Here and Now Bournemouth: a summer party

On Saturday evening, Bournemouth travelled back in time to the Eighties with six acts from that decade. Kim Wilde was the second to last acts of the evening, starting at 21.15 and ending some 45 minutes later. Her show was simply sublime. Having been on holiday with the family for a week, she looked relaxed and very happy to treat the audience to nine of her biggest hits (see setlist below).
As always during open air concerts, Kim seemed slightly more in her element when compared to the indoor shows. At some point she pointed out a great sunset which could be seen behind the stadium, although part of the audience could not fully enjoy this view. Four Letter Word was sung with a lot of passion. Probably one of the most difficult songs to perform vocally, Kim seemed to pull it off with an unlikely ease. Kids in America was given another great rock treatment with rough guitar licks from Ricki and the audience response, which was very energetic as well.

Other acts during the evening were equally impressive. Go West, who started the show, gave the evening a great kickstart. Ever since their reunion in 2001 during the very first Here and Now Tour, the two boys have been able to set up a dynamic set, which is always received by the audience with great response and enthusiasm.
Paul Young, another Here and Now veteran, may not impress with his voice as much as in the past, but he more than makes up for this with stage presence and audience contact. Leaving the stage and shaking hands with front row members of the audience was a wonderful gesture, and the song 'Everytime you go away' suits his voice better nowadays, making for a good conclusion of a rather bumpy ride.
Rick Wilde, who would join his sister on stage later on in the evening, supplied guitar licks for Belinda Carlisle. Belinda confessed having been up for more than twelve hours already, but still managed to sing and dance well for someone who had crossed the Atlantic early on in the day. With no shoes on she dwelled on the stage, singing very melodically to the rocking band.
A top performance was up next by Martin Fry, who is still the core of the band ABC. The perfect balance between showmanship and good singing, Martin was able to get the audience to sing along to almost all of his songs, most notably on 'All of my heart' where they almost took over from Martin, who was visibly moved. The world does need a little bit more of this kind of music and performers.
After Kim Wilde and a 15 minute interval, the Human League were left with the impossible task of following up 'Kids in America'. While the music of this group is very hard to resist, their show continues to be on the static side. Singer Phil Oakey wasn't bothered by vocal glitches like in December 2002, but still couldn't persuade the audience to fully participate.
For Kim Wilde fans, the knowledge that part of the 4.500 strong audience left during the interval must be quite satisfying. Those who left the stadium early did deny themselves the opportunity to hear some of the best electropop of the Eighties, however. Worth listening to, even if you're not interested in watching it all.

Full set list

Go West
Don't look down
Call me
King of wishful thinking
We close our eyes

Paul Young
Wherever I lay my hat
Love of the common people
Come back and stay
Everytime you go away

Belinda Carlisle
Live your life be free
Circle in the sand
(We want) The same thing
Leave a light on
Heaven is a place on earth

ABC
Poison arrow
Tears are not enough
How to be a millionaire
When Smokey sings
All of my heart
The look of love

Kim Wilde
Chequered love
View from a bridge
Never trust a stranger
Cambodia
If I can't have you
You came
Four letter word
You keep me hangin' on
Kids in America

Human League
The sound of the crowd
Love action
(Keep feeling) Fascination
The Lebanon
Tell me when
Human
All I ever wanted
Together in Electric Dreams
Don't you want me