A visibly moved and grateful Flemming defeated Rotterdam Ahoy on Saturday evening. The first major solo concert of the singer from Vught was full of energy, emotion and fire. “Too good to be true, actually. I dreamed of this as a little boy,” says the singer in an interview with Omroep Brabant.
Flemming opens his concert in Ahoy with a huge fire show. He emerges from the stage with a guitar while 16,000 visitors scream deafeningly. When he starts ‘Amsterdam’, his first hit, Flemming can rest his voice for a moment. The audience sings the first part of the song loudly.
Test voice
He thanks his fans several times for coming, for taking time off, arranging transportation and listening to his music. “I just said to the boys: at the rock academy in Tilburg we did exams for ten people, now we are standing in front of 16,000 people,” says Flemming, pointing to his drummer and keyboardist.
It becomes clear that after four years of making music, Flemming can fill a show in Ahoy and rock it. He has therefore left nothing to chance. “I was in bed at nine o’clock on Friday evening, the beer will come later. When I tested my voice on Saturday morning, which I do every morning, I knew it was fine,” he told our reporter just before the concert.
He walks backstage through Ahoy beaming. “It’s really cool that you’re in such a room with so much history. Queen with Freddie Mercury, for example, was here, maybe I’m in the same dressing room. That’s really a thrill.”
Fans there early
The first fans were already at nine o’clock in the morning in front of the accommodation in South Rotterdam. “For Flemming of course, we want to be at the front. I have been a fan of it for a long time,” said Denise from Nijmegen. Most fans are more nervous than Flemming just before the concert.
What makes Flemming so special? It is the lyrics of his songs, the high sing-along content, but especially his character and appearance, as is generally described. And of course, as one of those waiting put it, his Brabant down-to-earthness.
The Brabant pop idol appears to have followers from all over the country. The largely female followers at the front come from Roden (Drenthe), Dordrecht, Groningen and of course Brabant (including Breda). Most have seen him perform live at least once. One woman really doesn’t seem to want to miss anything from him: “I’ve seen him live eight times. I try to get everywhere where Flemming is.” And what she also appreciates about him: he responds to her DMs and her messages on social media.
What comes after Ahoy?
So Flemming’s dream has become reality. If it was an exam, he passed with honors. The concert went in all directions: from a huge Brabant party in Rotterdam to emotional and personal songs.
The preparation was actually quite simple for Flemming. “Just do as little as possible,” he laughs. “Chill out at home and pay attention to your voice, because my voice is my everything.” But in reality, a year of preparations preceded the concert. “Devising a stage, devising interaction. This is what I dreamed of as a little boy.” One of those interactions was an intimate stage in the middle of the room where Flemming magically appeared and performed a song that the singer danced among the audience.
And now? “I would think it would be really cool to do something in Den Bosch. And who knows, maybe one day the Ziggo Dome, that would be very cool.” It is not yet written in pencil in his agenda, but after Ahoy Flemming will look into it seriously. “I just want to get it all done once.”
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