The last thing you want to hear from a band whose last hit was more than four decades ago is “this next one is from our new record!” Tours like this oldies package touted as “Hot Fun in the Sun” are all about nostalgia. People want to hear the songs they know, and they have no interest in picking up the latest release on the way out. At least the three bands didn’t resort to playing other artist’s songs as I’ve seen other acts of this era do, as if they think since we hear them all back-to-back on WOLX that’s the way we want to hear them live.
Of course I am just speaking for myself here; no doubt many of the folks who had bought tickets tonight would have been just as happy had they done that. The gentleman behind me was threatening mutiny if Spencer Davis Group didn’t play “I’m a Man” and “Gimme Some Lovin’” (even though the latter was sung by then fifteen year old Steve Winwood, and not Spencer Davis). Of course they ended their set with those two hits after a 40 minute set of lesser know songs, and yes, at least one song from the new album. While Davis is the only remaining member of the original band, at least most of them looked like they could have been, and the keyboard player has been with Davis for twenty years, which does count for something.
I’m pretty sure Gary Puckett opened for the Monkees 20 years ago when I saw them in this same grandstand, and I don’t think I knew any more of his songs tonight. He possesses a soaring baritone voice and a definite flair for the melodramatic. In fact, we were only a few songs in when Gina dubbed him “Hot Wisconsin Cheese” after the many booths selling just that on the State Fairgrounds. These are definitely songs from a different era, one where it was perfectly OK to sing about underage girls without fear of retaliation. His big hit “You’re much too Young Girl” was more than a little creepy coming from the sexagenarian.
The first acts were entertaining enough, but the only reason we were there was to see former Monkee Davy Jones who apparently thought he needed to do something other than sing to entertain us. He seems to fancy himself a stand-up comedian, which is too bad. On more than one occasion I found myself whispering “shut up and sing” under my breath. Too bad he couldn’t hear me. Most of the jokes were about being old, which might have been funny to some in the older crowd, but were mostly just groaners. He did say one funny thing, but now I can’t even remember what it was. Luckily, he also sang a lot of songs. Mickey Dolenz sang most of the Monkees’ hit songs, but Davy was responsible for a few of them. I guess he figured we wouldn’t know the difference, because he played them all, opening and closing with “I’m a Believer” (a Mickey song).
I guess he didn’t know what kind of Monkee fans he was dealing with here. For every legitimate Davy song, including “Valerie,” “Daydream Believer,” and “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,” there was “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Let’s Dance On.” At least they were all Monkees’ songs. In fact, probably the only song I didn’t know was “Girl” which he sang on an episode of the Brady Bunch. I think he played it just so he could say “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.” Despite the heyday of the Monkees being forty years ago, and their second coming now twenty years in the past, he can still sing and entertain. Too bad he seemed to have forgotten how to do his trademark dance.
Spencer Davis Group
Gary Puckett
Davy Jones
we got to park on the Milwaukee Mile racetrack, sweet!
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