I guess you'd have to be a guitar player to understand but Focus ain't Focus without Jan Akkerman. His customized Les Paul had raw tone and bite that makes Niel's guitar sound like his tone knob is all the way down. The beauty of the early Focus was that all the musicians played off of each others improvs and kept pushing each other. Nothing like that here except for Thijs.
Just saw the guys play at Weyfest. Awesome !! An' I do not use that word lightly. Phenominal musicianship an' boy they were havin' fun. When they went into Sylvia I had goosebumps an' it's just this moment happened again. Great stuff guys, what a truely great gig. Thank you. CHEERS !!
Brilliant performance, this is one of those bands just just keeps getting better! I'd still love to hear the original song with the lyrics he wrote for Sylvia, though, would make an interesting redux.
When I hear a band like Focus play. I left in awe. There are even after some 40 plus years in one form or another, still wowing and amazing pepole with there muscianship. Love this song and I love this band. Brilliant stuff.
GREAT STUFF NOT LIKE SOME OF THIE MODERN CRAP !!!!!!! KEEP THE SOUND COMING !!!!!!!!!!! BLAST IT THROUGH THE ROOF DONT LET 70s ROCK DIE ......... THIS HOW GREAT ROCK MUSIC SHOULD SOUND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll probably get clobbered from BOTH camps for this comment, but here goes: if you watch videos of the early '70s Focus with Akkerman you'll see that he takes a lot more bravado chances with improvisation, BUT that he makes a LOT of sloppy mistakes as well. I can't pin down a single wrong note on Niels' part, and he has great tone to boot. Yes, I'd like to hear him really "put it out there on the line" like Jan did, and perhaps he will yet. Red hot band, all four players!
Go to You Tube video "Focus House Of The King/ Tamara's Move, Belgium. You see a truly superb guitar solo. Niels is so much more "adventurous" than a few years ago. This young man made so much progress in a short space of time. I was a bit skeptical at first as well, not anymore. Focus needed a guitarist of his competence to bring the band back to the "old" levels!
Hmmm, from that intro I thought I'd gotten onto a video by The Meters by mistake! But then that lilting classical melody came in, and it was evidently "Sylvia" by Focus. Nice version!
Saw Focus at the Hardrock in Manchester 1972. Saw them again last year at Buxton and they were even better sounding. Seeing them at Buxton again next month with Wishbone Ash and The Strawbs. Life can't get any better. The bands of the late 60's, early 70's are being reborn and everyone benefits.
Saw them this week, four great musicians, see them live if you get chance. If not they have a new 2cd Live in Europe. Original band member Pierre van der Linden on drums.
Dose any one know what make and model of drum kit the drummer is using. I think back in the 70's he was using Ludwig drums, but is that the case these days. Could some one tell me.
Nowadays he plays a chinese kit called Drum collective.Maybe his tomtoms are still Premiers, but his bassdrum is chinese Note the huge snaredrum. He used to play Premier in the 70's.
This was the very first song I had heard from this band, and it blew my mind. This band could teach the new upstarts of today a thing or two about making good music. Keep this high stadnard up guys. You rock.
What a superb band. Many thanks Thijs, Pierre, Niels & Bobby for the wonderful gig on Saturday 12th October at The Regent Centre, Christchurch, Dorset. The live atmosphere was magic, as was also the music. We are hoping to catch you all on Tour again, in the UK, very soon.
I'm pretty sure it's the new digital B-3 but did you hear around 1:33, does it have pitch bend? I heard it but I didn't know it had that. I'm wondering what kind of amp is in the Leslie.
Well, I must be a tonewheel, because that pitch bend sound, is the sound when you turn the organ off, because the tonewheel slows down then, so probably that's it!
Yeah but he didn't turn it off..if you've ever had one you probably already know you can't leave it turned off for more than a second without having to do the start-up procedure over from the beginning. All that aside did you see the left cheekblock on both upper and lower manuals? They don't show it well but there's some "stuff" down there that's not "vintage". God bless Laurens Hammond and Don Leslie. They started something that they had no idea the impact it was gonna have on generations.
