Alarm frontman Mike Peters has a real knack of keeping his loyal fanbase on board.
His revolutionary interactive gig in Wrexham proved to be a master
stroke. In the humid and intimate setting, he delivered a 120-minute set full
of passion and gusto.
Approaching the gig without a setlist, he was at the mercy of the fans.
Prior to the performance, they were invited to declare their favourite songs
on a request sheet placed on the merchandise table. They piled in to make
their choices, which were handed to Peters to formulate in under 45 minutes.
A cleverly orchestrated publicity concept was unveiled, as his recently
compiled 8-DVD boxset (The Gathering DVD Collection) was projected onto the
stage backdrop, which also served to crank up the atmosphere.
When he stepped on stage, he was greeted as a Welsh rock hero, which he still
is. The likeable and down-to-earth singer handled the complexity of his show
with real charisma - though it must have been a challenge.
Set one was devoted to choices from album tracks. In 45 minutes he crammed in
ten songs. Despite his admiration for The Beatles, he resembled a latter day
Bob Dylan in terms of musical style. When he played harmonica on various songs
the Dylan effect finally kicked in.
It had a real retro feel about it: shades of Greenwich Village New York in
the early 60s came to mind. Most of this material doesn’t make the cut when
he’s with The Alarm, so it was refreshing. He dug deep emotionally,as many
songs were dedicated to loved ones who had suffered at some time in their lives.
During his 30 minute breather, he barely had a moments peace as he gladly
autographed everything in sight. Further evidence of the interactive nature of
the night.
After the break, it was time for the regular anthems that made him a
household name. Hit after hit rolled out as the energy level became palpable
from both Peters and the audience: it was mass sing-along time.
By song three, New South Wales, (sung in Welsh and English), he was sweating profusely
and the place was rocking,as he gave his Takamine acoustic guitar a right
old pounding. Song seven, 45RPM, Peters revealed yet another trick. Using a
zapper, he switched on a video recorder, capturing the song for his next live
DVD. Predictably the fans went nuts.
Hearing classics such as 68 Guns, Spirit of '76 and Where Were You
Hiding When The Storm Broke done unplugged, they became a revelation.
Often the lyrics are lost in the din, but there was no such problem this night.
By the end of an exhausting night, he thoroughly deserved the noisy chants of,
"More, more, more." Closing the night with a three song encore - Dylan
finally popped up as he hit a crescendo on Knocking On Heaven’s Door.
Observing the night, Mike Peters was everywhere: on screen,mingling with
fans and on stage.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Alarm frontman Mike Peters has a real knack of keeping his loyal fanbase on board.
His revolutionary interactive gig in Wrexham proved to be a master
stroke. In the humid and intimate setting, he delivered a 120-minute set full
of passion and gusto.
After the break, it was time for the regular anthems that made him a
household name. Hit after hit rolled out as the energy level became palpable
from both Peters and the audience: it was mass sing-along time.
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
