Michael Nesmith Tickets

As a theatre critic for the Worcester T & G, I don't normally review concerts, but for tonight's Michael Nesmith and the First National Band concert in Somerville I just have to give a special plug. Not JUST because of the brilliant "Nez" but also primarily focusing my praise on his band, which I could run out of superlatives complimenting. Throughout this show, Nez was quite witty, as usual, regaling many great stories to the audience, and he sang well, but obviously was under the weather, sniffling, hoarse occasionally, and seeming a trifle "medicated" at times (the artist is 75 and just had quadruple bypass surgery less than three months ago, after all). It was a rough start, lyrically, at the beginning, during the hard driving country opener "Nevada Fighter" but the band got Nez back on track and held things together brilliantly throughout the night. I give much credit to lead guitarist Christian Nesmith, who demonstrated a high level of musical proficiency with multiple instruments, especially during numbers such as "Marie's Theme" from Michael Nesmiths "The Prison" concept album. Just one example of continuous outstanding performances throughout the show. Kudos also to pedal steel maestro Pete Finney, who could easily have been a concert unto himself at times (he was that good). Hard to single out one example as his contribution dominated most of the music performed. Not only did the entire band compliment Nez, they excelled as their own entity. Each had their moment in the spotlight, although more keys, bass and drum solos would have been nice. This band would have impressed performing the phone book...if such a book still exists. In their concert homage, they easily channeled the original FNB members who began with Nesmith all those post-Monkees era years ago: O.J. "Red" Rhodes, pedal steel guitar impresario, John London, bass guitarist, and drummer John Ware. Their presence was felt by many of the fans in the room as highlights of their superior yet all too brief album catalog was performed. Bass, drums, keys, etc...all playing fluidly and flawlessly. The venue was comfortable and intimate. Seats were mildly comfortable. Gutarist Jonathan Nesmith did not seem to thrilled with the inconsistent lighting during the show, especially as evidenced by the poor illumination happening far stage right, which was diminished far too low at times. If you ever have the chance to see any of the musicians perform from this latest incarnation of the First National Band, absolutely take advantage of the opportunity. :-)

It was great to see Mike Nesmith in good form after 50 years! The new version of First National Band was hot - all players were excellent. Special kudos to the steel guitar player who near equalled or bested oriiginal FNB Red Rhodes versions of Nez's classic songs. Mike was in good voice and reached back for a nice selection of songs off the original FNB albums, a Monkees' tune, and a few covered by Linda Rondstadt. His two sons, bass, keyboards, and backup singer completed the band. My only "complaint" was no band member introductions. Mike was visibly tired by the end of the concert, but he is 75 years old and so he is excused. Overall, the concert and venue met or exceeded my expectations and compared favorably in quality to the Troubadour CD recently released.

Michael Nesmith was mesmerizing! His First National Band was in excellent form with his two sons leading the way. No one would ever know that Michael had major heart surgery this year because he played with more heart than anyone I've ever seen. Don't miss him if he comes to your town!

The Michael Nesmith and The First National Band concert was awesome. With such an intimate venue all seats are good seats. Only comment would be that the microphone for Michael Nesmith should have been louder. His voice was drowned out by the over powering instruments. The music was excellent, but it was hard to hear his voice.

If you are one of those "the Monkees didn't play their own instruments" people, you are sadly uninformed, as the PBS documentary "The Wrecking Crew" explained. Many young bands didn't play on their RECORDS in the 1960s due to the Los Angeles music producers choosing professional studio musicians instead. Mike Nesmith was a singer/songwriter before the Monkees. He formed the First National Band as an outlet for his creativity, This concert was a tribute to those days and to his wife Phyllis. His two sons fronted the band with him. The highlight was in fact a Monkees song "Papa Gene's Blues" with its chorus "for I love you and I know you love me." You could feel the love flowing from the audience singing along to Mike on the stage and back. Disappointments: 1) the sound mix. Usually great at the Birchmere, but this time the instruments drowned out the vocals in many cases. 2) Unlike the usual Birchmere signings in the lobby, the ticket only meet and greet. Who knew there was one?

Nez is always awesome and puts on a great show. His pipes are still good for an older man-just wish that I could’ve seen him this time!

While I didn't expect a set longer than the 90 minutes he played, too many of the songs were 'obscure, and it was disappointing that there was NO encore. With his catalog of material he could have done 2 more songs anyway. Also, the sound mix was horrible. The instruments were 'in your face', the vocals sounded like they were underwater. The Birchmere isn't that big that the instruments need a lot of additional amplification.

Michael Nesmith's show at The Birchmere was filled with excellent songs, stories, laughs and a few tears. The show had no real mention of The Monkees and there were no Monkees songs played. This was Country Rock and certainly more honkytonk than his work with his previous band. The First National Band Reprise was a great accompaniment and the pedal steel player was amazing. All in all I really enjoyed the show. The Birchmere's way of seating was different, but I was early enough to get a very close seat.

Fantastic Live show! Nez played songs I NEVER thought I would hear LIVE! From 'Nine Times Blue' to 'Joanne' and 'Some of Shelly's Blues' plus Wonderful stories to set up each set of songs. Unfortunately, Nez DIDN'T Deliver after the show ... unless you were one of the very select few able to get for a pass to the Recpetion Conversations. These days Nez doesn't seem to care about the fans who supported him over the years when the rest of the world wouldn't give him the TIME OF DAY. Apparently he's only interested the ones with CASH IN HAND!

