Monkee Mania

Eleven years ago – I cannot believe it was that long ago – a friend and I made a trip to Glasgow for the Monkee 30-year tour concert. We made a weekend of it and stayed at a hotel in Glasgow’s West End. The name of the hotel sounded glamorous and everybody kept saying to us that we were lucky to get into such a nice hotel. We got really excited and said to each other, “wouldn”t it be funny if the Monkees were to stop in Glasgow overnight? Maybe if the hotel is that glamorous, maybe they will be staying in our hotel!’ WRONG!! We checked into the hotel to find the view from our window was a tenement garden full of rubbish, the hotel had no bar and was a bit on the tacky side. We left the hotel for a meal to find the similar sounding, glamorous hotel directly across the road from us!

The Friday evening involved a meal, a few drinks, followed by shopping and bingo on the Saturday afternoon (have you ever tried to get a newly-playing bingo player out of a bingo hall ! I found it impossible!).

Saturday evening was the concert, held in the SECC, and it was more exciting because it was all four Monkees who were there. To start off, the Monkees tune was played along with pictures on a screen (including the Monkees car). They played a few tunes together and then had an individual spot each, and then all got back on together at the end. It was fantastic, and I will never forget it, although there are some parts of the concert that I will remember more than others. Such as the man sitting next to us sleeping?! When I shouted at him to wake up, his wife noticed he was sleeping and went nuts at him! He had obviously been dragged along to the concert! Also, Davey Jones singing Shades of Grey, and touching his hair when he sang it! The other thing I will never forget is the group of three people who turned up at the concert dressed as monkees – complete from head to toe (they must have been roasting!!).

So, if any Monkee happens to be reading this, thank you for such a special weekend. I have a five-year old son now and often tell him about my “Monkee weekend”! I think he thinks I am bonkers!