Mike Peters
The Canyon
October 18, 2023
By DAN MACINTOSH
MONTCLAIR, CA – The Canyon was a most unusual concert venue to host a Mike (The Alarm) Peters concert. It is literally in a suburban mall, situated just down the way from a JC Penney store. As unusual as this location may have been, though, it didn’t seem to bother Peters any.
Solo, without his regular band, Peters gave this small but loyal audience a healthy helping of inspiring Alarm songs. Peters accompanied himself on guitar, as well as a harmonica and a bass drum (at his feet). He also incorporated pre-recorded tracks at times, to give himself a fuller band sound.
Although his setlist was heavy on popular Alarm songs, Peters also sprinkled in a few newer compositions, too. One notable newer one was called “Whatever,” which he said was partly inspired by the John Lennon song “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night.” In Peter’s case, however, he was singing about getting through his life, as he was facing serious health issues at the time.
The show started off relatively calm and quiet, but fully took fire once Peters began singing some of those familiar Alarm anthems. Songs like “Sixty Eight Guns,” “The Stand” and “Strength” never get old, and Peters was in strong voice, and revealed how much he still truly loves singing these band standards.
Peters saved one of The Alarm’s best, and also one of its least anthemic songs, “Rain in the Summertime,” for last. It’s a lovely, relatable song about enjoyable weather conditions, and doesn’t require you to shake your fist in the air to fully enjoy.
Along the way, we learned about Peters’ eventful career, including stories of how various songs were written. One memorable tale detailed how Peters once performed for (then) Prince Charles. Charles enjoyed seeing Peters because Mike is just such an irresistibly likeable guy. He comes off this way in concert because he clearly loves what he does.
Yes, The Canyon is far from your typical nightspot. But tonight, at least it was probably the best visit to a shopping mall ever.
