Singer Frans Bauer has never performed in Ahoy without his father there. In fact, for 13 years he didn’t want to know anything about it, just the idea. Until he was surprised in the arena. “Then it started itching.”
Happening on October 18 and 19: France Power in Ahoy. It took some sleepless nights, if we are to believe the popular singer. “I’ve been there 51 times, and my father has been there 51 times,” France says. “And when he died nine years ago, all I could think about was the reasons why I couldn’t do this anymore.”
“I felt like I still had to finish something.”
He thought it was very difficult. The loss is very big. “I promised myself I would never stand there again,” he says. Until his family took him to the arena as a surprise. “I saw my face big on the billboard again and it made a difference. I felt like I still had to finish something.”
The Bauer family has just had huge success with their reality soap, De Bauer. Which made her itchy again. For weeks, viewers were able to enjoy the family’s joys and sorrows. They’ve seen Frans struggle with his weight, his 50s, his baby teeth and Mariska recover from a cerebral infarction. A weak season, in which celebrations and life’s missteps alternate.
That’s why the family is having a garden party on Friday afternoon. To toast the season and announce the scene at Ahoy, including Mr. Ahoy Himself: Lee Towers.
France beats the record set in Rotterdam. Leandert Heuser, as Lee Towers is called, has been there 51 times. On 18 and 19 October, Frans Bauer added 52nd and 53rd appearances to his score and moved past Lee Towers.
“For the first couple of days, it took some getting used to, but then I almost forgot they were there.”
During the party, there is a lot of bumping into cameras and journalists, but the family is now used to the media attention in and around the house. “For the first couple of days, it took some getting used to, but then I almost forgot they were there,” says son Christian. “Then you say hello, but then go to your room.”
Meanwhile, he is working hard and building his own singing career. His first song is almost ready. “It’s completely different from my father’s work, although he would have liked to publish it too,” he says with a smile. The mix is now being finalized, scheduled for release in June. Well, perfect. Just in time for Ahoy, in October.
