Dolenz began his nostalgic set with “Steppin’ Stone” and immediately broke into “That Was Then, This Is Now.” He praised My Father’s Place for being a “great place” and “very intimate.”
He continued with the Neil Diamond-penned “A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You” and paid homage to his late but great Monkees bandmate Peter Tork with “For Pete’s Sake.” “Peter Tork,” he exclaimed, and the Long Island audience clapped in his honor.
Dolenz shared the story about how he wrote “Randy Scouse Git” at his hotel room on his guitar in the ’60s, which was retitled “Alternate Title,” due to its controversial title.
He then spoke about his experience with the “royal family” in music, referring to The Beatles, and sang “Good Morning Good Morning.” “Those guys wrote a couple of good songs, didn’t they?” he said, complimenting The Beatles, and it ended with a one-minute reprise of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
Dolenz and his sister, Coco, honored fellow bandmate Michael Nesmith with a soaring duet of “Me & Magdalena,” which had a stirring vibe to it. Dolenz shared that this tune is from their Good Times! album.
Speaking of Nesmith, Colo also sang lead vocals on her solo performance of “Different Drum,” which became a smash hit for the Stone Poneys and Linda Ronstadt.
The fan-favorite recording from the first half of his set was the Monkees classic “Last Train to Clarksville,” where everybody sang along with him.
He immediately broke into “Mary, Mary” and delivered an expressive version of “Rocky Raccoon” and “I’m So Tired,” both of which were by The Beatles. He picked up the pace of his set with the infectious “Back in the U.S.S.R.” He allowed one of his extremely talented band members, Dave Alexander, to perform the Neil Diamond-penned “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow),” and he did it justice.
“You recognize this one?” he asked and segued into a remarkable version of “Daydream Believer,” which is this journalist’s all-time favorite Monkees tune. He tipped his hat to Carole King and the late Gerry Goffin with “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” which became a Top 3 hit for The Monkees on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and the Cash Box charts.
He returned for an encore, where he got the crowd at My Father’s Place on their feet and dancing to “Gimme Some Lovin’,” where he went on to introduce his band members.
“Go home and tell your kids and grandkids that I sang this song long before Shrek,” he said, referring to “I’m a Believer.” “Do you want to hear some more?” he asked, and the answer was a resounding “yes.”
He closed with a cover of the upbeat classic “Twist and Shout” and for everybody’s birthday in the venue, he dedicated “Birthday” by The Beatles.
The Verdict
Overall, Micky Dolenz was delightful at My Father’s Place in Roslyn. His voice was as resonant and powerful as ever. He is worth seeing live whenever he comes to town, whether it’s with his own gifted band or with Michael Nesmith. It is evident that every song he performed tonight in Roslyn is a classic in its own right, and they will all stand the test of time. He proved to be one tremendous song stylist. There was definitely a feeling of warmth and nostalgia in the venue. His live set at My Father’s Place garnered an A rating.
To learn more about Micky Dolenz and his music, check out his official website.
