An exciting part of my college radio experience was following the ascent of new bands. From listening to their hearts and souls formed in vinyl to their signing to small labels, to the few making it to major labels, it was an unforgettable time. Rounding this experience out was seeing them perform live. Where I did see plenty back then, I have since gone to – and continue to go to – concerts from these bands. In the fall of 2016, I added another to my list with seeing Mike Peters, the lead singer of The Alarm, as he performed solo at the famed Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

The Alarm hailed from Wales in the UK and by the time I got into college radio (oh, and into college too), they had already released their first album on indie label IRS (the coolest name and logo for a label, by the way) and in the fall of my freshman year they release their second album, Strength. I quickly became a fan, as their music and lyrics resonated to me. Still today, nary a midyear rainstorm goes by without me belting out, to the chagrin of those in close proximity, Rain in the Summertime. Not to forget other ballad hits of theirs like Sixty Eight Guns, Blaze of Glory, Spirit of 76 among many others.

When I heard Mike Peters was touring solo and was coming to Chicago, I jumped at the chance. That month of September 2016 was a busy one for me and music because I had just gone to the Riot Fest festival concert, also in Chicago; seeing Mike Peters as well as Morrissey, Dee Snider and Gwar in the same month was pushing overload!

Though the concert was now almost 10 years ago, I can remember much of it like it happened yesterday. I had gotten on the VIP list for the show, and it was cool to say that as I entered the theater, as it had been a long, long time since that happened. The theater at the Old Town School was an intimate venue, and though there were seats I stood the whole time to the lament of some fans around me; to no surprise it was an older, GenX crowd. The concert tour was celebrating 30 years since the release of Strength, and his set list matched a live performance that the band did on MTV for the release. That night was just Peters on guitar and he used a drum kit in front of him. He was literally a one-man band. #onemanband

Needless to say the show rocked. I knew all the songs (and most all of the lyrics) and I was singing along to them as did most of the audience. In between songs, Peters told stories about the early days of touring with The Alarm, when they toured with U2 and an interesting encounter that he had with the Sex Pistols... it was just an awesome night.

As he finished his last song, I didn’t realize the night would get better. When I got up to leave, Peters stayed on stage and people were coming up to him and talking to him and getting pictures, so I made my way down to the stage as well. I’s say about half the crowd stayed, many just to shake his hand and say whatever, so I worked my way through the crowd until it was turn. Trying not to be a total fanboy, I introduced myself to him as a fellow Mike and of course I had to tell my origin story from college radio. It was a casual chat and he was cool and appreciative, and it concluded with getting the picture I opened the post with.

Going into the concert I was aware Peters had been battling cancer for many years, and at this point he was in remission. The weekend earlier at Riot Fest I signed up to be a bone marrow donor at a booth run by his Love Hope Strength Foundation. Since then, I have heard on and off of his continued cancer battles, including the song Next and its video which takes place in a hospital. At the end of this past April, Mike Peters lost his battle with cancer. I was sad to hear that news, and then searched my archives for the pictures and one video I made that night in at the Old Town theater which you can watch here or is embedded below. Clearly I wasn’t trying to win a cinematic award for it. It is a little shaky, but it captured the energy of that evening in September 2016. Rock on forever, Mike Peters.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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