Mud Dancing In The Blickling Summertime - Simple Minds
July, 16th, 2004
Simple Minds - Blickling Hall, Aylsham (UK)
MUD DANCING IN THE BLICKLING SUMMERTIME /
GOOSEBUMPS ALL OVER BLICKLING
Heading towards the venue I already found it strange seeing so many people armed with chairs and tables, but then I realised this was a “concert – picnic style”. Entering the large domain, the warm smell of barbecue welcomed us… and from a far, at the end of the big grasfield I saw a rather small stage… I thought: ah that’s where we should be.
We headed direction front rows. On our way to the front we had to pass lots of families having a picnic. I have never seen this and was asking myself: would they also come here for the music? It was no problem at all getting to the front and Christophe Remacle, my travelling Sparkle* buddy, and I easily could find ourselves a place at the second row. Christophe and myself had been asking ourselves where our belgian friends Carine, Bernard and Madeline would be. And where do you think we found them? Yep. Front row. It was Bernard who spotted us first I think. Somewhat later I went to say hello to Carine and the youngest Simple Minds fan, Madeline, who obviously couldn’t wait to see Mr. Kerr & Co again ;-) At the front some more familiar faces where spotted: Paola, Pauline, Maaike, …
I missed most of the support act but what I did see wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t impressed neither. To me it was just another guitar pop band like there are many. But I of course can be mistaken as I didn’t really listen that good…
At 21.00 hours the time had come….
We heard the NEW GOLD DREAM INTRO TAPE , and I already was hoping for a Floating World-like opener: New Gold Dream, … as the intro went on the adrenaline started to grow, people were getting exited (including me of course!)… and then there they where … and … it wasn't New Gold Dream was played but ONE STEP CLOSER!! Very powerfull version once again. Immediately followed by LOVE SONG. The audience were clearly adoring every second and minute. I watched the band, and I had this good feeling about them… the smiles on their faces. The band were in topform and clearly enjoying themselves. Really up to it… Jim:“So, who said it was going to rain today?”. Right he was: the weather forecasts hadn’t forecast so much good, and the whole day it we'd seen grey threatening skies but, indeed.. no rain! Of course if had rained before, so the field was really muddy... But even if it had been raining, no Minds fan would have beenn put off seeing their band, isn’t it… The mindssongs would then have been sparkles in the rain. Speaking of Sparkle In The Rain…. Time for the first surprise in the setlist: the return of SPEED YOUR LOVE TO ME. Oh boy! What a great good rocking version we got. And looking around me I saw a whole crowd of cheering and singing people… ‘you go to my head you go to my head…’. Well, apparantly for some the “beer must have gone to their heads” as the security had to eject some troublemakers… During “Speed” it was good to see Andrew from Scotland again, who was jumping to Speed together with me ;-)
Anohter “new” song in the setlist, right after SPYLTM…. “shine on shine your lights on me…” GLITTERING PRIZE!!!!!! I immediately had to think of Darren who had almost begged on sm.com to hear this favourite of his live. So I guess Darren must have been very happy. And so was everybody else! What a version! A dear friend of mine in Beligum is another GP fan, but unfortunately I had no ‘coverage’ for my mobile so I couldn’t ring her (Sorry, Griet F)… And we got more New Gold Dream stuff… PROMISED YOU A MIRACLE!! I guess they didn’t promise us a miracle in advance, but maybe they deliverd one by making it NOT RAIN ;-).
After PYAM we got a very well played SEE THE LIGHTS, with me and Christophe holding up our Night Of The Proms lights (ok, I know what you are thinking, and you are right: we are mad indeed). A very beautiful NEW SUNSHINE MORNING followed and I realised again this is such a grand song…. Good choice by the band to iincluded and keep this in the setlist. Then it was time for the obligatory DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME. Clearly some of the audience who hadn't realised who was playing did so now, as it was sung along massively, maybe even with those Picnic’ers..
