On the 1st of September, the stage of Melkweg Oz was graced by none other than Avi Kaplan. Kaplan was first known as part of a group called Pentatonix. While performing as the a cappella bass vocalist, he became a three time grammy winner. This all happened before Kaplan decided to walk his own path toward a solo career in 2017. He started as Avriel and the Sequoias and later became known as Avi Kaplan. While solo, Kaplan went back to his interest in folk music. Having been exploring this genre in the past – pre-Pentatonix – it is safe to say that folk suits him well.
Now back to September 1st. As a queue was forming on the steps of Melkweg, a security guard decided it was time to give the line a scare; At 18.59 PM he declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, due to some technical difficulties, tonight’s show is … now open!” After holding their breath for a solid minute, people started laughing and walking towards the entrance.
The evening started with a performance by Guthrie Brown. On stage, there was a guitar, a pedal which sounded like a drum and a man standing in one single spotlight. In this very bright spotlight, Brown performed his very own songs, which made it impossible to not dance your heart out upon hearing them.
Brown spoke about how this was his first time in Amsterdam; his first time in Europe even. He said he felt all sophisticated and cultured. He explained how the CDs he was selling at the merch stand are all handmade by him. He also advertised his spotify, instagram and a website he’s on known as farmersonly.com. Have you heard of this? It is a dating site where farmers can meet other farmers and make more farmers. Brown ended his set with an energetic song that the crowd could sing along to.
Now that the crowd had warmed up and loosened their vocal cords, the main performer Avi Kaplan, was ready to take the stage. What better song to start with than ‘Peace Somehow’, from his newest EP Move Our Souls. This was a promising start to a fantastic set. When the introduction to the third song of the setlist started, it became very clear that this was a fan favourite. The crowd sang ‘Oh Aberdeen!’ like the song itself embodies a feeling of euphoria.
Kaplan told the crowd that he always had such a warm welcome every time he visited Amsterdam. He even thanked everyone for being there with a ‘dankjewel’ in perfectly pronounced Dutch, while letting the crowd know how much of a pleasure it was to be back. The set initially started with three musicians on stage, and then Kaplan surprised everyone when bringing out a fourth band member, none other than Guthrie Brown, the opener of the show.
Next up, the band covered a very special song. Kaplan introduced it with an explanation as to why he chose to cover this song specifically. He decided to cover Tears For Fears’ ‘Mad World’ because the world as we experience today, is such a mad world to live in. There was another surprise scheduled for the night, one that is particularly special for Kaplan’s earliest fans. The band members gathered close next to each other in front of one microphone to sing ‘All Is Well’, acappella, creating a moment fans will definitely remember.
When it was time for Kaplan to introduce his last song, a wave of both excitement and disappointment travelled through the crowd. The fans were excited to hear ‘When I’m A Fool’ live, all while being disappointed the night was coming to an end. When Kaplan left the stage, fans began chanting “We want more! We want more!” and more they got. Humble as he is, Kaplan seemed as if he had not anticipated such an overwhelming response as he re-entered the stage to play his final song ‘Change On The Rise’.
The halls of Melkweg were buzzing with enthusiasm and contentment when people were gathering to go home. Even the same security guard who started the night with a joke, admitted that he had made sure to allow himself to hear that impressive low voice, even just for a brief moment.
