Big birthday concert by Fresku in his hometown Eindhoven
Where the Eindhoven rapper normally performs solo on stage, Roy Michael Reymound will be surrounded by a full orchestra this evening. Under the direction of conductor Simon Dobson, the concert kicks off on Monday night with the title song ‘Hand op mijn hart’. From the very first seconds, the orchestra sounds grand and captivating. Even Fresku himself is visibly impressed by the musical accompaniment; he repeatedly talks about his nerves but also highlights how proud he is of this collaboration.
Hip hop in an orchestral coat
Fresku quickly finds support with his family, many of whom are present in the hall, and with conductor Simon Dobson, who stands by his side throughout the entire concert. With a big smile and visibly proud, he asks his family to stand up for a moment. He also shares that pride on stage by performing with guest appearances from Glennis Grace and Milou, with whom he recorded music for the new EP, and Benjamin, with whom he had previously gone into the studio.
During ‘Roze Zonnebril’ it’s almost unbelievable how Fresku manages to deliver the lightning-fast lyrics without any noticeable shortness of breath. With ‘Ik Wil’ it turns out the tempo can even be pushed further. The hip-hop doesn’t lose any of its character, but with the orchestral accompaniment it actually becomes even more grandiose.
Still, Fresku seems to need to shake off his nerves every now and then. From the audience comes the encouragement: “We love you, Fresku!” The hall is noticeably praising and enthusiastic, setting the tone for the rest of the concert. Despite that, the guy from Eindhoven feels at home in his own city, surrounded by friends and people who have been following him for years. Between all the musical highlights, there’s also space to relax. With a wink, he turns to the audience: “Schon pekske of ni?”
Big, bigger, biggest
When the most famous tracks from ‘Leren Leven’ come on, the album for which he received an Edison in 2025, the crowd goes completely wild. Fresku himself even starts lifting his feet off the floor. With ‘Glimlach’ the evening comes to a close. The song is sung along to at the top of everyone’s lungs and seems like the perfect choice to end the concert with a smile. But one favorite is still missing. As an encore, ‘Twijfel’ follows, a song the audience had secretly hoped would come up, and everyone goes absolutely crazy.
Birthday Concert
It was absolutely a celebration, and of course ‘Happy Birthday’ couldn’t be missing. Right at the start of the evening, the audience sang loudly for him. But as a surprise, the orchestra played a different piece than Fresku had expected. He looked around, surprised, as ‘Happy Birthday’ was played with full devotion and he was sung to one last time, making his 40th birthday one to never forget.
To close the concert, there was an afterparty in the Stadfoyer to let everything sink in, have a drink, and congratulate Fresku and take a photo with him. With that, we look back on an evening full of highlights and look forward to the release of the ‘Hand op mijn hart’ EP coming out this Friday, as well as the extra concert by Fresku and the Metropole Orchestra on December 23 at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. A concert where we’ll do it all over again!