Very good and played properly. Jan, as good as he is, buggers about with this song and he shouldn't. It's a classic and should be played with respect.
35+ years old this song - the first single i ever bought - you can't really blame him trying to mix it up a bit, surely? You want only as it was? I will send the single to you - you can listen to it as much as you like. Live music is only worth listening to if it adds something, isn't it? Well -that is what I think ;>
Good to see that Niel's Strato goes on the songs as good as the old Les Pauls from both Jans. I was afraid it would change the punch, but worked perfectly! Long Live Focus!
A year ago i saw Focus with Niels in the line-up for the first time. I had my doubts about him then. A couple of weeks ago i saw Focus again. Niels made a lot progress in a years time. He has a much stronger stage presence now and also his playing improved a lot. It's a good thing Focus took this young guy on board. He has a lot of potential!
Jan Akkerman is a rare talent - Neils is good but he's not in the same league. The latest incarnation is a pale shadow of what is was with Akkerman on board. If you want proof then compare this lame version of Sylvia to the Rainbow version.
Van Leer tried to get Jan in the new Focus but he declined. Jan has a successful career and has said that he doesn't want to simply play old classics the same way night after night. He still plays old Focus tunes but they are always different.
Technical talent this new player but you can hear he did not live the music like Akkerman did. May be age... but I think it just will always be Akkermans baby and he just 'knows' iy better.
Can anybody tell me the story about this band? what happened to Jan etc? This new guy is nothing compared to Akkerman, of what Ive seen on Youtube! Is that the same drummer as in the early focus days?
no idea what happened to jan, but that is van de linden on drums. i think he left and rejoined before focus 9. saw them a couple of months ago, with this lineup, and was fantastic. the guitarist is still prettey damn good, whether or not he's as good as akkerman is irrelevant, as he can play all the pieces that they played then just as well. or maybe i just prefer the strat sound...
I talked to Tjis Van Leer at the concert they held in Drammen, Norway, and I asked him about Jan, and to my amusement he said these words: "He(the new guitarist) is better than Jan"
Sadly We could not find a pencil that could write on my CD of Mowing Wawes I had in my car..., but at least he tried, so he have touched my first Focus encounter :D
I think the new guitarist is quite good. No Akkerman, but I think he will evolve and show us what he's capable of. Let's all just give him a try! Akkerman wasn't born a genius nor was any other guitar player.. so let's just hear what he can do in the recordings to come. So far he has proven himself quite competent and even more
Saw them play last night in a pub. I had my beer in front of me on the stage. I Haven't done that in a few years. Best night I've had for a long time.
A GREAT Concert, the one in Drammen, Norway in 2007. I was so sweat after all the jumps and dancing that my shirt was TOTALLY wet, no dry spots, so I just had to go to the car and take it off, and just wear my jacket for the rest of the night :D
why always compare guitar players in terms of "speed"? This guy is very good indeed, but he's not Akkerman. Jan has that special touch that can't be compared, he can talk with his guitar and that's what this guy is missing. Was Hendiks the fastest player? Absolutely not, but there will never be another Jimmy i.m.o
it's funny, i'm just reading an interview with him, where he says 'when i was 9 i got lessons from Lou de Heer, he made me use my wrist completely wrong'
Oi Boc69...everyone gets fat...even u will one day! As for the guitarist - this is the only live evrsion on here that doesn't have a few bum lead notes in it! So whereas u can't knock Akkerman (the original band members can't be beaten simple as) this aint too shabby at all.
Doesn't matter how many people give this a negative. Jeffsterren is simply right. The guitar player is _following_ the other players instead of driving the song forwards as he should in this one. My guess is he's insecure for some reason.
Its a pity there's no footage from the UK tour earlier this year, Neils held his own against Jan Ackerman, and the band absolutely grooved. Thijs and the boys also hung around for a few beers after the gig, chatting, signing autographs, taking photo's. If you get chance to see em live, take it, you wont regret it
Pff, that Thijs van Leer has become fat! And he can't sing the high notes anymore... Too bad. Also looks like he's missing his old band. This performance looks to "rehearsed" and doesn't contain much energy. The good days are over Thijs. Face it..
i wouldn't say the new guitarist is crappy... inexperianced perhaps. and remember akkerman is a MASTER of guitar very few are even able to look at his level of skill so we can excuse this new fellow :P
The keyboard player looks like he would be more concerned about having good drainage on the top 20 acres than progressive rock. Ha! Just teasing. Good stuff. Thanks for posting.
