Kim Wilde's Australian Tour Diary

Thursday November 6th - 20:00
So here we are in Perth, the weather is beautiful and I am extremely excited about the response we seem to be getting already for this tour. Press has been very positive, and it has been fun doing interviews with Paul Young and Go West. Belinda has been sleeping almost as much as me (the doormice of ROCK). I find plenty of sleep, and drinking lots of water the best way to prepare for a concert, although that didn't stop me from getting 'over refreshed' with Tony Denton (the promoter), Paul Young and his wife Stacey, Belinda and her manager Jane and of course Nick who said he was only being polite the night we arrived! So here i am an hour or so from the first performance. Ricky's (a.k.a. Risky) birthday today, so I expect tonight might get a little messy, although hopefully the presence of his wife Mandy might prevent an arrest! Will update as soon as the concert is over. I sign off rather nervously!

Thursday November 6th - 22:30
Fantastic start to the tour! Got the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to Risky (saved on me worrying about a birthday present!) The band sounded great, especially Kids In America. The Human League are on now, but we're in this weird arena where you can't open doors incase you get sucked out (weird but true!) So sadly i can't hear them,and i havent been able to enjoy the other acts tonight. We're probably going to change the set a bit, it didn't seem to gel as well as usual. Love is Holy didn't seem to go down so well, so i expect we'll replace it, perhaps with Love Blonde? Apart from that I'm pleased with the start we've made, the crowd seemed happy and that is always the most important thing.

Saturday November 8th - 15:00
Travelled from Perth to Adelaide on a two and a half hour flight over amazing landscape. Flat, arid bush, with lunar like holes, and no sign of life. Quite stunning. Risky and Mandy snuggled up and went to sleep, while I grooved to Gary Clark, Steely Dan and Todd Rundgren. I don't like flying. As we arrived in Adelaide there was a beautiful sunset over blue mountains, and a soft orange light bathed the city, and I thought to myself I wish I lived here. Paul Young had an idea to go to an Italian restaurant overlooking the sea, which sounded very inviting, and a group of us arrived in a small convoy of taxis. When we arrived, no sea that i could see, but a sea of motor bikes and flash cars. Paul and Belinda were in heaven. Confusingly, we seemed to have lost some of the convoy on our way, and i realized Tony Denton (our beloved promotor), Stacey Young and Belinda's manager Jane were missing. Paul casually piped up that they had gone to the hospital to check up on Tony's painful rib cage. I won't go into details about how he got painful ribs, all i can divulge is that it happened very late at night, in his hotel room on the night we arrived from England. Oh... and Paul and Stacey were involved! By the time Tony got out of the hospital, we had become extremely knowledgable about the superb local wine. Nuff said! Today was spent by the pool, under a clear blue sky. I am now in my dressing room looking at the biggest Crunchie bar I've ever seen. Everything is bigger and better here!

Taken from Paul Young's tour mail (see also Paul Young's official website):
As I am on a travel day, I thought I would write you a little news piece on the tour!
We're on the bus now to the next hotel for a few days off, and we're going to stay on the Gold Coast. We have now done three shows and as usual they are getting better all the time.The other artists are all very sociable, in particular Stacey has bonded with Belinda Carlisle. By the way, the other stars are 2 Aussie bands, 1927 and Mondo Rock, then there is Go West, Kim Wilde and Human League as well as Belinda and myself. The great thing about these is that the people are genuinely so nice that the shows are a lot of fun to do, and we are always socialising together on our evenings off. The line up will be slightly different in the UK. And there is talk of taking this show to the USA!! Let's hope...
We got off to a bad start, though, when we arrived at two in the morning after a very long journey, UK to Singapore, then Singapore - Perth. As we were still on English time, we decided a few drinks before bed would be ok.
At five o'clock (whoops!), we were still in our English tour Promoter's room, and he had fallen asleep on the sofa. So, in our less than sober state, Stacey and I decided to carry him to his bedroom - we didn't do very well; first the door got in the way, then the quilt was all over the fllor and we tripped over that...doh!
Three days later, Tony (for that is his name) was in Adelaide hospital being told that he had a cracked rib and bruised muscles: oh dear!
We actually think that there are other factors involved and it wasn't our fault entirely, but no-one else is coming forward...and the trouble is, we convicted ourselves by calling his room in the morning to make sure he was ok, and he didn't know what we were talking about! We should have kept our mouths shut...
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the last two shows here in Australia, and then the British shows.

