News

Simple Minds Close Radio 2 in the Park in Stirling

Simple Minds brought Radio 2 in the Park to a rousing finish in Stirling, playing their only UK date of the year on the festival's closing night. With Stirling Castle behind them in City Park, Jim Kerr and the band ran through favourites such as Alive and Kicking, Promised You a Miracle and Waterfront.

Before playing their new single, Beginner Boys, Kerr told the crowd it was the band's first time back in Stirling in almost 50 years and joked about how long the invitation had taken. He thanked the audience for its energy and led a huge singalong to Don't You (Forget About Me), noting how listeners around the world respond to its famous vocal hooks.

The headline set closed a busy last day that began with fellow Scots Deacon Blue and also featured Appleton, Blue, James Blunt, Cast and Level 42. On the DJ stage, Radio 2 hosts Jeremy Vine, Jo Whiley, Gary Davies, Romesh Ranganathan, OJ Borg and Shaun Keaveny kept the crowd moving all afternoon.

City Park became a sprawling festival village for the weekend, with 20,000 bunting pennants, 100 flags, 600 lanterns and more than 20 miles of electrical cabling linking 200 metres of video screens and 500 stage lights. Radio 2 head Helen Thomas thanked the people of Stirling and the council for the welcome they gave the event, calling Simple Minds' show a masterclass in live performance after Saturday's headline set from Chaka Khan.

Full sets and highlights from the weekend can be streamed on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. BBC Two showed the Simple Minds performance with its Sunday highlights programme, and BBC Four will screen a Best of Radio 2 in the Park special on Friday 18th September 2026 at 9.10pm.

Photo: Music-News
Source: Muzland
Added by Frank
7 views