (guitar), Martin Wilde (drums), Mark Hayley (keyboards), Lawrie Hayley (backing vocals), Mike Smith (saxophone), Noel Langley (trumpet) and Andy Bush (trumpet).
The Nesmith tribute songs in the acoustic set ("Good Clean Fun," "Papa Gene's Blues" and "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?") were played at selected concerts only. "MGBGT" and "Every Step Of The Way" were added to or deleted from the set on any given night as well.
The Monkees' 1989 summer tour featured one of their best stage shows ever (with rarely performed songs such as "D.W. Washburn," "She Hangs Out," "Mary Mary," "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" and "As We Go Along" featured), but the tour on the whole lacked the public enthusiasm and media publicity garnered by the two previous North American tours.
Before the 1989 summer tour commenced, Micky and his manager Kevin Allyn had proposed a three-year plan for the Monkees that would culminate in 1991 with the band's 25th anniversary. On the other hand, Davy was reluctant to tour the United States without a new album to draw songs from. (Jones also had a lucrative offer on the table to act in a theater production.) Plans for a follow-up studio album to Pool It! had been in the works at the time but nothing was ever recorded. With Dolenz and Allyn claiming that future recording deals and projects were in jeopardy without a summer tour, Jones agreed to go out on the road. A full band meeting was to be held after the July California dates to look over offers on the table and other possible projects. It was around this time that Micky suddenly told his bandmates that he would be taking time off immediately after the summer tour to pursue solo endeavors. As a result, internal tensions flared and all future Monkees activities were abruptly cancelled.
Before the rift in the band took place in early July, the summer began with all four Monkees appearing on "The Mark & Brian Show" in June on KLOS Radio in Los Angeles, California. The quartet was on the air for two and a half-hours and sang "Daydream Believer" with Peter playing acoustic guitar. Nesmith appeared with the trio to hype his upcoming guest concert appearance with the Monkees in Los Angeles, California. The full quartet also appeared on the Rick Dees radio program.
The final portion of the 1989 world tour in North America and Japan found Micky playing drums on most of the songs that he didn't sing the lead vocal. Peter supplied rhythm and lead guitar work, and played the banjo on "Cripple Creek" and "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?". Davy would play the tambourine and maracas. Two of Davy’s solo songs, “Hangin’ By A Thread” and “Baby, You’ll Soon Be Sixteen,” were added to the set, as was Peter’s solo song, “Sea Change,” which later was released on his 1994 solo album, Stranger Things Have Happened. The 1989 summer concerts opened up with an old Gary Glitter hit, entitled appropriately enough "Hello Hello, I'm Back Again." The Monkees appeared on "The Pat Sajak Show" and "Nashville Now" (the latter which included rare live television performances of "D.W. Washburn" and "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?") to promote the tour. The backing band consisted of Jerry Renino (bass), Doug Trevor (rhythm guitar), Frankie Hepburn (guitar), Lawren Roper (drums), Jim Belin (keyboards), Lawrie Hayley (backing vocals) and horn players Les (last name unknown), Scott Wright and Mike Schmitt.
By 1989, the enthusiasm generated from the initial reunion in 1986 had subsided. Attendance was no where as strong in America as it had been in 1986 and 1987. On the other hand, a lot of media attention was generated when Nesmith joined Dolenz, Jones and Tork onstage in Los Angeles, California on July 9, 1989 at the Universal Amphitheatre. The following day, the four Monkees attended a ceremony in their honor when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Though the Japanese dates, the first since 1968, attracted large and excited crowds, the 1989 world tour ended in September to little fanfare. Because of bad feelings leftover from the band meeting earlier in the summer, the Monkees immediately disbanded.
This highly anticipated concert found the original quartet playing their first full length show together since late 1968. Michael had joined the reunited trio once before, but only for the two song encore performance at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California in 1986. This sold-out concert coincided with the dedication of the Monkees' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well with a Monkees convention that was being held in Los Angeles at the same time.
For this concert, t
