music” target=”_blank”>The Monkees< and Michael Nesmith announced on their website that they will embark on a final tour that will begin on Sept. 11 at Seattle’s Moore Theatre and conclude on Nov. 14 at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre.
“The Monkees Farewell Tour” will feature songs that span the band’s entire career – from their 1966 self-titled debut album to 2016’s “Good Times!,” the group’s statement read.
“Their most recent release, ‘The Monkees – The Mike & Micky Show Live,’ was issued in April 2020 and became their 17th Billboard charting album release,” it continued. “In addition to their hits, their farewell shows will spotlight songs featured on their Emmy-winning TV series (‘The Girl I Knew Somewhere,’ ‘You Told Me,’ ‘Randy Scouse Git’,’ ‘Goin’ Down’ and ‘For Pete’s Sake’) as well as music from their feature film ‘Head’ (‘Circle Sky’ and ‘As We Go Along’).
Mickey Dolenz (left) and Michael Nesmith, original members of The Monkees, perform in concert at Ocean Resort Casino on March 2, 2019, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
(Photo by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images)
“Plus some rarely performed deep cuts (such as ‘Auntie’s Municipal Court’) and tracks from their most recent studio album, 2016’s ‘Good Times!’ (‘Me & Magdelena’ and ‘Birth Of An Accidental Hipster’).”
The beloved ‘60s boy band originally started out as a unique project when Dolenz and Nesmith, as well as Peter Tork and Davy Jones, were cast in a TV show about a struggling rock band. Producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider modeled the show after the Beatles’ popular musical comedies “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” seeking to create a band that would mirror them in cheekiness if not musical talent.
When the group made its debut in September 1966, they instantly became teen idols. During its two-year run “The Monkees” would win an events for outstanding comedy series and the group would land seven songs in Billboard’s Top 10. “I’m a Believer,” ″Daydream Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville,” would reach No. 1.
After the show concluded in 1968 the band went on a lengthy concert tour that at one point included Jimi Hendrix as the opening act. But music critics had turned on them. They were dismissed as the PreFab Four, a mocking comparison to the Beatles.
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Popular TV actors and pop singers The Monkees, circa 1965. Clockwise from top left: Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones and Peter Tork.
(Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
That and creative differences led Tork to leave soon after the group’s 1968 movie and the album “Head.”
By the mid-1980s, thanks to TV reruns and album reissues, the Monkees gained a new, younger following, and Tork rejoined the others for reunion tours. All four produced a new album, “Justus,” in 1996 featuring them on all of the instrumentals and including songs they had written.
Jones passed away in 2012 at age 66 followed by Tork in 2019 at age 77. Dolenz, 76, and Nesmith, 78, last toured in 2019 and were originally booked to head out again in 2020, but their plans were put on pause due to the infectious-disease, Rolling Stone reported.
Tickets for “The Monkees Farewell Tour” are on sale now.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
