On May 30, 2025, Simple Minds played in Austin, TX at the Moody Center on the campus of University of Texas. Simple Minds had two opening acts both 80’s legends in their own right: Modern English and Soft Cell. This was Simple Minds biggest US tour in 40 years to celebrate their 1985 masterpiece Once Upon a Time.
Modern English Opens Up the Show
The show started with Modern English taking the stage and performing some songs from their newest album like ‘Long in the Tooth,’ as well as two early singles, ‘Gathering Dust’ and ‘Swans on Glass’ that were never released from their debut album until a re-release.
To close their set, Modern English stunned the crowd with their hit song ‘Melt With You’ from the 80’s cult classic movie Valley Girl. Modern English sounded great even forty years later and had the crowd on their feet singing along with the chorus.
New Wave Legends, Soft Cell, Play Their Classic Hits
After Modern English, Soft Cell (Marc Almond and Dave Ball) took the stage and started off with the dance-requiring song ‘Memorabilia.’ During this song Marc Almond, and his two backup singers added snippets from Madonna’s ‘Holiday,’ ‘Get Into the Groove,’ and ‘Like a Virgin.’ They continued to play some newer works, all of which were great, especially the song ‘Monoculture’ from the 2004 album, Cruelty Without Beauty.
Soft Cell played two songs off their 2022 album *Happiness Not Included the first being ‘Nostalgia Machine’. Then Marc Almond talked about working with Pet Shop Boys on the song ‘Purple Zone’ before playing it for the crowd.
Before the final two songs, Soft Cell played ‘Say Hello, Wave Goodbye’ and ‘Bedsitter’ off their legendary debut album Nonstop Erotic Cabaret. After the applause following ‘Bedsitter,’ Marc Almond told the story behind ‘Tainted Love,’ explaining that they were looking for a song to cover in an electronic dance style.
Before deciding on ‘Tainted Love,’ they were also considering The Four Seasons ‘The Night,’ which they then proceeded to play. Following this, Soft Cell naturally played the song they settled on, their world-wide number one hit ‘Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go.’ ‘Where Did Our Love Go,’ is a cover of the Supremes that was medleyed with ‘Tainted Love’ on the 12” release of the single.
Simple Minds Rock The House
After a brief break, the Scottish headliners, Simple Minds, came out led by singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill. Simple Minds played enduring songs from their extensive catalog showing an energy and vibrancy of a band that’s not ready to be just a legacy act.
Kerr came out whirling around the stage while opening with ‘Waterfront’. The second song ‘I Travel’ from their 1980 album Empires and Dances was the tour debut of the song. After the anthemic ‘Come A Long Way’ Jim Kerr came out in front of the stage into the front of the audience and sang ‘Let There Be Love.’
Kerr returned to the stage and continued to sing and dance (impressing everyone with his flexibility by doing epic back bends), the band played ‘Once Upon a Time,’ and then ‘Someone Somewhere in Summertime,’ which legendary New Wave DJ, now on SiriusXM’sFirst Wave, Richard Blade, has said is his favorite Simple Minds song.
Simple Minds Plays More Classics Before Some Instrumentals
Later in the set they played ‘She’s a River’ the biographical ‘New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84),’ and the underrated ‘Oh Jungleland’ from their 1985 album Once Upon a Time, both of which are phenomenally great songs. After those songs, Kerr earned a well-earned break while the band played ‘Theme for Great Cities,’ an instrumental song from 1981; during the band’s performance, on the LED screen behind them, a video of aerial shots travelling through famous urban locations was featured. This led into a drum solo by Cherisse Osei, who shook the crowd with her skills that led into a thunderous applause.
The Main Set Ends With A Sing Along on Mega-Hit ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’
After the Osei’s solo, Simple Minds played ‘Promised You a Miracle,’ ‘See the Lights,’ ‘All the Things She Said,’ again from Once Upon a Time and from the 1985 teen movie Breakfast Club: ‘(Don’t You) Forget About Me,’ which had a lengthy bridge in which Jim Kerr with his Scottish accent joked with the audience, who were singing the ‘la-la-la-la-laaas,’ to sing them in other languages, telling the audience they were now multi-lingual. The crowd cheered on as the band left the stage before returning for an encore.
Simple Minds Encore Includes ‘Alive and Kicking’ and ‘ Sanctify Yourself’
After a brief respite the band returned for three more songs starting with back-up singer Sarah Brown singing ‘Book of Brilliant Things.’ To close the show, the band performed two more hits from Once Upon a Time: ‘Alive and Kicking’ and ‘Sanctify Yourself’.
A Great Time Was Had By All in Austin
The concert was a marvelous performance that oozed talent at every note, from Modern English and Soft Cell showing they still have it to the Simple Minds’s energetic set without a forgettable song. Overall, the concert was near perfect. Moody Center is a beautiful arena designed specifically for concerts and is a great place to see a show with lots of food options. We picked up some Simple Minds concert t-shirts. Surprisingly, Soft Cell did not have any shirts available for sale. Overall, the music was top-notch and extremely enjoyable, if you ever get the chance to see the Simple Minds, I recommend it thoroughly.
If you want to enjoy some Simple Minds music, check out our post with our Simple Minds playlist.
