DE GIGANT, Apeldoorn

Toen in november 2009 Pim Koopman overleed als een donderslag bij heldere hemel, dachten velen dat dit het einde van Kayak zou betekenen. Koopman wasnaast drummer en producer ook medeoprichter van Kayak. Op initiatief van zangeres Cindy Oudshoorn kwam er echter een jaar later een tribute voor Pim Koopman in Paradiso in de hoofdstad en dat concert luidde de wederopstanding van de band in. De prachtige en gedenkwaardige avond werd mede mogelijk gemaakt door drummer Hans Eijkenaar die Pim verving. Hij bleef vervolgens bij de band en hij deed ook de mastering van het recent uitgebrachte album Anywhere But Here. De huidige zeskoppige formatie, inclusief de meer dan uistekende bassist Jan van Olffen, besloot weer te gaan toeren en deed daarbij met succes veel zalen verspreid over Nederland aan. Zo ook De Gigant in Apeldoorn die tot mijn verbazing goed gevuld was: menig progband zou willen dat er zoveel mensen naar hun concerten kwamen!

Cindy Oudshoorn ontpopte zich andermaal als de grote gangmaker, Hans Eijkenaar was wat onzichtbaar achter zijn plexiglas muur, maar hij drumde routineus en voortreffelijk. In een zeer goed uitgebalanceerde mix van nieuw en oud werk, tussen uptempo en melancholie speelde de band voor en na de pauze met overgave. Een aardige lichtshow, een uitzonderlijk goede geluidskwaliteit en zichtbaar spelplezier maakte het geheel tot een bijzonder geslaagde happening. Oudgediende Edward Reekers, wiens stem ik altijd erg heb bewonderd, zingt nog steeds prachtig en speelt daarnaast ook nog toetsen. Met uitzondering van de uitsmijter Most Underrated Band In The World is aan Rob Vunderink een meer bescheiden rol toegedicht, want de meeste solo's zijn voorbehouden aan de getalenteerde Joost Vergoossen. Naast maar liefst acht tracks van de laatste cd Anywhere But Here en diverse van de twee albums daarvoor, waren er tal van goede nummers die nog niet erg vaak live gehoord zijn, zoals Daphne van het album Phantom Of The Night, en My Heart Never Changed en Bury The World beide van Royal Bed Bouncer. Eén persoon heb ik niet genoemd, een typisch geval van 'last but not least': Ton Scherpenzeel, al jarenlang letterlijk en figuurlijk de grote man achter deze band. In deze bezetting kan Kayak nog jaren mee en wat dit concert betreft is de conclusie simpel: goed gedaan!

ENGLISH:

Many people thought that the passing away of PIm Koopman, the drummer, keyboardist, composer and producer of Kayak, would be the end of the band. Once the flagship of symphonic rock in the Netherlands during the seventies and eighties, the band slowly changed to a well-respected symphonic pop-group. Kayak today is fronted by the cheerful and handsome Cindy Oudshoorn, while Edward Reekers, the former lead singer for the band in the late seventies and early eighties returnedsome years ago. The tribute to Pim Koopman in November 2010 set things in motion again and the current leader of the band Ton Scherpenzeel (keyboards and main composer) decided Kayak would be performing again and started to compose for the current album Anywhere But Here. To promote this album Kayak recently toured the smaller venues throughout the Netherlands and did shows all over the country. Ton, Cindy and Edward, together with guitarists Joost Vergoossen and Rob Vunderink as well as their new drummer Hans Eijkenaar and an amazing bass player called Jan van Olffen, did a very successful tour and I had the pleasure to see them live in the cozy venue called De Gigant in Apeldoorn downtown. People from different age-groups gathered to see the six-piece and just like me they weren't disappointed! To my surprise, the venue was practically sold out and that's not bad at all for a (former) prog band! There was an excellent atmosphere and a band in full swing started with some tracks from the new album before digging deeper and deeper in the rich history of Kayak. Of course there was also a spot in remembrance of Pim Koopman and what struck me most, was the silence in the venue during melancholic ballads like Passing Cloud or Well Done. Cindy's superb performance was highlighted in the Koopman-song Man In The Cocoon and while most of the guitar solos were played by Vergoossen, the star of the show at the end was Rob Vunderink doing the lead vocals in The Most Underrated Band In The World.

In spite of the break that tends to disturb ones attention, the show went on as if there had been no break at all. As in the first part the songs were carefully chosen and Kayak played an excellent balance between old and new. The sound quality was really good, up front as well as in the back of the venue, nice light show and even an extra encore because the audience had been so genuinely enthusiastic. I've always loved Reekers' voice and it surprises me time and time again how well he sings, with excellent pronunciation and a great feel for detail. Only the highest notes of the past are skipped, but his performance as well as the interactions with the audience, just like Cindy, were impeccable. Eijkenaar, hardly visible in his cage of plexiglas, was playing the drums as if he had been a member of Kayak for ages. He seems to fit in very well and the fact that he did the mastering of the latest album, means he certainly found his place in this lineup. As I've been seeing before whenever I saw the band live, there's always those joyful moments, interactions between the musicians that make you feel that both the audience and the  musicians are enjoying themselves and of course that's the way it should be. No doubt in my mind that this lineup is able to maintain this high level of performance for many years to come and considering the number of younger people in the audience, their future looks quite bright to me! Indeed Kayak: well done!

Setlist: Hunter And Prey, Credible Lie, My Heart Never Changed, Daphne, The Day Before, The Angels Fell, Passing Cloud, Behind The Scenes, Over You, Well Done, Nobody Wins, Sweet Revenge, Selfmade Castle, Demon In Her Eyes, Anywhere But Here, Friendship And Love, Merlin, Bury The World, Chance For A Lifetime, Starlight Dancer, The Most Underrated Band In The World.

Encores: Life Is Good, Ruthless Queen