unfortunately we couldn't attend; what was the track-list?

I just read the news that VdGG will be playing a gig at the "Leverkusener Jazz-Tage" ("Jazz Days of Leverkusen", an annual festival) on Nov 5th. since Leverkusen is only a few miles from us we will definitely be there. if you ask "what is VdGG doing on a jazz festival?": we saw Magma there a few years ago, and what were they doing there? the audience was enthusiastic about Magma, by the way

Peter Pan wrote: I am trying to get information about the program on this evening, because there are 3 acts. I suppose VDGG will play at the end though the web site places them at the start.

Einlass: 17:30 Uhr
VdGG: ca. 20:30 Uhr

I can't wait to see them. I attended Peter Hammill shows several times - solo, accompanied by VDGG musicians, and with The K Group, but never the band. No wonder sice I heard the first tune of them in 1977 on the radio. It was "Killer" and it was the time when good tunes were played by some radio stations here in Germany. Long time ago. Now it's just "Wir spielen die Hits!" 

I'm not the kind of person who remembers tracklists in detail, but the evening was fantastic! One of my friends, who attended the London concert, said that the latter one was better, but since I wasn't there, I didn't care at all ...

For me the highlists were Sleepwalkers  and Man-Erg, but I was surprised that the 2 new songs on the setlist, about the bloody emperor and the Nutter Alert, also belonged to absolute highlights of the evening.

A warm audience reception followed when VdGG not only played Undercover Man, but immediately after that also played Scorched Earth. Did they do that elsewhere? I was happily surprised. They played all of Godbluff except Arrow.

Killer was also one of the highlights of the evening, as far as I'm concerned. Still Life was also great.

Darkness was the opener by the way, and it sounded fantastic, although during the first 3 tracks the sound wasn't very good yet. I especially liked it when Hammill shouted his famous "Blessed the baby born today..." words.

Guy Evans really is an incredible drummer, one of the best I EVER heard, BTW. Hugh Banton looked like a very distinguished gentleman, playing very concentrated. David Jackson wore his famous leather beret in the beginning of the concert, and well... all of the band were good, actually.

I'm happy that Hammill is still going strong after his heart attack. It was high energy music and the audience was very enthousiastic. I think the band enjoyed this concert, the last one of their tour if I'm not mistaken.

One of the friends of my friends, who was just checking the band out, couldn't appreciate some of the organised chaos of the band (read: sheer genius  !), and left halfway during the concert. Too bad: some of the more addicted fans (Sean Trane?) should have had the ticket instead. But well, the guy leaving the concert in shock... that's the kind of thing that happens when people encounter real art, isn't it?

A friend of mine says that they'd return in november in The Hague. If that is true, I'm certainly planning on going back. It was one of the best live concerts I ever saw. It was really HAPPENING, so to say.

Great that such music is still being played live today. Classic uncompromising, high quality prog!!!

Oh yeah, and they played a lot from World Record. The last encore was Wondering.

Someone in the audience asked for Refugees, but Hammill sind in a somewhat teasing way: "Well, we'll play whatever we bloody like, 'cause that's the kind of troupe we are"  . They didn't play Refugees at all, and I thought that that was an exception on their European tour.

All the shows this tour have been really good, but it seems they have done 3 classic shows:

Rome: I was there and they were quite brilliant

Paris: heard rave reviews and have been blown away by the torrent version I have downloaded

Amsterdam: They were always going to finish on a high and sounds like they have

Interestingly enough all outside the UK. UK shows were good, but Hammill seems more relaxed in Europe (Yes, I know UK is in Europe as well, kind of anyway), much more banter with the audience, less duff notes, etc.

Roll on the November shows..

I saw VdGG at Liverpool in July, and they were brilliant. 

I never expected to ever have the chance to see them after all these years apart (bar the odd live track here and there at PH gigs).  But to not only have them get together, they make a new album which sounds great and they play at the nearest big city to me, across the Mersey, in Liverpool.

I had my tickets for nearly five months, and not a day went by without me thinking of what the gig would be like.  When the night finally arrived, they were on top form, a great set-list (see below), and definitely the best gig I've ever been to in all my years.  If you get the chance, go and see them, these guys are maestros.

Track list for Liverpool (10.07.05)

Main Set: Darkness (11/11), Undercover Man, Scorched Earth, Every Bloody  Emperor, Lemmings, When She Comes, Childlike Faith in Childhood's End, Sleepwalkers, (In the) Black Room, Nutter Alert!, Man-Erg.  Encores: Killer, Wondering.