Playing their first show in Northeast Ohio in decades, Simple Minds didn’t just rest on its New Wave laurels at last night’s show at Hard Rock Live. While it still delivered the hits, saving anthems such as “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” “Alive and Kicking” and “Sanctify Me” for the very end, the band used the concert as an opportunity to show off songs from its new album, Walk Between Worlds, and sprinkled them into the two-set show. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Set opener “The Signal and the Noise” rocked hard thanks, in part, to hard-hitting drummer Charisse Osei, who propelled the track with her steady chops. And the new album’s moody title track had a definite edge to it as well. The show’s highlight, however, came toward the end of the second set as the band launched into the majestic “See the Lights” and then followed it up with a high-energy rendition of the poppy “All the Things She Said” that had fans singing along in unison.
Throughout it all, singer Jim Kerr’s booming voice never wavered, even though he apologized for its grittiness on account of a cold, and guitarist Charlie Burchill showed off his remarkable skill at shaping the songs with his playing, which was every bit as atmospheric as U2’s the Edge or Echo & the Funnymen's Will Sergeant. (Jeff Niesel)
