On Stage: Damien Jurado @ De Duif

At the Into The Great Wide Open festival over a month ago, Damien Jurado was supposed to pay the island a visit but unfortunately had to cancel his tour. He picked up his tour again shortly after which brings him to the church De Duif tonight.

Damien Jurado at De Duif Amsterdam, October 5

Only two chairs are standing across from the altar, together with a single microphone. Most of the night he is accompanied by Josh Gordon who is playing nice ringing melodies on his guitar to combine with Jurado's guitar chords. I like Jurado's voice and his calm way of playing songs. His music has something relaxing, like a light summer's breeze but at the same time can have something dark or sad. It is this combination that works for me.

Jurado looks like a serious guy and his songs are not really happy. His little speeches in between are a bit awkward but are quite funny. It even turns a bit jolly now and then, but before things get too cheesy, Jurado starts playing another one of his beautiful songs. For the second time this week I'm impressed with the audience who are keeping very quiet and let the music do the talking. So we can enjoy beautiful songs from his new album The Horizon Just Laughed and older ones like the well-known 'A.M. AM' He also plays some covers halfway the set.

For the last couple of songs, Gordon leaves and Jurado continues all by himself. Somehow things now get more intense and this only makes songs like 'Over Rainbows and Rainier' even better. The crowd doesn't want to let Jurado go so he returns and plays another three songs in the encore. This was a wonderful evening with an incredible musician that can keep an audience to stay quiet for almost two hours with just a guitar and gorgeous songs.



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Setlist:
01. Dear Thomas Wolfe
02. Allocate
03. Percy Faith
04. The Last Great Washington State
05. Cindy Lee
06. 1973
07. Marvin Kaplan
08. When You Were Few
09. Random Fearless
10. Birds Tricked Into the Trees
11. The Novelist
12. Beautifulheart
13. Hello Sunshine
14. A.M. AM
15. Exit 353
16. Over Rainbows and Rainier
17. Sheets
18. Shape of a Storm
19. Kola
Encore
20. Museum of Flight
21. Metallic Cloud
22. Return to Maraqopa


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Blaudzun's Enchantment

Photo courtesy of Mark Minkman

Singer Blaudzun released a great new album earlier this year. Heavy Flowers is filled with beautiful songs and a rich variety. For the Indiestad festival which is spread over several locations of Amsterdam, he was performing in a church. For some one who grew up in a religious environment like him, this promised to be a special experience.

Blaudzun at De Duif Amsterdam, May 14 2012

Photo courtesy of Nynke Sietsma

Right from the start he's using the not every day stage to its full extent. Singing 'Wolf's Behind The Glass' from the church's pulpit all by himself, without mic or other amplification, his voice sounds vulnerable but also strong at the same time. It's ringing through the big high church hall. The band starts playing while he's making his way to the stage. It was supposed to be an acoustic set but this is not really the case.



The band isn't playing in an average band setup though. Violin, cello, banjo are just some of the instruments used. It's not so weird that some of his songs are sometimes reminding of Arcade Fire. The band are playing fine but are never really excelling. It's Blaudzun who's making the difference. His voice and appearance are remarkable. He has become more relaxed on stage over the years. This makes his performance comfortable to watch.



'Flame In My Head', that appears early in the set, is even making people clap their hands to the beat. As an encore all band members gather at the front of the stage for a special version of 'Blindspot'. By this time everyone here tonight already is convinced: Blaudzun is a unique artist.

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Setlist:
01. Wolf's Behind the Glass
02. She's a Gentleman
03. Another Ghost Rocket
04. Monday
05. German Girls
06. Flame on my Head
07. Who Took the Wheel
08. We Both Know
09. Streetcorner
10. Heavy Flowers
11. Midnight Room
12. Sunshine Parade
13. The Choking Game
14. Solar
Encore
15. Blindspot
16. Elephants
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