Time for another classic. A stunning version of BELFAST CHILD. Goosebumps al lover Blickling. Immediately followed by a song that I have started to like, thanks to it’s inclusion in this summer tour’s setlists: GREAT LEAP FORWARD. Rock and roll! And more rock and roll moments where to follow as we got another steamy and powerfull GHOST DANCING. The SM Tribe, where the first or amongst the first to start of the Gloria bit once again… and it was not long before the whole of the Blickling Crowd sang GLOOOOORUAAAAA !! This time, If my memory serves me well, we got two times the Gloria bit, and as I have said before this song seems to become longer every time they play it. Maybe they can release it as a prog-rock song ;-)
And then, together with Glittering Prize, Speed Your Love To Me, Ghostdancing and One Step Closer, another absolute highlight IMHO….. NEW GOLD DREAM!!! Now the crowd went absolutely mad… “la la la la … New Gold Dream…. “….. It has also been said before by others, this was one hell of a stunning version… Jesus Christ!!! I was going to call some people, to let them enjoy too this lovely song, but again: nocoverage on my mobile. (Griet B, Kim, Karin: sorry!).
A girl who stood behind me told me: “ow my God this is brilliant… But I hope they play Waterfront”. I told her not to worry and “I'm quite sure they will play Waterfront”.
Alas, as we know by now, in this tour the appearance of New Gold Dream marks the end of the ‘main set’. So after a smashing NEW GOLD DREAM that rocked everybody’s socks off, the band went off stage, while the crowd was of course shouting for more.
Band back on and.. Mr. Duffy started playing that famous Bass Line….The girl behind me was now very happy, as was everyone.. WATERFRONT. “get in get out of the rain”.. WHAT RAIN? ;-).
SOMEONE SOMEWHERE IN SUMMERTIME was now a more appropriate song, offically it IS summer, and we were lucky being saved from showers. But the band did take the weather into acount for their setlist, as I would see later…
After SSIS the smash hit ALIVE AND KICKING followed and the ending was a very powerfull one with SANCTIFY YOURSELF!
And then it was over already…. Happy faces, satisfied people… great! This was a way too short gig… 16 gems though… and a fantastic show. For me the sound was really good although I also have heared some other opinions about this!
Afterwards I managed to get a setlist and… guess what was written on that sheet?
“14. SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE (not if raining)”… So now I am curious what they would have played if it HAD been raining!!!!!
Personal highlights:
Glittering Prize, Speed Your Love To Me, Ghostdancing and One Step Closer, and New Gold Dream.
Review also to be found on sparkle.be
Simple Minds - Blickling Hall, Aylsham (UK)
MUD DANCING IN THE BLICKLING SUMMERTIME /
GOOSEBUMPS ALL OVER BLICKLING
Heading towards the venue I already found it strange seeing so many people armed with chairs and tables, but then I realised this was a “concert – picnic style”. Entering the large domain, the warm smell of barbecue welcomed us… and from a far, at the end of the big grasfield I saw a rather small stage… I thought: ah that’s where we should be.
We headed direction front rows. On our way to the front we had to pass lots of families having a picnic. I have never seen this and was asking myself: would they also come here for the music? It was no problem at all getting to the front and Christophe Remacle, my travelling Sparkle* buddy, and I easily could find ourselves a place at the second row. Christophe and myself had been asking ourselves where our belgian friends Carine, Bernard and Madeline would be. And where do you think we found them? Yep. Front row. It was Bernard who spotted us first I think. Somewhat later I went to say hello to Carine and the youngest Simple Minds fan, Madeline, who obviously couldn’t wait to see Mr. Kerr & Co again ;-) At the front some more familiar faces where spotted: Paola, Pauline, Maaike, …
I missed most of the support act but what I did see wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t impressed neither. To me it was just another guitar pop band like there are many. But I of course can be mistaken as I didn’t really listen that good…
At 21.00 hours the time had come….
