Mike + The Mechanics – Living The Years 2025 – tour report

A tour by Mike + The Mechanics is not uncommon these days, but they still managed to surprise the audience. In this tour report, we summarise the Looking Back: Living The Years tour in spring 2025.

Preface

When Mechanics were on tour in 2019, the topic of a Genesis reunion tour was in the air. However, few took the discussion seriously until Mike Rutherford appeared on stage in Berlin during the Phil Collins show. Shortly before that, we had conducted an interview with the band in Dresden, in which Rutherford already hinted at the possibility of a tour and Tim Howar meaningfully evoked the great spirit of the great band Genesis. This tour finally came and marked the first major break for the Mechanics. They had been on tour every year since 2011.

After Rutherford had wrapped up the Genesis project with his bandmates in London in March 2022, opportunities arose once again for Mike + The Mechanics. This quickly led to the announcement of the Refueled Tour 2023. The tour once again took the band mainly through the United Kingdom, with a few shows in Germany. Once again, other countries were left empty-handed. Nevertheless, the tour was a great success and Nic Collins brought a breath of fresh air to the band. However, there were no concerts in 2024.

Common wording, new tour

Finally, 44 new concerts were announced for 2025: The band was to play again in the United Kingdom (30 shows) and Germany, this time with 13 shows in Germany. A show in Vienna was also announced for the first time in a long time. In addition, there were two concerts in South Africa, which were scheduled before the actual tour and therefore consisted of the set from the 2023 tour. There was no guest appearance by singer Arno Carstens during the shows. Carstens sang a couple of tracks on the album The Road and lives in South Africa.

The tour was titled Looking Back: Living The Years, and many assumed that it would be another routine best-of programme. In addition, a larger proportion of Genesis songs was announced. Somewhat surprisingly, Mechanics drummer Gary Wallis (who was still absent in 2023 for health reasons) was once again not involved, with Nic Collins taking his place once more.

‘… and then I broke my fucking hip’

Between the shows in South Africa and the start of the tour in Glasgow, Mike Rutherford went skiing in France with his grandchildren. He fell and broke his hip and had to undergo immediate surgery. He was fitted with a new hip, but Mike still wanted to go ahead with the tour. Mike and Tim told us all about it in interviews. This led to Mike’s memorable performances, where he came on stage on crutches and played most of the show sitting down. An instrument stand was modified so that Mike could lean back and sit in a position that was comfortable for his hip while playing.

His physical condition improved steadily throughout the tour. At the time of our interview with him in Leipzig, he was still using a crutch but was already able to walk properly again. Although touring was certainly not the ideal environment for convalescence, his dedication and determination command respect. Mike is 74, has had hip surgery and still played 44 shows straight after.

A well-rehearsed band

The band has hardly changed since 2011. In fact, there have only been a few changes in the drummer position. These changes usually came about because Gary Wallis’ schedule was not always compatible with that of the band. So Ben Stone played drums in 2012, Phillipp Groysboeck in 2016 and Steve Barney in 2017. Nic Collins stepped in in 2023 and, as mentioned, has been re-signed for 2025. Mike explained the background to this in our interview.

Tim Howar and Andrew Roachford are the two permanent fixtures on the microphone and share the work on stage roughly equally. Luke Juby plays keyboards and bass – and also whistles quite well. And finally, there is Anthony Drennan, who toured with Genesis in 1998 and plays guitar and bass.

The stage show 2025

For this year’s stage show, the band used small but effective show elements. Three ‘curtains’, which are more like a kind of screen or vertically arranged blinds, were attached to the ceiling above the musicians in a staggered arrangement. This made the stage appear much larger and allowed various lighting effects to be stylishly staged. The idea came from Mike himself, as Paul Howling (lighting designer for the tour) revealed in an interview.

The musicians were arranged in a classic formation: Nic Collins’ drum kit was set up centrally and slightly raised at the back of the stage. In front of it, slightly to the left, was Roachford’s keyboard, with Luke Juby’s keyboard to the left of it. Anthony Drennan stood on the right side of the stage as usual, and Mike Rutherford was to the right of centre. Tim Howar moved from his position to the left of the drums (background vocals and percussion) to the centre for lead vocals, as did Roachford when he was not playing keyboards.

Setlist

During a tour, the Mechanics rarely changed their set, and that remained the case in 2025. The band played the same programme 44 times. In the United Kingdom, there was a break after about an hour, while in Germany and Austria they did not take a break. The show lasted a bit more than two hours. We are happy about the longer sets here, because for quite a while the Mechanics only played for 95 or 100 minutes. The following songs were played every evening:

A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold
Another Cup Of Coffee
Get Up
Song For You, Song For Me
Land Of Confusion
Let Me Fly
East And West Of The Sun
The Best Is Yet To Come
Silent Running
Nobody Knows *
Invisible Touch *
Everybody Gets A Second Chance *
Out Of The Blue *
Follow You Follow Me *
The Living Years
I Can’t Dance
Cuddly Toy
All I Need Is A Miracle

Encores:

Over My Shoulder
Word Of Mouth

The songs marked with an asterisk (*) were played in an acoustic set, some of them in greatly shortened versions. In this set, the entire band gathered in the middle of the stage and Nic also took his place at a very minimalist drum kit.

New songs played

In fact, it was announced before the tour that the band had recorded three or four new songs at the end of 2024. This fuelled speculation that there might be a new album after all – perhaps even in time for the tour. However, only another best-of album was released for the tour, featuring the tour design and title. This suggests that a new album is likely to be released at a later date. Further sessions are planned for later this year.

