Peter J.R. Vermaat
This was their first concert in the new line-up: since guitarist Toll moved to Belgium and drummer Essen was too busy with his session work and other projects, the band decided to look for two new members in order to ensure the band's continuity.
These new members fit in quite well: though it was their first live performance with the band, this couldn't be noticed at all. The new drummer lacks the subtlety of Essen's percussion, but he shows more power in his playing. The new guitarist shows more tendency to do solos, and he is succesfull in it. His contrubutions are definitly an improvement of the band sound.
Bass player Case and Keyboard player Robin Z have been growing musically in the time between now and since I last saw them play. Both are more self-confident now and this reflects on their performance. This time Case didn't have voice problems and his important backing vocals on "Trap of the Gods" were clearly audible.
Lead singer Butler has been working on his performing style and has even improved it. With his acting capacities he is getting closer and closer to Peter Gabriel and Geoff Mann. During a part of Duck he was wearing a fish suit (I love the double meaning), a shark hat and eyeball glasses. The fact that always keeps amazing me is that this singer is able to both scream terribly, high-pitched and softly almost without any sound during the same concert, no matter in what part of the gig. This strong voice is a thing hat you don't find very often in bands, let alone in a relatively young one like Dilemma. Sadly, the stage was very limited, with the equipment of both Landmarq and Dilemma on stage, so Butler had to make his moves in very short-turned curves. He managed to escape bumping into his fellow band members, though there were some narrow escapes.
The setlist was Rock Blossom - Duck - Comfort Zone Arena (a new one !) - Trap of the Gods - Goodbye cruel World - Believe - Go on - Comfort Zone Arena (again, because the people screamed for more, but the band - not having expected this - didn't have another song rehearsed).
I was a little disappointed that they didn't play The Horrors of Time Travel (and I was not alone in this), but Case told me later that they didn't like to play this song anymore. He didn't tell me why, but still I am sorry it is this way.
The sound quality wasn't too good this evening. In the beginning it was real bad, later it got only little better. The band told me they had only had had fifteen minutes for their soundcheck, while the next band Light didn't get any time to check. Headliner Landmarq had got about two hours soundcheck. This makes me wonder why beginning bands get so little time to do their soundcheck, while more experienced bands get so much time.
Anyway, Dilemma did their job very well. Had they had more space on stage and time to soundcheck, they sure would have blown the headliners off the stage.
20 December 1995
Peter J.R. Vermaat