02.06.2018 Vuur

FortaRock

Goffertpark Nijmegen (Netherlands)

Surprisingly I received a mail from the organization team of the FortaRock one week before the festival telling me that I won two tickets for the whole weekend at their contest where I took part two weeks ago. As I unfortunately was not able to go on Friday the festival started for me on Saturday.
Just like 5 years ago there were again three stages and the FortaRock was back after one year of abstinence very impressively. The travel to the well signposted parking lots was very relaxed and that was also what it was like on the not yet so crowded festival area when I found myself in front of the Main Stage right on time at 12:40 to watch Vuur. Vuur is the current project of Anneke van Giersbergen (former The Gathering and former The Gentle Storm) where in contrast to her solo project move heavier notes are stricken just like at her two former bands. The debut album “In This Moment We Are Free – Cities” was released last year and due to that formed the setlist that was extended by songs of her former bands.
Anneke has an incredible vocal and personal presence and she and her ally were delivering a really great performance. The songs were very entertaining and also the interaction between Anneke and the audience is having no rival. Despite that I must say (just like many others too) that the songs of her former bands (e.g. the The Gathering song “Strange Machines” at the end) was generating much more reactions on the crowd. The new ones are not that bad but they also do not enthrall one like the others do. Anyhow, a great debut that in each case has room for improvements. And so a very energetic gig came to its great end after 50 minutes putting one in the right mood for the upcoming concerts.
As I had a new camera with me for the first time (the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II) and was not yet used to the handling of it I have to beg your pardon for the partially not so numerous and from quality point of view slightly worse pictures. After the rework of the pictures I will already be one step ahead what is possible with that camera and which settings are needed therefore and from the next concert / festival on the quality should already be better again.