FOCUS in Concert in Spartanburg, SC CLONED2

FOCUS – LIVE in SPARTANBURG, SC

JULY 16, 2024

Focus is one of those bands. Everyone of a certain age has heard the band’s signature song, a massive radio hit back in the day – the unforgettable ‘novelty’ song called “Hocus Pocus.” The song is a rousing rock instrumental grounded by Hammond organ and festooned with yodeling, whistling, lightning-fast scat singing, operatic vocalizing, flute, bass, explosive drum solos and manic guitar riffs. To put it into perspective, the unique instrumental by this Dutch band shared the charts in 1971 with Perry Como’s “It’s Impossible” and Tony Orlando and Dawn’s “Knock Three Times.” Yes, Focus was unique – and they still are. Fifty-three years later the band – still helmed by the irrepressible Thijs van Leer on vocals, flute, and organ – is every bit as powerful and captivating as they were when they started producing their special brand of classical and jazz-infused rock.

Currently touring as part of the Heat of the Moment Tour (ironically, in the middle of a nationwide heat wave) Focus is performing alongside Curved Air, Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash), and Asia. On this hot Tuesday night in South Carolina Focus delivered an amazing set of stunning music: incredibly cool, blisteringly hot, and served up by the amiable van Leer who, at 75, seems to still be having a great time creating complex, emotional performances.

Pierre van der Linden, on drums, is the other original band member and at 78 years old is still able to create an incredible barrage of percussion  more than equal to the best of his live and studio work with the band through the decades. The two senior members of the band are complemented by Menno Gootjes on guitar and Udo Pannekeet on bass, two formidable talents who seamlessly complete the classic Focus sound. Gootjes is a startlingly powerful guitarist with a rock edge and a sophisticatedly jazzy sensibility. Combining speed and impeccable taste, Gootjes makes his instrument scream with elegance and passion while producing dazzling melodic phrases. Pannekeet provides the anchor that holds things together when the band gets into a deep jazzy groove – and believe me, they get in deep! The songs are beautifully structured and allow some impressive musical exploration from all four band members.

Focus started their portion of the night at The Hall of The Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium with “House of The King,” a memorable, melodic song dominated by rhythm guitar and Thijs on flute. “Now we’d like to do something more serious,” said van Leer, introducing the next song - “We put a few tunes together – this is called “Eruption.”” From the album Focus II, “Eruption” is one of those complex multi-part songs that’s a bucket-list moment for the die-hard Focus fan. The performance was all you could hope for, with the band delivering blisteringly potent solos bringing passion and elegance out of every twist and turn of this melodic, intricate, often beautiful piece. The flute solo somehow worked its way into van Leer’s signature scat singing shortly before a simple “thank you very much” led into a bluesy organ riff that evolved into a funky free-form jam.

Concluding the jazzy diversion Pierre van der Linden took a powerful, wonderfully textured solo shortly followed by the opening chords of the well-loved “Sylvia.” The hopeful-sounding guitar line, the rich chords on the Hammond and the irresistible riff filled the hall as Thijs and Menno seemed to have a great time challenging each other by playing with the timing of the melody.

After the always well-received “Sylvia,” Thijs took out his flute and performed a beautiful solo piece, then sat at the organ and, singing through the keyboard via a vocoder, created an amazing tapestry of madrigal-like choral sounds that transformed the atmosphere. As magical as the moment was, the formidable van Leer, in his trademark black leather coat, vest and cap, is a total showman and knew that there was no way the crowd would let them end with anything other than “Hocus Pocus,” and he seemed more than happy to oblige. Shifting gears, he went into the instantly-familiar vocal/yodel accompanied by the organ as the band launched into the iconic song. The yodeling, the scat singing, the furious guitar work, and the concluding drum solo finally came together with a resounding final chord and the show was over.

Focus is certainly a band that could have an entire night to themselves – and I only hope that will happen. Their performance is amazingly fulfilling – a treat to the soul and a delight to the ears. This is not a nostalgia act – although the limited amount of time on this tour prevented them from doing any of the excellent new material from the just-released Focus 12 album.

• words and pictures: Bert Saraco / Express Image Photography