Nez concert review 3/24/13 in L.A.

[JAZZ4JEFF]

I saw the 2nd night of Mike’s 2013 solo tour at the Canyon club near L.A. Since I have seen Mike alone before, I thought I knew what to expect. However, this was totally different and very exciting. Mike had a tight & structured set list. But for each song, Nez has created a little vignette. He has written a small story to set up each song. It was a real unique way to see these tunes. For many songs, I have my own past memory to relate to. But Nez helped us along with his own creativity.

He did many of his solo classics, with only one Monkees tune “Papa Gene’s blues”. Mike was in great voice, and had no trouble with the falsetto on “Joanne”. He performed “I’ve just begun to care”, “Some of Shelly’s blues”, “Different drum”,“Silver Moon”, “Rio”, “Crusin” and “Laugh kills lonesome”. He did the title song from “Rays”, and a three song medley from “the Prison”. Not a fan favorite, but it did show how his music has evolved over the years. As Mike said, this show features his songwriting for the last 50 years. He closed out the night with a cool tribute to Red Rhodes, featuring his original 1st National band recording.

For me, the big difference between this tour and his last one 21 year ago was Nez. In 1982, he was very serious with his music. Now, there is such a joy that emanates from Nez. You can tell his love for performing again, and the love the audience provided. It’s so great to see Nez happy & content. With no fanfare, Micky was in the VIP section. He cheered his partner all night long. Welcome back to the concert stage Mike!. We’ve missed your humor and creative artistry