Zoetermeer - the final one for Cindy, Edward, Hans and Marrigje

Sunday 28 december 2014: Kayak plays at the 'Boerderij' in Zoetermeer. In itself nothing really special; the Boerderij has been a regular stop on every Kayak tour of recent years. But this time, there was an extra reason to defy the cold and the slippery roads: it was to be the farewell to Kayak of Cindy and Edward. And on the day itself, I read that it would also be Hans Eijkenaar's last live performance with the band...

The venue was very nicely filled; my guess is that around 750 people came from all over the country to witness this last show. Of course I met many familiar faces in the crowd, which was fun. As always at the Boerderij, light and sound were great, but how did Kayak do?

I went to see 3 concerts of the Cleopatra tour. In Drachten, the paint was still dripping of the new songs, and I could not judge the material or the performance properly. In Amstelveen (12 december) things had changed drastically. The Cleopatra album was more familiar to me, and I was struck by the passionate performance of the entire band.

In Zoetermeer, my impression was more or less the same as in Amstelveen. The band played tight, loud but clear, and with passion and dedication. And of course, especially for Edward and Cindy, there was an extra bit of emotion. Especially during some of the Cleopatra material, but also in 'Nobody Wins'', some tears were shed.

The evening ended with a 'thank you' from Edward to everyone he could think of. And even Ton Scherpenzeel stepped forward for a short speech to thank Edward and Cindy. All in all, a very special evening.

Ton's speech

I must mention another 'farewell': Marrigje, the lady at the merchandise stand for probably the last 10 years or so, also decided that it was time for her to quit. Thanks, Marrigje!

Marrigje (left) and Cindy in 2011

 

Now, let's see what 2015 will bring. Edward and Cindy already have (part of) their plans ready, and we will certainly see them on stage in the new year. Kayak have a special open-air performance of 'Cleopatra' in march 2015, on the Island of Texel. In a straight line, this concert will be held around 500 meters of the Sarasani.... (see my previous weblog entry).

As always, pictures tell the story better than words can. With thanks to Sylvia Vogel, Bob Dijksen and Jeroen van der Spek.