When I went to see Davy Jones last weekend I wasn’t sure what to really expect, not having seen him in nearly 10 years when he came to town with The Monkees. I guessed he would have a solid band, sing “Daydream Believer”, and maybe perform his solo hit “Girl”. Well, I was right, but his show was so much more. On a cold, wet, and blustery Friday night Davy Jones played the Rosemont Theater, where he shared the bill with David Cassidy. As Davy waltzed out onto the stage to the band’s rendition of Michael Nesmith’s “Listen to the Band”, he was introduced as “The greatest tambourine player of all time” by guitarist David Robicheau.
A well-rounded crowd consisting of people of all ages cheered wildly as he went into one favorite Monkees classic after another. The hour-plus set was well-rounded and flowed effortlessly, thanks in part to his sensational band that not only played to perfection, but also were pleasantly vivacious as they horsed around with each other and Davy, displaying a fun-loving persona throughout the entire show. In between songs Davy was able to successfully incorporate his humor into the show proving that he’s still got a gift for making people laugh. At one point, because of their obvious lack of height, he referred to David Cassidy as the only other performer he could look at eye to eye. He also told the crowd the two of them would make a nice pair of cuff links.
I was happy to see that Davy’s set included the great Monkees songs that he is known most for like “I Want to Be Free” and “Valleri”, but was also pleased to hear him sing songs in which Mickey Dolenz sang the leads such as “Steppin’ Stone”, “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday”. I should also note that during these songs his band’s backing vocals and harmonies were SPECTACULAR.
In the midst of his set, Davy paid homage to former band mate Michael Nesmith by doing a polished version of “Papa Gene’s Blues” that could have only made the winter hat-wearing guitarist proud. Another highlight of the show was when the band tapped into the Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd album to play “She Hangs Out” as Davy did his patented wild-armed dancing just as we’ve seen him do so many times on episodes of The Monkees. Yes, it was groovy.
Not to fear Brady Bunch fans – Davy also performed “Girl” which he sang on both the 70’s TV show and the parodied movie in the mid 1990’s starring Gary Cole and Christina Taylor as Marsha. He even tapped into his pre-Monkees days by singing “Consider Yourself” from the musical “Oliver”, which Jones told the audience he first performed in Chicago at the Shubert Theater in 1963. Wow!
Ladies and gentlemen, Davy has still got it. His voice was as good as I’ve ever heard it and his love for playing in front of an audience very apparent – thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. If you missed him, you’ll have your chance to see him when he returns, this time to West Chicago, where he’ll perform at the Chicago Railroad Days Festival on July 10th.
