Pics: MARK BICKERDIKE
Review of Simple Minds Live at ROUNDHAY PARK, LEEDS 23.7.89, originally printed in the 'YORKSHIRE EVENING POST' July 24 1989.
Thousands thrill to Simple Minds
A CROWD of 55,000 people thrilled to the sound of top rock band Simple Minds at Roundhay Park, Leeds, last night.
A massive police crowd and traffic control operation in and around the concert arena was hailed a success, with the only problems caused by drunken fans outside the huge steel perimeter fence.
There was a total of 60 arrests at the event, nearly all for drink and disorderly and public order offences.
There were also five drugs offences and one for arson, which was unconnected with the event.
A police officer was said to be in a stable condition at St James's Hospital, Leeds, after being involved in a collision with a fire engine while on traffic duty near the park yesterday morning.
He is PC Nigel Wood, of Weetwood sub division, who was on duty at the junction of Princes Avenue and Old Park Road. The fire engine is believed to have been on its way to a call-out.
Problems
At the concert itself there were only a handful of minor injuries caused by over-enthusiastic dancing or people simply tripping over and St John Ambulance Brigade volunteers treated several fans who passed out in the heat.
West Yorkshire police head of operations, Chief Supt John Ellis, praised the behaviour of the vast majority of the 55,000 inside the stadium.
There were "one or two thousand outside, many of whom were the worse for drink and did cause problems for policing by trying to gain entry and generally to disrupt the event."
Praised
"The event has gone without many problems, and the number of arrests was no more than one would expect at a major event of this kind."
Around 550 officers were involved in the operation - with the costs being met by the promoters - and a hired helicopter was used for crowd and traffic surveillance.
The force's Assistant Chief Constable, Mr Dennis O'Toole, who was at the event, praised the behaviour of the concert-goers. "These are always good-natured event. People pay a lot of money to come here and just want to enjoy the occasion." he said.
A huge team of security men was also employed in manning the gates and guarding the 12ft high perimeter fence against people trying to gain free entry.
Fans had to queue for up to an hour-and-a-half to leave car parks around the arena, but Mr Ellis said the traffic arrangements had been successful. Officers were working into the early hours to get the roads clear.
by MIKE HURST
Definitely Alive and Kicking
A WEEK is a long time in politics, they say. And three years is a long time to be away in rock music.
Glasgow's Simple Minds chose Roundhay Park, Leeds, to launch their comeback UK tour and there cannot have been one of the 55,000 crowd who did not enjoy it.
Singer Jim Kerr was obviously relishing the occasion - winning over the audience by explaining why the group were so glad to be back among Yorkshire folk.
"The first time we were here was at the Forde Green pub," he said.
"I think we played there two or three times years ago. It was the sort of place where you expected chairs to be thrown at the stage.
"We played a new song called Life In A Day and the place erupted - that's why we are starting the tour in Leeds."
The show kicked off with the title track of the latest LP Street Fighting Years - a song that well illustrates the new path that Simple Minds have set themselves on, still powerful but with less pomp and circumstance than in their immediate past.
Highlight
One of the highlights of the show was when electric guitarist Charlie Burchill put down his electric guitar in favour of an acoustic and joined keyboard-player Mick MacNeil on the accordian for a simple waltz that even had parts of the crowd taking partners for a merry Irish jig.
When Kerr announced that it had been MacNeil's birthday two days before, the audience instantly erupted into "Happy Birthday" - now almost a Roundhay Park standard following similar renditions for Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Mandela Day - the band's plea for the release of Black South African leader Nelson Mandela - was an early highlight but even during the encore number Biko, which had 55,000 hands raised skyward in Black Power salutes, the band refused to ram politics down the public's throat.
Instead they relied on simple projections of the murdered South African Steve Biko to put across their message.
It was one of many highpoints including Waterfront, Book Of Brilliant Things and Belfast Child, featuring violinist Lisa Germano, whose contribution on fiddle and mandolin has much to do with why the group are so much more interesting on stage these days.
Only during the second half of the show did they lose the momentum a little. Ghostdancing, for instance, is one of the less memorable songs from the Once Upon A Time album.
But the set ended on a high note with the hit Alive & Kicking - something that Simple Minds proved without doubt at Roundhay.
Another Glasgow band, The Silencers, had the difficult task of starting the day, a job they did in a workman-like manner.
Martin Stephenson was a surprise and welcome last-minute edition but only main support act All About Eve really got the audience going.
Naturally they played their hits What Kind of Fool, Wildhearted Woman and the gentle Martha's Harbour, but the standout song was their set closer In The Meadow featuring the most memorable guitar riff of another superb day of music in Roundhay Park.
by PETER ANDERSON