Kayakoustic in Harlingen, 24 august 2006
The first of the "Kayakoustic" shows was in Harlingen, way up in the north. When I arrived at around 5 pm, it was raining cats and dogs. Ton and Pim were already there, inspecting the stage. And that stage (located outside the organising pub) was small, to say the least... 
For a while, Pim was afraid that they would not be able to play at all, due to the conditions. But an hour later it was dry, and with the rest of the band arriving one by one, it looked that the Kayakoustic-première would actually take place...
At 9.45 pm, it was showtime. Everybody climbed the small stairs to the stage, and off it went. I will not bore you with a long review, but let's just say that it was a very good concert, taking all the conditions into consideration. Being the first time, there were obviously quite a few mistakes. And the lightshow collapsed about 5 times, and the band didn't have proper sound on stage (the sound to the audience was quite good actually).
Most people in the audience had only come because there was a free concert, and probably didn't know what to expect. They were first presented with 40 minutes of semi-acoustic material. To me, acoustic shows have a risk of becoming dull. But Kayak avoided that risk by varying in instrumentation and vocals. Jan played all kinds of bass instruments, Ton switched between keyboards and accordeon, Edward proved himself a Kazoo-professional, and Pim just tried to play as quietly as possible...
The accoustic songs: Intro See See The Sun, Only You And I Know, Stop That Song, Anne, Hold Me Forever, What's In A Name, You're So Bizarre, Land On The Water, First Signs Of Spring, Want You To Be Mine, Ivory Dance, See See The Sun.
After a short break, it was time for the 'electric' part of the show: Royal Bed Bouncer, Wintertime, When Hearts Grow Cold, Merlin, The King's Enchanter, Branded, Lyrics, Act Of Despair, Starlight Dancer, Chance For A Lifetime and the encore: Ruthless Queen.
The performance maybe wasn't perfect yet, but the enthusiasm of the band was great to see. The audience was pleased with what they heard, and I think they really loved lead singers Rob, Cindy and Edward. It was nice to see them all listening so interested and impressed to, for example, Edward in "Act Of Despair" or Cindy in "When Hearts Grow Cold".
The die-hard Kayakfans present immediately discussed the playlist after the show. For me, the highlights were Lyrics, Act Of Despair (amazing Edward performance!), Merlin, and the beautiful Land On the Water! I was not too keen on Hold Me Forever and Want You To Be Mine, but that's just a matter of taste...
I am pretty sure that the Kayakoustic show will sound much better in a theatre environment, with everything arranged in the proper way. This particular outdoor gig was more or less a try-out. But all credits to the whole band; they played with spirit and joy, and that reflected on everybody.
Who knows, I will also upload a review soon of a theatre show...
For a while, Pim was afraid that they would not be able to play at all, due to the conditions. But an hour later it was dry, and with the rest of the band arriving one by one, it looked that the Kayakoustic-première would actually take place...
At 9.45 pm, it was showtime. Everybody climbed the small stairs to the stage, and off it went. I will not bore you with a long review, but let's just say that it was a very good concert, taking all the conditions into consideration. Being the first time, there were obviously quite a few mistakes. And the lightshow collapsed about 5 times, and the band didn't have proper sound on stage (the sound to the audience was quite good actually).
Most people in the audience had only come because there was a free concert, and probably didn't know what to expect. They were first presented with 40 minutes of semi-acoustic material. To me, acoustic shows have a risk of becoming dull. But Kayak avoided that risk by varying in instrumentation and vocals. Jan played all kinds of bass instruments, Ton switched between keyboards and accordeon, Edward proved himself a Kazoo-professional, and Pim just tried to play as quietly as possible...
The accoustic songs: Intro See See The Sun, Only You And I Know, Stop That Song, Anne, Hold Me Forever, What's In A Name, You're So Bizarre, Land On The Water, First Signs Of Spring, Want You To Be Mine, Ivory Dance, See See The Sun.
After a short break, it was time for the 'electric' part of the show: Royal Bed Bouncer, Wintertime, When Hearts Grow Cold, Merlin, The King's Enchanter, Branded, Lyrics, Act Of Despair, Starlight Dancer, Chance For A Lifetime and the encore: Ruthless Queen.
The performance maybe wasn't perfect yet, but the enthusiasm of the band was great to see. The audience was pleased with what they heard, and I think they really loved lead singers Rob, Cindy and Edward. It was nice to see them all listening so interested and impressed to, for example, Edward in "Act Of Despair" or Cindy in "When Hearts Grow Cold".
The die-hard Kayakfans present immediately discussed the playlist after the show. For me, the highlights were Lyrics, Act Of Despair (amazing Edward performance!), Merlin, and the beautiful Land On the Water! I was not too keen on Hold Me Forever and Want You To Be Mine, but that's just a matter of taste...
I am pretty sure that the Kayakoustic show will sound much better in a theatre environment, with everything arranged in the proper way. This particular outdoor gig was more or less a try-out. But all credits to the whole band; they played with spirit and joy, and that reflected on everybody.
Who knows, I will also upload a review soon of a theatre show...
posted by Doefie at
5:48 p.m.
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