Review: Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr & co. keep their legacy alive in Chula Vista

Simple Minds performs at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Photo by Donovan Roche Times of San Diego It s not easy to stand out when your lead singer is Jim Kerr And yet that s exactly what three members of Simple Minds managed to do when the Scottish rock band brought their Alive Kicking Tour to North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre on May To start longtime lead guitarist Charlie Burchill lit up the stage with his blazing axe work on New Gold Dream - - - and again on the luminous See the Lights Then backing vocalist Sarah Brown stole the spotlight with her powerhouse pipes first on Once Upon a Time and later on the encore-saver Book of Brilliant Things But the real showstopper was drummer Cherisse Osei After Theme for Great Cities she delivered a blistering solo with such precision and visible contentment that Kerr couldn t help but exclaim That s what we call grrl power Still the commanding and charismatic Kerr ruled this night of s nostalgia that also featured mini sets from British new wave bands Modern English and Soft Cell Modern English kicked off the show with a taut six-song set beginning with Gathering Dust from their debut Mesh Lace Given the song is known for its spacey synths it was surprising not to see a keyboardist on stage By contrast Soft Cell s sole instrument was a synthesizer Setting up Long in the Tooth from the band s new album lead singer Robbie Grey encouraged concertgoers to buy it at the merch booth Despite its title the potent song stood up well next to Modern English s early post-punk material By the time they hit Someone s Calling with Ric Chandler laying down sharp drum fills Grey seemed displeased with the daylight crowd s lukewarm power frequently soliciting more applause and pointing out those standing as if to reward them Following Gary McDowell s intricate guitar solo on Hands Across the Sea and the rhythmic Swans on Glass Grey reported This is a song you might know The opening notes of I Melt With You their beloved hit made immortal by s Valley Girl soundtrack were enough for people to spring to their feet and sing along as the sun started setting Soft Cell followed with a -minute set that struggled to maintain momentum largely due to Marc Almond s uneven vocals and detached stage presence He occasionally wandered toward the audience but lacked the comfort of Grey or anything close to Kerr Limited to just Almond co-founder keyboardist Dave Ball and two background singers the band opened with s Memorabilia which laced in a medley of Madonna hits Holiday Into the Groove and Like A Virgin Almond s distinctive voice better suited for the studio or an intimate club wavered on Torch and Nostalgia Machine He fared better on the robotic Monoculture and Say Hello Wave Goodbye provided one of the stronger moments of their -song set The synth-pop duo wrapped up with the single version of Tainted Love Where Did Our Love Go Hearing a medley rather than both songs in full and the surprising absence of Sex Dwarf likely left fans wanting more a fitting metaphor for the set as a whole Simple Minds assumed the stage with the rollicking Waterfront Kerr promptly established his presence as a polished showman engaging the crowd with wry banter and working both sides of the stage throughout the night He even ventured into the pit during Let There Be Love to connect with fans while serenading Your music talks to me and hits me tonight After the third song Kerr informed the already energized amphitheater We re just getting warmed up a phrase he d repeat later in the nearly two-hour show I think this is our first time in Chula Vista Kerr mused putting a playful Spanglish spin on the city s name We better be good because we don t want it to be the last time I know we ve played San Diego before It s different isn t it The singer s voice has held up remarkably well much better than greater part s relics Holding the mic by the head and very close to his mouth he sounded strong and clear especially on Someone Somewhere in Summertime and This Fear of Gods This is echoed on the group s in recent months distributed live album Alive and Kicking Live in the City of Diamonds And Kerr s limberness wasn t limited to his vocals The -year-old frontman frequently stretched squatted and struck yoga poses while vocalizing After one particularly deep backbend he joked Don t try that at home The only glitch in the night came during Promised You A Miracle when loud pops disrupted the mix Kerr halted the song checked with the sound crew then sought the audience Should we do it again The crowd roared their approval to which he replied One free ride as the band played it again from the top The main set ended with All the Things She Noted and the enduring Don t You Forget About Me from The Breakfast Club soundtrack During the now-iconic la-la-la-la outro Kerr had the audience sing it in five different languages As all started to catch on that it was the same he quipped Now you know it s the best lyric I ever wrote Simple Minds sent the standing throng home with Alive and Kicking followed by Sanctify Yourself The powerful encore punctuated their performance supremacy while reaffirming their legacy as one of the bands that helped define a decade Donovan Roche is a longtime music writer and frequent contributor to Times of San Diego Send your story ideas to droche gmail com