The old saying is that “the show must go on.” Regardless of what happens before you take the stage, you still have to take the stage. But what happens if you can’t take the stage due to not having your band’s equipment? Do you tell the sold-out Orlando, Fla. audience that the show is cancelled? Most bands would say “Yes. No gear, no show.” However, if you’re Arizona rockers, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers you say no, and take the stage anyway.
This past Saturday, RCPM flew into Orlando from Atlanta, having played there the night before. The band had shipped their gear to Miami in order to have it boarded onto The Rock Boat, which they are currently playing on. The band had planned on using the opening act’s gear in order to deliver a full band show at BackBooth. However, for unknown circumstances, the opening band cancelled. The band was left with one guitar amp, two guitars, a bass, and a snare drum, but still decided to play the show. RCPM’s trumpet player Jason Boots opened up the show playing a handful of his solo songs. Boots readied the crowd as they waited for Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers to take the stage.
Taking the stage, Clyne explained to the crowd what had happened and told them that drummer PH Naffah had said all he needed was two cinder blocks and a guitar case to fashion a drum-kit. RCPM then went on to play two hours of high-energy, catalog-spanning songs, and delivered each one with the same intensity that is present with their full-band shows. No album was left unturned as the Peacemakers played a song from each of their albums. The played songs as new as “Marie,” off of 2011’s ‘Unida Cantina,’ and songs as old as “Feeling,” an unreleased song from Clyne and Naffah’s 90’s band The Refreshments. The rest of the set included all of the crowd favorites like “Americano,” “Banditos,” “Green and Dumb,” “Lemons,” and many more. Halfway through the set, a string broke on Clyne’s guitar, and with no back up guitars, he was forced to leave stage and fix it. While the string got replaced, the band launched into a cover of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
Spirits were high, voices were gone and fans were sweaty in the crowd as the band ended their set with an encore composed of “Girly” and “King Of The Hill.” RCPM played a full two hour set when there shouldn’t have even been a concert at all. With their gear four hours away, most bands would have cancelled, but not The Peacemakers. It’s awe-inspiring that within a few hours, a band had been informed they had no opener and no gear, yet were still able to secure an opening act, and deliver a concert to a sold-out crowd that was even more energetic and heartfelt than their normal show. During the set, Clyne promised the Florida crowd that they won’t stay away from the Sunshine State for so long next time. However, if you feel like seeing the band before their next unannounced Florida show, check out their tour dates on their official website.
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