Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr believes Stonehaven’s Hogmanay party organisers could teach the bigger festivals a thing or two about launching events.
The Scots rock legend paid the hardy band of Mearns volunteers the ultimate tribute as he thanked them for their warm hospitality during his recent visit to the town.
The event is organised in tandem with the famous fireball swinging ceremony nearby in the Auld Toon’s High Street. Last year the Square Party attracted around 5,000 revellers.
Kerr was piped to a media launch at Dunnottar Castle for this year’s Open Air In The Square (OAIS) event and happily posed for photos with locals and bemused visitors.
In a message to the group of volunteers who are handling the massive task of putting the Hogmanay gig together, he said: “We enjoyed every minute of our time in Stonehaven.
“It is a wonderful thing to see people working from the heart and I am sure your event will be a true success.
“In my opinion, you could easily teach the already established festivals a thing or two about launching events and that’s saying something, considering this is only your second year.”
Chart-toppers Simple Minds will headline the concert on December 31 at the Market Square along with support acts.
Last Year the Red Hot Chilli Pipers were the main attraction, playing through the bells. This year’s tickets sold out within days of them going on sale online and at Celtic Chords music shop in Stonehaven’s Barclay Street.
Stonehaven OAIS committee member Lindsay Verstralen said the organisers were slightly pinching themselves to make sure they were not dreaming.
The event will cost more than £200,000 to stage and this year the organisers are looking for as much sponsorship as possible from local and national businesses, including the chance of company VIP packages.
Best known for their 1985 US number one hit Don’t You (Forget About Me) from the film The Breakfast Club, Simple Minds evolved from a post-punk art rock band influenced by Roxy Music into a grand, epic-sounding pop group along the lines of U2.
The Glasgow band have achieved six No 1 albums in the UK as well hitting the top spot in countless other countries.
These include Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
Boasting a career which spans more than three decades, they recently released Celebrate Greatest Hits +, which includes hit singles Alive and Kicking, Don’t You (Forget About Me), Belfast Child and Promised You A Miracle.