Hey, hey, he's a Monkee

By Shawn McGrath

July 04, 2008 10:49 pm

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ANDERSON — Introduced as the “King Kong of the Monkees,” pop singer Davy Jones opened his concert at Hoosier Park Racing and Casino Saturday night with a playful jab at Indiana residents.
“They got the FBI up there on the roof in case there are any unruly Indianaians,” Jones said, referring to a photographer perched on top of the casino building.
Several people in the audience yelled the correct moniker for Indiana residents.
“Hoosiers? I’m not going to elaborate on that word!”
Jones, lead singer for the immortal 1960s band The Monkees, took the stage at about 8:30 p.m., a half hour later than when the free concert was expected to start. Promoters estimated the crowd at 3,000, and cars and trucks were backed up along Charles Street from Hoosier Park to Scatterfield Road, waiting to find parking.
Fitting for the Fourth of July, Jones started his show with an a cappella rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” From there, it was all nostalgia, slipping seamlessly into “I’m a Believer.”
While the large crowd skewed older, there were many younger fans in the audience.
“That’s what I grew up with,” said Tony Renfro, 47, Wilkinson, before the show started. “It brings me back to my childhood.”
Renfro, a service technician, attended the concert with his wife, Debbie, 46, the couple’s first trip to Hoosier Park. They said Jones was the only reason they came to the race track and casino.
“It absolutely was,” Renfro said. “But being here, we’ll likely come back.”

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