Kayak are a highly respected Dutch symphonic prog band and in order to
celebrate their fortieth (!) anniversary, they are currently touring our
country intensively. On a drizzly and moist evening I was heading for venue De
Pul in Uden to attend one of these live shows. Arriving way before the start of
the gig, I had the opportunity to talk with some Kayak fans. Some of them wore
T-shirts saying 'Huge Kayak Fan' indicating the loyalty of the band's fan base.
I've got much respect for these people who try to attend as many shows as possible.
When Kayak entered the stage the well-gathered audience
gave them a warm welcome. The band played a set in which at least one song of all
the recorded albums was performed. During the first set we were treated, amongst others, to great versions of
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Cindy Oudshoorn and Edward Reekers |
Phantom Of The Night,
Total Loss and
Nothingness,
and a large part of the rock opera
Merlin
was played as well. On stage you could notice the chemistry between the individual band members. Lead singer
Cindy Oudshoorn used all the space on the podium and her
performance was a real sight for sore eyes. Unlike lead singer
Edward Reekers
she interacted with the other band members or danced by
herself during the instrumental parts. When Edward Reekers sings with his
brilliant voice, he's focussed on the music in the centre of the stage without moving
that much. Nevertheless, he also communicated with the other musicians between
his parts. The third vocalist of the band is
Rob Vunderink,
always dressed in a suit combining his distinguished
vocals with intense guitar playing. During the set the audience could often enjoy
the perfect harmony vocals of the three aforementioned vocalists together with
Ton Scherpenzeel, mister Kayak himself.
This musical genius, co-founder and main composer of the band added fine
backing vocals, played great melodies on the keyboards and above all, played those superb characteristic solo parts.
After a short break Cindy had changed the black outfit
for a white one, still looking great. During the second set the band played strong versions of
Life Without Parole, Starlight Dancer and
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Joost Vergoossen and Jan van Olffen |
my personal favourite
Alienation, brilliantly
sung by the two lead singers. They also performed pieces of the forthcoming concept album
Cleopatra. Being a guitar junkie I really enjoyed the way
Joost Vergoossen
played the guitar, providing the older songs with some extra
energy and a powerful sound, but without violating the original compositions. I
think Vergoossen belongs to the top guitar players in The Netherlands, playing
great melodies and solos with a lot of emotion. During
Alienation, bass player
Jan van Olffen finally got his solo spot with a stunning solo, after which the
audience shouted for more. Between all these fine performances there was also a
moment of silence when they commemorated
Pim Koopman,
the former drummer, friend and co-founder of Kayak, who passed away on the 23th
of November 2009, exactly three years ago... To honour and respect him the band performed
Nobody Wins, one of his compositions.
Hans Eijkenaar,
the drummer who replaced Koopman, sat behind a wall of plexiglas;
probably the only way to control his powerful drumming...
After the regular concert, Kayak played some encores finishing with their most popular song
Ruthless Queen, a big hit in The Netherlands and a perfect song to conclude a
wonderful evening containing great music presented by a professional band.
After the show, the band members talked to their fans thus creating a friendly and
relaxed atmosphere. When I went home the weather hadn't changed a bit. It was still
wet and windy outside, but I felt the sun in my heart and a big smile on my face. I've had a great evening!
Pedro Bekkers (edited by Peter Willemsen)