I saw Akkerman live last week and while he is without question the guitar maestro I have to say the new Focus seems to work a lot better together than Akkerman's band, who just sounded like tokenistic session musicians, albeit very proficient ones. Van Leer is the true heart of Focus.
Tough job for anyone to play Jan Akkerman's parts. But he has a nice tone and does a good job. To his credit, he doesn't muck around and change Jan's signature licks. But then how could you improve on perfection?
i've seen both this band, and akkerman solo. to be honest, there's only one winner, and thats the akkerman gigs. absolutely brilliant. poor van leer hasnt moved on from the 70's. fair enogh, akkerman has made some crap in the past, but at least he's always tryin new things!! still would love a reunion tho!!
nice 1 greedy i was a person back from the stage at the left hand side right in front of the keyboard i got right to the front after half a hour it was easy to get to the front there wasnt it lol cant wait to see them again when they come back to manchester maybe they could play a bigger place next time there wasnt so many there last night though
Be still my racing heart. Thijs van Leer still has it. Don't know who the others are. Guitarist has better intonation, but it must be tough playing someone else's signature tune. Great bass. Nice drums. ManyRRAh
I guess you don't know the early Focus line-up. On drums on this clip is none other than Pierre Van der Linden. He was Focus's drummer on their greatest three albums: Moving Waves, Focus III and Live at the Rainbow.
G'day vandergraaf12. I have all those albums. I didn't recognise Pierre Van der Linden until after I posted that comment! I am pretty sure he was drumming when Focus came out twice to Australia in the early seventies. Thanks for pointing that out.
if you saw Focus before Oct. '73 it was Pierre on drums. Unfortunately he left the group and was replaced by Colin Allen. The follow up LP Hamburger Concerto ws a great record, but it veered away from the classical sound that IMO was a great strength of this underrated group. As for Pierre van der Linden - without a doubt one of the most underrated drummers in the era he performed. He was to the drums what Jan Akkerman was to the guitar. A drummer second to none. Thanks for the reply -
I liked the new guitarist - good that he plays a Strat and not a Les Paul so he can't be accused of trying to be a clone of the legendary Jan Akkerman. Long live prog!
OOOOOHHHHH... this woneful old Times...
KISS to the Refresh...!!!
CanadaMarquis 2 months ago
I love focus
indigochildtheband 5 months ago
ondanks dat het niet met de goede oude jan is, kan j eniet zeggen dat het slecht is
ja focus is geen focus zonder jan maar deze gitarist doet het wel goed, alleen hij mag wel wat meer bewegen!
Luukeeeehh 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
sorry for not commenting on ur vids 4 a while! saw this movie in webmovietube
cheryklemish95 1 year ago
Weer eens goed gespeeld, super variant!
Bytheway2008 1 year ago
we have the original Focus LP from 30 years ago, any offers? mint condition.
kingston1182 1 year ago
I guess you'd have to be a guitar player to understand but Focus ain't Focus without Jan Akkerman. His customized Les Paul had raw tone and bite that makes Niel's guitar sound like his tone knob is all the way down. The beauty of the early Focus was that all the musicians played off of each others improvs and kept pushing each other. Nothing like that here except for Thijs.
universas 1 year ago
Just saw the guys play at Weyfest. Awesome !! An' I do not use that word lightly. Phenominal musicianship an' boy they were havin' fun. When they went into Sylvia I had goosebumps an' it's just this moment happened again. Great stuff guys, what a truely great gig. Thank you. CHEERS !!
