Yesterday evening Marion and I have been to a concert of Ellen ten Damme. I don’t think that it will be a big surprise for anyone who knows me (or reads my weblog regularly) that I really like the music and shows of Ellen. She has a great voice and a very good sense of humour. Plays different instruments as the guitar, violin and piano very well. Really knows how to make a good show. And yes, I won’t deny, she is also a very attractive woman to see.
So every time Ellen has a new show or a new CD (or what ever) I will try to visit one of her performances. I heard very good things about her performance with the Scapino Ballet. So when I heard that she and the Scapino Ballet would come to Amsterdam, I ordered directly tickets for Marion and me.
Because I know Marion really likes it, I put on my fine black pantolon, a black blouse and a my brown suede blazer. And of course, as always, Marion looked marvellous. She was wearing a very nice black/white dress with dark stockings and high heels.
The performance was at “Het Concertgebouw” in the city of Amsterdam. Now Amsterdam is not the city you want to drive to by car on a Saturday evening. So we went by train.
When we arrived at the train station “Amsterdam Centraal” it was raining. But when we saw the huge crowd of people waiting for the tram that would take us to the area of “Het Concertgebouw”, Marion and I looked at each other and as if we could read each other minds we said at the same time “Taxi?”.
Luckily we had very fast a taxi that took us to “Het Concertgebouw” (showing to a Taxi-driver that you know your way around in Amsterdam prevents unwanted and unneeded d-tours :P).
We had a table reserved at the brasserie “Keyzer”, which is right next to “Het Concertgebouw”. I really enjoyed the dinner we had there. The food and wine we had there was very good. The people very kind and polite (I find this just as important as the quality of the food and the wine). The atmosphere was enjoyable and I liked it how they combined classic and modern styles in the building.
To reach “Het Concertgebouw” we just had to cross one street, but it was nice that it stopped raining.
For me it was the first time that I visited “Het Concertgebouw”. Marion told me she had been there twice before.
“Het Concertgebouw” was gifted by the notables of Amsterdam in 1881. The building has a neoclassical architecture and it is known for its great acoustics. I love old buildings and it is always a pleasure to visit a new one.
The concert of Ellen ten Damme? It was wonderful again. Her strong voice and the great acoustics combined very well. I loved it. She performed some of the numbers of her album “Durf jij” and some in a complete new way. There were also some songs that I had not heard before, this may mean that a new CD is on its way.
The Scapino Ballet added a complete new dimension to the show. It was very nice. And no, I am not surprised that Ellen flawlessly was part of their acts.
The guiding band was called “Wereldband”, four persons who can handle a broad area of instruments. I liked them. They were good.
All with a all a great show again.
When I visit an concert I always like to buy something… a CD, a t-shirt, a poster or something like that. And I like it when an artist signs CD’s and alike after the concert. To all concert of Ellen I have been to, she signed afterwards and I think that is really great. More artists really should do this. This also means that quite a part of my collection of signed CD’s are signed by Ellen ten Damme.
I looked quickly at the CD’s that were available, but I already had those. But there was also a vinyl version of the “Durf jij”-album. I am still capable of playing vinyl records at home and the fact that vinyl records are becoming rare, made me decide to buy the vinyl record and have that signed by Ellen.
When I returned to Marion, who waited aside the huge crowd that wanted to have something signed by Ellen, she had to laugh. This was typical something for me to buy and I think she is right with that. And the vinyl record looks good in the display case with all the other signed CD from all kind of artists I have.
Luckily it was still not raining again when we started to go home again. The train journey went fast and before we knew it we were home again. Before going to bed we talked about the very nice evening with some wine for Marion and I some of my beloved whisky. A great evening that we both enjoyed a lot.
It was indeed a very nice evening. And yes, Ellen ten Damme is really a great artist.
I think it is wonderful to do this kind of things together.