Simple Minds confirmed for Nelson Mandela "46664" Hyde Park Concert (06-05-2008)

Simple Minds confirmed for Nelson Mandela's Birthday Concert

Jim Kerr today confirmed that Simple Minds will appear at "46664 Concert Honouring Nelson Mandela at 90", which will take place in Hyde Park on Friday, 27th of June 2008.

Read Jim's Diary entry on Simple Minds' participation in the concert:

Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela !

Also a news release on simpleminds.com:

46664 Concert Honouring Nelson Mandela at 90

Presale tickets - you need to register by 6pm GMT today, Tuesday 6th May at: www.46664.com.

Tickets go on public sale on Friday, 9th May 2008:

www.livenation.co.uk

General admission tickets cost £65.00 plus the usual booking fees etc.

To meet other fans going to this gig and to discuss the concert and journal, please join us on the Forum

Nelson Mandela concert

JK Diary (6-5-08) Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!

Night Of The Proms, Valencia, Spain (25-04-2008)

Thanks to Carlos and Ollix for the photographs. Details of the setlist and more photographs are on the Forum

The next NOTP is Benidorm, Spain (26-04-2008). Check back here and the Forum for the latest reports over the next few days ;)

For tickets and further information please visit the Night of the Proms website.

To meet other Simple Minds fans and discuss the "Night of the Proms" concerts visit the Forum.

Nelson Mandela "46664" Hyde Park Concert (27-06-2008)

On SimpleMinds.com, Jim Kerr discusses the forthcoming "46664" concert in Hyde Park, London (27 June 2008) to celebrate the 90^th birthday of Nelson Mandela.

Jim Kerr's final comment regarding the concert is:

I look back on taking part in the original freedom festival as one of the true highlights of our career as Simple Minds. It goes without saying then that if we are called on to take part in the upcoming tribute to Mandela that we will be there within a heartbeat!

More information on the "46664" Hyde Park Concert and details of how to register for tickets can be found here.

There is also a website for the HIV AIDS charity, 46664.

Discuss this on the Forum.

Night Of The Proms, Charleroi, Belgium(19-04-2008)

A SoSimpleMinded.com staff member has published a review, NOTP extravaganza: the Charleroi weekend! , of the last few days in Charleroi, Belgium at the NOTP concerts.

NOTP offers a unique combination of musical styles and a great atmosphere for the audience. The next concerts are in Spain followed by more concerts during the autumn of 2008 in Belgium, Holland and Germany.

The following is a summary of the review and you can read the entire review, with photgraphs, on the forum.

Regarding the atmosphere of NOTP:

One of the most striking things about NOTP is the relaxed atmosphere and ambiance during the evening: at the beginning of the event you are asked to introduce yourself to the people sitting around you (which in some cases ended up in discovering even more familiar faces, and is always a nice way of breaking the ice and setting the right tone for the evening)

Several acts performed before Simple Minds:

• Galileo, a classical singer, and William Dunker (apparently very big in the south of Belgium): both of them delivered, and it seems that William’s catchy El Mambo (which actually constantly mentions the salsa) has been etched in our mind, because it was the ‘theme tune’ at breakfast this morning!

• John Miles music was received with great enthusiasm by the crowd and, although I’m no fan, I have to say I really got carried away myself LOL

• Il Novecento I can’t stress enough how amazing the people from Il Novecento are!

• OMD But the top performers of the first part of the show were without a doubt OMD! They really blew me away and Andy McCluskey is just… well… crazy, really! If someone would succeed in bottling the ‘essence of McCluskey’, which gives you the same spirit and enthusiasm like he has on stage, they’d make millions: class A drug, for sure! Even the fact that he was responsible for unleashing Atomic Kitten on the world, can’t dampen my enthusiasm for the man.(joke)

• Alan Parsons: To me, he’s on of those artist you know by name, but think you don’t know any songs of… and of course it turns out that you do: in this case Eye in the Sky and Games People Play! Aided by his singer PJ, he gave a solid performance on Friday, but last night his section of the night was just stunning! Amazing performance, and a really nice guy

And then Simple Minds took to the stage:

• But the first highlight of the evening was of course the "Simple Minds Suite": absolutely gorgeous! It leaves you craving for more… personally I’d go for an adaptation of "Waterfront" (or "Promised You A Miracle") for the upcoming Antwerp gigs !

• In almost total darkness, the orchestra started playing the intro of "Sanctify Yourself", a bit disguised at first and then clearly recognizable, followed by Jim’s voice coming from somewhere in the darkness… as if we needed even more suspense LOL… especially last night, the crowd was like a pressure cooker which erupted when Jim and Charlie took to the stage; and they both seemed to enjoy their performance as much as we did.

• All in all, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed "All The Things She Said" more than I did last night, the same goes for "Belfast Child": not one of my favourites, but the NOTP version is incredible!

• ..during Simple Minds performance you barely had the chance to move, because the crowd went ballistic!

