Stuart Morrison's verdict: five stars.

In the good old days, no big rock show could start without Thus Spake Zarathustra, or some other, similar, dramatic piece of classical music. So that it was reassuring to hear Ravel’s Bolero blasting out, prior to Simple Minds producing possibly their best set in this city for years.

Starting with the distinctive bass intro to Waterfront, they didn’t put a foot wrong all night in a show that both looked and sounded superb. Jim Kerr may now look a bit like the favourite uncle who sings at your Christmas parties, but the voice was in fine form and he still threw those shapes. There was a worrying moment when he sang whilst bent over backwards, but it was to his eternal credit that he regained his feet without assistance, although he really should be more careful at his age. Aided and abetted by Catherine Anne Davies on vocals, keyboards and guitar and Sarah Brown on vocals, they rattled through the hits, Promised You a Miracle, Glittering Prize, Someone Somewhere in Summertime, All The Thing She Said and Don’t You Forget About Me and a sprinkling of album tracks, such as Book of Brilliant Things, featuring the impressive Brown and Rivers of Ice, performed by the equally excellent Catherine AD. Charlie Burchill’s guitar swooped all night, with two breaks, during an acoustic The American and Dolphins, in which he played violin. Mel Gaynor’s drumming and Ged Grime’s bass gave them a rock solid basis on which to build what was a truly impressive racket.

All in all, it was a homecoming triumph. It may be nearly forty years since they started, but they are still, very definitely, Alive and Kicking.