After a long year of what seemed to be uninspired performances, poor album sales and a very public rocky romance, Mike Ingram and his band proved to be victorious at Sunday night’s Great Cover-Up performance at The Highdive.
It had been well known that Mike Ingram did not fare well when it came to playing other people’s music, as proven by previous Cover-Up performances: he instigated a riot which resulted in the deaths of 15 people, including a 96-year-old woman, at a packed Highdive in 2006 by performing songs from the band Live. The infamous performance later became known as “The Day The Cover Band Died.” A similar incident the following year forced the band to end earlier than expected, due to several protestors arrested for destructive behavior while watching the Mike Ingram Band perform as Bush.
The initial crowd thoughts of what band Mike Ingram would cover were negative. One concertgoer stated, “…whatever he does, it’s going to suck,” as the Cover-Up has been known to ruin bands’ careers in years past. When the band took the stage and announced they were performing as Journey, an enormous groan swept through the audience.
It wasn’t until the Mike Ingram Band performed a segment from the song “Faithfully” that the emotions seemed to turn. Many were overcome with tears and happiness, while one audience member even required medical attention due to exhaustion as seen in this video:
Seconds after, what only seemed to be a display of his eccentric lifestyle and unpredictable behavior, Mike Ingram inexplicably began to shave his face on stage during the song, prompting the band to end their performance early.