Mike + The Mechanics Open 2023 Tour With Nic Collins—Phil’s Son—on Drums
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Mike Rutherford and Nic Collins during Genesis’ 2022 reunion tour
Mike + The Mechanics have opened their “Refueled!” 2023 tour of the U.K. and Germany where they’re joined by Phil Collins’ son, drummer Nic Collins. The band, led by Genesis founding member, Mike Rutherford, are performing all their hits and “a drop of Genesis.” The run of 34 U.K. concerts take place in April/May and include a performance at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall. They’ll be followed by many dates in Germany in June. Collins, born April 21, 2001, was the drummer on Genesis’ 2021-2022 reunion tour.
On the second night of the tour, on April 13, the band performed 21 songs, split into two sets, that featured four Genesis covers. Watch them perform several tracks below, including Mike + the Mechanics’ “Silent Running” and Genesis’ “I Can’t Dance.”
Also joining Rutherford (guitar) are longtime members Andrew Roachford (lead vocals, backing vocals and keyboards) and Canadian-born singer Tim Howar (lead vocals and backing vocals), who has appeared in the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera in London’s West End. The pair share vocal duties adding a soulful dimension to the band’s already established sound. Gary Wallis, the band’s regular drummer for 30+ years, isn’t available.
Watch them perform “Silent Running” to end the first set in Stockton-on-Tees, on April 13
In a pre-tour interview with BBC Breakfast on March 9, Rutherford was asked what it was like to perform with both Phil Collins and Nic Collins on Genesis’ tour. “It was really nice to have the two of them side by side.”
In the Sept. 27 announcement about Nic Collins, Rutherford said: “We’re delighted to have Nic join us for the tour, he has proven over the past five years what a versatile and tremendous drummer he really is, so to have him with us on the road next year is going to be a real treat. Gary Wallis has always been the drummer for Mike + The Mechanics and will continue to be so, it is unfortunate he is not available for this particular tour.”
Watch them perform “The Living Years” on April 18 in Glasgow, with Roachford on lead vocals
Collins added: “Playing with Mike over the last couple of years has been a real treat so I’m excited to continue sharing the stage with him along with the other Mechanics members. I feel privileged to be stepping in for Gary Wallis who’s been with the band for 30+ years. Yet another big pair of shoes to fill!”
Watch Collins perform a drum solo at that same April 18 concert
Watch them perform the Genesis songs, “I Can’t Dance” and “Jesus He Knows Me,” on April 13
Watch Nic Collins perform with Genesis in 2022
Related: We’re forever grateful to Mike Rutherford, the subject of our first interview
The “Refueled!” tour includes tracks from their most recent Top 10 album Out of the Blue. Their ninth album featured re-workings of some of the band’s best loved tracks, including “The Living Years” and “Over My Shoulder.” Mike + The Mechanics have sold over ten million records worldwide.
Watch Nic Collins do a drum solo on opening night of the Mechanics’ tour, April 12 at the York Barbican
A photo by an attendee, pfarr917, shows Collins at center, flanked by vocalist Howar and Rutherford.
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Mike & the Mechanics 2023 Tour (Tickets are available here and here)
U.K.
Apr 22 – De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Apr 23 – Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent
Apr 24 – Philharmonic Hall Liverpool
Apr 26 – Sands Centre, Carlisle
Apr 27 – City Hall, Sheffield
Apr 28 – Opera House, Buxton
Apr 30 – Derngate, Northampton
May 01 – Bridgewater, Manchester
May 02 – City Hall, Hull
May 04 – Forum, Bath
May 05 – Anvil, Basingstoke
May 07 – Pavilion, Bournemouth
May 08 – Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham
May 10 – St David’s Hall, Cardiff
May 11 – Arena, Swansea
May 12 – Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
May 14 – Pavilions, Plymouth
May 16 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
May 17 – New Theatre, Oxford
May 18 – Royal Albert Hall, London
May 20 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham
May 21 – Theatre, Milton Keynes
May 22 – Venue Cymru, Llandudno
May 24 – G Live, Guildford
May 25 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge
May 26 – Hexagon, Reading
May 28 – Guildhall, Portsmouth
Germany
May 31 – Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt
Jun 02 – Tempodrom, Berlin
Jun 03 – Peissnitzinsel, Halle (Saale)
Jun 04 – Stadtpark, Hamburg
Jun 06 – Liederhalle Beethovensaal, Stuttgart
Jun 07 – Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Dusseldorf
Related: Links to 100s of current classic rock tours
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationnice soft muzic and group muzician is fantastic.love this.
My absolute favorite of all bands!!!!