STEViEmando 1 year ago
Brilliant performance, this is one of those bands just just keeps getting better! I'd still love to hear the original song with the lyrics he wrote for Sylvia, though, would make an interesting redux.
alien8ted 1 year ago
When I hear a band like Focus play. I left in awe. There are even after some 40 plus years in one form or another, still wowing and amazing pepole with there muscianship. Love this song and I love this band. Brilliant stuff.
paulwall1981 1 year ago
One of the best rock tunes of all time. Focus is the boys!
taynuilt1 1 year ago
GREAT STUFF NOT LIKE SOME OF THIE MODERN CRAP !!!!!!! KEEP THE SOUND COMING !!!!!!!!!!! BLAST IT THROUGH THE ROOF DONT LET 70s ROCK DIE ......... THIS HOW GREAT ROCK MUSIC SHOULD SOUND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ragnor56 1 year ago
Van der Linden is back!!!!
fertriod3 2 years ago
focus rules!
elkrloevh 2 years ago
Wrong pickup position! But good playing. The drummer is maaaaad
black16v 2 years ago
I'll probably get clobbered from BOTH camps for this comment, but here goes: if you watch videos of the early '70s Focus with Akkerman you'll see that he takes a lot more bravado chances with improvisation, BUT that he makes a LOT of sloppy mistakes as well. I can't pin down a single wrong note on Niels' part, and he has great tone to boot. Yes, I'd like to hear him really "put it out there on the line" like Jan did, and perhaps he will yet. Red hot band, all four players!
chrisart7 2 years ago
@chrisart7
Go to You Tube video "Focus House Of The King/ Tamara's Move, Belgium. You see a truly superb guitar solo. Niels is so much more "adventurous" than a few years ago. This young man made so much progress in a short space of time. I was a bit skeptical at first as well, not anymore. Focus needed a guitarist of his competence to bring the band back to the "old" levels!
BenMolen 2 years ago
Hmmm, from that intro I thought I'd gotten onto a video by The Meters by mistake! But then that lilting classical melody came in, and it was evidently "Sylvia" by Focus. Nice version!
chrisart7 2 years ago
They were brilliant in Southport October 09. Superb and the guitarist amazing..
gcseisinfo 2 years ago
Yep, good guitarist but this great melody he plays too academic and not inspired & syncopated enough ... imho
KGsMusic 2 years ago
OK but I was commenting on the live performance I saw. I've been attending concerts for over 30 yrs and this was one of the great ones..
Regards to all....
gcseisinfo 2 years ago
Saw Focus at the Hardrock in Manchester 1972. Saw them again last year at Buxton and they were even better sounding. Seeing them at Buxton again next month with Wishbone Ash and The Strawbs. Life can't get any better. The bands of the late 60's, early 70's are being reborn and everyone benefits.
silvereith 2 years ago
Fantastisch
smokybass 2 years ago
Niels is amazing but Jan is stil the legend
wodoza 2 years ago
sempre grandi!!!!
scaratt77 2 years ago
Impresionante!!!
emma1959 2 years ago
dang these galluses look good on him :D. what a classy guy.
TheCheepnis 2 years ago
I gotta say the original guitarist in Focus sounded much better. No offence to fans of this new guy
DonQuixotec 2 years ago
This guy is Niels van der Steenhoven....the 'original' guitarist is Jan Akkerman. Hope that helps.
scoobiesnacksuk 2 years ago
Is Jan Akkerman still alive?
polymath7 2 years ago
Yup, he is and still touring. I believe he is been touring Germany and Holland this year.
scoobiesnacksuk 2 years ago
Yes, he is giving concerts en has his ouwn website
Rik49able 2 years ago
becuz he used a les Paul with Gretsch pick ups, they made the original sound of the song
ImpThaW 2 years ago
I agree with paulwall, this is a great great song, I like the new arrangement.
