19 June 2022 (gig)
21 June 2022
After a two-year absence from the road, the "Happy Together" tour is up and running again in its 2022 edition. A traveling show mainly made up of acts that found success in the '60s, the show is named after the timeless hit by The Turtles who, not surprisingly, headlined the show. The "Happy Together" tour played at the Lynn Auditorium in Lynn, Massachusetts on June 19, 2022.
The Cowsills began the night with the irresistibly catchy "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" and a slick take of "Indian Lake". The three current Cowills (siblings Susan, Bob and Paul) were the most energetic bunch of the night. Susan and Paul were especially animated, as they worked the crowd and bopped around like a pair of Summer of Love cheerleaders. They resurrected the theme from the TV show "Love American Style" (where Paul did not miss an opportunity to show his patriotism, as he saluted each time the line "Truer than the red, white and blue" was sung) and ended with an acid-rock take of "Hair".
Next up were The Vogues, and the vocal group trio nearly stole the show. Opening with the upbeat end- of-work-day celebration, "Five O'Clock World", they then raised the romance factor in the room to a big high with "My Special Angel".
They Vogues ended with "Turn Around, Look at Me" (a Glen Campbell cover) and a rousing rendition of the Petula Clark original, "You're The One".
Chicago-bred pop-rock hit makers, The Buckinghams, were represented by founding members Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna. Pulling out a sampling of their hits, "Don't You Care", "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)" and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" - it was impressive to see how much the songs have endured the years quite well. The lesser known "Susan" led into their mega-hit, "Kind of a Drag". Along the way, Giammarese and Fortuna reminisced about being on many TV shows during their heyday, and joked that they were once mistaken for a British Invasion group during one appearance.
The Association are down to one founding member, Jules Alexander (their other original member, Jim Yester, was absent this night), but still put on a really enjoyable set. Alexander stated at one point that "Never My Love" is (according to BMI) the second-most-played song of all time. Also, he had a good laugh at the fact that "Along Comes Mary" was considered controversial during its original release (causing Alexander to humorously ask the audience; "Have you heard the radio lately"?).
Apparently, Gary Puckett has discovered the Foundain of Youth, as he has not aged a day in decades. At times, he sounded more than a bit like Tom Jones, especially on "Over You". Puckett's ode to a possible unfaithful partner, "Woman, Woman", was as powerful as ever and his set closing "Young Girl" showed he has not lost one bit of his charismatic aura.
As expected, The Turtles ended the night with a mix of first-rate pop classics and humor. Mark Volman is the sole remaining original member (lead vocalist Howard Kaylan had been M.I.A. onstage since the end of the 2017 "Happy Together" trek). However, Kaylan has been replaced by the amazing Ron Dante (leader of The Archies).
Mixing up the hits, they highlighted their set with pop gems such as "She'd Rather Be With Me", "Eleanor", "You Baby", as well as Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" (where Volman did his best Dylan imitation on the second verse). Always packed with a great sense of humor, Volman was dressed up in a vest adorned with pictures from the comic strip "Peanuts" (one could not be happy at the sight of Volman romping around the stage while pictures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy Van Pelt followed him everywhere).
While the set was mostly Turtles' material, Dante did get to belt out The Archies' smash "Sugar, Sugar" and led a massive sing-a-long on the finale of "Happy Together".
The "Happy Together" song was extended as all the bands returned to the stage (each one singing a snipet of their biggest hit), which culminated in a massive finale that was a perfect way to end one of the best package tours ever.
Upcoming Happy Together Tour Dates:
June 22: South Shore Music Circus, Cohaset, MA
June 23: Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ
June 24: Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, Red Bank, NJ
June 25: American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA
June 26: Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH
July 8: Chinook Winds Casino Resort, Lincoln City, OR
July 12: Britt Pavilion, Jacksonville, OR
July 14: Tuscon Music Hall, Tucson Estates, AZ
July 15: Smith Center, Las Vegas, NV
July 16: Talking Stick Resort, Scottsdale, AZ
July 17: The Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA
July 29: The Palace Theatre, Greenburg, PA
July 31: F. M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-barre, P
Augus 1: Ocean City Music Pier, Ocean City, NJ
August 3: Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NJ
August 6: Genessee Theatre, Waukegan, IL
August 7: Wisconsin State Fair - Main Stage, West Allis, WI
August 9: Kodak Center, Rochester, NY
August 10: Fraze Pavilion, Kettering, OH
August 11: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
August 14: MGM Northfield Park, Northfield, OH
August 20: The Family Arena, Saint Charles, MO
August 21: Kaufman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, MO
