Teen Idols 2013 Tour Review by Fred Velez

Teen Idols 2013

by Fred Velez

Micky, Peter and David performed a great show at the NYCB Theater at Westbury, NY on March 22nd. However, it was a different configuration of this grouping than fans are usually used to as this configuration consisted of Micky Dolenz, Peter Noone and David Cassidy on the first date of their Teen Idols 2013 Tour.

The three former ‘Teen Idols’ (now all

in their 60’s) gave a wonderful and entertaining show full of classic tunes and lots of laughs. All three came onstage together with Cassidy acting as the Master of Ceremonies, starting with a great version of the Stray Cats ‘Rock This Town’, then each presented their individual hits to a cheering audience. Micky Dolenz was in amazing voice singing his Monkees hits which included ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’, ‘That Was Then, This Is Now’ (with the songs’ writer Vance Brescia on guitar as part of the band), ‘She’, ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’, and along with Noone and Cassidy, led the crowd in an emotional rendition of ‘Daydream Believer’, the Monkees song associated with the late Davy Jones and to which the performance was dedicated.

Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits was a ball of fire and in fantastic voice, working the Westbury stage like a pro and keeping everyone, including his fellow performers, in hysterics with his impersonations and ad libs, going into the audience and joining the crowd and making it a much more personable show. Besides his Hermit’s hits like ‘Silhouettes’, ‘End Of The World’, ‘Henry The 8th, ‘Listen People’, ‘I’m Into Something Good’ (in which he was joined by Cassidy who covered it during his Partridge Family period), Noone also did funny renditions of Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ and the Rolling Stones ‘Start Me Up’, doing an imitation of Mick Jagger’s stage swagger better than Jagger. Peter Noone kept the evening hopping, heckling Micky and Cassidy and even going into the audience and sat with the crowd to watch David Cassidy perform, as he explained he never saw Cassidy in concert before. The crowd loved Peter Noone and he definitely stole the show.

The first half of the show was primarily Dolenz and Noone doing their hits, then after a short intermission, David Cassidy took over the second half of the show performing his Partridge Family hits. Cassidy is a fantastic guitar player and happily demonstrated his chops during the show, starting with a funky version of the Partridge Family theme ‘C’mon Get Happy’. Dolenz and Noone returned to the stage and Cassidy went into a set which included Partridge hits like ‘I Woke Up In Love This Morning’, ‘Doesn’t Somebody Want To Be Wanted’ (where Cassidy included the admittedly cheesy ‘spoken bit’ of the song), and ‘I’ll Meet You Halfway’. Throughout Cassidy’s set he was good naturedly heckled by Dolenz and especially Noone, which kept the audience and the performers in stitches. During the show, Micky made a request of David to sing a song which wasn’t on the set list, ‘Cherish’, which was Cassidy’s biggest solo hit, and David’s performance was heartfelt and emotional and was a major highlight of the show.

Cassidy was much more relaxed and outgoing than he’s been at previous solo shows as he was sharing the stage with two other performers, so he didn’t have to carry the show alone and was much more at ease and was clearly having a lot of fun. Before he started his performance of his first Partridge hit, ‘I Think I Love You’, Cassidy interacted with a female fan, asking the woman’s husband if it was ok, and the fellow joined in by taking photos of Cassidy and his wife together, with Peter Noone getting in on the act and Micky making comments from the side. The crowd were on their feet during the finale, with the three singers performing their biggest hits, ‘‘I Think I Love You’, ‘There’s A Kind Of Hush’, ‘I’m A Believer’.

The Teen Idols 2013 show at Westbury was a great tour starter, all three performers appeared comfortable sharing the stage together and all appeared relaxed and loose, especially Cassidy. The fun extended beyond the stage and into the audience, who expressed their pleasure and enjoyment loudly. During the intermission Peter Noone signed autographs and took photos with fans and after the show both Noone and Micky Dolenz signed autographs and took photos at their respective souvenir booths. (David Cassidy wasn’t selling his own individual tour merchandise at the show.) The show was fantastic with a lot of energy from all three performers and they were backed by a great band which included members from the bands of each of the main performers. For those who will be attending shows during this tour, you’re all in for a great time!