MrBluesboy21 2 years ago
Great concert in London, Sutton a week ago! Fantastic musicianship...and Pierre back with the band!!! Place was complately packed!!!!
kocisko 2 years ago
Saw them this week, four great musicians, see them live if you get chance. If not they have a new 2cd Live in Europe. Original band member Pierre van der Linden on drums.
wwbball 2 years ago
Mark Knopfler on drums?
nickbaldeagle01 2 years ago 2
hahahaha jes he looks like mark back in the 70tis:-D
norwayfinland 2 years ago
nice hammond
pedroaltenfelderdias 2 years ago
Dose any one know what make and model of drum kit the drummer is using. I think back in the 70's he was using Ludwig drums, but is that the case these days. Could some one tell me.
paulwall1981 2 years ago
I think he used th same kit when i saw him, in that case it's a premier...what range, model or sizes i can only guess.
cdmacdonald2112 2 years ago
Nowadays he plays a chinese kit called Drum collective.Maybe his tomtoms are still Premiers, but his bassdrum is chinese Note the huge snaredrum. He used to play Premier in the 70's.
hortura 2 years ago
Ah right cool, I could easily be mistaken.
cdmacdonald2112 2 years ago
This was the very first song I had heard from this band, and it blew my mind. This band could teach the new upstarts of today a thing or two about making good music. Keep this high stadnard up guys. You rock.
paulwall1981 2 years ago
Nothing beats a B3 in the right hands.
STILL AWESOME THIJS!
lastdaysguitar 2 years ago
Is that a Digitech RP7 that the guitarist is using??!! It brings the memories back.
stuanhay 2 years ago
It's an older digital 2 manual Hammond with pitchbend hooked on a pre amp and tube Leslie. This set proves you're nowhere without a Leslie...:D
Superbe sound!
HammondDomein 3 years ago
pants
DebbieDermot 3 years ago
What a superb band. Many thanks Thijs, Pierre, Niels & Bobby for the wonderful gig on Saturday 12th October at The Regent Centre, Christchurch, Dorset. The live atmosphere was magic, as was also the music. We are hoping to catch you all on Tour again, in the UK, very soon.
P.S. Thank you for playing Sylvia.
Keep Touring and Rocking guys****for ever!!
Sylvia, Mike, & Nathan.
sylvi2909 3 years ago 2
Is Van Leer playing a new B3, or is that an original tonewheel organ?
EmersonsL100 3 years ago
I'm pretty sure it's the new digital B-3 but did you hear around 1:33, does it have pitch bend? I heard it but I didn't know it had that. I'm wondering what kind of amp is in the Leslie.
drdave25 3 years ago
Well, I must be a tonewheel, because that pitch bend sound, is the sound when you turn the organ off, because the tonewheel slows down then, so probably that's it!
barie666 3 years ago
Yeah but he didn't turn it off..if you've ever had one you probably already know you can't leave it turned off for more than a second without having to do the start-up procedure over from the beginning. All that aside did you see the left cheekblock on both upper and lower manuals? They don't show it well but there's some "stuff" down there that's not "vintage". God bless Laurens Hammond and Don Leslie. They started something that they had no idea the impact it was gonna have on generations.
drdave25 3 years ago
Its the tuningknob...... you can see thijs reaching for it to his right
SjoerdDekker 3 years ago
Joy!
JOHNINMUSIC 3 years ago
i hate yo yther fore i send you worms enfin dat blijke nsommigen te oe n,even kijken of ik de onzin nog verder binnenkrijg
JOHNINMUSIC 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
mmmmmm nice vid, mine are just as good cum check em out on Play-Cam (.COM)
muhkuh50 3 years ago
Love his guitar tone. Focus will always be a wonderful band.
dennisandvicki 3 years ago 2
Very good and played properly. Jan, as good as he is, buggers about with this song and he shouldn't. It's a classic and should be played with respect.
jackamanfan 3 years ago
35+ years old this song - the first single i ever bought - you can't really blame him trying to mix it up a bit, surely? You want only as it was? I will send the single to you - you can listen to it as much as you like. Live music is only worth listening to if it adds something, isn't it? Well -that is what I think ;>
hoss1962 3 years ago 7
And that is what I think. Rock on free speech!
jackamanfan 3 years ago
It was also my first single...in a sort of pink single cover---wonderful song!
Anselme1958 3 years ago
Hehe. Let the guys have some fun. Imagine you having to play the same thing during 30 years just the same way every night...
kakofatus 3 years ago 9
it isn't jan akkerman who plays guitar
Jan doesn't play with the band anymore
mbdrummusic 3 years ago
Good to see that Niel's Strato goes on the songs as good as the old Les Pauls from both Jans. I was afraid it would change the punch, but worked perfectly! Long Live Focus!
