The 5th edition of Crazy Week !!! kicked off at full throttle by welcoming a legendary band as the headliner: Simple Minds.
This year, we arrive at a sleek plaza offering some well-thought-out stands: savory piadina for Italian specialties from the toque truck (La Kitchenette), sweet crepes at the adjacent stand, and, on the opposite side, the drinks area with collectible glasses engraved with the festival’s lineup.
Opening acts featured local favorites, Miss America, the 2014 darlings of the boss Patrice Bouchon, followed by ALB, « good pop » indeed.
As the legendary Simple Minds set up their gear, night falls, the moon shows its beautiful face, the plaza statue lights up amidst the darkness of the Théâtre de Verdure, which is packed to the brim tonight.
A rhythm of guitar/bass/drum envelops the clustered crowd. The venue heats up. Spotlights sweep the stage and the crowd with beams of light in a random dance.
After a few long minutes in this suspended state, another track enters our speakers, completely out of sync with the theme of the evening: boom-booms, electro sounds, and then in the middle, silence. A sharp cut. The manipulated rhythm gives way to a mystical a cappella choir, making us feel like we’re in a church with the only altar being the drum set lit under the tent. The band takes the stage. Amen.
As usual, Jim Kerr extends the microphone over his audience, claps hands with the front row, looks into as many eyes as possible, shares, exchanges.
His musicians are in top form and a lovely Afro chorister spices up the stage.
The group’s best tracks are played tonight, including their homage to Nelson Mandela, which they don’t perform at every concert. Consider it an honor. With a formidable crew of sound engineers, the “don’t you” echo throughout the Verdure and far beyond. The audience responds with “Hey Hey Hey Hey” and then “La la la…”, not forgetting the famous chorus, in unison.
Mel Gaynor drums with just his two arms on more than 30 pieces (a rare sight), Andy Gillespie maintains his three levels of keyboards, Charlie Burchill strums his guitar with a constant smile, Ged Grimes aka “the man who played the bass with a pick” moves on stage faster than his shadow, providing some backing vocals sharing the mic with the radiant miss Sarah Brown.
The audience calls for more, and their encore is granted: the band delivers 1 hour and 45 minutes of pure joy to their Nice fans and aficionados who came from afar during this summer season. Mission accomplished, mission achieved for Ivoire Music.
See you tonight for Cats on Trees and Morcheeba!
Put yourself on a diet at lunch if you plan on eating on site in the evening: the crepes are irresistible.
