Kim Wilde is a guest at the Capitol on her “Greatest Hits” tour
Hanover. “How are you, Hanover?” a cheerful Kim Wilde asks an excited audience in the Capitol. “Huhuu”, the 1100 spectators exclaimed, finally, it’s done, Kim Wilde has arrived in Hanover on her “Greatest Hits” tour. Everyone had to wait more than two years for this appointment.
Now the big band is on the stage, colorful costumes, fantasy made of vinyl and leather, red and black predominate. And two people on the drums, a woman and a man, support the new wave anthems. The bass man in the striped looks like a tank cracker from the Disney retreat, funny and self-deprecating at the same time.
There’s “If I Can’t Have You,” a Bee Gees cover, and “Pop Muzik” by M, it’s a big step back in music history. It is said that Wilde is plagued by a bad cold, sometimes you can hear it in her voice, but then it sounds so clean that you suspect other technical magic at work. The friendly face with dimples, the forever blonde hair and the cherry mouth are her trademarks.
And the 61-year-old, whose real name is Kim Smith and who comes from west London, can now smile too. Not like at the beginning of her career, when she was sold as a melancholy pop star. Perhaps the British pop singer looks happier overall than she did back then. She clearly loves what she does.
Stylistically born in the new wave sound, she also flirts with rock music. She had her heyday in the 80s, between 1981 and 1988 she was one of the most successful singers internationally. Now she is proud “to be over 60 years old and to be able to stand on her own knees and walk with her own hips”.
The still quite new piece “Kandy Krush” is reminiscent of Billy Idol in its cheekiness.
“Water on Glass” has a lot of zeitgeist about it. She sings the Nena hit “Somehow, somewhere, sometime” in German and English. Niece Scarlett supports her with fancy background vocals. Her brother, “best friend” and main songwriter Ricky joins in on guitar, the Wildes have always been a family business.
“Who knows the 70s?” She asks her fans. Silence. “Who knows the 80s?” “Yeah!” – that’s where it goes. Her emo hit “Cambodia” follows, which gets a lot of applause, a lot of applause in fact. “View from a Bridge” is sentimental, “Checkered Love” has a cheeky drive; Wilde and her band love to play and leave a very likeable impression. The Supremes’ cover song “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” also fits seamlessly into their portfolio.
The encores follow after 80 minutes. With what is perhaps their most beautiful song “You Came” and the legendary “Kids in America”, a strong evening ends with an equally strong finish. Smiling faces and lots of cheers. The wait was worth it. ★★★★