However, the 2025 tour set included two of the new songs. Song For You, Song For Me, sung by Roachford, has more of a ballad feel, while East And West Of The Sun, sung by Howar, falls more into the pop/rock song category. Both songs are of a high standard and were well received by the audience. Mike Rutherford told us that he would have liked to have played a third song live, but this was not possible due to the shortened rehearsal time following his hip operation.

How the show works

The classic start with A Beggar On A Beach Of Gold, Another Cup Of Coffee and Get Up is almost a classic in itself. All Mechanics shows since 2011 have started in this way or similar. On this tour, however, before the first song, Mike greeted the audience and explained why he couldn’t stand and walk properly.

Land Of Confusion, played in the original key, got the audience out of their seats for the first time, and Nic showed himself to be very enthusiastic, with some very hard, rocking drumming. He took advantage of a few opportunities to improvise, and his development is remarkable. Let My Fly and The Best Is Yet To Come are two songs from the album Let Me Fly that are increasingly becoming live classics for the Mechanics.

The first part concludes with the classic Silent Running, which Roachford performs in a rather idiosyncratic manner, at least as far as the vocals are concerned. And so a member of the audience in Berlin whispered to me, ‘What is he doing with that great melody?’ – A matter of taste, of course… and live. In the United Kingdom, there was a 20-minute intermission at this point.

The Acoustic Section

For some time now, small acoustic blocks have been part of various live sets, especially in the Genesis scene. The Mechanics have also cultivated this. The advantage of such blocks is that you can play songs in an unusual guise. And it also offers the chance to incorporate one or two ‘deep cuts’. In addition, there are songs that are predestined for an acoustic version due to the way they are written.

One such song is definitely Follow You, Follow Me. This was also performed acoustically on the last Genesis tour (as well as on the Calling All Stations Tour). Invisible Touch, on the other hand, was rather unexpected, but this version is actually quite enjoyable. Nobody Knows and Everybody Gets A Second Chance are somewhere in between. And finally, Out Of The Blue, the title track from the last Mechanics album, rounded off the set.

World hits

After the acoustic interlude, Roachford begins his vocal improvisation, which forms the intro to The Living Years. His interpretation of this classic is simply world class. In addition, the band builds up the piece dramatically and, with the introduction of the drums, it ultimately becomes a power ballad. This song leaves no one cold, and the audience thanked the band with thunderous applause.

The applause had barely died down when the first bars of I Can’t Dance began to play. And in later shows on the tour, Mike actually did walk across the stage a little, while Howar threw all his showmanship into the performance and initiated the famous walk. Why they decided not to play the second verse again is unknown.

All! I! Want!

Roachford and Tim Howar transformed the last two regular tracks of the set into a veritable extravaganza. First up was Cuddly Toy, which is Roachford’s biggest solo hit and has long been a fixture in the Mechanics’ set. This time, Roachford tested Nic by demanding an absurdly high (and different every night) number of beats (always after ‘I told you once, I told you twice, I told you three times’). Sometimes there were well over 20 ‘times’ and, of course, Nic got it right every time. Cuddly Toy is one of those band-audience moments where maximum freedom is allowed.

Howar does something similar. The driving, powerful drums of All I Need Is A Miracle immediately captivate the audience. Howar doesn’t waste any time in drawing the audience into his spell. He repeatedly encourages the audience to sing along and then lets them sing an echo. He sings ‘All I Want’ and the audience sings ‘All I Need’. The dance interlude with a female audience member at the edge of the stage is a must. The song remains a great Mechanics classic and a worthy conclusion to the regular set.

Never-ending encore

There are two more songs on top of that, which usually takes about 20-25 minutes. Over My Shoulder showcases Luke Juby’s whistling skills (alongside a little rehearsed guitar choreography by Mike and Anthony), which are essential to the song. But the highlight of the show is Word Of Mouth, the never-ending final encore of the set.

Howar once again seeks the audience’s response and is generally not disappointed. The band is introduced and each musician plays a solo. Nic’s drum solo is particularly impressive. At times, his playing style is reminiscent of his father, but he has already developed his own style. The other musicians play songs such as Private Dancer and Superstition (Roachford) and Purple Haze (Rutherford). Luke Juby performs an extended keyboard solo and Anthony Drennan plays a solid guitar solo.

What remains

Mike + The Mechanics were in the form of their lives in 2025. They played a first-class show and really delivered. In addition to the hit parade and some Genesis hits, there were also two new songs, which were gratefully received by the audience. All in all, it was entertainment at its best. Of course, they could have played other songs, a bolder set, more deep cuts. But at the end of the day, you have to realise that The Mechanics play to a different audience than hardcore fans. The set worked wonderfully, and even long-time fans enjoyed two entertaining hours.

There were rumours that Mike wanted to shelve Mike + The Mechanics after 40 years. If that were the case, the show in Berlin would have been the Mechanics’ last concert ever. However, there are a few factors that suggest this is not the case. There are new songs and Mike wants to write and record more. And no one close to the band, including Mike himself, has given the impression that this is the end. The best is yet to come.

Author: Christian Gerhardts
Photos: Peter Schütz / Christian Gerhardts

Links

Tour dates of the tour
Interview with Mike Rutherford (Leipzig)
Interview with Tim Howar (Leipzig)
Interview with Steve Carr und Paul Howling (Berlin)

More photos (Leipzig):