Fans at the TD Pavilion at the Mann took the flux capacitor back to the 80s for an evening with Simple Minds “Alive And Kicking Tour”. With support from Modern English and Soft Cell, Simple Minds celebrated their oldies as well as performed tracks from their latest record Live in the City of Diamonds.
80s night began with new wave’s poster children, Modern English, who recounted songs like “Someone’s Calling”, and of course “I Melt With You”. Thankful as ever to have joined Simple Minds, they made their gratitude known. English synth-pop duo Soft Cell followed shortly thereafter, with an eclectic mix and energy playing fan favorites “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Tainted Love” from their 1981 album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.
Simple Minds kicked off their 18-song long set with “Waterfront”, a classic from their 1983 record Sparkle In The Rain. Moving from album to album, year through year, the group played through their discography, from “Someone Somewhere in Summertime” with an encouraged crowd participation, to “Theme for Great Cities”. Drummer Cherisse Osei stunned with her sparkly purple jumpsuit and incredible solo performance.
Rounding out the night, Simple Minds’ biggest hit “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was lengthened, the iconic “la la la la” played on and on, accompanied by an enthusiastic audience. After a fake exit, Simple Minds played more crowd favorites with vocalist Sarah Brown singing “Book of Brilliant Things”, and capping the night off with “Alive and Kicking” and “Sanctify Yourself”. Having once again proved their place on the stage in the hearts of many, Simple Minds cemented themselves as rock icons in Philadelphia, and everywhere else.
“All we wanted was to be in ‘a great live band’ and to spend our lives taking our music with us around the world,” says Simple Minds co-founder and frontman Jim Kerr. “…Live In The City of Diamonds captures both the spirit and fever of Simple Minds live at this moment in time.”
You can listen to Live in the City of Diamonds here and find a gallery of their Philadelphia performance below!
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