Rocksoffstonescover 4 years ago
neils is exceptional seen him live-jan is jan its his song, he is a maestro, but wow neils blows you away with his rendition of this classic
dacheungchan 4 years ago
A year ago i saw Focus with Niels in the line-up for the first time. I had my doubts about him then. A couple of weeks ago i saw Focus again. Niels made a lot progress in a years time. He has a much stronger stage presence now and also his playing improved a lot. It's a good thing Focus took this young guy on board. He has a lot of potential!
BenMolen 4 years ago 3
Jan Akkerman is a rare talent - Neils is good but he's not in the same league. The latest incarnation is a pale shadow of what is was with Akkerman on board. If you want proof then compare this lame version of Sylvia to the Rainbow version.
Van Leer tried to get Jan in the new Focus but he declined. Jan has a successful career and has said that he doesn't want to simply play old classics the same way night after night. He still plays old Focus tunes but they are always different.
fretwired 4 years ago
Amen.
Technical talent this new player but you can hear he did not live the music like Akkerman did. May be age... but I think it just will always be Akkermans baby and he just 'knows' iy better.
PuppyZwolle 4 years ago
Yeah Neils is having to live in the shadows but i tell you something I dont like Akkermans new works it is all very tame.
realmadridvideos 3 years ago
Can anybody tell me the story about this band? what happened to Jan etc? This new guy is nothing compared to Akkerman, of what Ive seen on Youtube! Is that the same drummer as in the early focus days?
Luddekuddekudde 4 years ago
no idea what happened to jan, but that is van de linden on drums. i think he left and rejoined before focus 9. saw them a couple of months ago, with this lineup, and was fantastic. the guitarist is still prettey damn good, whether or not he's as good as akkerman is irrelevant, as he can play all the pieces that they played then just as well. or maybe i just prefer the strat sound...
joewatson406 4 years ago
I talked to Tjis Van Leer at the concert they held in Drammen, Norway, and I asked him about Jan, and to my amusement he said these words: "He(the new guitarist) is better than Jan"
Sadly We could not find a pencil that could write on my CD of Mowing Wawes I had in my car..., but at least he tried, so he have touched my first Focus encounter :D
Ohasnes 4 years ago
I think the new guitarist is quite good. No Akkerman, but I think he will evolve and show us what he's capable of. Let's all just give him a try! Akkerman wasn't born a genius nor was any other guitar player.. so let's just hear what he can do in the recordings to come. So far he has proven himself quite competent and even more
hitandyrun 4 years ago
Get rid of that funky shit and put the rock back in ..... NOW please
theslice2 4 years ago
Same notes, different position, wrong attitude, very different decade ... Same band? Never! Akkerman ruled.
ajarvinen 4 years ago 2
exactly ajarvinen!
belamy4 4 years ago 2
yeah, its too bad, but no one can replace Akkerman's solo's
Chrizzz90 4 years ago
Saw them play last night in a pub. I had my beer in front of me on the stage. I Haven't done that in a few years. Best night I've had for a long time.
astapler 4 years ago 2
A GREAT Concert, the one in Drammen, Norway in 2007. I was so sweat after all the jumps and dancing that my shirt was TOTALLY wet, no dry spots, so I just had to go to the car and take it off, and just wear my jacket for the rest of the night :D
Ohasnes 4 years ago
why always compare guitar players in terms of "speed"? This guy is very good indeed, but he's not Akkerman. Jan has that special touch that can't be compared, he can talk with his guitar and that's what this guy is missing. Was Hendiks the fastest player? Absolutely not, but there will never be another Jimmy i.m.o
belamy4 4 years ago 3
Great! It's real focus!
Focus will be remember!
sheeps12345 4 years ago
That looks like the original drummer. He seems to have swapped from orthodox to match grip. Must have taken some work.
