A very subjective look into AWFC

For the past couple of years I have been playing drums for Orianthi, who is a legendary guitar player/singer who you might know because she was featured in Michael Jackson’s This Is It documentary… essentially she was going to tour with him before his passing (because after his passing would be impossible. Sorry for the morbid joke but it was easy). Anyway, she is a virtuoso and a trailblazer, doing things since she was a kid that few people can even dream of and she did it as a woman in a male dominated space. Much like women footballers.

Now, if case you didn’t know this long story short: I’ve been obsessed with The Netherlands and dutch football so historically whenever I get to tour and perform in Europe I always look to see if there are dates in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rotterdam, etc. I’ve been lucky enough to do many European tours and I always wear or display a dutch national team shirt, it’s like a thing I do.

If you’ve read this blog you’ll know that I fell in love with AWFC and women’s football while watching the Oranjeleeuwinnen during the 2019 World Cup, specially Van de Donk, Miedema, Roord, Janssen etc etc etc but my favorite player was and will always be DvD. So, when I found out we were playing in NL and Eindhoven of all places… where she’s from, I knew that I had to keep my tradition alive except that this time instead of a Dennis Bergkamp or Edgar Davids shirt, I knew I was going to wear my DvD shirt.

The performance was at the. incredible BosPop festival which I had wanted to play for a very long time. The show went great and probably the best crowd of the entire tour but the most special moment came when we were taking a bow. We walked up to the front of the stage to thank the amazing crowd.

I pointed to the KNVB badge and once people realized what I was wearing they went absolutely mental… thousands of people just going wild BUT once I turned around and showed my #10 Van de Donk shirt the crowd ABSOLUTELY LOST it. Beautiful stuff.

Music is very special and I’ve had a great career playing lots of different venues, tours, etc but I honestly can tell you that this moment ranks up there with the most incredible feelings I have even experienced in my whole life. It was truly magical.

Not sure what it meant, not sure what I was trying to do or say or what but it seemed like a fitting tribute. Wearing my favorite player’s shirt, the national team no less, in their home region which btw is the same region my dutch ancestors were from 😉

Grateful to have experienced this and on the gratitude tip I’ll say that it’s thanksgiving this week and I’m not sure how active I’ll be so if you don’t hear from me in a few days: you’re welcome.

❤

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