My last concert of the year was Dotan at the Ziggo Dome. I don’t think I would have gone to see him on my own, but Fiona is a big fan. We took a friend of Fiona’s along as well, and had an excellent evening. Support was by Alex Vargas. His music wasn’t to Fiona’s taste, but I liked it. He’s coming back to Amsterdam for a solo gig at Tolhuistuin in March. I might try to catch him again.
Dotan only has one album, but he’s a local artist who has made it big internationally, and he was able to sell out the Ziggo Dome with ease. The home crowd loved him. He put on a fantastic set, with five percussionists on stage. (Some of them played other instruments throughout the set, too.) He told stories between songs, and the video wall behind the stage showed beautiful footage he had shot recently on a trip to Iceland. When the main set ended, Fiona was shocked — actually shocked — that he hadn’t played “Home“. I explained that artists will sometimes hold back a big hit until the very end of the show (especially if they haven’t had many), because that’s often what pulled people in to the concert in the first place. (People are better at remembering the last thing they hear in a concert or presentation. Psychology.) And indeed, he came on for an encore, and played us out with “Home”.
On our way out, we bought a sweatshirt for Fiona, and a beanie hat for her friend. They didn’t have sweatshirts in Fiona’s normal size, so she got a Large one instead. It is ridiculously huge, but it suits her anyway.
(After dropping Fiona’s friend off, I played Snow Patrol’s “Run” in the car, because Dotan’s voice had been reminding me of Gary Lightbody’s throughout the gig. She didn’t agree.)
Note for future self: avoid the food at the Ziggo Dome. The frites taste weird. I had some at the Foo Fighters gig, and I ate Fiona’s leftovers at this gig, after she decided they didn’t taste very good. I agreed, but ate them anyway. Upset digestion after both events. Might be connected.
