Micky Dolenz will bring a new 60th anniversary production celebrating The Monkees to Australia in May 2027, with ten performances across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT.
by Paul Cashmere
Micky Dolenz will return to Australia in May 2027 for a ten-date national tour celebrating 60 years of The Monkees, with the new production, “MICKY DOLENZ: 60 YEARS OF THE MONKEES”, scheduled to begin at QPAC in Brisbane on May 6 and conclude at Perth’s Astor Theatre on May 26.
The production has been developed around the history of The Monkees, the television series and recording project that established Dolenz as one of the most recognisable pop performers of the 1960s. The Australian shows will present the group’s music chronologically, combining live performances with a multimedia presentation documenting key moments from The Monkees’ history.
Dolenz will perform songs including “Last Train To Clarksville”, “I’m A Believer”, “Pleasant Valley Sunday”, “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone”, “Randy Scouse Git”, “Sometime In The Morning” and “Daydream Believer”, alongside other selections from the catalogue.
The tour coincides with a significant anniversary for The Monkees. The television series debuted in the United States on September 12, 1966, introducing Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones as a fictional band whose television success translated into a substantial recording and touring career.
For Dolenz, the anniversary is also an opportunity to revisit a career that has extended well beyond the original television series.
“I’ve spent nearly my entire life either in front of or behind the cameras or microphones,” Dolenz said. “Much of what I’ve been able to share with the world has come from this thing called ‘The Monkees’.”
He also reflected on the distinction between the fictional narrative of the television programme and what happened beyond the screen, noting that while the characters were depicted as struggling for success, the real-life group went on to sell records and perform to audiences around the world.
The Monkees’ commercial impact was established quickly. Their first four albums reached No. 1 in the United States, a sequence that remains a notable achievement in the history of the Billboard 200. The group also won two Emmy Awards for the television series.
Dolenz was more than the actor cast to portray the group’s drummer. He became one of its principal lead vocalists and sang on several of The Monkees’ best-known recordings, including “Last Train To Clarksville”, “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “I’m A Believer”. He also wrote “Randy Scouse Git”, which appeared on the 1967 album Headquarters.
His musical career began before The Monkees. In the early to mid-1960s, Dolenz fronted his own group, Micky And The One-Nighters, performing rock, R&B and cover material. He also recorded early singles before joining the television project that would change the course of his career.
Following The Monkees’ original run, Dolenz maintained a career spanning recording, touring, television, stage work and directing. He participated in various Monkees reunions, including tours with Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith. The final Monkees tour, featuring Dolenz and Nesmith, concluded in November 2021.
Dolenz has also continued to record outside The Monkees catalogue. His solo releases include King For A Day, Out Of Nowhere and Dolenz Sings Nesmith, while his 2023 EP Dolenz Sings R.E.M. explored songs from the R.E.M. catalogue.
The Australian production will therefore place The Monkees material within the broader context of Dolenz’s career, while acknowledging the three other members of the original group, all of whom have died. Jones died in 2012, Tork in 2019 and Nesmith in 2021, leaving Dolenz as the last surviving member of The Monkees.
The tour will also include material from Dolenz’s forthcoming six-track EP Timeless, scheduled for September 4, 2026. Its first single, “Terri”, is a Paul Westerberg composition. The release is positioned ahead of the 60th anniversary of The Monkees television debut.
Tour Dates
May 6, Brisbane, QPAC
May 8, Gold Coast, HOTA
May 12, Newcastle, Civic Theatre
May 14, Sydney, State Theatre
May 16, Thirroul, Anita’s Theatre
May 18, Canberra, Canberra Theatre Centre
May 20, Geelong, Costa Hall
May 22, Melbourne, Palais Theatre
May 24, Adelaide, AEC Theatre
May 26, Perth, Astor Theatre
Ticket Details
Tickets go on sale Thursday, August 27 at 11am AEST.
Official tour information: David Roy Williams Tours
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