A great show indeed. Had dinner with Nez next door to the show. He is such a nice guy. One of the best shows of the year at this theatre. Got to the area around 5pm and ran into the Nez out side near the front doors of the theatre. We then went into the restaurant. After , we then took our seat and for sure , this was the best Nez concert to date. He really is a great talent.....

Having been a fan of Nesmith for nearly a quarter of a century now, I never thought I would get the chance to see him perform live, especially given the rarity of his appearances (his last tour was in the early 1990s). That all changed on the night of Tuesday, November 12, 2013, when he stopped by bergenPAC in Englewood, New Jersey, halfway through his Movies of the Mind tour. Fresh off a late 2012 Monkees tour in the wake of band member and British heartthrob Davy Jones's death, as well as brief solo tours in the United Kingdom and America, Nesmith is on a roll. Nesmith was in top form and rocked much harder at age 70 (going on 71) than he did at age 49 on his last tour, based on the double CD I have of that tour as well as footage I've seen on the Internet. He played all of the familiar fan favorites, from “Joanne” from the early 1970s to “Rays” from his 2006 album of the same name, in between providing a nice range of country, folk, pop, and rock music. Nesmith played his signature twelve-string acoustic guitar, with long-time band mate Joe Chemay on bass, Boh Cooper on keyboards, and long-time band mate Paul Leim on drums. The band also featured Chris Scruggs, the grandson of bluegrass banjo legend Earl Scruggs, on pedal steel guitar, acoustic and electric guitars, and mandolin. Scruggs was the musical prodigy of the night, sometimes playing two or more instruments in the same song. All the musicians were excellent and did a standout job bringing Nesmith's songs to glorious and exuberant life. Nesmith also introduced each song or group of related/similar songs with narratives that set the scene for each musical tale, hence the tour moniker Movies of the Mind. This feature of the performance fostered intimate camaraderie between Nesmith and the audience and made it more of a personal experience, like hearing campfire tales from an old friend. I took my folks to the show (Center Orchestra Row N Seats 101-103), and they both enjoyed it immensely. They are both in Nesmith's age range (Nesmith is four months older than my dad). If you like Michael Nesmith or just want to see a living legend in the prime of his twilight, make it a priority to see him live.

Decent venue. It took a couple of songs to get the mix right, but after that, it was pretty special. Not too loud, which is kind of nice, for once. Mike pulled from all of his solo albums. He also set up each song or group of songs with a quick narrative that tried to put you where the songs was taking place...it was really nice. His band was pretty tight and Mikes voice was great and only got stronger as the night went on. If you were a Monkees fan looking for a few of the hits, you were disappointed. The only song that Mr. Nesmith played that was on any Monkees album was 'Listen to the Band', but it was the version from his "Loose Salute" album. It was a really good show; my first time seeing Mike.

Michael assembled an excellent band for his latest concert tours. After being away from the live scene for years he come outs and plays his song over the past 50 years. The night mostly went chronologically through his career, focussing on his solo work. Mike sounded great. He would give a little story to set the scene before each song or sets of songs, Movies of the Mind. The end set of songs rocked hard and sounded great. Don't hesitate to get tickets. It will be a fun night.

I have wanted to see Michael Nesmith live for years. I finally got the chance. I was pleased with my seats and the price I paid for them. The show was fantastic. The venue was very nice. I would see a show there again. Nesmith sounded great and I loved the narration that lead into each song, diptych, or medley. He played many of my favorite tunes. My only criticism was the merch. table. I would have liked to see more of a variety of t-shirts, CDs and vinyl options. Perhaps more from his VideoRanch site. In the end, I was there to hear him sing live and I did and it was fantastic. Overall, I give the show 4.5 out 5 stars.

Not only was he fantastic, as expected he would be, but the band was truly great as well. Got to meet all 4 of them after the show & they were all so down to earth. He sang all the Great songs we have come to love, although I would have liked to hear some from his Monkee days. Great all around!

Michael Nesmith was fantastic. His theme for the tour (movies in my mind) was obviously lost on some audience members who kept yelling out song titles demanding he play them. He gave a description prior to each song or set of songs to "set the mood," but it got ruined a few times by the jerk in the cheap seats. So disappointing, since seeing Nesmith outside of LA is relatively rare. Disappointing too, that The venue didn't do more to quiet the audience.

This was a fantastic evening. Mr. Nesmith is charming, wry, insightful and a talented musician and songwriter. He introduced his songs with the movie setting in his head that inspired them. An inspired idea, presentation, and evening. Plus his genuine appreciation of our applause was refreshing.

I saw Mike Nesmith last year in NYC, and he was great. This time around, he was AWESOME. I was fortunate to have 3rd row center seats, so I was literally in front of him. Him and his super talented band played for an hour and 45 minutes straight. With the conclusion of each song, like the true humble and gentlemanly Texan that he is, Mike would take a step back from the mic and graciously bow and give accolades to his band. He smiled the whole night and everyone was in such a great mood. Along with every song, there was a vignette. He played all of his non-Monkees hits, and his voice was in perfect form. He hit those high notes (Joanne) beautifully, as well as the lower notes and everything in between. It was a great night

Expected to hear atleast some of the Monkees classics. Instead, I was inundated with horrible country western music. A true disappointment!!!

Blessed amazing, heart moving stories in song that fill the senses and lighten the soul. If you thought that Michael was about his past, you've missed the boat...his solo music is a gift...filled with tales of love found, love lost, exotic locales,meaning, racing, meandering tales of wanderlust and coming home. Thanks...for the ride...