08-09-2017 Cityrock

[schema type=”event” evtype=”Event” name=”08-09-2017 Cityrock Eindhoven” sdate=”2017-09-08″ street=”Klokgebouwe” city=”Eindhoven” country=”NL” ]Cityrock is always a nice closer for the festival season. This year the festival took place at two different locations, Eindhoven and Leeuwarden. For our busy schedule’s sake, we had to choose and so we ended up in Eindhoven which would have its first edition in Klokgebouw.

Opening tonight would be Navaronne. It is a Dutch formation which draws from the music of the 70’s to create their own sound. And soon on stage we notice, they easily make it their own. Charismatic and charming, the band knows how to present themselves.

They were having an energetic start and in the first songs they are giving the audience a lot of intensive music. After a while it calms down a bit though, a bit more of a mixup in their set would have been better. Yet, the guys show good skills and with an eye for performing, they were a good opener for today.

Fischer-Z was a remarkable act here, front man John Watts is quite a character and some of his comments are not really hitting ground, but who cares. Shut up and play will do. This formation has been around since the 70’s. 19 albums have been released.

Plenty to choose from you would say and so it is safe to say we got a diverse set list from the guys. The show is not too energetic, quite static even, but the music got appreciated by the audience. “Red Skies Over Paradise” passes by halfway their set and it seems the most remarkable track of their set. Brought with some passionate performance you feel the highlight of the band having passed.

Yet the guys continue to play a good set. Maybe not the band that drew the most people, but intriguing just as well.

Living Colour, a band from the 80’s which stands out with their unique mix of Rock, Soul, Funk and a lot of joy. The guys are still actively releasing music, a new album has just released so we were up for some tracks of this release called “Shade”.

Of course these tracks are not the most familiar just yet, but they fit perfectly in what the band has done before, so the flow is into their set. With some vibrant guitars the band draws attention, they skillfully claim the attention of all viewers here. And it is not that strange, the music the guys make is feel good and easy to listen.

The band has a whole lot of charisma and they seem to enjoy playing here a lot. Maybe it is safe to say this was THE band of the evening.

In 1969 UFO was founded. The classic rock band is still active today and playing here at Cityrock. Within the year the band released 22 studio albums and the last one is dating back to 2015. The band is quite energetic and they seem to have a bit of a fanbase here, seeing people responding often to the words being said.

Is it Vinnie Moore on guitar that captivates people with his solo or are the words leading. As it seems it is the combination that is golden for this band. Here and there they tend to go a bit overboard with all, which may seem too much for someone who doesn’t classify as a fan specific, but rather enjoys it for its there anyway.

Yet, in the end the band closes the set and leaves the fans hoping for more. Unfortunately it is not granted. The night is stretched already due to some sound issues earlier so not much time for extra encores.

Europe, for many THE band they came for. The band gives a professional show. Full of energy and you wouldn’t guess the guys are getting a day or what older. Mr Tempest is having his vocals still strong and the rest of the band is just as active here today.

The audience seems quite tame perhaps. For maybe one and a half hour the band plays some of their most familiar songs, switched with more recent material. From “Cherokee” to “Carrie” to their latest single, which they released just a couple days ago.

Then as a very final song, “The Final Countdown” and that is when all the cellphones go up, videos are made and the memories are made. A tad bit of nostalgia is there and people waited for that specifically. Then it is over. People rush home, later than planned, but with a lovely evening behind.

Cityrock brought a diverse program that has the classic rock heroes on board as well as the new generation who opened it, inspired by the past. A first time in Eindhoven, but worth a new edition next year!