Rotown, Rotterdam, Holland (9/12/99)
Rotown is a very intimate place. It's a bar/cafe with a small stage. They were
scheduled to play at 22.00 and around that time there were about 50 people
present. Maybe 20 of them actually came to see the band and ironically enough
one girl (way to go, Daniella!) travelled 7 hours from Berlin, Germany just to
see them play live.
They started with the song Scars but that turned out to be only a soundcheck because after that they left the stage and didn't come back until 23.15. Maybe they were unhappy about the crowd which I can imagine cause most of them never heard of Witness and were either reading the paper or getting drunk at the bar. So after an hour and a few pinball games from the guitarist they came back on stage and started the concert. By that time they had cleared out the tables in front of the stage and there must have been around 70 people present.
First song they played was My Friend Will See Me Through. Eight other songs followed after that: Until, Cause and Effect, So Far Gone, Mines, Wake Down, My Own Old Song, Scars and Heirloom. Both looks and voice of lead singer Gerard Starkie reminded me sometimes of the late Tim Buckley.
The relaxed atmosphere and the intensity of the band's performance made it a very good concert despite the fact that most people present weren't really paying attention. Including a little break they played for about 50 minutes. A little short but I'm sure that the people that really came to see them had a great night. It was a great concert with a lousy crowd.
Next time they play in Holland they deserve a much better crowd and I'm positive they'll get it cause I'm hooked already!
Witness...the coolest band around at the moment...
Riny van Eijk