Hey, Hey, They’re Still the Monkees as Summer Tour Dates Announced

Original members of The Monkees Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork will return to the concert stage after last year’s successful tour, for a 14-date U.S. trek, starting May 22 in Hampton, NH.

Tork insists he’s “happily looking forward to reuniting with my partners and sharing this tour with friends and fans in more places,” while Dolenz enthuses, “Can’t wait to hang out with Papa Nez and the Torkmiester. Looking forward to great music, great fun and truck-stop chili dogs at 4 a.m.” Nesmith adds: “Happy to be going back out playing the music. Sure we will have fun.”

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Formed in L.A. in 1965 for the TV series, the quartet of Dolenz, Nesmith, Tork and the late Davy Jones exploded on the charts with their first single, “Last Train to Clarksville,” while the eponymous debut album spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, where it remained in the Top 200 for 78 weeks. By the time the series aired its final new episode on March 25, 1968, the Monkees had seen three further albums top the charts — More of the Monkees, Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. Their hit singles included “I’m a Believer,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” “The Girl I Knew Somewhere,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “Words,”  “Daydream Believer,” “Valleri,” and “Tapioca Tundra,” which all found their way into the Billboard Top 40.

After the series’ two-season run, the group went on to star in the cult feature film HEAD (co-written by Jack Nicholson) and a TV special (33 1/3 Revolutions per Monkee) while also continuing to record new material.

In February 1986, after MTV broadcast a marathon of The Monkees, Dolenz, Jones and Tork reunited for a 20th anniversary tour, with Nesmith joining them onstage for the Los Angeles date, and in 1996, all four members of the group reunited for a new album (Justus) and TV special (Hey, Hey, It’s the Monkees).

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In the wake of Jones’ death on February 12, 2012, the surviving members of the Monkees reunited and performed a series of concerts throughout November and December. Dolenz, Nesmith, and Tork returned the following summer for a tour dubbed A Midsummer’s Night with the Monkees, the success of which inspired the trio to hit the road again this May and June as well. 

Here’s a complete list of tour dates:

Thurs., May 22 Hampton, NH  Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Fri., May 23 Atlantic City, NJ  Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – The Music Box
Sat., May 24 Newark, NJ  New Jersey PAC 
Sun., May 25: Huntington, NY (The Paramount)
Tues., May 27: Bethlehem, PA (Sands Bethlehem Event Center)
Wed., May 28: Greenburg, PA (The Palace Theater)
Fri., May 30: Detroit, MI (Fox Theater)
Sat., May 31: Merrillville, IN (Star Plaza Theater)
Sun., June 1: Milwaukee, WI (Riverside Theater)
Mon., June 2 : Minneapolis, MN (Weesner Family Amphitheater)
Wed., June 4: Kansas City, MO (Uptown Theater) 
Thurs., June 5: St. Louis, MO  (Fox Theater)
Fri., June 6: Cincinnati OH (PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center)
Sat., June 7: Cleveland, OH (Hard Rock Live)