EBI PARTY in Holland
THE 2002 EBI PARTY
It was a little colder and rainier this year so the time to have a look around in the wonderful city of Spakenburg was not always used.
This
edition of our annual party looked a lot different from last years.
Rob Blokland said to me : 'The Party started at 4 o'clock but most fans were in
long before that'.
Now that shows me most of you have been looking forward to this for weeks, months even and that gives me a very good vibe. When it was all over at 10:30 we concluded: 'All people there were more enthusiastic than ever before and hardly anybody left early to catch a train or bus. They all stayed till the very last song......'.
We
started at 16:15 with my traditionally short opening speech.
Could not avoid mentioning I regretted the fact that I had not decided to invite
Albert Lee. There was the problem of asking the fans who were there for
an extra entrance fee but standing there on the stage I thought 'these people
would not have minded paying an extra US $ 15 each'.
Anyway,
if you want to see Albert in the Netherlands, he will be at Feedback in
Rotterdam on 4th December. I will do all I can to be thereand meet him this
time at last (see his schedule later on for gigs all over Europe).
We
have presented almost the same program for quite some years now and still
more and more people fill that cosey venue at Spakenburg!? This is the chance to
meet each other, talk together, have a drink. That of course is the success
of it all in a cozy, easy atmosphere.
By
the way, if you have any suggestions for a change in our menu, let us know, OK?
The girls of the Party Center gave it their best as always. Real good service,
fast and friendly. Everybody got his coffee, soup and buns flawless
for which Bas gave them the vouchers at the entrance.
Harmony
Trail took over right after my speech. They started with a block of 30 minutes of
real good Everly harmonies. Fred and his friends make their own background
music. It is veryyyyyyyyyy good. His son Geoffrey
and himself sing pure live and no tricks. You should be there!!
Now will ya next time
before it's too late?
Pa
Fred and son Geoffrey van Vugt sang Everly repertoire which again
sounded perfect and included several alternative choices. It is not my
imagination, they still grow. It was their 10th year with us and for that feat
Yvonne presented them and their sound technician with a big cake. Geoffrey
was 15 when we first saw them. Can you imagine what he sounds like while his
voices matures further and further?
This first block was followed by four more, each half an hour. And the audience (including me) never gets enough of them. They play Everly classics but fortunately mostly other jewels, like 'Less Of Me', gorgeous!! Geoffrey did his own song, 'Waiting For Dawn'. Now believe me Guys, if Twarris sells, this should sell even better. Get someone interested. This is very high quality.
Geoffrey
and his friends were accompanied by Fred on bass when they
did their own act under the name of Balcony. They brought quality
renditions of very recent songs plus songs from Venice, Stealer's Wheel
('Late Again', what a choice) and swinging and rocking stuff from Fleetwood Mac.
It's always so good to see that the audience can appreciate songs from others
than the Evs just as much.
Piet Piekstra and his son presented Piet's vast collection of Everly CD's, LP's, clippings and pictures. He showed us a newspaper clipping with a big picture of Yvonne, me and others having a meeting back in 1995. Wish I could find it in my books, cupboards, don't know where it is but I'd like to keep that for my memories. Piet got a lot of fans talking at his stand, hearing the news, having a goodtime.....that's what counts. Thanks for being there Guys.
Rob van Enter did a Lottery and Bingo round, with a little coaching from Yvonne van Rooijen. There were bigggggg prizes to be won, first prize a television!!! Up to now Rob still thinks he didn't do too well. Believe me, or else believe Yvonne, Rob. You did good and your efforts financially saved the evening!?!?
In
between the live music and lottery activity we showed some video and DVD footage
and played tracks from the upcoming Warner CD's 'Great Country Hits/Gone Gone'
Gone and 'Rock 'n Soul / Beat 'n Soul'. It
really got everybody's attention when we showed the footage that the
BBC gave us of the
Perry Como Show. Fans in Europe have never seen this before. I and everybody
gasped when we showed that on the big screen that Rob Blokland again had taken
care of. We are very thankful to him.
Thanks for taking
Mark and me home afterwards, Rob!
At the end of the Party Harmony Trail did a few songs to introduce the Sing Along. They invited Rob van Enter on stage to accompany them on electric guitar. Rob always does a very good job at the blues songs and I am glad Yvonne was so revved by it all to get her onstage and do a few songs. At times when she threatened to back off Jan Schouten came to the rescue. They sang 'Let It Be Me and 'Bye Bye Love' very well. No matter which song Harmony Trail did of Rod Stewart or the Bee Gees, they sounded so close to Everly songs and many clapped and sang along. Kees de Haan and Fred did a very good rendition of 'Always It's You' and Geoffrey took up his harmonica once more to close it all with 'Love Me Do'.
My son Mark presented the Kentucky Shop where people could buy very special vinyl albums and singles, lots of CD's etc. He did a very good job and took up photography during the live music when everybody was seated or dancing and paid no attention to his shop during lottery and other gambling events.
We
would like to thank the personnel of the restaurant ' 't Haantje', Jacqueline,
Marijke, Jolanda and Henk who always look forward to this evening and enjoy it
very much. Our own Yvonne (so very glad you decided to be there), Lydia,
John, Marianne, Rob van Enter, Rob Blokand and Bas Siewertsen, all the
people there, thanks so very much.
Make
a note of the next one, 18th October 2003.
Don't
hesitate to come this time, it will be worth it !