By Zach Collier
Last Saturday at the UCCU Center in Orem, Utah, the crowd witnessed something truly spectacular. After phenomenal opening sets by Charlotte Sands and Bad Suns, The Band CAMINO took the stage, filling the air with catchy hooks, epic guitar solos, time shifts, and heavy breakdowns.
Midway through the set, Jeffery Jordan (one of the frontmen of The Band CAMINO), noticed a sign in the crowd. It read, “IT’S MY B-DAY CAN I PLAY DRUMS :)”
Jordan noted that The Band CAMINO had never invited anyone onstage to play before, but they were going to take a shot. They invited the audience member onstage and asked him what song he wanted to play, and he requested the fan favorite “2/14.”
Who was this mystery birthday boy? None other than Provo drummer Mikey Iacopucci of 19 Miles Per Hour. Provo Music Magazine has referred to Mikey as both “the greatest drummer” and “a god” in the past, so when I saw him take the stage I was FLOORED.
After getting set up with his own in-ear monitors, Mikey sat down at the drums and absolutely killed it like it was nothing. Jordan and fellow frontman Spencer Stewart traded looks of shock while drummer Garrison Burgess vibed with Mikey, smashing the cymbals and toms with him during key moments of the song. When it was over, the crowd went nuts and chanted Mikey’s name as he left the stage.
The song was so good The Band CAMINO shared Mikey’s performance to their Instagram, with Mikey’s drumming reaching 106,000 views in 24 hours.
While the video is shortened to fit within a standard Instagram Reel’s time constraints, you can get a good feel for Mikey’s chops and the enthusiasm and style with which he plays. His stick flips are so deeply ingrained and well practiced that he was able to throw them in unconsciously in front of thousands of people during a song with a professional band with which he’d never played. To say it was impressive would be an understatement.
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(Click here to watch 19 Miles Per Hour’s full-length version)
So. How did Mikey feel about it all? How did everything go down? Was he really called out of the crowd spontaneously? Kinda. Mikey explains.
“The Band CAMINO has been one of my all time favorite bands since I saw them open for Ben Rector like 5 or 6 years ago and it’s my dream to tour with them and my band,” says Mikey. “I’ve always seen people bring signs to concerts, so I figured since it was my birthday I would try it out. Once at the venue, security actually tried to take it but one of their stage managers, Cale Conrad, actually stepped in and said he would hold onto it until the song ‘2/14.’ I then posted a TikTok on 19 Miles Per Hour’s account saying I brought a sign to the Band CAMINO concert… they actually saw the TikTok and responded ‘can you play to a click?’ Which I responded yes to.”
It’s really cool to know that The Band CAMINO and their management (shoutout to Cale!) were not only willing to give Mikey a platform to showcase his talent, but were consummate professionals and made sure he had the support he needed to succeed once he was up there. “It was the most surreal experience,” says Mikey. “They are such cool dudes and they made my birthday so special, and I hope me and my band 19 Miles Per Hour can open for them on tour some day!”
19 Miles Per Hour’s next show is at the A Frame Church on University Avenue as part of Buzzards & Bees Music Festival (tickets are on sale now). The band is also playing at The Rise on October 27 with Southernmost Gravy, Benjamin Taylor, and Hollow Hill. Make sure to follow 19 Miles Per Hour and Mikey on Instagram, and check out their song “Contradictions” below!