Rascals singer/keyboardist Felix Cavaliere and The Monkees‘ Micky Dolenz will perform together this Friday in New York City and Saturday in Lynn, Massachusetts, the latest in a series of joint 2022 “Legends Live!” concerts featuring the two music greats.
“[A] Rascal and a Monkee, what do you think? Pretty weird,” Cavaliere comments to ABC Audio with a chuckle.
He then notes that, with people having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic during the last couple of years, the concerts’ organizers felt that the music of The Monkees and The Rascals were both “happy [and] uplifting,” and that “maybe [it was] time for people to…just enjoy themselves.”
The concerts feature Cavaliere and Dolenz performing with their respective solo bands, and alternating the headlining slot at each show.
The 79-year-old Cavaliere says one of his favorite things to do during his set is to throw in snippets of other artists’ famous tunes while playing some of his classic Rascals tunes.
“[F]or example, when I do ‘Groovin’,’ I pop in [a little bit of The Temptations‘] ‘My Girl,"” he explains. “And everybody goes, ‘Oh wow, I know that song.’ And I say, ‘Well, okay, if you know it, sing it.’ And then I put in ‘Just My Imagination."” Same thing. I try to keep their attention and their memory cells active.”
Another highlight for Felix is the finale of his show, where he tells the audience, “Okay, this is your last chance to dance, get up and rock,” and then plays “Good Lovin’.”
Cavaliere and Dolenz also have a joint October 23 show scheduled in Phoenix, Arizona. Felix’s tour schedule also includes a series of concerts in Hawaii running from June 9 to June 12, as well as a July 16 show in Rochester, Michigan.
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