Van Der Graaf Generator - 2009 Tour

2009 was one of the best concert years for me in recent memory. One of the many hilights was Van Der Graaf Generator's mini North American tour. Hard to believe after having been a huge fan since around 1976, that they finally decided to do some shows here. This was in large part due to the fact that they were booked to be headliners at Nearfest, in Bethlehem, PA. After that they hit the road for another 7-8 shows iirc. After seeing them at Nearfest, I had the good fortune of seeing them back here for shows in Buffalo, Toronto and Hamilton.

The band was phenomenal! That first show at Nearfest was just incredible.. ended with a scorching Man-Erg and encored with a brilliant version of "Still Life" that had me half choked up. The fact that David Jaxon isn't with the band any more seemed to pre-occupy some of the fans, but to me, this is just another version of the band that's had several different lineups in their long career. Peter Hammill was other-worldly in his performances and even at this age, he still delivers like nobody else. The absolute best singer/frontman I've ever seen, case closed. With every single song, he showed something special. I can't speak any higher about any other performer I've ever seen. Hugh Banton was a monster on the keyboards and bass pedals, and Guy Evans was Guy Evans...brilliant.

Anyway, you can just imagine the thrill I got when the promoter for the Hamilton show asked me if I wanted to introduce the band. Talk about a once in a lifetime opportunity. I was taken backstage to briefly meet the band and then headed on to the stage to present them. Coolest thing that's ever happened to me relating to this radio show. Thanks to Bo for snappin' the pics and sharing them.