17 Mar, 2013 Getting Started!
As per usual I was up and out early, or at least out earlier than most. Dublin was getting ready for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations and before the crowds started gathering I felt like getting some air by walking through the fine grey drizzle that was descending on St Stephens Green.
St Patrick’s day always brings memories of when we were young kids going to primary school in Glasgow. I could never forget my mother pinning shamrock onto our school jumpers prior to us setting out proudly for the day’s lessons. We are of course Scottish, but most of us in Simple Minds were brought up to acknowledge our Irish lineage and therefore St Patrick’s day was always an occasion we looked forward to.
My walk through the Green nevertheless was soon overtaken by memories of a different kind, and spontaneously so as I drifted back to the Spring of ’89 when we were staying at a hotel situated on St Stephen’s for a number of weeks while rehearsing for our Street Fighting Years tour. They were exciting times for sure and Dublin hosted us superbly as we rehearsed for numerous long days at what was then called The Point Depot.
Songs like, Belfast Child, This Is Your Land, Wall Of Love, and Kick It In were all played for the first time during those rehearsals, each one of them honed pretty much perfectly with new live arrangements that later featured on “Verona” – the show that was filmed as a document of Simple Minds live at that time.
But that was way back then, and meanwhile some 24 years later, here we are once again in Dublin preparing for more live shows, about to announce further new dates that will keep us busy to the end of the year, planning new recordings and pushing on with writing new songs, while all while hearing our latest new song on the radio even? Cool!
Am I happy with how things are now? Do I miss how things were back then?
I am very content with how things are at the moment and I am looking forward immensely to starting this latest tour in a matter of days time. But I also miss many things from back in ’89. I certainly miss seeing many of the people who worked with us back then, that includes those on stage as well as all those who worked behind the scenes. But I am also realistic and know how important it is to keep moving on, that after all is why we are still here and still doing it after so much time.
The team we have working with us at the moment, again both on and off stage, are as inspired as any we have come across. They have all brought tremendous new energy to Simple Minds, new strength, and new profile.
So come and see us on this tour. See for yourself, if what I say is true.
We can’t wait to get started!
Jim Kerr