Filling the Sportpaleis venue after 45 years and still allowing the teenagers of yesteryear to experience their memory lane with just as much energy, who can copy the Simple Minds? Whether they still enjoy touring, is evidenced by a tour bus photo of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill on Facebook on the way from Strasbourg to Antwerp, with a Trappist beer in the foreground.
The Scots did not expect a quiet building set, as they catapulted you from the first song 'Waterfront' to the highest stadium rock atmosphere.
“We have to play some more obscure shitty songs first, a must for the fans who have followed us for decades”, says lead singer Jim Kerr. The set list consisted of no less than 9 albums from a period of 1979-1995. The evening evolved from solid punk-rock songs in unique versions, to the sing-along songs that everyone knows from the charts of the 80’s and 90’s.
The visuals of the Global World Tour sublimely referred to the glorious Simple Minds past: unique creative album covers, videoclips, memorable Scottish locations (Glasgow, Oban, South Queensferry, etc.) and the claddagh logo was given a makeover with a globe carried by two hands.
Girl Power is everywhere with a bombastic drum solo by Cherisse Osei (“You don't want this girl as a girl next door if she makes such a noise”, Kerr joked in between) and the vocal ‘tour de force’ of Sarah Brown as leading vocal in the song 'Book of Brilliant Things'.
'Belfast Child' was really the showpiece of the evening, with Jim Kerr who coloured the song very sincerely and intensely, sometimes with thoughtful closed eyes and the necessary longer pauses. Real!
The audience continued to enjoy the songs until the last note of 'Sanctify Yourself'.
Traditionally, Jim Kerr left the stage after some experimental dance moves to David Bowie's 'The Jean Genie'. He received the lasting enthusiasm of the audience until the last step of the stage. It remains a beautiful, but also difficult moment for Jim Kerr to let his audience go.
The feeling was mutual, because on the Simple Minds Facebook page we read afterwards: “In moments at the Sportpaleis last night, it felt as though we were on another planet”.
Now, back on the tour bus, boys and girls, towards Ziggo Dome Amsterdam!
