I am off with the family on the Monkees tour. Jonathan, Christian, Jessica and the SOs Circe and Susan are all in my bus and entourage, The only ones missing are Jason and Lindsey and Elijah. The kids (not exactly kids anymore) that are with me all have jobs and are all very good at what they do. I leave their management to Micky and Peter and the kids know they have to produce high quality work. So far so good. Circe is a great addition to the background vocals. She and Coco Dolenz and Dave Alexander are doing most of the work under Christians arrangements as vocal Captain. Wayne Avers, the Musical director oversees all that and to me it sounds great. Just what the pop songs need. Wait till you hear it. Jonathan and Susan are building brand new video material that will go on the video wall in back of us for this tour. It looks great, too. Wait till you see it. Mick has been working shoulder to shoulder with them developing it. They seem to make a great creative team. The footage they have chosen and created is funny and smart if I do say so myself -- although I had nothing to do with it except suggest they all work together for this tour. Jessicas calls the show. She sits off stage and sets up the cues and stage movements so the show all happens in sync with the music and videos, and then she tells everyone on the monitors and headphones what comes next and where to be and what needs doing. Big job -- heavy concentration. Precise and critical path. She does it well. I miss Jason and Lindsey. Elijah is a bit young yet, but I think he would benefit from being in a touring company -- among the Gypsys, as it were.Jason is up to his eyes in good productive work composing for TV and Movies, Lindsey by his side. I know they are where they should be. Maybe next time. Touring opens a world of collective expansion and learning to work together and being able to just get along. Very little room for entitlement or temper tantrums or discourtesies. They happen from time to time of course, but everyone pulls for each show to be the best show ever. To get the audience on their feet and happy and satisfied, and for the show to leave the glow of a real work of art lingering and lighting the community. The songs are good pop songs played well, Micky and Peter are first rate performers and players, and the whole thing is a high end experience for me -- plenty of fun -- and luxurious in its own way. Even with all the Elephant Parts we have to put up with. A friend of mine said to me one day that she had a nightmare that scared her. She said she thought of herself dying alone somewhere in a hotel, and then she thought the same thing about me, and it made her sad and depressed. I said -- Well, it depends on the Hotel. Indeed -- the Life Hotel -- where we will all be staying this trip, without a doubt or dread, only the joyful songs we sing -- and the appreciation for all of you who are coming dancing with us. See you on stage!!
Posted on: Thu, 22 May 2014 12:47:32 +0000
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