Quidam @ Midsummer Prog Festival (20.06.2026) – Maastricht (NL)

Midsummer Prog Festival 2026 – Maastricht

Some concerts are judged with your ears. Others are experienced just as much through your memories. Quidam’s performance at Midsummer Prog undoubtedly belonged to the latter category.

My history with the band goes back to the Alone Together era. Ever since its release in 2007, that album has remained one of my absolute favourite Polish progressive rock albums. I first saw Quidam live in Verviers, and later again in Kerkrade, sharing the bill with After and the then up-and-coming Pure Reason Revolution. Back then, Poland was simply a country producing remarkably strong progressive rock.

Only years later, after a Collage performance at Night of the Prog, a chance encounter would eventually lead me to Warsaw. From there, I gradually discovered the richness of the Polish progressive rock scene. Bands like Riverside, Believe, Satellite, Amarok and many others suddenly became much more than names on album covers—they became people, stories and friendships. Quidam had already been part of my musical life long before Poland became part of my personal life. That is precisely why seeing them again felt so special.

Quidam’s renewed prominence today is far from coincidental. Anyone who has followed the Polish prog scene over the years has witnessed a remarkable reshuffling of the cards. Riverside, for many years the international flagship of Polish progressive rock, now faces an uncertain future following the official departure of Mariusz Duda and, shortly afterwards, Maciej Meller. Collage, with Bartosz Kossowicz on vocals, has been forced to take a break due to the health problems of drummer and driving force Wojciech Szadkowski. At precisely this moment, Quidam has stepped back into the spotlight. Whether by coincidence or not, the band now seems to be filling part of the void that has emerged within the Polish progressive rock landscape.

That impression was reinforced by last year’s successful Double Headliner Tour with Amarok, during which both bands toured Poland together—not as headliner and support act, but as equal ambassadors of contemporary Polish progressive rock. And at Midsummer Prog, that story continued, with Amarok scheduled to take the very same stage less than twenty-four hours later.

From the opening notes of “…But Strong Together”, it became immediately clear that Quidam has no intention of becoming merely a nostalgic reunion act. The set focused deliberately on material from Alone Together, the album that reinvented the band after Emilia Derkowska’s departure and introduced Bartosz Kossowicz as its new voice. It proved to be an inspired decision.

Bartosz Kossowicz feels completely at home in this repertoire. His warm, slightly fragile voice perfectly matches the melancholic character of Quidam’s music. On stage, he became a natural storyteller rather than a traditional rock frontman. There were no exaggerated gestures—just open arms, genuine smiles and constant interaction with the audience. Despite the sweltering heat, he seemed to enjoy every single moment.

Behind him, keyboard player Zbyszek Florek quietly built the unmistakable Quidam sound. His dual keyboard setup produced rich synthesizer textures, warm Hammond colours and delicate piano passages that gave the music remarkable depth. Without his contribution, Quidam would never sound so spacious and atmospheric.

Jacek Zasada remains one of the band’s greatest assets. His lyrical flute playing has always been one of Quidam’s defining characteristics. In a genre dominated by guitars and keyboards, his flute adds an almost pastoral quality that occasionally recalls Camel while remaining entirely Quidam’s own.

The rhythm section of  Mariusz Ziółkowski on bass and Maciej Wróblewski  on drums provided an exceptionally solid foundation throughout the performance. Both played with complete restraint, allowing the music to breathe naturally without ever seeking the spotlight.

And then there is Maciej “Meller” Meller.

For followers of the Polish progressive rock scene, he hardly needs an introduction. His years with Riverside brought him international recognition, but this afternoon he seemed completely at home again within Quidam. Dressed in his striking orange T-shirt, he literally became the splash of colour against the otherwise understated stage lighting, yet musically he remained the introspective guitarist who never plays a single unnecessary note.

The absolute highlight of the afternoon came with Depicting Colours of Emotions.

For more than ten minutes, Quidam demonstrated exactly why Alone Together remains such an exceptional album. The piece opened with delicate flute melodies and atmospheric keyboards before gradually building tension. Then Meller took over completely.

His extended guitar solo was simply breathtaking.

Not because he wanted to impress technically, but because every phrase felt like a natural emotional continuation of the previous one. The solo slowly unfolded into a magnificent climax where melody, emotion and technique became inseparable. Florek continuously coloured the solo with warm keyboard textures, while Zasada added subtle counter-melodies on flute. It was undoubtedly one of the finest guitar performances of the entire festival.

One Day We Find beautifully captured Quidam’s trademark melancholy, with its warm keyboard harmonies, elegant flute lines and expressive vocals. Kinds of Solitude at Night patiently developed its emotional tension, while Walec and Spotykanie, taken from Saiko, revealed a somewhat heavier, more rock-oriented side of the band.

Of Illusions added yet another dimension, combining energetic passages with atmospheric interludes where Zasada’s flute once again became the emotional centre of the arrangement.

The closing They Are There to Remind Us received an unexpected twist through a subtle quotation from The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm.” Rather than feeling like a separate cover, the familiar melody blended seamlessly into Quidam’s own composition, providing a beautifully atmospheric conclusion.

Visually, Quidam remained entirely true to itself. There were no spectacular video screens or theatrical effects—only tasteful blue and purple lighting that perfectly complemented the emotional nature of the music. The photographs tell the story perfectly: Bartosz completely immersed in his vocals, Meller lost in his guitar, Zasada playing with closed eyes, Florek calmly surrounded by his keyboards. Everything radiated experience, confidence and complete trust between the musicians.

The audience responded in exactly the same spirit. There was no festival frenzy, only concentrated listening. Each instrumental climax was rewarded with warm applause, perhaps the greatest compliment a band like Quidam can receive.

This performance proved that Quidam is far more than a nostalgic reminder of the golden years of Polish neo-progressive rock. At a time when the Polish prog scene is once again undergoing major changes, the band sounds surprisingly relevant—not by reinventing itself, but by remaining faithful to its greatest strengths: memorable melodies, compositions that value emotion over virtuosity, and musicians who always place the music above their own egos.

And the story is far from over. This autumn, Quidam celebrates its 35th anniversary with an extensive Polish anniversary tour, featuring former vocalist Emilia Nazaruk as a special guest alongside none other than Colin Bass of Camel. That alone confirms Quidam’s renewed central role within the Polish progressive rock scene.

But Midsummer Prog still had another chapter waiting. On Sunday, Amarok would take the stage. After witnessing Quidam deliver such an inspired performance, my anticipation for the second Polish representative of the festival had only grown stronger. If this concert proved one thing, it is that Polish progressive rock remains very much alive—even if it looks quite different today than it did twenty years ago.

My sincere thanks to Ela Williamson for her editorial assistance, valuable insights and support in preparing this review.