More than 50 years on from the debut of the TV series The Monkees, there are two primary sorts of
Monkees fans: the folks who loved the long string of beautifully crafted hit singles they issued at the height of their fame, and the smaller but passionate following that lives for the more esoteric and adventurous music they created when they won greater control over their work. In 2019,
Mike Nesmith and
Micky Dolenz, the two surviving member of the pre-Fab Four, set out on a duo tour. With a track listing that includes "As We Go Along" and "Circle Sky" from
Head, "Auntie's Municipal Court" and "Tapioca Tundra" from
The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees, "Birth of an Accidental Hipster" (which
Nesmith co-wrote with
Paul Weller and
Noel Gallagher), and "Me & Magdalena" (penned by
Ben Gibbard of
Death Cab for Cutie) from the 2016 reunion effort
Good Times!,
The Monkees Live: The Mike & Micky Show clearly aims to please the latter breed of
Monkees enthusiasts. But it's hard to imagine anyone who ever liked the band not falling for the charm of these performances. Neither
Nesmith nor
Dolenz can quite sing the way they did a half-century ago, but
Dolenz sounds stronger than one might expect, but he's smart enough to dance around the spots where his range fails him and enough of a showman to wrap the audience around his finger.
Nesmith is less energetic and takes fewer lead vocals, but he delivers a similar level of enthusiasm and commitment, and as the most reluctant
Monkee, his presence lends this music a gravitas that isn't audible but is certainly felt.
Mike & Mickey include a handful of crowd-pleasing hits, and they do so without sounding rote; they know "I'm a Believer," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," and "Last Train to Clarksville" are great songs, and they embrace them with justifiable pride. The backing band for these dates is superb, re-creating the original arrangements with precision but also a love for the material that gives them an extra boost; what
the Wondermints do for
Brian Wilson on-stage, these folks do for
Nesmith and
Dolenz. For decades,
the Monkees and their music were usually treated as a guilty pleasure, AM radio fodder created for lowest-common-denominator teens, but
The Monkees Live: The Mike & Micky Show finds the survivors playing for folks who can see this for what it is: outstanding pop music that has endured for all the right reasons. If it sometimes plays like a victory lap, it's one that's well-deserved, and while this isn't the stuff to win them new converts,
The Mike & Micky Show proves no one was wrong for loving this band and their music, and longtime fans will certainly enjoy it. ~ Mark Deming
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