David Eugene Edwards, singer of 16 Horsepower, is an inspired man. Therefore he has difficulty with the needy times Western society is passing through on a spiritual level. He himself, thirty-something, has sought salvation in the Christian faith. Performing for him is the way to preach God's Word. Such a thing can easily go wrong; the combination of pop music and religion is risky, especially live. For not everybody is waiting for a sermon how to preserve your soul from hell and damnation.

At the Groningen Oosterpoort Edwards, seated on a stool, let the music speak for itself and did not breathe a word of his philosophy of life. It did not make the concert less impressive. In doping so, the band from Denver, Colorado, did not choose the easiest path. At the outset the emphasis was on songs from the most recent album, Folklore. That material, heavier and more modest, required empathy, and the moment when the brakes where released for the first time was received enthusiastically by the crowd.

Those dynamics provided for motion, and gave the material which is based on traditional folk and country a contemporary twist. Beautiful was the way in which Edwards all by himself referred to old Appalachian music in passing. The hardly intelligible Edwards invoked higher powers with his howling voice which was often distorted by the microphone, whilst a resemblance to Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds loomed musically speaking. But where Cave can lose himself in big gestures, Edwards remained composed. Coolness himself. As if he had overcome his inner demons and war did not have to be waged anymore.

Only by fits and starts it seemed that the devil was close upon his heels. A feeling that one of his heroes - the late Jeffrey Lee Pierce - managed to evoke continuously. Other than Pierce, Edwards isn't rock-'n-roll and can't lose himself completely. The inspiration is definitely there, but only when it comes out uncontrolled, only then is a 16 Horsepower concert an event that can change a human life.