Ton Scherpenzeel with Camel at the Paradiso, Amsterdam

On Sunday 2 march, Camel played at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. I have been a fan of Camel since 1981, and I saw them play in Holland on several occasions. But normally, I would not make mention of a Camel concert on this weblog. However, 2 march 2014 was a rather special date…

As you may know, Ton Scherpenzeel was an on-and –off member of Camel. He toured with them in 1984 and in 2003. When I saw Camel in Amsterdam last october, they had Canadian Guy LeBlanc on keyboards. For their march 2014 tour, Guy was to do the job again. But due to health issues, Guy was not able to perform. Ton Scherpenzeel was approached at the very last minute, and he agreed to step in. 

And so, the Paradiso witnessed Ton’s return to the British band. With only 2 days of rehearsal, it was obvious that he was a bit nervous. But  after a couple of minutes already – and helped by the support from the band and the crowd-  it became clear that he would bring the evening to a good end.  Well done, Ton (and the others...)!

(By the way, after the concert I spoke a few words with Irene Linders, Kathy Lapthorn and Peter Scherpenzeel, who were all there to support Ton...)