VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR
Kantine, Koeln (Cologne), Germany
April - 28 - 2022
app. 20:20 > 21:50 German summer time
European Tour 2022


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It's a Spacebandit, so you're in there!
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Rec. Info:
OKM2R stealth mics > Zoom H2n (@ WAV 24-48) > SD card > HD > Audacity (edit/remaster) > WAV 24-48 > TLH8 >Flac >Your ears and mind...
Recorded by yours truly lazy Spacey, mics were pasted on the wall left side facing the stage, sitting more or less comfortably on a barstool, app. 7 meters to stage edge. Due to rusted taping skills this recording
almost went down the sewer of distortion. Maybe it's apparently audible in a few spots, but - hell - the gods of taping were on my side that evening. Although I checked the levels of the recorder, I forgot how brutal
the organ vibrations of Mr. Banton are (ok, my last VdGG show was 15 years before!). Anyway, I think it sounds pretty good, levels on maximum volume.
A bunch of pics, more or less good are included, sorry no setlist scan.



FULL SHOW (93:34 min.)

01. Enter stage applause > (1:22)
02. Interference patterns (4:36)
03. Nutter alert (6:16)
04. (In the) black room (12:20)
05. La Rossa (11:17)
06. All that before (8:01)
07. Alfa Berlina (7:55)
08. Masks (6:48)
09. Your time starts now (4:16)
10. Room 1210 (7:46)
11. Scorched earth (13:01)
--- Encore ---
12. Still life (9:50)



Lineup (as usual...)

Peter Hammill - voice, piano, guitar
Hugh Banton - organ
Guy Smith - drums


Spacey's notes:
"Weird scenes inside the canteen"...it was. Entering the KANTINE in Koeln for the first time ever, I was shocked to see no resting places inside. Brrr, nothing good for my damaged left hip. But then my friend Martin pointed me at
an elder gentleman sitting on a barstool. "You might ask him, where he got it from", and so I did. Fortunately the guy was very helpful and told me how to get one of my own. During the talk I asked him if you would mind me sitting
close to him because..."I want to tape the show". He grinned and said..."Me, too." Big Questionmarks on both faces, until...and - hell yeah, believe it or not - it was Dimer "BoomBoom". Oh well, the real fun started immediately,
telling stories about concerts, tapes, life and so on. Never met him before, but better late than never. Would've been a nice thing for a beergarden talk at looney weather, but there was still THAT band playing.
VdGG have always been a favourite of mine since I first listened to them in the early to mid 80's. So, no chance to have caught them in their first incarnation period. So the more I was surprised back in 2005, when they announced
their return and I was lucky enough to experience them at the "Rockpalast" show in Leverkusen and two years later at Amsterdam's Paradiso. The first one was still with "Saxon Jackson". Over the years I lost a little ground on them,
concentrating on other bands, but now at the "end" of Corona (or better "the virus gives us a breather"), I jumped on the chance to see - in my ears - the best progressive rockband ever - one more (last) time.
What's about the show? Well at first I was madly disappointed that I didn't get to hear the classic material from the first three albums. No "Man-erg", no "Lemmings", no...well they could've played any/every song of those and
I'd been gone nutz. No, instead of that, we're timecapsuled back into 1975/76, but - hey - this is no downer at all. The new material fits in very well with the old classics, and two old songs were really standouts.
"Scorched earth" - anti-war song as many before simply sparkled. The introspective "Still life" was a fitting close. And yes, a "Killer" to end the show would've been the icing on the cake, but we have to realise that these fine
english gents are in their mid 70's of age. No way to force them to do any song, neither I would do, RESPECT their choice of songs played.
So, big thanks to them for the show, Boomy Boy for the superb talks, Martin for driving and to Rolf who invitied the OKM-Mics for being suitable that yours dumb Spacey got a good recording.
Oh and for the nice venue staff. No controls at all. This is simply "freedom"...And now...let the music do the talking...SB


Spacebandit 2022/04/30 (Walpurgis-Night)

Images for all shows as well as full size images for this show.

Images for this show:











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