Kayak * 14 maart 2002, Tivoli - Utrecht

Setlist Kayak: Miracle Man, Water For Guns, Two Wrongs, Icarus, Where Do We Go From Here,  Close To The Fire, Wintertime, Periscope Life, Merlin, Niniane, Tradition, A Million Years, The Way Of The World, Sweet Revenge, Starlight Dancer, Chance For A Lifetime, Full Circle (end part), Mammoth, Ruthless Queen en Good Riddance. 
Kayak in 2000 voor het eerst sinds lange tijd weer een live gezien. Dit smaakte naar meer, dus toen er in Tivoli een concert gepland stond zijn we hier met een groepje naar toe gegaan. Was zeer geslaagd de band speelde gelukkig ook aardig wat nieuwe nummers, de laatste cd Nightvision is dan ook een prima album.

Review van http://www.proacts.nl/
Op 13 januari begint de Nightvisiontour van de symfonische rockgroep Kayak. In twee maanden zal Kayak langs de grote zalen en theaters in Nederland reizen. Ook staat een optreden gepland in België. De tour is georganiseerd naar aanleiding van het nieuwe album ‘Nightvision’. Geluidstechnisch zal de tour heel bijzonder worden. Er is speciaal voor deze tour een driepunts opstelling van speakers ontworpen, waarbij een surround-effect ontstaat. De tour start zaterdag 13 januari in Paradiso Amsterdam en eindigt 16 maart in Het Kasteel in Alphen aan den Rijn.

Kayak doet op 12 januari een try-out in jongerencentrum Iduna in Drachten. Bij alle zalen en theaters is de kaartverkoop inmiddels gestart. Het nieuwe album ‘Nightvision’ verscheen enkele weken geleden. Dit is het derde album van Kayak sinds de comeback in 2000, ditmaal compleet met nieuw werk. Op ‘Nightvision’ verkent Kayak nieuwe muzikale grenzen, terwijl de groep tegelijkertijd trouw blijft aan haar onmiskenbare en unieke geluid. ‘Nightvision’ is door de pers erg goed ontvangen. Diverse recensenten zijn het er over eens: ‘Nightvision’ is het beste album sinds de comeback.

                                    Kayak bezorgde ons een prima avond

Review van http://www.dprp.net/ (van 3 andere concerten van deze tour)
So far, I have seen three concerts of Kayak's 'Night Vision European Tour' (after all, they played one show in Belgium!). So now, halfway through the tour, it's time for some reviews. After 'not much rehearsal' (as Ton Scherpenzeel put it) and one try-out gig, the tour opened at the famous Paradiso in Amsterdam. The hall wasn't filled to capacity, but there was a good crowd. Miracle Man was the heavy opener, the first of seven songs to be played from the new album. From the start, it was clear the Rob Vunderink's role in the band has become more important (and very valuable!) than on the last tour. His guitarwork and vocal contributions (sometimes taking over lead vocal from Bert H.), really lifted up a couple of songs. On the other hand, it must be said that the band made quite a few mistakes. For example, Chance For A Lifetime was completely messed up, and Ninane also wasn't perfect to say the least. Bert Heerink felt most at ease in the new songs. The Way Of The World was good, as was Tradition, a favourite of almost every fan. It was a great and welcome surprise to see Where Do We Go From Here introduced into the set. But it was a pity that Sweet Revenge was not played. All in all, it certainly wasn't the best Kayak concert I ever witnessed.

But two weeks later, things had changed for the better. The venue in Vianen was an all-seater, which didn't really add to the atmosphere. But the sound was good, and the band played much better, in spite of Rob Winter not feeling too well. Maybe it was because he was celebrating his birthday, but Bert Heerink was in a good mood, and performed very well. Ton and the two Robs came out fine in Two Wrongs, a song that works much better in a live setting than it does on CD. To my relief, Sweet Revenge was back, but this time Good Riddance was left out. After the halfway break (yes, seriously! The band stopped after about 50 minutes, and we all went off to the bar for a drink), Bert Heerink decided that the audience should not return to their seats, but stand up and get closer to the stage. Good thinking from Bert. This made the evening more lively, and a good time was had by all. But there was more to come.

13 february: a great hall (it was my first time at the 013), and again a nice crowd. On top of that, I received a backstage pass, so what could go wrong? Well, not much went wrong. Helped by a big lightshow and crystal clear sound, the band delivered an almost perfect show! Bert Veldkamp and Pim Koopman played tight, Rob Vunderink seemed to be even more 'upfront' than before, and Ton's keyboard work could be heard clearly. On nights like these, it becomes clear what a fantastic composer and musician this man is, even when some of the equipment doesn't cooperate. It's hard to mention the best parts of this show, but Where Do We Go From Here, Tradition, Merlin and Niniane were fantastic. Good Riddance had returned as the final encore. The band members seemed to enjoy themselves, making jokes about eachothers age and physical condition. In the audience there were more 'listeners' than 'dancers', so Bert Heerink had to do some work to get the hands in the air. But after each song, it was obvious that the audience liked what they saw and heard!

In my humble opinion, Kayak is still Holland's best band. On stage and on CD, the band delivers a nice diversity of styles. But it's all about good melodies, and (like I once heard an American fan say:) it has written 'TASTE' all over it. I'll be seeing the band two more times in March. Based on what I saw and heard in Vianen and especially Tilburg, I am sure that I won't be bored! Go and see them if you can!