An Act Of Love Is A Luxury
In keeping with my habit of writing up gigs I've been to long after the fact, it is now more than two weeks since I went to see Simple Minds in Sherwood Forest.
Of course, everyone associates Sherwood Forest with Nottingham. Nuh-uh. Fucking Mansfield! Not that I have anything against Mansfield other than it being further away than Nottingham, and much much less reasonable as a gig venue to travel to from Warwick.
Owing to 'extenuating circumstances' I was going on my own. The FIRST TIME EVAR I'd been to a gig on my own. So I turned up, found a nice spot, put up my chair and got comfy. Yes, it was an outdoor gig - the civilised sort of thing where people turn up with picnics and stuff.
To my horror I had NO PHONE SIGNAL in the arena. This meant that I started storing up tweets to unleash on an unsuspecting world as soon as I got out.
The support was James Walsh, formerly of Starsailor (at the time I thought it was Semisonic, but that didn't seem quite right, and I knew there was another band beginning with S it could've been, but I couldn't remember the name).
He was pretty good, musicwise anyway. His audience patter left a little to be desired. "So, are you all looking forward to Simple Minds coming on later?" No mate, we just all turned up here for a laugh.
He did Alcoholic and a number of other songs I recognised, but I don't remember the names of any of them. Might be able to pick them out of a list, but I'm sat here two weeks on from the gig and I can't be arsed. Sorry James.
One of the great things about the gig was looking around at the rest of the audience I felt really young.
And after a shortish break Simple Minds came on. RAR!
They opened with Moscow Underground - bit of a low-key start compared to the past couple of gigs I'd been to, and not one of my favourites from Graffiti Soul, but I wasn't complaining.
And then, Waterfront. DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN etc. At this point I realised what I was going to be like for the rest of the gig. On my own and without having to worry about how much of a twat I was making of myself, I kinda threw myself into it.
I wasn't the only one throwing myself into it either. There were a number of people dotted around who were throwing themselves into it and shouting and stuff, and then there were other people giving them (and me, at one point) disapproving looks. Wow... people going to a gig and then having the teremity to ENJOY THEMSELVES! What is the world coming to?
Having Once Upon A Time crop up again was a nice surprise.
The big thing (for me, anyway) about this gig was it featured new songs. As in, songs I'd not heard before. I knew that Stagefright was around as a free download, but I hadn't quite been organised enough to get it. The first new song to pop up was Broken Glass Park, which I really liked. Reading up on it today apparently it was originally written by Jim as part of his solo "LostBoy" project. But it was strange, I'm not used to being at a gig and hearing songs I don't know.
I think everyone who has a band or artist they've been to see a lot has the idea of a 'collection' of songs they've seen live, and amongst new songs and the usual favourites it's always nice to be able to add an old old song to the collection. Tonight, that song was Celebrate - a song more than 30 years old, and one of my favourites from the early stuff. Now I just need a gig where they do This Fear Of Gods.
I think from Promised You A Miracle onwards I was dancing around like mad. Well, call it dancing. I have absolutely no idea where I found the energy. Don't You was the usual epic singalong, which somehow (for me at least) never gets tired - possibly because you can guarantee that the entire crowd will join in for that one song. I've occasionally left with the impression that some people go along just for that.
The one thing that spoiled the gig was the twat just behind me who kept shouting for New Gold Dream in between EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. Spoiled is a bit of a strong word, as each time it was little more than a passing irritation, but each time he shouted it I did want to turn around and twat him. As it was, New Gold Dream was the very last song of the main set. So yes, he was shouting it a lot. Git.
The encore kicked off with the other new song, Stagefright, again, I really liked it. Then Alive and Kicking - one of the songs that really benefits from the addition of Sarah Brown to the live line-up. Simple Minds were without a female vocalist for some time until she joined in 2009, and there are some songs that don't work without one, and there are some, like Alive and Kicking, which are so much better with.
As in '09 they finished with an epic version of Ghostdancing. It went into Gloria, then Take Me To The River, then back into Gloria and finally back into Ghostdancing for the finish. Epic, truly epic.
And, the best thing about going on my own... I was able to weave in and out of the crowd quickly on the way out and beat the rush of driver stupidity getting out of the car park. Woohoo!
Of course, everyone associates Sherwood Forest with Nottingham. Nuh-uh. Fucking Mansfield! Not that I have anything against Mansfield other than it being further away than Nottingham, and much much less reasonable as a gig venue to travel to from Warwick.
