M!ndgames March 13, 2011 - 't Blok, Nieuwerkerk a/d IJssel (NL)
From time to time the
people of Gebouw 't Blok at Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel - calling themselves
Progfrogs - organize a Sunday afternoon gig. Initially they had booked Dutch band
For Absent Friends,
but
due to unforeseen circumstances this band wasn't able to play. So on short
notice they asked the outstanding Belgian prog rock band
M!ndgames
who were willing to play for a small, but enthusiastic
audience. The last time I witnessed M!ndgames on a live stage,
I missed the epic piece
Royalty In Jeopardy. It
was left out of the concert they gave in Utrecht in 2010 (see review)
because then they formed part of a triple concert. This meant that they had
less time to show all their musical talents to a Dutch audience. For me, the
absence of this classic epic was one of the reasons to attend this performance
of M!ndgames. I hoped they would include it when more playing time was
available. This time they were the only band playing at a rather new venue in
the western part of The Netherlands.
Lead singer Bart Schram introduced The Pendulum as being the last song of the concert. The reaction of the audience was unanimous for they didn't like that at all. The music and snacks that were served - without any cost - had brought them in a very good mood. It was too soon to call it a day, so they wanted more strong progressive rock music although Bart Schram told the audience that The Pendulum was one of their longest pieces of music with an outstanding climax to end a performance in style. Personally, I was more concerned about the fact that they hadn't played my favourite track Royalty In Jeopardy yet. I had already given up hope when Mr. Schram entered the stage once more with a crown in his hands while saying 'look what I've found'. After all I was the luckiest guy in the audience that afternoon. This Sunday afternoon gig proved to be a real happening. It was very well organized by the Progfrog-people. I hope they will contract more strong prog acts like M!ndgames. In that case they'll find me more often at this venue on a Sunday afternoon. No doubt about that! Henri Strik (edited by Peter Willemsen) |
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