Saturday November 8th - 23:30
The show felt so much better tonight for all of us, which was reflected in the reaction from the audience. We decided to drop Love is Holy which makes for a much tighter show, with a better pace. My voice felt really strong tonight, and i really enjoyed the 'sing'! Watched Go West who were just great, Pete Cox has an exeptional voice. The whole line up is bonding, and it has been great getting to know the Australian crowd of 1927 and Mondo Rock. We have the weather with us, not a cloud in the sky. Today we fly to Melbourne for a show there tomorrow, and we have a few days free there so I'm looking forward to having a good look around. Poor old Tony Denton is walking around clutching his poor old ribs which of course only hurt when he laughs. Risky and Mandy are are having a ball, swimming with dolphins and staying up all night with assorted 80's pop stars! Nick is off to the rugby, France v Ireland, and then back to the hotel to see England v Wales.Am i interested? Am i hell!

Monday November 10th - 20:00
Melbourne. The flight from Adelaide was short and the land beneath was luscious green with patches of purple wild flowers. I have to admit I was highly delighted to hear about the England Rugby win against Wales last night. Today I got up early to do a nationwide TV from the hotel, then sloped off back to bed, the jet lag still playing havoc with my system. The nervous, butterfly feeling that is never far away on these tours is rising up inside my chest. Looking forward to the gig, I can hear the crowd from my dressing room.... they sound lively.

Tuesday November 11th - 12:00
Melbourne. This has been the best gig so far for all of us, the Melbourne crowd were ecstatic! Tonight I got to watch Belinda, with Risky on guitar. Great stuff. The crowd were singing along to every song, and Belinda's voice sounded great. I also got to see The Human League. I melt every time I hear Human, and love Fascination. Phil's voice is strong and hasn't changed at all, and what can I say about Jo and Suzanne. They're legends! We had some wonderful 80's fans turn up in authentic 80's fashion, wild makeup, it was good to hook up with them in the bar after. Risky and I were completely confused as they told us their favourite Kim Wilde songs... Chaos at the Airport?... Words Fell Down? Whats going on out there you mad lot! Today I'm on a plane, sitting next to Belinda flying to the Gold Coast for a few free days. Most of the crowd are here too so we should have even more fun. I'm just being persuaded by a charming air steward to have sparkling wine, after i asked for sparkling water, and it is curious how quickly i changed my mind. Oh dear. Thank you Melbourne for an unforgettable stay.

Thursday November 13th - 9:00
Brisbane. Gold Coast. Well, here we are sunning ourselves on the Gold Coast with 3 whole days to play. Work hard... play hard... that's what I say. So... what is it that 80's pop stars do on their days off? Some go scuba diving, some go for the spa experience, sunbathing of course is extremely popular, and some do amazing after dinner serviette tricks. There is a giveaway divide between 'those who do breakfast', and those who don't surface until late lunch, of course this is all down to jet lag, and not the beautiful Australian wine we keep shoving down our necks! Strolling along Surfers Paradise at 5.45 am the day after we arrived was lovely, but I can assure all of you that was a one off! Since then I've been catching rays, swimming in the hotel's sea water lagoon, and wondering just HOW cold it will be once we hit our beloved Blighty. We're here for one more day, then back on the road for our Brisbane gig Saturday.

Saturday November 15th - 9:00
What an amazing few days we've had. Thirteen go mad on the Gold Coast! From swimming in a rainforest waterfall to being physically man handled out of a casino... Yes folks it's all going off down under! Country dancing, sling shot reverse bungee rides, strip clubs and fabulous food, fair to say we made our mark! Now it's back to work, I can hear the band playing Belinda's 'Leave a Light on For Me' as we soundcheck for tonight's show here at the Entertainment Centre in Brisbane. Today, Peter Cox and I rehearsed Another Step with Risky as we plan to perform it on the UK Here and Now December tour. Pete's voice sounds fantastic, and our voices really work well together. Being a touring party of 37, there's plenty to keep us all amused one way or another, so I've decided to start my new Ailments R Us section for these few final gigs. Of course Tony Denton's cracked rib takes first prize, but exciting developments today have revealed a very sore black toe, and a case of piles. Other ailments include a sprained wrist??, migraine (apparently not connected to a hangover of any sort), sunburn, and a bit of a cold. For legal reasons I am not in a position to match ailments to individuals, but you could all have some fun guessing, and of course I will keep you updated on any new developments!

