When I saw that a balladeer was about to embark on a small tour to try out new songs, I quickly ordered a ticket for the most convenient gig, being a friday night in Apeldoorn.
Then, life happened. Or, more accurately, events I hadn’t anticipated followed each other a tiny bit faster than I anticipated. All of a sudden, I had an awesome girlfriend and I was spending more and more time away from home. The previously convenient gig got kinda complicated. In the end, I—and by “I” I mean my awesome girlfriend and I—made it anyway.
Opener Benjamin Winter apparently didn’t make much of an impression me. I recall liking it at the time, but as with most bands I’m hearing for the first time, it all kind of washed over me. Now, a month later, I have to admit that I can’t really recall the music.
It wasn’t until a few days before the show that I remembered that I’d seen Bart van der Lee before. Three years ago he opened for Anneke van Giersbergen, and got filed under “bearded guy with a guitar, singing about his dead hamster.” The title of his latest album (Ballads for the Heathens or Dying) suggests more fundamental woes than deceased hamsters. Now, this I can get behind. And by “I” I mean my awesome girlfriend and I.
Then, finally, a balladeer. Under different circumstances, I would have been quite bummed that we had to leave after just three songs to catch the last goddamn train. But given the fact that my awesome girlfriend had such a great time and enjoyed Bart van der Lee so much, and that I’ve seen a balladeer perform a gazillion times already and probably will see him again someday, I couldn’t be bothered that much.
- Seen live
- Club Gigant with a balladeer, Bart van der Lee and Benjamin Winter at Gigant, Apeldoorn on November 15, 2013