Thanks to Lore for the photos

In conclusion:

If you have the opportunity to go to one of these gigs, take my word for it: you won’t regret it ! It’s always a great experience, and Simple Minds have just raised the bar again: new arrangements, extra motivation! What more do you need?

To read the full review and see the photgraphs check out the review on the Forum.

Many thanks again to everyone at NOTP for their hospitality and support. :)

The next NOTP is Valencia, Spain (25-04-2008). Check back here and the Forum for the latest reports over the next few days ;)

For tickets and further information please visit the Night of the Proms website.

To meet other Simple Minds fans and discuss the "Night of the Proms" concerts visit the Forum.

Night Of The Proms, Charleroi, Belgium(18-04-2008)

Thanks to Nathalie for the photos

The first review of NOTP Charleroi(18-04-2008) is from SoSimpleMinded.com member Nathalie. Details of the setlist and some great pictures are on the Forum

The next NOTP is Charleroi, Belgium (19-04-2008) and there will be SoSimpleMinded.com staff there so check back here and the Forum for the latest reports over the next few days ;)

For tickets and further information please visit the Night of the Proms website.

To meet other Simple Minds fans and discuss the "Night of the Proms" concerts visit the Forum.

Night Of The Proms, Charleroi, Belgium(17-04-2008)

Thanks to Ollix for the photos

SoSimpleMinded.com member, Ollix, attended a private NOTP gig in Charleroi on 17-04-2008.

Details of the setlist and some great pictures are on the Forum

The first public set of concerts are scheduled for Charleroi, Belgium (18-04-2008,19-04-2008) and there will be SoSimpleMinded.com staff at both events. Check here and the Forum for the latest reports over the next few days ;)

For tickets and further information please visit the Night of the Proms website.

To meet other Simple Minds fans and discuss the "Night of the Proms" concerts visit the Forum.

An evening behind the scenes at Night Of The Proms

Thanks to JP for the photos

SoSimpleMinded.com staff member, Lore, was invited to a behind the scenes look at the preparations for Night of the Proms in Antwerp (14.04.2008).

Staff members Lore and Viviane made their way to the Sportpaleis in Antwerp along with 20 other fans who had won a place at the rehearsals from a competition on the NOTP website.

The highlights of the rehearsals were:

• Meeting Charlie Burchill from Simple Minds
• Hearing the Simple Minds Suite, a classical medley of SM songs which is a unique 30th Anniversary gift from the Proms to Simple Minds
• Meeting NOTP producer Jan Vereecke
• Meeting Robert Groslot (the director of Il Novecento)
• Meeting Alan Parsons

Staff member Lore described the "Simple Minds Suite" as "absolutely brilliant!!!" and her final thoughts were:

"All in all, a great night! If this rehearsal is anything to go by, then the coming NOTP gigs are going to be amazing! So for those who were still in doubt... go and experience it yourself!"

A full report with pictures is posted on the Forum.

The first set of concerts are scheduled for Charleroi, Belgium (18-04-2008,19-04-2008) and there will be SoSimpleMinded.com staff at both events. Check here and the Forum for the latest reports over the next few days ;)

SoSimpleMinded.com would like to thank everyone at Night of the Proms for this opportunity. We really do appreciate it :).

For tickets and further information please visit the Night of the Proms website.

To meet other Simple Minds fans and discuss the "Night of the Proms" concerts visit the Forum.

Night Of The Proms 2008

After successful tours with "Night of the Proms" in 1997,2001 and 2002, Simple Minds return to the "Night of the Proms" concerts in 2008.

The first set of concerts are scheduled for Charleroi, Belgium (18-04-2008,19-04-2008), Valencia, Spain (25-04-2008) and Benidorm, Spain (26-04-2008)

The program for the Charleroi concert is expected to be:

• Simple Minds
• OMD
• Alan Parsons
• Galileo
• William Dunker
• John Miles and the Electric Band
• Il Novecento

The next series of concerts featuring Simple Minds will commence in October with shows in Antwerp, Belgium (24-10-2008) and then November with shows in Arnhem (14-11-2008) and Rotterdam (19/11/2008 to 22/11/2008) in The Netherlands .

Get a behind the scenes look by reading the blog of NOTP producer Jan Vereecke (Dutch only).

For tickets and further information please visit the Night of the Proms website.

To meet other Simple Minds fans and discuss the "Night of the Proms" concerts vist the Forum.

"Simple Minds Celebrate 30 Years Live": Tour in November & December 2008

Simple Minds will play the following UK dates:

• Thursday 27th November, Manchester MEN Arena (..more)
• Friday 28th November, Birmingham NEC (..more)
• Saturday 29th November, Wembley Arena (..more)
• Monday 1st December, Sheffield Arena (..more)
• Tuesday 2nd December, Cardiff Arena (..more)
• Thursday 4th December, Glasgow SECC (..more)

Fans are very enthusiastic about the shows and some are will be travelling from as far away as USA, Australia and New zealand. Many fans will be attending all 6 shows.

A meetup for the Wembley gig is already being organised and you can expect details for meetups at the other gigs especially the Glasgow show. ;)

For more information and how to get the tickets go to the forum