Tonight Akkerman played in the 013 in Tilburg. When I arrived at the venue, one and a half hour before the show started, I was surprised by the amount of people waiting at the door. Another thing that baffled me was the average age of the people outside; around thirty years old. The reason became clear very soon; The Choice - the bigger of the two halls in 013 - was destined for the semi final of a regional Idols competition. After the family and the parents of the youthful competitors entered the venue, only a few - mainly older - outsiders remained.

As the doors of the smaller hall opened, the room gently filled with a motley group of people. It was a nice thing to see that a lot of the folks in their forties and fifties were accompanied by a son or daughter. At around nine Akkerman and his band entered the stage of the almost sold out venue; around 400 people found their way to the 013. It’s simply a joy to watch Akkerman play his guitar. The fact that Jan is an experienced performer became very obvious in the way he interacted with the crowd, as well as the members of the band. On stage he’s like a fish in water.

Before the concert I was a little bit concerned whether or not this gig was suitable for a review on www.rockezine.com. After the first couple of songs Jan made perfectly clear that he and his band can rock! It was no surprise to me that a well appreciated artist like Akkerman could bring together a band with very talented musicians. They all really seemed to live the music. Watching drummer Marijn van den Berg play his kit simply made me jealous. Akkerman played a selection of songs in two, one hour sets. Sadly enough I had to miss most of the second part of the set since I had to catch my train home. Still, this was a pleasant ending of a great week for me, starting of with an excellent “The Gathering-gig” on Saturday, a brilliant Seal concert on Wednesday and closing of tonight with a great evening of blues rock.

(Review & Pics: Geert Oldenmenger)