RIVERSIDE New Generation Tour 2014 Heerlen 14 April 2014

Two Polish bands on stage in my hometown and one of them being the notorious Riverside, that ought to be a treat for my ears. And indeed it was a great show, although we had heard most of the Riverside songs on the first New Generation Tour already. But first Votum took the stage and I really have to say that their music is rather chaotic and their presentation on stage was actually non-professional! Votum clearly missed a commanding stage presence and I would also advise the singer to try to be a less obvious and shameful imitation of Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.

Then the stage was re-built, the lights were dimmed and Riverside took the stage and kicked off with New Generation Slave, followed by the magical The Depth Of Self-Delusion, which proved that Riverside really has come a long way since their first demo way back in 2003. The set list was quite different from last year as the band stretched back to their musical roots with performing songs from their first EP. Furthermore we could enjoy the song Goodbye Sweet Innocence – a rather heavy track from their second EP – for the very first time on stage.

The sound was exquisite and the four band members were in great shape and really enjoyed themselves. Mariusz had the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the entire show. Escalator Shrine with amazing bass solos and riffs ended the regular set list with a blast. Luckily the band returned for a long (15 minutes) and overwhelming version of Second Life Syndrome, which is one of my favorite Riverside tracks. Unexpectedly the band also played a second encore, being Celebrity Touch, their hit single. A great ending to a marvelous show and I am really looking forward to their new album next year.

Set list:

New Generation Slave

The Depth Of Self-Delusion

Feel Like Falling

Out Of Myself

Acronym Love

Reality Dream 3

Goodbye Sweet Innocence

Living In The Past

We Got Used To Us

Egoist Hedonist

Escalator Shrine

Encores:

Second Life Syndrome

Celebrity Touch

Review & photos by Martien Koolen

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