The Plaza Live
Orlando, Florida
by Michelle Wilson of Rock Legends Photographers
Mike & The Mechanics absolutely
rocked The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida with a blazing, one
hour-and-forty minute set of all their hits, including a few Genesis
tunes. Skipping an opener and taking the stage at 8pm, the band
played straight through until 9:40pm, offering a warm, inviting vibe
of genuine camaraderie among the members. Original Genesis
bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford was backed on this tour by co-lead
vocalists Tim “The Power” Howar, Andrew Roachford (keys), Anthony
Drennan (guitar/bass), Gary Wallis (drums/percussions) and Toby
Chapman (keys/bass).
Rutherford and Drennan traded off on
bass and guitar (both electric and acoustic) throughout the show, and
even Chapman came out from behind the keys to play bass on a few.
While Rutherford and Drennan were a bit more laid back, their
frontmen were anything but. The dynamic duo of Roachford and Howar
delivered soaring vocals and welcomed heavy audience interaction.
With his incredible range and Broadway background, Howar kept the
crowd fully engaged, while Roachford's soulful sound was the perfect
complement to Howar's theatrical presence. The joyful harmonies
pouring out of these two were truly awe-inspiring.
Sharing material spanning their catalog, the group dove into such staples as “”Get Up,” “Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground),” “Over My Shoulder” and “A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold,” which Howar dedicated to the audience and also to “the late, great Paul Young.” (Young, an original member of the band, died of a heart attack in 2000.) Peppered throughout were five tracks off the latest record, Let Me Fly (2017), including “Are You Ready,” “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “High Life,” “Wonder” and the absolutely haunting title track, “Let Me Fly,” which featured Roachford on lead vocals and was a real highlight. Likely the most fun songs of the night were covers of Roachford's “Cuddly Toy” and the Genesis hit, “I Can't Dance.” Joking about early school bands and their names, Rutherford humbly mentioned that “we had a school band and it was named Genesis,” which met with exuberant applause and cheering, followed by another huge Genesis number, “Land of Confusion.” “There you go, the old school band,” Rutherford laughingly shared when it was done.
With Roachford on vocals, the soulful,
R&B twist to “The Living Years” was an absolute breath of
fresh air. The song took on a whole new dimension and rather than
trying to sound like Paul Carrack, Roachford totally made it his own.
Of course, it was a fan favorite that garnered a standing ovation.
“All I Need Is A Miracle” rounded out the set, with an enchanting
Howar crooning to a lucky lady in the front as well as a
back-and-forth vocal with the showgoers. Many thought this was the
end and started filing out of the venue, but the band did come back
to close it out with solos including Roachford doing some Stevie
Wonder and Rutherford some Jimi Hendrix, capping it off with “Word
of Mouth.” It was a perfect ending to a pretty darn perfect show.
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