Kiefer Sutherland, the 24 and Designated Survivor star, and his band which consisted of Austin Vallejo, Michael Gurley, Joseph De La O and Jess Calcaterra upgraded the PAARD stage in The Hague on their So Full of Love Tour to perform songs from The Kiefer Sutherland Band’s (KSB) recently released third studio album, Bloor Street which refers to a street in Toronto, Canada where Sutherland spent several formative years as a young boy. A wistful relic for a bygone era.
To start off the evening, American Blues Rock singer, Sari Schorr, showed off her impressive vocal range with such energy and passion it was impossible not to feel her positive aura radiating around the venue. Her 30-minute set began with such intensity and carried on that way throughout, leaving no room for even a breath. She had an extremely strong stage presence and Ash Wilson, her guitarist, sure footedly brought her to new heights with the perfect plucking of his guitar.
Then the KSB waltzed onto the stage for an hour and a half long country-rock fusion show. The five-piece band put on an ostentatious display of fine-tuned instruments and vocals against the backdrop of a Southern style set. The performance leaned into the aspects you might expect of an iconic rock concert with an added Western swing, since not far behind him lay a glass of whisky under a yellow-light night lamp. It felt a bit like he was trying too hard almost, but if you can get past the fact that Sutherland is a well-trained actor who knows the intricate quirks and quarks of putting on a good show then you may be in for an enjoyable evening.
The Canadian actor turned singer’s splendid knack in lyricism ran like clockwork and his ability to smoothly transition between ballads such as Chasing the Rain and poppier tracks like Two Stepping in Time was done with flair and fluidity. It was a joy to watch them all enjoying themselves so much on stage. I can imagine it might have been more exciting if the crowd had gone to see him solely because they were fans of his music and not just to see ‘Kiefer Sutherland,’ in the flesh. This was awkwardly evident in the way that most of the audience did not sing even a line from one of his songs bar the select few who were screaming and clapping in the first row. Eva Lakeman 16th July 2023
