3, 4 and 5 December were some very special shows for Kensington. These were their first three shows in the Ziggo Dome since their comeback. The last time they had played a live show, had also been here, in the Ziggo Dome. Those shows were back in September 2022 and were believed to be their last farewell. Eloi Youssef, former lead singer, had announced that he would be leaving the band. The band’s future was unsure after this announcement.
In January 2025, Kensington made their comeback. To everyone’s surprise, they had been searching for a new lead singer, all this time they were out of the spotlight. The announcement came that they had indeed found their new lead singer, in none other than Jason Dowd. From bartending in Los Angeles, to being the frontman for a Dutch band. Kensington might not be known in America, in the Netherlands they have been at the top of the charts for more than a decade. Dowd had to enter a whole new and vastly different chapter of his life.
The band also announced that they had been working on new music in this new formation. They first released their single ‘A Moment’ and later announced their brand new album First Rodeo. Earlier this year, Kensington performed a series of live shows in Tivoli Vredenburg. These were the first live shows with Dowd as frontman. Even though we all like Tivoli, the Ziggo Dome would be where Dowd could really feel how big this thing he was doing now actually was.
We were present at the second show in this series, the 4th of December 2025. For this particular show, the supporting act was a familiar one. The Vices had been opening shows in the Ziggo Dome for Kensington before. During this set, frontman Floris van Luijtelaar, expressed how good it felt to be back here, in the Ziggo Dome. The last time they were opening for Kensington in the Ziggo Dome, they thought it would actually be the last time they would be able to do so.
The venue was quite filled when The Vices came on stage. It appeared a lot of fans had come earlier to enjoy their set as well as the headliner. When Van Luijtelaar spoke about the announcement they had made earlier that day, the crowd cheered him on. The band had announced that they will be playing at Paradiso in 2026, which will be their only show of the year.
The Vices was an entertaining one to watch. The energy on stage was loud and the lead singer, guitarist and bass player (Jonathan Kruizenga and Simon Bleeker) made sure to interact with each other. This way it seemed as if not only the audience, but the band as well, had the best time. After a loud applause, The Vices called a last and loud “Dankjewel Kensington!” before leaving the stage.
After a short intermission, the lights dimmed and knowing what that meant, a loud cheering erupted from the crowd. In the back of the room, some smokers came rushing in, anxious and not wanting to miss a second of what was about to happen. The stage was covered by a layer of smoke and when the individual bandmembers entered the stage, their shadows were enlarged on the backdrop.
The song they chose to start with was ‘Stay’. What was remarkable, is that there were no phones in sight. Maybe because a certain percentage of the audience was of an age where people do not value digital content as much. However it also seemed as if people made the conscious decision to stay present in this moment and experience every second to the fullest.
With this new formation of the band, a lot of people in the crowd were unsure what to expect. The band chose to play a mix of both their old hits and their newest work. The pressure was on Dowd to fill Youssef’s shoes, in his own way. It seemed as if the band had chosen the perfect new member to fulfill the role of singer and guitarist and be their frontman. The interaction between the members felt as if they were totally comfortable with each other. If one had not known of the existence of the former formation, you might not even notice that Casper Starreveld, Jan Haker and Niles Vandenberg had years and years of history, while Dowd just recently came looking around the corner.
However, if you were to ask one of the older fans, they would tell you that there definitely was a difference. Youssef’s voice has a very unique sound, so of course it would be impossible to replicate that exact sound. So naturally, some fans grieved the old formation.
With this show, Kensington meant to tell a story. The story of how they went on a search to find the essence of their band again. They found it when they found Dowd and when they started creating new music together. This adventure took them to many places in this world and the visuals of the show resemble what a roadtrip looks like. They used lots of pyrotechnics as well as confetti canons.
Starreveld told the audience about a scientific article he had read which stated that humans are happiest when standing up and singing. With this in mind, he asked the crowd to reignite an old Kensinton tradition. He asked to climb on top of each other and sing along loudly. That is when the first notes of ‘Uncharted’ started coming out of the speakers.
Dowd took a moment to express his appreciation and gratitude for everyone who came to this show. He had heard about people coming to the show, even though it is difficult because of health issues. He was thankful for everyone attending and also for his family. This is the first live performance of him in the band, which his family gets to witness in real life.
After performing ‘Call You Home’, Dowd asked to pull the loved ones who came to the concert with each other, to pull each other close and tell them you love them. This resulted in people all around grabbing each other in a big hug. After playing ‘How it Goes’, the band took a moment to thank their crew. They said they felt good and safe, standing on this stage and it was all because of the crew. They next played ‘Don’t Walk Away’
This show marked Kensington’s 21st time playing the Ziggo Dome. Kensington had the record of most headliner shows in the Ziggo Dome and they plan on keeping said record with a next show planned for 2026. Since they have been here so much, these shows felt like coming back home. Which was a perfect way of introducing ‘Home Again’. This song was accompanied with confetti and lots of pyrotechnics. When asked if they’d want more, the crowd cheered loud. The band ended a spectacular show with their hit ‘A Moment’, but not before thanking Dowd’s parents for bringing him into this world. It felt destined for their paths to have crossed. These shows seemed to be only the beginning of much more to come. The band showed themselves as a strong and united front and they proved to be able to create incredible music together and put down a spectacular show.