Owing to 'extenuating circumstances' I was going on my own. The FIRST TIME EVAR I'd been to a gig on my own. So I turned up, found a nice spot, put up my chair and got comfy. Yes, it was an outdoor gig - the civilised sort of thing where people turn up with picnics and stuff.
To my horror I had NO PHONE SIGNAL in the arena. This meant that I started storing up tweets to unleash on an unsuspecting world as soon as I got out.
The support was James Walsh, formerly of Starsailor (at the time I thought it was Semisonic, but that didn't seem quite right, and I knew there was another band beginning with S it could've been, but I couldn't remember the name).
He was pretty good, musicwise anyway. His audience patter left a little to be desired. "So, are you all looking forward to Simple Minds coming on later?" No mate, we just all turned up here for a laugh.
He did Alcoholic and a number of other songs I recognised, but I don't remember the names of any of them. Might be able to pick them out of a list, but I'm sat here two weeks on from the gig and I can't be arsed. Sorry James.
One of the great things about the gig was looking around at the rest of the audience I felt really young.
And after a shortish break Simple Minds came on. RAR!
They opened with Moscow Underground - bit of a low-key start compared to the past couple of gigs I'd been to, and not one of my favourites from Graffiti Soul, but I wasn't complaining.
And then, Waterfront. DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN DU-DUN etc. At this point I realised what I was going to be like for the rest of the gig. On my own and without having to worry about how much of a twat I was making of myself, I kinda threw myself into it.
I wasn't the only one throwing myself into it either. There were a number of people dotted around who were throwing themselves into it and shouting and stuff, and then there were other people giving them (and me, at one point) disapproving looks. Wow... people going to a gig and then having the teremity to ENJOY THEMSELVES! What is the world coming to?
Having Once Upon A Time crop up again was a nice surprise.
The big thing (for me, anyway) about this gig was it featured new songs. As in, songs I'd not heard before. I knew that Stagefright was around as a free download, but I hadn't quite been organised enough to get it. The first new song to pop up was Broken Glass Park, which I really liked. Reading up on it today apparently it was originally written by Jim as part of his solo "LostBoy" project. But it was strange, I'm not used to being at a gig and hearing songs I don't know.
I think everyone who has a band or artist they've been to see a lot has the idea of a 'collection' of songs they've seen live, and amongst new songs and the usual favourites it's always nice to be able to add an old old song to the collection. Tonight, that song was Celebrate - a song more than 30 years old, and one of my favourites from the early stuff. Now I just need a gig where they do This Fear Of Gods.
I think from Promised You A Miracle onwards I was dancing around like mad. Well, call it dancing. I have absolutely no idea where I found the energy. Don't You was the usual epic singalong, which somehow (for me at least) never gets tired - possibly because you can guarantee that the entire crowd will join in for that one song. I've occasionally left with the impression that some people go along just for that.
The one thing that spoiled the gig was the twat just behind me who kept shouting for New Gold Dream in between EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. Spoiled is a bit of a strong word, as each time it was little more than a passing irritation, but each time he shouted it I did want to turn around and twat him. As it was, New Gold Dream was the very last song of the main set. So yes, he was shouting it a lot. Git.
The encore kicked off with the other new song, Stagefright, again, I really liked it. Then Alive and Kicking - one of the songs that really benefits from the addition of Sarah Brown to the live line-up. Simple Minds were without a female vocalist for some time until she joined in 2009, and there are some songs that don't work without one, and there are some, like Alive and Kicking, which are so much better with.
As in '09 they finished with an epic version of Ghostdancing. It went into Gloria, then Take Me To The River, then back into Gloria and finally back into Ghostdancing for the finish. Epic, truly epic.
And, the best thing about going on my own... I was able to weave in and out of the crowd quickly on the way out and beat the rush of driver stupidity getting out of the car park. Woohoo!
- Moscow Underground
- Waterfront
- Once Upon A Time
- All The Things She Said
- Sanctify Yourself
- Broken Glass Park
- Sons And Fascination
- Celebrate
- Love Song
- Up On The Catwalk
- Hunter And The Hunted
- Hypnotised
- Mandela Day
- Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)
- Promised You A Miracle/Glittering Prize
- Don't You (Forget About Me)
- New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84)
- Stagefright
- Alive And Kicking
- Ghostdancing/Gloria/Take Me To The River
encore