CONCERT REVIEW: Des Rocs In Patronaat – A Night To Remember

This past Sunday, September 22nd, it was finally time. After being away for a few months, Des Rocs was back in the Netherlands, this time at Patronaat.

The doors opened at 7:30, and not long after, the first band kicked off their performance. Pistols At Dawn had the honor of opening the show. The guitarist was the first to step onto the stage. In the spotlight, you could clearly see it was the guitarist, but his face was still hidden, adding a touch of mystery. He was also rocking a cool guitar with red lights on it. It was super eye-catching from the audience’s perspective. Love it!

You could sense the crowd needed a bit of warming up, but the band managed to get everyone engaged. They were full of energy and clearly having a great time themselves. Their interaction with each other on stage was fun to watch too. I hadn’t listened to their music before, but they were a pleasant surprise. The instruments blended well with the vocals, and they even played their recently released track, “Obsessions”. I’m obsessed with it, honestly. In my opinion, it was the highlight of their set.

After Pistols At Dawn wrapped up their act, it was Moon Fever’s turn. All the band members took the stage, with the lead singer coming on last. He walked in with a certain attitude that perfectly matched their music. It was the whole package, visually and musically.

The band, particularly the lead singer, had a lot of interaction with the audience. He’d often squat down to look fans directly in the eyes and sing right to them. At one point, someone from the crowd was brought up to join the fun. And, as the cherry on top, the singer did some stage diving. I’m not exaggerating when I say there was a LOT of interaction. As for their music, the darker vibe really appealed to me. The chemistry between the band members was strong, and their performance felt cohesive and tight.

All in all, Des Rocs brought along some excellent support acts.

Then it was time. The lights dimmed, and the music began. Des Rocs started his set with the usual burst of energy. It seemed like they had cleared more space on stage so that he could easily dance and jump around.

The first two songs flowed seamlessly into each other, and when MMC started, the whole crowd went wild. The singer’s energy is infectious, and you could feel it spread through the entire crowd. It’s amazing to see how well he engages the audience, but also how energetic the crowd is in return.

This was even more evident during Maybe I. The song starts off with some soft guitar playing, but as soon as the full band joined in, I could feel the floor of the venue shake beneath my feet.

A few months ago, when Des Rocs performed at the Melkweg, there was a sudden power outage across all of Amsterdam. This forced the singer to play a bit of an acoustic set. Now that he was back in the Netherlands, he mentioned wanting to make this a tradition whenever he performs here. So, the stage lights went out, and he put down the microphone. Grabbing an acoustic guitar, he began to play Nothing Personal. Honestly, I hope he keeps this tradition alive; it’s something unique you don’t see often.

There was a brief break in the setlist when Danny (Des Rocs) started telling a story about a night when he was sitting in a park, reflecting on all the things that no one really wants to think about. While he was there, a man approached him and said, “You look like you’re going through a pretty rough patch. No matter what you’re going through, I guarantee you—I’m going through something much, much worse.” Danny took one look at the guy and thought, “Yeah, you’re totally right.” The man eventually told him to close his eyes and think about a dream—something he really wanted to achieve. After sharing this story, Danny asked the audience to do the same. “Just close your eyes for 60 seconds,” he said.

He told the story with a lot of humor, and it was genuinely entertaining. It was something special that I hadn’t experienced before during a show. After the story, he launched into Hanging by a Thread, and once again, the crowd was singing along at the top of their lungs.

I have a lot of admiration for this artist and how he consistently delivers a fantastic performance. From playing the guitar behind his back to energetic dance moves and constant engagement with the crowd—Des Rocs is a true performer.

Check out the photos from the night below:

Pistols At Dawn

Moon Fever

Des Rocs

Kelly Vermeer

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