Sunday November 16th - 12:00
Off to Sydney after a storming gig in Brisbane, the old leather pants were a bit on the tight side as i squeezed into them after far too much eating and drinking on our holiday (oops, I meant tour break!). Had a much needed early night, as the usual wrecking crew headed moth like to the bar, and slept in late. Risky and Nick and Go West are off to the rugby tonight, while I am doing a live show called Cream which I've been told will be a giggle. I'm really looking forward to seeing Sydney again, having first visited there with mum and dad when I was 10 years old, then several times throughout the early 80's, and then a Greatest Hits Tour about 10 years ago. I will be sad to leave this beautiful country, but now missing my family and need their hugs. One thing for sure is it won't be another ten years until i return, oh no.

Wednesday November 19th - 12:00
Result! Who'd have thought a rugby result could mean so much to a gal who's never watched a rugby match in her life! Being here in Australia brings out the patriot in me, and watching our boys storm home a win made me feel good. Risky, Nick and the Go West crew had the time of their lives at the Telstra Stadium where they rushed to straight from the flight from Brisbane. There was much gloating as England's score increased, while I did a national TV straight after the match doing exactly the same thing. 'No tries!', I heard the Aussies taunt, 'they played like shite!' , well as Nick, my manager, says: 'Talk to the hand cos the face ain't listening!''. Tee hee.
We hit Sydney as the heavens opened, and the sunshine we'd become used to became a distant memory, still the anticipation of returning here could not be dampened, and my batteries were on full charge after two sensible early nights. The day after the match was a superb day to be in Sydney, and the mood in town was bouyant with England supporter T-shirts in proud evidence. Nick and I took a bus and train down to Bondi Beach and watched as the mighty waves roared in on a very windy day. Poached eggs on toast seemed the order of the day followed by a walk on the beach where we watched enviously as novice surfers were honing their skills. The mood at the venue was predictably frisky, especially as word got round that the very lads we'd been cheering the night before were coming to watch us - apparently they'd spotted the advert in the local paper when they'd arrived in Sydney the previous week!
Pete Cox and I were presented with a Here and Now birthday cake as Pete's birthday is on the 17th Nov, and everyone sang happy birthday - wonderful! Without doubt it was THE gig of the tour as we rocked Sydney. Wow, if I never do another gig again... The best moment of the night came as 1927, Mondo Rock, Go West, Belinda and Paul came on stage at the end of Kids in America, and the crowd went OFF! As if that wasn't enough, word got back that 6 of the England team were coming backstage to say hi, and I turned into an overawed schoolgirl as one by one these impressive individuals raved about the show, and we took photos together! Beautiful! Standing next to Martin Johnson, the captain, was a real honour and it was fantastic to be able to congratulate them personally and wish them luck for the final.
After show party plans extended well into dawn, and are best kept secret, except that I'm truly suprised we weren't thrown out of the hotel! Much laughter and celebration with all concerned, and a chance to thank both crew and artistes for a wonderful tour. It has been lovely sharing this tour with you all, and many thanks to Marcel for continuing to run such a well informed web site on my behalf.

Kim Wilde

A message from Belinda Carlisle:

flight QF1 Sydney - Bangkok - London

I'm pooped. I think we all are. And it's not because of the shows, I mean that may be part of the reason we are all shattered, but I think it has to do with the fun that we've all been having with each other before and after the shows.
This has been like one demented family on the road, and I don't think I've had this much fun in ages. I'm sorry it's over, although if it went on any longer, I may be endangering my health... All the fun, late nights, fine wine, and just plain silly behavior.
Anyways, we're all on our way home to reality, and sometimes to adjust to, after having the perfect holiday. this wasn't work this was a holiday, and I hope that I can experience this at least one more time... I'm going to miss everyone. Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!