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Happy Together Tour 2012 Begins Tonight in Georgia, 43 Cities Strong

Classic rock is alive and well and on tour in 43 cities nationwide, beginning tonight in Columbus, Georgia, much to the delight of all baby boomers who want summertime entertainment. The tour gives audiences another chance to relive some of the greatest classic rock music of the summers of their youth. Five musical acts comprise the Happy Together Tour this year, anchored by The Turtles, whose invitation to The Buckinghams, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, Gary Puckett, and Grass Roots guarantees great music and some really fun onstage antics, courtesy of Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan’s ad libs and zany senses of humor.
2011 Happy Together Tour at the DTE Center, with The Buckinghams on stage. The Buckinghams' FB page, used with permission.

This year’s tour is the 3rd anniversary of the 25th anniversary tour of the Happy Together group, anchored by the familiar beloved anthem by The Turtles, and the audience invariably sings along when the entire group of entertainers comes back on stage for the closing number. In 2010, the 25th anniversary tour took the music to 23 cities; the 26th anniversary tour of 2011 saw the group in 24 cities; and, this year’s tour is the best ever, with the acts traveling across the United States and into Canada for 43 separate concerts.

With an outstanding backing band, three members of whom are repeating this tour with the artists for their third year, the shows stars are able to each share all their hit songs for the audience with no “down time” for band gear changeout. Tour producer Ron Hausfeld has found this system to work each year and the audience is guaranteed 2.5 hours of continuous entertainment. Tickets range from $25-$50, depending on the venue. Some venues provide VIP seating; check the links to each show provided in the list here.

The public is invited to start their summer vacation with some of the best music of the 1960s and 1970s in the pop-rock celebration of harmony. The Happy Together formula for fun is anchored by Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan of The Turtles, Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna of The Buckinghams, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, Gary Puckett, and Mark Dawson and Dusty Hanvey of the Grass Roots.

The Turtles, The Buckinghams, and Grass Roots are making their third consecutive appearance celebrating the (now) 27th anniversary of the 1985 tour, of which they were they were a part. That 1985 Happy Together Tour was named one of the Top 10 grossing tours of the year nationwide, comprising 190 concerts and lasting 7 months. This year’s tour will conclude August 30th at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, NY.

Happy Together 2012 Schedule—43 cities

Fri. June 8 Columbus, GA River Center

Sat. June 9 Dothan, AL Civic Center

Sun. June 10 Chattanooga, TN Riverbend

Tues. June 12 Orlando, FL Plaza Theatre

Wed. June 13 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock Live

Thur. June 14 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre

Fri. June 15 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall

Sat. June 16 Hiawassee, GA Anderson Music Hall

Sun. June 17 Montgomery, AL Montgomery Perfoming Arts Center

Tues. June 19 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre

Wed. June 20 New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre

Thur. June 21 Tarrytown, NY Tarrytown Music Hall

Fri. June 22 Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre

Sat. June 23 Westbury, NY NYCB Theatre at Westbury

Sun. June 24 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

Wed. July 11 San Diego, CA Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay

Thur. July 12 Santa Ynez, CA Chumash Casino

Fri. July 13 Sacramento, CA California State Fair

Sat. July 14 Costa Mesa, CA Orange County Fair, Pacific Amphitheatre

Sun. July 15 Fountain Hills, AZ Fort McDowell Casino

Mon. July 16 Santa Fe, NM Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino

Tue. July 17 Sandy, UT Sandy City Amphitheatre

Fri. July 27 Bangor, ME Waterfront Park

Sat. July 28 Asbury Park, NJ Paramount Theatre

Sun. July 29 Vienna, VA Filene Center at Wolf Trap

Mon. July 30 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest Center

Wed. Aug. 1 Cleveland Hts., OH Cain Park

Thur. Aug. 2 Kettering, OH Fraze Pavillion for Performing Arts

Fri. Aug. 3 Windsor, ON, CA Caesar’s Windsor “The Colosseum”

Sat. Aug. 4 Waukegan, IL Genesee Theatre

Sun. Aug. 5 West Allis, WI Wisconsin State Fair Park

Tues. Aug. 7 Bemidji, MN Sanford Center

Thur. Aug. 9 Effingham, IL Effingham Performance Center

Fri. Aug. 10 Des Moines, IA Iowa State Fairground Grandstand

Sat. Aug. 11 Manatee, MI Little River Casino Resort

Sat. Aug. 18 Windsor, CT SS&C SummerWind Perf. Arts Ctr.

Thur. Aug. 23 Louisville, KY Cardinal Stadium

Fri. Aug. 24 Aurora, IL Paramount Theatre

Sat. Aug. 25 Baraboo, WI Ho-Chunk Gaming, Black River Falls

Sun. Aug. 26 Mitchell, SD Corn Palace

Mon. Aug. 27 St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair Grandstand

Wed. Aug. 29 Homestead, PA Carnegie Library Music Hall

Thur. Aug. 30 Syracuse, NY New York State Fairgrounds

Here's a video from the encore of the Happy Together Tour 2011:

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