So we're sitting in the merch tent, one of the few dry places at Nomahagen Park, and it's pouring like crazy all around us. Park workers are breaking down barriers, food vendors are streaming out of the park and people are heading to their cars so they can get to their houses and dry off before dinner.
Mike Peters was having none of that.
He was celebrating his 20th anniversary. It would have been understandable if he'd chosen to say "You know, Jules and I just want to go get a quiet dinner and celebrate our special day." No one would have held that against him. Instead, Peters wanted to play one more set for his fans.
As the rain poured down, attempts were made to make the stage playable. Water was squeegeed off the stage, but it was very apparent that playing a set would mean risking electrocution. So, just as he did in Atlantic City a month or so ago, Mike found a place to play and a way for the show to go on.
This time, it was a tent in the back section of the park. Mike was shuttled over on a golf cart and stood in an area in the center of several picnic tables. Fans asked for pictures and Mike was very obliging before getting into the actual playing of the set. Most of the songs were requests, and Mike's frequent response was "If I can remember it" before going into one that he did remember or felt better about playing. It was almost all older stuff, with Situation Under Control mixed in. I was hoping for "Plastic Carrier Bags" but that didn't happen.
Given the spontaneous nature of the set, of course there were some amusing and noteworthy moments. At one point, Union County supervisor George Devanny announced that Mike would be the last act of the Musicfest, that the rest of the show was being cancelled because "amps are floating away." Later in the set, Devanny announced that the set was going to have to end soon before the police come. He wasn't referring to Sting and the boys. The locals wanted to clear the park. The other part came when Mike did "Situation Under Control" and wound up starting over because he sang the second verse first. Before he started over, he cracked "The situation is NOT under control" and got some good laughs.
One personal aside -- I am always impressed by how much Mike gives to the fans and does everything he can to make sure they go home with nothing but positive memories. "The tent show" will be something the people who were there will talk about for years, just like that Atlantic City show in August and just like gigs that happened years ago in parking lots when it was snowing that I only can wish I had been a part of.
I also have to add that one thing really did strike me during this set. Given that it was Mike and Jules' 20th anniversary, I snuck a few looks over at Jules, who was taking pictures as Mike performed. She was singing along to every song, which I found very touching. It's nice to see two people who are so right for each other.
The setlist from the closing performance of the 2008 Union County Musicfest:
Breathe
Rise
How the Mighty Fall
My Town
Deeside (yes, cards were thrown in the tent)
father to Son
Hallowed Ground
Situation Under Control
The Chain
One Step Closer to Home
My Land Your Land
Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke? (Mike said "What are you going to do? You've already thrown all the cards." But more WERE thrown. Alarm fans come prepared.)
Tim
Nothing lasts forever is all they seem to tell you when you're young
