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Observations on The Monkees Live: The Mike and Micky Show
Thank goodness someone thought to record this one
I’ve been slacking off, I guess. I used to know when new albums came out. I’m blaming the changing music industry for the fact that even songs and albums from my favorite group, The Monkees, slipped into existence without my knowing.
Thank heavens for streaming services. Through them, I’ve discovered new and new-to-me music. I recently discovered an alternate version of a beautiful Monkees song, “Me and Magdalena,” as well as The Monkees Live: The Mike and Micky Show, a new-ish live album from Mike and Micky’s last concert tour, recorded between 2019 and 2021.
This album was a particularly welcome discovery. I had never missed a Monkees appearance when they were comin’ to my town, but when the Mike and Micky tour came to my area in 2021, it was on a Monday night in a suburb about an hour away, and I no longer drive long distances in the dark. Plus, as we were in the heavy pandemic years, I had yet to resume attending concerts. My heart ached to miss it.
I was even more heartbroken when Mike Nesmith died a little over a month later. Though I had seen Mike perform on his own, I’d never seen him in a Monkees concert. As Mike once sang, “Your chances only come but once, and boy, I sure missed…
