Micky Dolenz announces Monkees celebration tour

Micky Dolenz has announced a “Micky Dolenz Celebrates the Monkees” tour, in which he’ll keep the torch for the band alive with a series of shows that will utilize multi-media elements to honor the legacy of the ’60s band, and put to further use the “Mike and Micky Show” band that accompanied him and late member Michael Nesmith on tour in recent years.

For now, the tour has only seven dates, all concentrated in the Midwest and South. It may be a test run for a longer tour, as manager Andrew Sandoval indicated in a social media post that they don’t know yet whether there will be further dates beyond these or not.

The opening night is at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium April 6, and will be followed by shows in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois before a concluding date, for now, in Madison, Wisconsin April 16.

If it seems like only yesterday that there was a Monkees touring production with Nesmith on board, it’s because that’s nearly true: A tour with Nesmith last year ended at L.A.’s Greek Theater Nov. 14, and Nesmith died less than a month later, on Dec. 10.

Said Dolenz in a statement, “I felt it was important to gather the fans and properly celebrate the lives of Davy, Mike and Peter. People have been contacting me, requesting that I honor them in a way where the extraordinary impact of the Monkees can be properly acknowledged. We spent such a great deal of time together; they were like my brothers, and I want to share some of the great joy we had together.”

Dolenz’s outing in commemoration of the group will involve more than just music, although a full band will be in tow (consisting of Wayne Avers, Gemma Dolenz, Rich Dart, Alex Jules, John Billings and Pete Finney, with the possibility of some songs played that didn’t even make it into the set lists for the final obscurities-filled tour with Nesmith.

“We will be fully delving into the Monkees’ songbook,” Andoval said in a post, “as well as Micky’s personal archive of films and photos to create a unique evening of memories. It will give Micky and the band an opportunity to share the music he made alongside Davy, Peter and Michael and reminisce on their journey as brothers for five decades. We have also been talking about Micky singing some songs he’s never done on stage before like ‘Valleri’ and ‘Can You Dig It,’ as well as pulling out older Monkees album tracks that have not been performed in many years.”

Added Sandoval, “It is unclear if we will be doing anything beyond these seven shows in this format, but we are truly looking forward to being together again to celebrate the Monkees in song.”

Rhino Records said that the shows would include “all of the Monkees’ worldwide hits,” like “Daydream Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville,” as well as individual segments devoted specifically to the songs fronted by Nesmith, Jones and Tork.

Presale offers go on sale Tuesday and a general ticket sale begins Friday. The April dates:

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