The great advantage of a live performance on dvd is that you can not only hear but also see the performers doing their act. And it sometimes takes just a little bit of your imagination to imagine yourself in there with the crowd. In this case it's all about a live show from Rob Orlemans & Half Past Midnight which took place somewere in May 2007 in a venue called Estrado in Harderwijk, the Netherlands. Everybody who is familiar with Rob's work knows it is sheer (blues) power with a lot of rock. The opening track on this dvd 'Going Down' proves it right away. This is not only a heavy blues tune but it also sets the pace for the rest of the 'Open The Gage' dvd. Blues rock of a high level. One of Rob's main influences is the late great Jimi Hendrix and he pays tribute to Jimi through a couple of his songs like 'Red House' (with guest guitarist Jeremy Aussems) and 'Voodoo Chile'. But he also plays a lot of his own songs of course. Listen to, or even better watch, 'Libertyville' (this stands for rock'n'roll) or 'Running Wild Boogie' which stirs you up. The additional extras are very good as well, like an interview with Rob, one of the highlights. While the dvd shows beautiful images from their trip to the United States Rob is telling his story. A fascinating journey from his life as an musician he tells us of his collaborations with Curtis Knight, Sam Mitchell and Jake Dawson amongst others. It also shows us that Rob might look rough but in true spirit he is quit sensitive. Maybe I'm not a diehard fan of blues rock but with this disc Rob and his companions, Piet Tromp on bass and Ernst van Ee on drums, prove there are on top this genre. Or what Rob likes to say about his work "We like to play blues with a rock approach".