What still drives an artist of retirement age with millions in the bank on grueling touring trips? Mike Rutherford, 72-year-old British multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Genesis, has a pretty simple explanation: “For my part, I love seeing the world, traveling around on a daily basis. Anyone who still does it at my age should enjoy it.” The tours of his band Mike and the Mechanics are now as tangible as they were in the early days of Genesis: medium-sized halls, small hotels, traveling with the Nightliner, little glamour.
When the tree-length Schlaks Rutherford, wrapped in a neat light suit, stands statically in the limelight of the well-filled Centennial Hall in Frankfurt, regularly switching between electric and acoustic guitar and bass, a slight smile of contentment occasionally flits across his still quite youthful face. Does he then long for the carefree country life on his estates in Loxwood, West Sussex or Cape Town in South Africa with his wife Angie, who has been his wife since 1976? Or is he thinking about Genesis’ final “The Last Domino?” tour through the giant arenas last year?
Catchy pop-rock mix
In any case, he gives the impression that the Germany start of the “Refueled!” tour suits him quite well. As with Genesis, Mike and the Mechanics, which was founded in 1985 and disbanded in 2004, experienced a long break. It wasn’t until 2010 that the cast of the Genesis spin-off project, which was the third most successful after the mega-soloists Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, was completely renewed. Mike and the Mechanics, currently based on Anthony Drennan on guitar and bass, Luke Juby on keyboards and Nic Collins on drums, make it pretty easy for the listener: an always catchy, sometimes anthemic pop-rock mixture with worldwide chart-toppers like “Silent Running”, “The Living Years”, “Over My Shoulder” and “All I Need Is A Miracle”.
The two ecstatically passionate and vocally first-class vocalists provide variety: Andrew Roachford, Londoner with West Indian roots, soul in his voice, virtuosity on the electric piano and talent as an entertainer, enchants with his eccentric manner, and Tim Howar, Canadian singer, actor and dancer , shines like a quicksilver bouncy ball, especially when presenting material from Genesis. The sarcastic Genesis ode “Jesus He Knows Me” about the fundamental evangelicals in North America mixes with the original repertoire. In the lovely acoustic set, Mike and the Mechanics again integrate the Genesis evergreens “Invisible Touch” and “Follow You, Follow Me”.
Even then, enthusiastic people get up again and again to dance uninhibitedly. The Centennial Hall only really gets going collectively when Rutherford on his Squier Bullet Stratocaster intones the legendary pithy riff that could have come from the workshop of Keith Richards: “I Can’t Dance”. He and Tim Howar earn frenetic applause when they hint at the caned dance steps from the Genesis video clip. The high spirits last until the finale with “Word Of Mouth”, where all band members can once again really shine as soloists.
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