MICKY DOLENZ HEADLINES TORONTO BENIFIT

When MICKY DOLENZ announced he'd be headlining a benefit in Toronto for a Gristmill in Utopia, a lot of people did a double-take. But, with the spirit of the 60's in the air, Dolenz and his band made good last week at the terrific art deco Capitol Theater in Toronto.The house was pretty much filled and when opening-act, Canadian-band The Spoons took to the stage. The band, which began in the early-80s and pretty much led the new-wave movement from Canada, were nothing short of terrific. They looked and sounded great.After a short talk about the mill and the event from CHUM-radio DJ ROBBIE LANE, Dolenz an d band took to the stage to the strands of "Last Train To Clarksville." Now, we're total Dolenz-fans here at Times Square Gossip, and we've caught quite a few of his shows, but tonight was extra special. Dolenz then began to talk about how crazy it was when JIMI HENDRIX, of all people, was the opening act for The Monkees in 1967, and how one song of his always got a certain response ... something called "Purple Haze." Usually Dolenz does a few bars of the song, but tonight performed the entire song to a very tumultuous response. Needless to say, the crowd went crazy. They also performed The Beatles' "Oh Darling", where Dolenz's voice was so good, he almost made it his own. "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "I'm A Believer" from The Monkee-cannon were also performed, again to a very happy crowd. Special mention must be made for Dolenz's guitarist WAYNE AVERS; keyboards DAVE ALEXANDER; and drummer SANDY GENNARO (yes, from Blackjack) who were nothing short of superb. Micky's sister COCO sings with the band and performed a wicked version of MICHAEL NESMITH's "Different Drum" - which Linda Ronstadt had a major hit with. All in all, a great show and there was enough money raised to start to save the mill.

Photo By: Lora Keyes