Date: 10 December 2024
Published in: Augsburger Allgemeine (Germany)
Written by: Wolfgang Langner
Kim Wilde is performing a Christmas program at the Parktheater. Fans of her hits from the 80s will not be disappointed.
The applause didn’t want to end and Kim Wilde was visibly moved on stage. When the last note of her hit ‘You Came’ from 1988 had faded away, the audience in the Göggingen Kurhaus rose from their seats as if on command. The British pop singer had truly earned the applause of the around 500 spectators in the festively decorated hall.
Of course, there is not much left of the wild bumblebee who once roared across the stage with her blonde punk hairstyle and made the walls shake. After all, at 64, Kim Wilde is now at an age where she takes things a little easier. The Kurhaus in Göggingen is the perfect location for this evening. ‘I’m thrilled,’ says Wilde, looking into the magnificent Augsburg building, which is also lit up with hundreds of candles.
The singer has been touring with her ‘Winter Acoustic Tour’ for several years now. Wilde entertains her fans unplugged with a mixture of her hits from earlier years and Christmas songs. She is on stage with a small family business. Only guitarist Neil Jones, who has also accompanied Nik Kershaw and Sophie Ellisbextor, is not related. But her niece Scarlett, who accompanies her vocals, and her brother Ricky (also guitar) are part of the family clan.
The first part of the concert is mainly dedicated to the upcoming Christmas celebrations and is rather contemplative. The gift giving begins with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. The great entertainer Frank Sinatra has also sung it before, albeit a little rougher and scratchier. “Winter Wonderland” then conjures up the best atmosphere in the hall. Especially since this song really shows off the brother/sister relationship. Kim and Ricky sing a duet and you can clearly see how much fun they both have.
However, Kim Wilde keeps throwing in songs that made her an icon in the 1980s. Like “European” from the 1988 album “Close”. Later she also says that her career got a huge boost thanks to Germany and that she was a regular guest in magazines like Bravo and Pop Rocky and follows a passionate “Thank you Germany”. But then it’s also a matter of staying strong. Because eventually the inevitable comes and who can actually hear it anymore? Apparently almost everyone in the audience, because almost everyone in the hall sings along loudly to “Last Christmas” by Wham.
In the second part of the evening, both the quartet on stage and the fans in the seated audience get better. Wilde and her combo bring the 80s back to life. With “Cambodia”, “Chequered Love”, “You keep me hanging one” and “You came” she reminds us of the good old days of rock and pop. Kim Wilde, whose real name is Smith, packs a lot more in the encore section. Is there something missing? Of course the family production “Kids in America”, which her brothers Marty and Ricky wrote and produced in 1981.
At the end, however, it becomes quite contemplative again and the audience, which consists of older and younger fans, is challenged once again. But “White Christmas” always works. There is also a star guest at the farewell. Scarlett Wilde’s one-year-old son [sic] is allowed on stage holding his mother’s hand. He seems to have enjoyed it too. At least he claps as enthusiastically as the audience.
