Simple Minds – V Tour 2027

Five decades in, and the songs still arrive with full force

Simple Minds return to Afterpay Arena, formerly Qudos Bank Arena with the V Tour 2027, celebrating fifty years of music with a catalogue that has long outgrown its era. Songs like Alive and Kicking, Waterfront, Belfast Child and Don’t You (Forget About Me) still carry that same widescreen, full-room lift, which is part of why a Simple Minds show feels less like nostalgia and more like a band meeting its audience exactly where the songs have lived all these years. With Gary Numan joining the Sydney date, it is a line-up with real weight behind it.

Where to stay for Simple Minds in Sydney

A show like this tends to bring people in a little earlier and send them home a little later. There is usually dinner beforehand, more than one “I haven’t heard this live in years” moment during the set, and a fair chance no one wants the practical side of the night to become the bit they remember least fondly.

Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport works well around that kind of evening. You can take your time, head to Biggles Bar & Grill before the show, and come back to one of the hotel’s 252 refurbished rooms once the arena crowd has thinned out. If you get back wanting something simple, 24-hour in-room dining is there, and Sirocco makes the next morning easy with breakfast on site. There is also a 24/7 fitness centre and sauna if the concert is part of a longer Sydney stay.

Getting from Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport to Afterpay Arena

• Train: Start from Mascot Station and travel toward Lidcombe, then change for the Olympic Park service. Olympic Park Station is the stop for Afterpay Arena, with the venue a few minutes away within the precinct. This is usually the easiest option on major event nights.
• Taxi or rideshare: Cars can pick up from the hotel entrance, and the trip to Afterpay Arena will usually take around 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic and what time you leave.
• Driving to Sydney Olympic Park: If you are planning to drive, parking is available across Sydney Olympic Park. Checking parking options before you leave is worth doing, especially for a Saturday arena show.

Simple Minds accommodation near Afterpay Arena

Some bands hold onto a few crowd favourites. Simple Minds have built a setlist people carry around with them for years. Crowne Plaza Sydney Airport gives the Sydney show somewhere easy to begin and somewhere quieter to return to once the last chorus has landed.