On Sunday night 27 March Jan Akkerman and his band were to play at ‘De Boerderij’ (The Farm) in Zoetermeer, Holland.
The name of this venue dates from the old days, when there was a farmhouse on the same spot as the present building. It was replaced some 10 years ago.
On our way over there it rained cats and dogs, but when we (in our JA-T-shirts) arrived at De Boerderij, it stopped raining.

Jan

There was a big crowd, despite the fact that it was Easter. Around 9 p.m. the band entered the stage, in the regular line-up: Jan on guitar, Wilbrand Meischke on bass, Marijn van den Berg on drums and Coen Molenaar on keyboards.
They just finished a ten-day UK Tour and looked a bit tired.
But their playing was powerful and great as ever!
The four of them were decently dressed, because video recordings were made that evening for a possible new DVD.

Set list before the break:
1 C.U.
2 Between the sheets
3 Tranquilizer
4 Blues route
5 You do something to me

Wilbrand

During Blues route Jan broke a string of his Les Paul Personal, but just finished the song in a way that only he can as a guitar virtuoso.
At the great Paul Weller song ‘You do something to me’ he played his restored Gibson SG, that I never saw him play live before.
During the break we met some other Akkernutters, I never saw in the flesh, but only knew from the internet.
Wander Gubler and his parents, Roy Schols (graphical designer of i.e. the C.U.-cover) and Andries and Wilma Hoogendoorn (also known as the ‘Dutch Hammerheads’).

Setlist after the break:
1 In the mood
2 Hocus Pocus (US single version)
3 Sylvia
4 Kloenk
5 Slowman
6 Urban String

Coen

One always sees the audience enjoying itself tremendously, when Jan adds some Focus-songs to the set list. Because only, when his band plays those songs, they sound like they ought to do.
‘Kloenk’ was especially dedicated to a Dutch fan that passed away a couple of days before the gig. The song was his recent favourite and could also be heard at his funeral.

After a thunderous applause the band returned once more for an encore of ‘Piétons’ with another short piece of Hocus Pocus at the end.

Marijn

After the gig, us fans met the band members in the cosy artist café of De Boerderij. There they showed the DVD ‘Jan Akkerman Live’ on a big plasma screen.
After a niece chitchat we said goodbye to everyone and went home.
It was another great gig, I’m anxious to know how if the video recordings were also that great!

 

Jan and band, thanks a lot!
Review: Irene Heinicke
Photo's: Wilma Hoogendoorn