MICKY DOLENZ IN VEGAS!

Valentine’s Day February 14^th 2025 – and I was on a mission!

When I heard Adam Steck from SPI Entertainment was bringing Micky Dolenz of The Monkees to The Strat Hotel and Casino showroom, I reached out to him. I explained to him what a huge Monkees fan I was and that I really wanted to attend the show and meet Micky. Adam said I was welcome to come to the show but he couldn’t promise I would be able to meet him.

But I had another reason for wanting to meet Micky. In the mid 80’s I worked with Micky on The Mike Hammer show. I brought my Monkees album for Micky to sign and I really wanted a photo with him. During the filming I waited forever for it to end so I could approach Micky. But earlier I promised a girl a ride home. So I told her to get in the car and I would take her home but I had to hurry and get back to the set. I drove like Mario Andretti to get her home and I rushed back to the set. When I got back to the set, Micky was just coming out of his dressing room to leave. I went running up to him like a crazy person and he posed for a photo for him. I look like a wild animal in that photo. It was terrible. And I had to have black hair to work on the set so I hated that photo. I had photos with Davy Jones and Peter Tork but Micky was missing for a good photo.

I was hoping at the show at The Strat I could get a photo before the show but Adam said wait until the end. So throughout the show I was a bit nerve racked to see if I would be able to complete my mission. Before the show, there was a quick Q&A with Micky. One person said he had always wondered if it was true if The Beatles put the Monkees together. Everyone laughed and Micky said: “Well there’s this thing called Wikipedia and Google. Do you have a computer”. Everyone cracked up.

But this type of show is my favorite. Micky told so many funny stories as The Monkees videos played in back of him in addition to playing many of the Monkees hits telling the stories about them. Micky told the story how they would work 16 hour days filming the show for $400 a week! And they were so happy because that was so much money to poor musicians back in the 60’s. Micky told the story after one 16 hour day they headed into the studio to record “Last Train to Clarksville.” Micky was so tired he couldn’t remember or sing the words fast enough in the bridge that songwriting team Boyce and Hart were trying to help him sing. They finally told him to just sing “Didly Diddle Diddly Doo….” And music history was made with that song.

Micky also told the funny story that he went over to Paul McCartney’s house for dinner in the 60’s. Paul invited Micky to come to the Abbey Road Studios the next day to hear what The Beatles were working on. Micky went down the next day in the limousine dressed like a psychedelic hippie and bursts through the door of the studio: “Where’s all the girls?!?”. The Beatles just sat there in their folding chairs and looked up and John Lennon said: “Hello Monkey Man.” Then they asked George Martin, who was dressed in a three piece suit to play what they were working on. George proceeded to play “Good Morning” off The Sergeant Pepper Album.

Another funny story was Micky brought in Jimi Hendrix to open for The Monkees on tour. The problem was The Monkees fan base was ten-year-old girls. So after every song Jimi played and in between setting his guitar on fire all you could hear was ten year old girls chanting: “We want Davy!” We Want Peter!” We want the Monkees!”

I also thought it was interesting when the auditions were going on for The Monkees TV Show, Stephen Stills auditioned but didn’t get the part. But his roommate went down and did get the part. His name was Peter Tork.

After the show, my phone immediately started ringing. It was Adam. “Where are you?” So he took me backstage with everyone else. He brought me right up front to meet Micky first. But the photo was blurry. It was so crowded with no order with everyone trying to talk to Micky. But Micky was very nice and complimented me on my outfit. I asked Micky if he the guys ever got a raise from $400 a week. Micky told me: “As a matter a fact, for Season two we got up to $450 a week.”

I waited around to get a better photo with Micky and I brought 3 friends backstage. Then it was even more crowded and chaotic.  My friend took a photo and I wasn’t really smiling because he wasn’t holding the camera the way I wanted it to take the photo. I asked to see the photo but he didn’t want to and just wanted to get out of there. I looked at the photo later and I was not very happy but it was still better than the one I got in the 80’s. I wish I would have just waited until everyone left until it was more calm but it was getting really hot and crazy back in that small area.

But I really appreciate Adam Steck for helping me complete my mission! Thank you Adam for the tickets and All Access pass!

But hey Adam can you please bring Micky back to town so I can get another photo?!? I’ll be waiting! I miss you already Micky! And I miss Davy and Peter and Mike!

-Sally Steele