The Monkees announce a farewell tour

The Monkees are living up to their lyrics — “We may be coming to your town!” — later this year after the band’s surviving members announced a farewell tour slated to kick off after Labor Day.

Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith will hit the road one last time starting Sept. 11 in Seattle. Opening night of the Monkees final curtain call tour comes just one day shy of the 55th anniversary of the debut of “The Monkees” television show on Sept. 12, 1966.

On that day, Dolenz and Nesmith, along with Davy Jones and Peter Tork, played a fictional band called The Monkees that was clearly modeled after The Fab Four, The Beatles. In fact, The Monkees were often called the Pre-Fab Four — a prefabricated copy of one the most influential bands of all time.

But each of the Monkees had their own musical talent and worked their way into becoming a real band. They did concert tours in the ’60s and worked with some of the biggest songwriters and artists, including Neil Diamond, who wrote one of The Monkees’ biggest hits, “I’m a Believer.”

After “The Monkees” TV show ended in 1968, the band went their separate ways. In 1986, MTV played a marathon of “Monkees” episodes to commemorate the show’s 20th anniversary.

Suddenly, the band was popular again, and Jones, Tork and Dolenz went on a reunion tour, with Nesmith joining his former bandmates for a few dates. In 1989, The Monkees got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sadly, Davy Jones died on Feb. 29, 2012, at the age of 66 from a heart attack. Then, seven years later, Peter Tork died on Feb. 21, 2019, at the age of 77 following a cancer diagnosis.

But the show goes on. Nesmith and Dolenz scheduled a tour for 2019-2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic shut that down.

Now, The Monkees are ready to hit the road one last time to celebrate the good times, play many of their fans’ favorite songs and honor the legacy of all four of the madcap Monkees.

The tour will make multiple stops in California, Texas, Florida and New York, with stops in other states as well, before wrapping up at Los Angeles’ The Greek Theater on Nov. 14.

You can get a full listing of the nearly three dozen tour dates and locations at the Monkees’ website. VIP ticket packages will be available, and tickets go on sale starting May 7.