We heard the NEW GOLD DREAM INTRO TAPE , and I already was hoping for a Floating World-like opener: New Gold Dream, … as the intro went on the adrenaline started to grow, people were getting exited (including me of course!)… and then there they where … and … it wasn't New Gold Dream was played but ONE STEP CLOSER!! Very powerfull version once again. Immediately followed by LOVE SONG. The audience were clearly adoring every second and minute. I watched the band, and I had this good feeling about them… the smiles on their faces. The band were in topform and clearly enjoying themselves. Really up to it… Jim:“So, who said it was going to rain today?”. Right he was: the weather forecasts hadn’t forecast so much good, and the whole day it we'd seen grey threatening skies but, indeed.. no rain! Of course if had rained before, so the field was really muddy... But even if it had been raining, no Minds fan would have beenn put off seeing their band, isn’t it… The mindssongs would then have been sparkles in the rain. Speaking of Sparkle In The Rain…. Time for the first surprise in the setlist: the return of SPEED YOUR LOVE TO ME. Oh boy! What a great good rocking version we got. And looking around me I saw a whole crowd of cheering and singing people… ‘you go to my head you go to my head…’. Well, apparantly for some the “beer must have gone to their heads” as the security had to eject some troublemakers… During “Speed” it was good to see Andrew from Scotland again, who was jumping to Speed together with me ;-)
Anohter “new” song in the setlist, right after SPYLTM…. “shine on shine your lights on me…” GLITTERING PRIZE!!!!!! I immediately had to think of Darren who had almost begged on sm.com to hear this favourite of his live. So I guess Darren must have been very happy. And so was everybody else! What a version! A dear friend of mine in Beligum is another GP fan, but unfortunately I had no ‘coverage’ for my mobile so I couldn’t ring her (Sorry, Griet F)… And we got more New Gold Dream stuff… PROMISED YOU A MIRACLE!! I guess they didn’t promise us a miracle in advance, but maybe they deliverd one by making it NOT RAIN ;-).
After PYAM we got a very well played SEE THE LIGHTS, with me and Christophe holding up our Night Of The Proms lights (ok, I know what you are thinking, and you are right: we are mad indeed). A very beautiful NEW SUNSHINE MORNING followed and I realised again this is such a grand song…. Good choice by the band to iincluded and keep this in the setlist. Then it was time for the obligatory DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME. Clearly some of the audience who hadn't realised who was playing did so now, as it was sung along massively, maybe even with those Picnic’ers..
Time for another classic. A stunning version of BELFAST CHILD. Goosebumps al lover Blickling. Immediately followed by a song that I have started to like, thanks to it’s inclusion in this summer tour’s setlists: GREAT LEAP FORWARD. Rock and roll! And more rock and roll moments where to follow as we got another steamy and powerfull GHOST DANCING. The SM Tribe, where the first or amongst the first to start of the Gloria bit once again… and it was not long before the whole of the Blickling Crowd sang GLOOOOORUAAAAA !! This time, If my memory serves me well, we got two times the Gloria bit, and as I have said before this song seems to become longer every time they play it. Maybe they can release it as a prog-rock song ;-)
And then, together with Glittering Prize, Speed Your Love To Me, Ghostdancing and One Step Closer, another absolute highlight IMHO….. NEW GOLD DREAM!!! Now the crowd went absolutely mad… “la la la la … New Gold Dream…. “….. It has also been said before by others, this was one hell of a stunning version… Jesus Christ!!! I was going to call some people, to let them enjoy too this lovely song, but again: nocoverage on my mobile. (Griet B, Kim, Karin: sorry!).
A girl who stood behind me told me: “ow my God this is brilliant… But I hope they play Waterfront”. I told her not to worry and “I'm quite sure they will play Waterfront”.
Alas, as we know by now, in this tour the appearance of New Gold Dream marks the end of the ‘main set’. So after a smashing NEW GOLD DREAM that rocked everybody’s socks off, the band went off stage, while the crowd was of course shouting for more.
Band back on and.. Mr. Duffy started playing that famous Bass Line….The girl behind me was now very happy, as was everyone.. WATERFRONT. “get in get out of the rain”.. WHAT RAIN? ;-).
SOMEONE SOMEWHERE IN SUMMERTIME was now a more appropriate song, offically it IS summer, and we were lucky being saved from showers. But the band did take the weather into acount for their setlist, as I would see later…
After SSIS the smash hit ALIVE AND KICKING followed and the ending was a very powerfull one with SANCTIFY YOURSELF!
And then it was over already…. Happy faces, satisfied people… great! This was a way too short gig… 16 gems though… and a fantastic show. For me the sound was really good although I also have heared some other opinions about this!
Afterwards I managed to get a setlist and… guess what was written on that sheet?
“14. SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE (not if raining)”… So now I am curious what they would have played if it HAD been raining!!!!!
Personal highlights:
Glittering Prize, Speed Your Love To Me, Ghostdancing and One Step Closer, and New Gold Dream.
Review also to be found on sparkle.be
posted by Markec at 9:36 AM
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