9th of June 2014,
MerkAz, Utrecht (NL)

By Michael Brookhuis
Once in a while you get an opportunity to attend a very special concert. Tonight I had that chance in Utrecht. Inside a synagoge, the MerkAz, Orphaned Land would play an acoustic set. Not only was I drawn to this concert because of the acoustic vibe, but also the special location. How often do you get the chance to see a band perform in a synagoge?

And what a setting it was. Most of the people were seated and there was a little bit of extra room on the balcony. The chairs where the band would sit were very close to the audience and we were all in anticipation for the band to arrive. Before that, we had a little bit of extra information about the synogoge itself. This was very informative and gave a little bit of an extra dimension to the concert.

When Orphaned Land entered the room, cheered on by a mixed crowd, they already seemed to be enjoying themselves. Lead singer Kobi also said that we had to see this as some kind of living room concert. So he motivated everyone to sing along, clap, dance, sit, stand, or just do whatever we wanted to.

In between the songs Kobi gave us a little bit of explanation about some of the lyrics. It was great to see the emotion in some songs, as well as the pure pleasure that everybody had on stage. The concert was devided in two sessions, both containing seven songs. Some songs were altered a bit to fit into the setting. For example, the first song was “Halo Dies”, but only the first part of the song was played, stopping just before the grunts. In the end the changed the setlist a bit, regarding the order played.

The evening was filled with lots of goosebumps, smiles and even a tear in my eye. It was great sharing this moment with people from all over the world. Fans from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Israel, Germany, Denmark, Italy, France, Greece and The Netherlands were there (sorry if I forgot a nation). Truly a night to remember!

Awesome Flickr Gallery Error - Invalid API Key (Key has invalid format)

Setlist part 1
Halo Dies
All is One
Let the Truce Be Known
Olat Ha’tamid
Children
El Meod Na’ala
In Thy Neverending Way

Setlist part 2
Freedom
The Simpe Man
Brother
Shama’im
The Beloved’s Cry
Sapari
Norra el Norra