The Monkees Newcastle City Hall 1990 and Newcastle Arena 1997
Hey Hey We’re the Monkees! When I was a kid, we would play out in the streets all day. But there were two TV shows that brought us all running back home so that we could watch them. One was Batman (Ker Pow 🙂 ) and the other was The Monkees. We just loved to watch the crazy antics of Mickey, Davy, Peter and Mike, and listen to those great, just perfect, pop songs. Sadly I didn’t manage to see the Monkees in concert in their hey day; the first time I saw them was when they came to Newcastle City Hall in 1989. This was their first UK tour for many years, and it was great to see them live. That show featured three of the band; Mickey, Davy, and Peter. 
Mike often resisted joining them on tour, preferring to concentrate on his own music and other projects. They were back again in 1997; this time at the cavernous Newcastle Arena, and Mike Nesmith was there too. On both occasions the guys played all of their hits, and covered the many different aspects of their career. The Monkees were always a mix of pop, country, vaudeville, stage and dance, and their shows reflected that. I saw The Monkees once more, at the City Hall a few years ago, at a concert which once again featured Mickey, Davy, and Peter (no Mike), and I blogged on that show at the time.
Sadly, on the morning of 29 February 2012, after riding one of his horses, Davy Jones complained of chest pains and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead of a heart attack, and we lost another of our teen heroes. The Monkees were often dismissed as a “manufactured band” but if you look at the legacy of those hit pop songs, and those great TV episodes, there was much more to them. 
They captured a sense of freedom, and made us feel that the world was ours and that if we wanted to we could do just about anything. Very much of the time, but for those of us who ran into the house to watch the show, pretty special.
Setlist from the 1997 Newcastle Arena show: Last Train to Clarksville; Circle Sky; Sunny Girlfriend; Mary, Mary; You and I; Randy Scouse Git; Shades of Gray; Zilch; You Just May Be the One; Oh, What a Night; I’m a Believer; Bach’s Two-Part Invention in F Major (Peter’s keyboard solo); Rio (Mike Nesmith song); Lucille; Since I Fell for You; Daddy’s Song; For Pete’s Sake; A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You; Goin’ Down; Your Auntie Grizelda; Valleri; Listen to the Band; Porpoise Song (Theme From “Head”); Daydream Believer. Encore: (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone; Pleasant Valley Sunday.
Archive for the ‘The Monkees’ Category
5 Dec
The Monkees Newcastle City Hall 1989 and Newcastle Arena 1997
15 May
The Monkees Newcastle City Hall May 15th 2011
The Monkees Newcastle City Hall May 15th 2011
Hey Hey We’re the Monkees! Our heroes were back at Newcastle City Hall last night. This was their first UK tour for 16 years, and it was great to see them again. This time around we had Davy, Peter and Mickey, but no Mike. They took us through a set which covered all aspects of their career, in front of a screen showing clips from their TV show. Each song was accompanied by the relevant video from the show. The Monkees were always a mix of pop, country, vaudeville, stage school and dance. Last night was no different with all three of the guys on great form, backed by a 9 piece band. They started the second half with selections from their hippy trippy psychedelic film Head, which was quite a brave choice, but worked very well. A great night, lots of fun. It was disappointing that the hall wasn’t full, but everyone there enjoyed themselves. It must have been wonderful to be a Monkee in the 60s (I wanted to be Davy).
Set list something like :
Set 1: I’m a Believer; Mary, Mary; The Girl I Knew Somewhere; She Hangs Out; Alternate Title; Your Auntie Grizelda; It’s Nice to Be With You; I Don’t Think You Know Me At All; Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow); Words; Cuddly Toy; Papa Gene’s Blues; Listen to the Band; That Was Then, This is Now; All of Your Toys; Hard To Believe; What Am I Doin’ Hangin’ Round?; Sometime in the Morning; Valleri; No Time
Interval
Set 2: Circle Sky; Can You Dig It?; As We Go Along; Do I Have to do this All Over Again?; Porpoise Song; Daddy’s Song; For Pete’s Sake; When Love Comes Knocking At Your Door; She; A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You; Shades of Gray; Last Train to Clarksville; Goin’ Down; I Wanna be Free; Saturday’s Child; Someday Man; I’m Not Your (Steppin’ Stone); Daydream Believer
Encores: Pleasant Valley Sunday; I’m a Believer
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