I am agreeing with a few posts on the idea of OMD being a support of Simple Minds. I think Jim Kerr has made a huge error in judgement

How on earth is he going to follow a standard wild Mccluskey performance? OMD only doing one hour, so he can be even more energetic than normal through MoO etc! I think that there will be some newer OMD fans after this.

Andy is a real showman. I saw SM with OMD back in 91/92. Even then Andy's stage show wowed way over SM's efforts. Now all these years later, Andy on stage has not really changed energy wise, actually I think it is a more controlled lunacy these days which looks even better. Back them Jimmy boy wasn't the greatest frontman around, now he cant be up for doing much. So I think as the none OMD fans watch, they will discover something much better and join this merry band.

I really think Mr Kerr has made a serious error of judgement choosing OMD as support, as he and they will simply be blown of stage.

Good luck Jim, you are going to need it!!!!

I actually enjoyed Simple Minds' 30th anniversary gig at the M.E.N Arena last November. The support that night were Deacon Blue who I totally, totally despise. I think it's excellent value for money...and a brave move by Simple Minds and their management.

So I applaud Mr Kerr and Burchill for making it happen.

I think Jim Kerr has a strong stage presence(after OMD ,they are about 4th in list of groups I have seen the most)

Charlie Burchill always looks laid back,but you keep looking at him aswell.

Of the four OMD members,Andy catches your eye cos the other 3 are happy to just play the music man,while he goes around like an out of control child with ADHD

Neal I agree to a point. Like you I think a lot of Simple Minds fans are going to have a real treat by watching OMD.

I also think though that the two bands are radically different in energy, creativity and musical delivery so much so that it is pretty difficult to compare them.

You are right about the front men. No competition there but then not many could measure up to Andy...............................

If da Minds play American,it will be a very good night

Simple Minds till "Sparkle in the Rain" were quite amazing!

And from what I read they have a fantastic track listing including even "Factory"!

Many brilliant songs i can name straight from my head: I TRAVEL, THEME FOR GREAT CITIES, ROOM, FILM THEME, FACTORY, LIFE IN A DAY, NEW GOLD DREAM, SOMEONE SOMEWHERE IN SUMMERTIME, WATERFRONT, SPEED YOUR LOVE TO ME, THE AMERICAN, IN TRANCE AS MISSION etc

Just like OMD they watered their wine after their success in the US. I don't know if their late albums were any good or the "Graffiti Soul". Has anyone heard their last lp?

I agree with this totally.

The new SM album is not released til late May. I shall buy a copy, may as well get familiar with it, seeing as they will be playing plenty of it.

I agree too Simple Minds were superb up until Sparkle in the Rain and are my second favourite band. I'm seeing them at Edinburgh Castle (what a setting!) in the Summer - can't wait. Jim Kerr will have no trouble, he may not be able to write many good tunes these days (I've heard a few snippets from the new album and its not good it comes with a bonus disc of covers (wasn't a good idea the first time they did a covers album!)) but I saw them recently and he is still great on stage.

Single from the new album:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blv_o0ydies&fmt=18

Not bad at all, not keen on the vocal, but music I think is great

i basically agree with what alex , nicky & paul j. wrote here before about sm & jim kerr !

i somehow even think that with o.m.d. playing a really smashing "warm-up" for sm , all the 40-somethings of sm fans will enjoy the more relaxed show of the main act thereafter !
so not really an "error of judgement" by dear ol' jimmy boy , imho !

btw : sm's latest album "black & white 050505" was a really good "return to form" album a few year back & "graffiti soul" sounds promising too , as far as i've heard it by now ( which means the 1st single called "rockets" & some snippets of about half of the other songs on the album ) !

i suppose that this combination of bands could actually work pretty well , after all !

Don't you think on recent albums Jim Kerr's vocal can often sound a bit like Billy Idol?

well ... i would blame it on his age entirely !

Aslong as he doesn't start singing "Eyes Without A Face"

I listened to an interview with Jim Kerr on a Scottish radio station when the new single Rockets got its first play. Jim had been saying how they'd got back to the days of the Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call and NGD vibe and the they had the same excitement as when they came up with the American. Yet again (how many albums is it now?) I fear dissapointment.