Davy Jones draws big crowds to Wheeling show

First published July 5, 2006

Women, some of them grandmothers, screamed with delight when he walked out onstage, while others held up vintage album covers to be signed.

Davy Jones headlined Wheeling’s Freedom Fest Tuesday, and the former Monkee drew a crowd of more than 15,000 people, police said, twice as many as last year. And they came early.

Sisters Bev Sherman of Wheeling, Judi Zeal of Arlington Heights and Lisa Gerol of Cedarburg, Wis., put down their front row chairs at 2:30 p.m. They had brought photos from their childhood crush on the Monkees, including a snapshot of Sherman’s closet door filled with posters of Jones, and the heading “Bev loves Davy.”

“We were big Monkees fans,” Zeal said. “This is such fun.”

Sitting near them were Mount Prospect friends Annette Wegener and Jill Tumberger. Together they held up two of the Monkees’ first albums, including “The Monkees’ Headquarters,” and “More of the Monkees,” both released in 1966.

“The TV show was great, their music was great,” Wegener said. “The whole era was fun, so why not?”

Jones opened the 90-minute, 25-song concert with a pair of Monkees hits, including “I’m A Believer,” and “Valerie.” Later he took fans down memory lane with such hits as “Last Train to Clarksville,” the Monkees’ theme song, and “Daydream Believer.”

“Wheeling, Illinois, I’ve been waiting to see you for such a long time,” he told the screaming fans. “If you’re a Monkee fan, you’re either very young or bloody old. That’s all I can say.”

Most were Monkees fans, though there were plenty of younger fans in the audience. Scott Mackay, the morning drive personality on 94.7 FM who promoted the concert on his show and gave away VIP tickets, said Jones’ appearance on “The Brady Bunch” helped fuel interest with younger audiences.

“It was an episode called ‘Getting Davy Jones,’” Mackay said, “and it’s the most replayed episode on television.”

Anita and Paul Harshberger of Addison were among 10 lucky fans to win a “meet and greet” session with Jones before the concert.

“He’s the same age as I am (60),” Anita Harshberger said. “I feel like we grew up together.”

Others in the audience said seeing him in person and hearing the familiar Monkees songs was nostalgic.

“I’m Davy Jones’ biggest fan, I just love his voice,” said Debby Jones of Des Plaines. “It’s just reminiscent of a simpler time.”