For anyone who wasn’t around, The Monkees were a half-musical act and half-television sitcom of the 1960s. The four original members of the group were assembled based on television auditions, and their show lasted for two seasons on NBC. Along the way, they created a good selection of songs that sold quite well. There were numerous reunion tours, beginning in 1986. I first caught them on reruns back in the mid-1970s.

This DVD is of their 2001 tour with three of the original members, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork. Mickey and Peter play guitar while Davy sings and uses a tambourine. They made some good selections in regard to their backup musicians with a full brass section. In some ways I was shocked at just how much the three of them have aged (Davy still looks damn good) but their performance is still energetic.

The chemistry between the three original band members is great. Mike Nesmith, the only member of the original group missing, is referred to when Mickey asks, “Where’s that other guy with the hat whose mother invented liquid paper?” It’s not like some of these groups where they don’t talk about the past or those who are missing from the lineup.

Mickey also tells a bit of a story about meeting the Beatles, although he doesn’t go in depth. It has a humorous edge to it. Davy tells the story of how, after his appearance on The Brady Bunch, every girl in America wanted him to sing at their prom. This provides a nice segue into Girl. At times, they do get goofy and silly, which is a lot of fun to watch. They sure don’t take themselves seriously. At times when the brass section has nothing to do, they dance in the background, and I swear it reminds me of the way Elaine used to dance on Seinfeld.

The group was roundly criticized when they first appeared in the 1960s because of how they came into being. They also suffered in reputation from the fact that session musicians were originally used to back up the group’s vocal performance. This led to the infamous rumor that “The Monkees don’t play their own instruments”. They prove that wrong here. Although Dolenz doesn’t really sit at the drums anymore (we see him there for just one song), both he and Peter Tork do a fine job.

The selection of songs is mostly old, familiar tunes, which will please fans. The only fairly recent song is That Was The, This Is Now. It’s a good selection of songs which includes some of their more eclectic, such as Randy Scouse Git and Goin’ Down.

The downside is this DVD isn’t a complete concert, but one edited down. There’s a significant number of songs, but some of the silliness that makes their concerts great has been edited out. It has the feeling of being edited for television (perhaps VH1). I would have liked the option to see the entire concert.

The DVD extras are interviews with the three Monkees. These are rather short and aren’t anything fans of theirs haven’t heard through the years. There are also two songs set up to do karaoke with. A nice touch, but unnecessary really.

I enjoyed The Monkees: Live Summer Tour as it was a lot of fun and nostalgic. They still put on a great show with a lot of energy, and even the backup musicians got into the humorous side of it.


TRACK LIST:

Last Train to Clarksville
Look Out, Here Comes Tomorrow
For Pete’s Sake
The Girl That I Knew Somewhere
Valerie
Randy Scouse Git
Mary Mary
Goin’ Down
Can You Dig It?
Girl
Higher and Higher
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
She Hangs Out
That Was Then, This Is Now
Daydream Believer
I’m A Believer
(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone
Pleasant Valley Sunday


BONUS FEATURES:

Karaoke I’m A Believer
Karaoke Last Train To Clarksville
Bonus Interviews