October 2, 2001��
Happy Days
After Kevin's four week tour in the UK, the big moment had come, as Kevin and Al Perkins came for three shows to the Netherlands. And we were happy that we were able to attend all three gigs!
We arrived early at the Happy Days, and introduced ourselves immediately. The Happy Days consists of a narrow room with a long bar, which extends into a small restaurant which is not much bigger than a living room, and is really cozy. We sat at a small round table not far away from the stage, and had plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful food.
It was still early when the room filled up more and more, so more chairs had to be fetched. In the end, nobody could walk through there any more. Joanna who organized the show passed from table to table to sell the tickets that carried the tour photo of Kevin and Al.
The two guys arrived late, as they had flown from London to Brussels, and there had been problems with their luggage. They finally made it through the ocean of chairs, and passed directly by our table, so we could say hello right when they passed by.
After the sound check, Joanna opened the evening with a warm welcome. Kevin sat in front of the fireplace, Al had a painting and two candles behind himself, and we all sat really crowded in front of them. The first song "Another Long Story" was not a big surprise, as most gigs begin like that, and that is exactly what the fans want. They played a wonderful mix of tunes from his albums "Another Long Story", "Fear Nothing" and "Fear Everything" as well as from the newly released live album from the Blue Bird Caf� in Nashville, which had been recorded on Kevin's birthday.
Kevin easily made his fans enthusiastic. When he sang, they started feeling real great. Right from the start he built up a special relationship with his audience, and made that show an unforgettable evening. Very, very cool.
Al added a very special sound with his dobro, and often joined in by singing harmony vocals. If you looked around, you only saw happy faces. Kevin, talented and charismatic, has had fans in the Netherlands for quite a while, and the fans left no doubt about that. It is hard to focus on certain songs, as they are all beautiful in their own way, each of them is a story in itself.
For the very first time, we heard him really brilliant sing the Mavericks song, "I Don't Even Know Your Name", one of our favourite Mavericks songs, which is now available on his new live album.
After six tunes, Kevin left his place, and Al told us all about his dobro, which we both had never seen and heard before. He held up the beautiful instrument, so we all could see it. To explain the thing, and to our enjoyment, he played two typical kinds of music, a bluegrass song by Josh Graves and a nice piece of blues, and the entire audience was enthusiastic. The dobro not only looked very nice, but also sounded fantastically.
He asked us if we would like to sing along with him "Honky Tonk Woman", and if we know the words. That was fun for everybody, especially the chorus with its "She's a honky tonk woman, gimme, gimme, gimme, the honky tonk blues"; the rest of the words was not so much present to everyone, but all clapped their hands along.
Kevin reappeared, had a carrier bag with him, and explained he had been shopping. Of course, there were his CDs inside, to be sold in great numbers during the break. Many like us took the opportunity to buy the newly released live album, and the well-known "Fear Nothing" record. And Kevin was giving autographs to his faithful fans. There was always time enough for a little chat.
The second set began with "Wishing", a song his dad wrote together with Buddy Holly, and he continued with "I Won't Close My Eyes" from his album "Fear Nothing". Kevin told us how lucky he is that Martina McBride cut this song on her "Evolution" record. A dozen people raised their hand when Kevin asked how many people knew who she is, and he told us that she always sells about two million records in the States whenever she releases a record. He said smiling: "So right now, right now in this room, I'm more famous than Martina McBride!!"
Because of the sad events that had happened in America on September 11, 2001, Kevin gently sang "No Surrender", a song which he already played at the age of nineteen down the subways in New York.
After "Melrose", they were about to quit, and the evening was certainly a wonderful experience for all who were there, as well as for the two artists, but of course, they could not leave the stage without some encores. Thus, we still listened to "Code of Honor" from his "Fear Nothing" album, a song we had never heard performed on stage before. Kevin told that he had not played that song in a long, long time.
With "Fear Nothing", the show finally came to an end. Nobody had to be asked twice to join at the end of that great song, as everyone knew it.
After the show, they spent lots of time with their fans, and for us, the evening ended around a table with the artists and the organizer.
Thanks to Joanna's great talent for organization, and thanks to Kevin and Al, of course, we experienced an exciting two hour show in a relaxed atmosphere.
Setlist
Another Long Story
Red-Blooded American Boy
Let's All Go To California
Tennessee Girl
I Wish I Were Blind
I Don't Even Know Your Name
Stumbled
I Can't Drive You From My Mind
You Shook Me All Night Long
Wishing The pics from The Hague
I Won't Close My Eyes
Lookin' Out For #1
No Surrender
Melrose HOME
The encores:
Code Of Honor
Fear Nothing
