Kim Wilde in Bratislava: a nostalgic evening that will not be long remembered

The teenage love of many adult men today, the return to the ’80s, a great pop concert, a hit by the hit. All this was expected for Saturday’s singer-songwriter Kim Wilde, who first appeared in Bratislava for the Come The Aliens Tour. How did it end up?

Kim Wilde and the concert premiere in Slovakia were kicked off in eleven years ago in Košice. She visited Bratislava earlier in the early 1990s, not for a concert, but for the production of a music programme for Austrian television.

Estimating in 2018 the interest in singing a singer who was at the top of her career in a pop extralig, selling large halls, winning charts and concerts around the world is very demanding. Upon announcing the concert, the Majestic Music Club (MMC), with a capacity of roughly a thousand people, seemed to be the first, but in the end it was enough. The club was not sold out, this was the first surprise for me. The official start was announced at 21:00. There was no pre-show on the program, which obviously did not stop too much for the fans, and the wait for the lady they were coming to cut the conversations.

I like the moment when they turn off the lights, the recorded music hits and starts intro. This is exactly how the concert started ten minutes after the ninth. On stage there were eight musicians, this was a second surprise. In my opinion, I need a lot. At first sight the podium looked like a crowded concert. Eight people who did not have a lot of personal space, two drums, two guitarists, bass guitar, keyboardist, vocalist and Kim Wilde.

And so kicked off the mentioned intro, consisting of short snippets of the biggest hits, and the new Stereo Shot. At first, the fans appreciated her with exuberant applause. Other songs have already been “wounded for sure” – Water Of Glass, Never Trust A Stranger and Cambodia have been pumping out of the audience. After the fifth song, however, there was a passage devoted mostly to new songs, which decided to fail the atmosphere of older hits and the mood fell a little.

The band, whose leader is guitarist Ricky Wilde, played very hard. Visually, it would be better for a biker. Upon reflection I felt like we were at a rock band concert and although it was announced before the concert, I did not care much about Kim Wilde. There were seven songs in a row that were not bad, but there was something missing.

As the concert was running, the feeling of the biggest hits that felt like the last part of the almost two-hour show was in the air. The songs View From a Bridge, Chequered Love, You Came, and You Keep Me Hangin’ On made the entire MMC dance. The whole night ended with Kim singing ‘Kids in America’, which started her career in 1981.

Bratislava’s concert Kim Wilde confirmed that the stars of the past few years are not easy at the moment. Their new songs are very difficult to get into the radio or TV air, and their own shadow of the past is difficult for them, even though they are releasing new albums that may not be worse than those that have ejected them. Even this concert clearly showed that the icon of the 80s did not appeal to the new generation. Approximately 600 people were estimated and nearly 40+.

Those who grew up on her songs and came to remember can certainly be content. They have all the important hits, and Kim looks good, but at the same time it has to be said objectively that she is not a long-standing star. And it’s true not only for its popularity. Unfortunately, the singing performance was not one hundred percent. Certainly, however, her health played a significant role as she had a cold. Fortunately, she was supported by a young vocalist – backing singer Scarlett, the guitarist’s daughter.

This is why the concert did not belong among the unforgettable experiences, yet none of the participants may regret their participation. The sound of the MMC was basically good, the band was playing with great energy, and even Kim itself, despite the lesser health ailment, worked hard and vigorously, and throughout the concert she had a lot of communication with the audience. The royal admirers rewarded it for the applause, as well as the flowers that brought it to the podium several times. They enjoyed a concert that was the last for her for a while. After Bratislava there is a three-week break before the tour continues, and it seems that the relaxation will come in handy.