Just wanted to say thank you very much to Damian, his band and his crew! It was an absolutely amazing and memorable show in Zoetermeer, and I am happy to have been there!
It was a very fun show, with a great setlist. Praying Mantis' "Best Years" was a great surprise. Such a good song! Just how long has Damian been with Praying Mantis? I can't find any information on it beside somewhere in 2005 he did vocals on their tour. I don't think there's a Mantis (live)album with Damian, is there? I really loved Solitary Witness (though I still hoped for Ta'Jiang!), and the Ayreon songs were grand as always (good idea to invite Robert Soeterboek
).
Good show with the acoustic solo-music set, too. I'm surprised I hadn't hear of Paul or Nick before, being amazing musicians as well. Does everyone that gets in touch with Damian turn golden like that? ^_^ I and other people in the audience did think the acoustic stuff lasted a bit too long, though, so for next time, maybe you should invite the whole band on stage sooner and play more solo stuff with the full band (7 people in this case, including Nick and Paul). Just a friendly suggestion.
Of course there were a few mistakes, like Damian dropping his mic after the first line in "King Arthur", but it was more funny than anything else. I guess it can be edited out of the DVD (like they did with Shadowland), but maybe leaving it in will be even better. The humor did make the show even more fun than it already was. Not like anyone's going to like Damian any less because he missed a line!
In any case, thank you very very much, and I really am very much looking forward to the DVD. Will there be CD's included with the DVD as well? I hope so. I would enjoy having the full concert as audio-only as well.
Oh, and Dirk (DWB drummer), thanks for the stick.
It so happened that a certain Arjen Anthony Lucassen was present, and he was called to the front, hugged by Damian and spoken to for a while (asked for the first words of the first verse of Into The Black Hole) before the band started playing the first few notes of Into The Black Hole. Of which not only Damian, but Arjen as well and the entire audience (or so Damian claims) forgot the words of the first verse of!
Heh, I knew the words, but was shy...
Couldn't very well sing along after that! *laughs*
there was a large accoustic section in the middle during which an amazing piano/keyboard player took the stage with Damian (and his brother).
His name's Nick Slack, if I'm right. Couldn't find the exact spelling anywhere.
Here are my pics of the show in Zoetermeer on Friday:
Should upload mine, too.