OneBigRetard 4 years ago
it's funny, i'm just reading an interview with him, where he says 'when i was 9 i got lessons from Lou de Heer, he made me use my wrist completely wrong'
mosquit0 4 years ago
check out the guitarist live he is very, very good
dacheungchan 4 years ago
You can't overrate Akkermann !!
hulldanfan 4 years ago 2
its true
heedingthecall 4 years ago
i miss jan
HammondB200 4 years ago
I'm getting fat as Thijs Van Leer. I was culturist...All years pass by for all of us. Jesus, Thanks God that TVL has the talent intact...
romeropablo 4 years ago
I like this guitarist! It's unfair to compare anybody to Akkerman since he was from another planet, playing wise :-)
dennisandvicki 4 years ago
Don't over do it. Just type in John Mclaughlin on youtube and your statement is rendered stupid.
OneBigRetard 4 years ago
Bite me. Nice name.
dennisandvicki 4 years ago
Thanks, I was relieved to get this name. Still, are you suggesting this guy compares to the likes of Johnny Mac?
OneBigRetard 4 years ago
Sorry, not this guy, Akkerman.
OneBigRetard 4 years ago
Oi Boc69...everyone gets fat...even u will one day! As for the guitarist - this is the only live evrsion on here that doesn't have a few bum lead notes in it! So whereas u can't knock Akkerman (the original band members can't be beaten simple as) this aint too shabby at all.
pikeman07 4 years ago
bahhh die gitarist is me een slome slak, sneller spelen jij! :)
Jeffsterren 4 years ago
Doesn't matter how many people give this a negative. Jeffsterren is simply right. The guitar player is _following_ the other players instead of driving the song forwards as he should in this one. My guess is he's insecure for some reason.
moveste 4 years ago
Its a pity there's no footage from the UK tour earlier this year, Neils held his own against Jan Ackerman, and the band absolutely grooved. Thijs and the boys also hung around for a few beers after the gig, chatting, signing autographs, taking photo's. If you get chance to see em live, take it, you wont regret it
simbafx 4 years ago
ik heb 'm live gezien, en hij speelt sneller dan steve vai.
nou ja bijna net zo goed en snel.
DanouJonk 4 years ago
Pff, that Thijs van Leer has become fat! And he can't sing the high notes anymore... Too bad. Also looks like he's missing his old band. This performance looks to "rehearsed" and doesn't contain much energy. The good days are over Thijs. Face it..
BOC69er 4 years ago
i wouldn't say the new guitarist is crappy... inexperianced perhaps. and remember akkerman is a MASTER of guitar very few are even able to look at his level of skill so we can excuse this new fellow :P
Liewald 4 years ago
You guys seriously overrate Akkerman. He had his moments, but not many.
sunbeam11 4 years ago
i agree - look at some of the old footage - he was so stoned he could hardly play!
Heartofengmarkcooper 4 years ago
I prefer Jan Akkerman, this new quitarist is crappy
TinzerFLR 4 years ago
I've seen them play three times here in Brazil. How I wish I could see them play one more time so that I could rest in peace!!!
Brarioca 4 years ago
Argh, three times?!? Dude, I wish I could see them only one time.A reunion tour with Jan Akkerman would be nice :D
Isilhin 4 years ago
I can play this song on piano :D Well without the intro, that is :P
Maybe I'll record it and post it one day :)
benedykt123313 4 years ago
Nice song - I'm happy to hear it again.
kiwiwing2007 4 years ago
Essa é uma das melhores músicas que alguém possa ter feito ... Essa versão ficou show de bola ...
iflopes 4 years ago
THATS RIGHT
the first ones were
thjis van leer
burt ruter
jan akkerman
and the drummer
i cant believe i dont remeber his name!!!
whathaveweherepeople 4 years ago
Pierre van der Linden
theantixgroup 4 years ago
pierre van der lindennnn
thomasjeeh 4 years ago
this doesn't sound like sylvia ! boo
mingatuchadre 4 years ago
arrmgm now it sounds like it ...
mingatuchadre 4 years ago
The keyboard player looks like he would be more concerned about having good drainage on the top 20 acres than progressive rock. Ha! Just teasing. Good stuff. Thanks for posting.
mitchikaboola 4 years ago
HE WAS MY GUITAR TEACHER MUWHAHHAA
IKBENEENDIKZAK 4 years ago
very good ,is a music show !!!
lppp2 4 years ago
I saw Akkerman live last week and while he is without question the guitar maestro I have to say the new Focus seems to work a lot better together than Akkerman's band, who just sounded like tokenistic session musicians, albeit very proficient ones. Van Leer is the true heart of Focus.
nowttekkenout 4 years ago
Agreed... Van Leer is the heart and soul of Focus.
