Kim Wilde appears in the Chollerhalle Zug with two family members

On Friday, pop star Kim Wilde created an pre-Christmas party in the Chollerhalle with an acoustic band and no big fuss.

Who would have thought that! Kim Wilde sits on stage with brother Ricky Wilde and niece Scarlett Wilde in Christmas decor and sings Christmas carols. As banal as it sounds, it is so spectacular: because the (former) British pop icon, who inspired millions of fans with “Kids in America” and “Keep Me Hanging On”, closes the musical circle with the current concert tour. Her meteoric career once began with the family. Father, brother and Kim have always made music. Brother Ricky was also the one who stood behind Kim since he was a child (at the concert on Friday evening he affectionately called her Kimmy) and wrote the first hits. It was all a long time ago … and of course, on Friday evening in the Chollerhalle, it was exciting to see what Kim Wilde would be like in 2019, shortly before her 60th birthday. In a nutshell: spectacularly moving!

The family intimacy on Friday, the acoustic versions, which emanated an unexpected fragility and did not allow vocal errors, fascinated Kim. Kim Wilde accepted the self-made challenge of “Wilde Winter Acoustic – An Evening Of Hits And Xmas Songs” and mastered it brilliantly. Nearly. But one after another:

Hardly a compilation or party hit list that does not have at least one hit by Kim Wilde. New Wave light with a dash of rock and a lot of “nanana” and “ohohoh” singing potential, that was what her music stood for in the 1980s. In addition, an incredible hairstyle, breathtaking outfits and bombastic synth beats. Now the hair is shorter, the sex appeal has become less, but the charisma is bigger. From a retrospective perspective, some great texts can be found between «nanana» and «ohohoh». “View From A Bridge”, for example, bravely tackles the topic of suicide. Kim tactfully didn’t sing it on Christmas concert night.

Cheerful pop star

Kim Wilde commented on each of her songs, fussed with the audience and brother Ricky, and also casually smashed the big hits. It started with selected songs from their 2013 album “Wilde Winter Songbook”, which contains new editions of well-known Christmas hits and has been released again this autumn. Highly praised by the critics, hardly noticed by the fans – well, you can still make up for that now.

In between, again and again Kim, who tells how much she loves Christmas, how she walked in the afternoon on Lake Zug and that she likes Christmas shopping. Niece Scarlett – as background singer and second voice – agrees with the aunt, and so there was a relaxed family dialogue. In places, the concert effectively had the feeling of sitting in the living room with the Wildes. This intimacy was also a challenge for the audience, because in places you felt the overwhelming urge to just jump on the stage and bring home-made cookies.

Of course, the Wham! Hit “Last Christmas” was not to be missed, the audience loved the song in the Kim / Ricky Wilde version and sang along vigorously. In between there are always pearls that were never written for hit parade placements. “New Life”, for example, which was a greeting to the child not yet born in 2013. Kim Wilde easily managed to give the old classics like “Hey Mr. Snowman” a contemporary lightness, her distinctive voice was still as unique as it was then. Shortly before the break, Kim and family really heated up the audience: The dark, mysterious “Cambodia” worked without any dramatic beats.

The hits were also sung

After the break then less Christmas and more hits and even more interaction, Kim decided to take a quick look at the audience, “who is here like this”, and thanked all fans who at some point had a Kim Wilde Bought the record. “Because you made it possible for me to be able to sit here with my family today.” The Wilde family effectively sat through practically the entire concert, only at the end when the blasts “You Came” and “You Keep Me Hanging On” came on new versions followed, the 59-year-old sang standing, which was immediately noticeable; In “You Came”, one of her greatest hits, the voice broke in places. The audience forgave her this little mistake and thanked her with frenetic applause.