Date: 3 November 2007
Originally published in: Haller Tagblatt (Germany)
Written by: Tobias Würth
Kim Wilde brings the eighties to Ilshofen: 25 years ago she hung on the bedroom walls of the young as a Bravo Starschnitt, on Wednesday the mother of two came in the Arena Ilshofen, a few days before the official tour start.
The 46 year old sings for around 400 guests old hits and a few new songs. Together with the band, and Korg keyboards, the retro style is perfect. The landscape gardener has found the black clothing again after a baby pause.
Says her fan Stefan Wybranski (37) from Creglingen: “This Jeans jacket I’ve had since I was 15. Now it doesn’t fit me anymore.”
With one of her appearances in a television broadcast in the year 1981 the spark had come over. Wybranski was since then already pleasing close on some ten concerts of Kim. With a concert in Nuernberg he was allowed to come closer to her.
Today the fan of the first hour is somewhat more clarified: “She has become older, I have also.” He prefers Punk, Heavy and Rock music. And another thing has changed: in former times the Creglinger would have driven to Paris, in order to experience Kim, today she comes to him into the Rinderarena.
Only one quarter of the “interior” of the arena is filled with fans. Approximately twice as many visitors would be necessary, in order to clean-pass on the costs, say the organizer Andreas Loeffler of ROM from Aalen, which organized the whole tour.
Kim Wilde hops lively on the stage, strikes with the hand on its hip, and turns in the circle. And she is still a star: when she asks that all arms are to be stretched into air, all spectators do so enthusiastically. The appearance was professionally composed: animations in the background, in which sometimes people at the beach are to be seen, other times a sun comes up. Kim’s sister Roxanne and brother Rick, who all like their father selected “Wilde” as artist name, populate the stage. Bassist Nick Beggs, with long braids, hat and Scottish skirt, who played with “Kajagoogoo” (their hit was called “Too Shy”).
After one and a half hours comes the conclusion. The last song in Ilshofen is first of Kim Wilde’s career: “Kids in America”. Dimitri Giannestras (37) from Stuttgart winds his poster together, on which he wishes Kim a great tour. He is also a faithful fan who will go to eight concerts of his youth idol. He is sure: “Kim slowly knows our foods”. Together with twelve other fans he goes to almost every concert. Dimitri is enthralled: “It’s such a great woman, so sympathetic, you want to cuddle her”.