CrownOfGemfire 4 years ago
Tough job for anyone to play Jan Akkerman's parts. But he has a nice tone and does a good job. To his credit, he doesn't muck around and change Jan's signature licks. But then how could you improve on perfection?
davinci5152 4 years ago
yuch.... A fender. He hadnt enough money for a Gibson ^^.
Theogibsonfreak 4 years ago
i've seen both this band, and akkerman solo. to be honest, there's only one winner, and thats the akkerman gigs. absolutely brilliant. poor van leer hasnt moved on from the 70's. fair enogh, akkerman has made some crap in the past, but at least he's always tryin new things!! still would love a reunion tho!!
no1justlikeme2000 4 years ago
akkerman..its still Focus but...you know
thanks for sharing
saludos desde Argentina
ahiocha 5 years ago
nice 1 greedy i was a person back from the stage at the left hand side right in front of the keyboard i got right to the front after half a hour it was easy to get to the front there wasnt it lol cant wait to see them again when they come back to manchester maybe they could play a bigger place next time there wasnt so many there last night though
tonymontana1974 5 years ago
saw them at acadamy last night, awsome, front row as well
greedyjimbo2 5 years ago
great focus, excelente, maestros....los extrañamos desde Chile
omita 5 years ago
Dude, focus just isn't focus without Jan!
NJlo 5 years ago
im off to see these play in manchester in march bring on them hammond solos boys
tonymontana1974 5 years ago
I was there with you - brilliant huh!!!
DookNun 5 years ago
you saw focus at the academy ?
tonymontana1974 5 years ago
yeah it was amazing!
DookNun 5 years ago
From certain angles Thijs looked like Jon McCririck on that video...
hoss1962 5 years ago
Be still my racing heart. Thijs van Leer still has it. Don't know who the others are. Guitarist has better intonation, but it must be tough playing someone else's signature tune. Great bass. Nice drums. ManyRRAh
MandyRRAh 5 years ago
I guess you don't know the early Focus line-up. On drums on this clip is none other than Pierre Van der Linden. He was Focus's drummer on their greatest three albums: Moving Waves, Focus III and Live at the Rainbow.
vandergraaf12 4 years ago
G'day vandergraaf12. I have all those albums. I didn't recognise Pierre Van der Linden until after I posted that comment! I am pretty sure he was drumming when Focus came out twice to Australia in the early seventies. Thanks for pointing that out.
MandyRRAh 4 years ago
if you saw Focus before Oct. '73 it was Pierre on drums. Unfortunately he left the group and was replaced by Colin Allen. The follow up LP Hamburger Concerto ws a great record, but it veered away from the classical sound that IMO was a great strength of this underrated group. As for Pierre van der Linden - without a doubt one of the most underrated drummers in the era he performed. He was to the drums what Jan Akkerman was to the guitar. A drummer second to none. Thanks for the reply -
vandergraaf12 4 years ago
does anyone know if they are planing to come to the UK? I really want to see focus live
mrspivvy 5 years ago
in March see the tour page on the web site
LT58 5 years ago
I guess Thijs can't hit the high notes these days- but still brilliant. I wish I could play like him
mrspivvy 5 years ago
Great music lives forever...
I liked the new guitarist - good that he plays a Strat and not a Les Paul so he can't be accused of trying to be a clone of the legendary Jan Akkerman. Long live prog!
Kenny4472 5 years ago
He's no Akkerman but he pretty good! As ever Van Leer and van der Linden are amazing.
LeighJW 5 years ago
Still an evergreen though :)
Namellak 5 years ago
Nice...but I miss Ackerman.
Namellak 5 years ago
Very soothing guitar and organ play. Nice!
ahamkara 5 years ago
grande focus...estan sonando mejor...thijs vanleer ...maestro
omita 5 years ago