Simple Minds launch their Alive & Kicking tour on Friday, and it marks their first U.S. tour in almost six years.
Frontman Jim Kerr tells ABC Audio he’s really looking forward to getting back out in front of American audiences, but there are certainly some pressures that come with a U.S. show.
“Americans go out to have a good time,” he says. “But you better deliver it. You better be good. You better be energetic. You’d better want to be there. And if you’re like that, the audience will encourage you to go even further on the night.”
The tour coincides with this year’s 40th anniversary of their hit album Once Upon a Time, which featured such songs as “Sanctify Yourself,” “All The Things She Said,” and “Alive and Kicking.” Kerr says their set will include several songs from the album.
He notes, “We’ll definitely be conjuring up the spirit of that era.”
But even if someone doesn’t know every song, Kerr says the band feels confident they’ve got songs that “the mood of them is so special live,” fans will think they’re great.
And after such a long time away from the States, Kerr says the band is eager to give audiences a good show.
“There’s a real determination, you know?” he says. “We wanna give 100% anywhere we play and every night, but ... when you haven’t played for a long time, you feel a bigger onus to really rise to the occasion and we’ll certainly be doing that.”
The Alive & Kicking tour, featuring special guests Soft Cell and Modern English, begins Friday in Ridgefield, Washington. A complete list of dates can be found at SimpleMinds.com.
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