Simple Minds Review of the Live Concert in Montreal,Canada October 21,2013

First let me start by saying I am an original Simple Minds fan. I discovered the band when I was DJ at CRSG cable FM Radio at Concordia University in winter of 80-81. The station manager at the time, Richard Edwarde (R.I.P.), turned me on to the L.P. "Empires & Dance". We listened to the whole album together in the studio. It was new,revolutionary,and mesmerizing to us both. To us, this album by an obscure group from Glasgow,Scotland was going to get played on our student radio station. No question about that ! We played 3 songs which stood out tall from this L.P.- "Celebrate", "Today I Died Again", and "Thirty Frames A Second". Empires and Dance LP was released September 27,1980. Since October or November of the same year we played the heck out of this album. The next Simple Minds album was released in 1981 "Sons and Fascination". In my mind, that was it.This band is NOT so simple ! They are versatile and unique in their style and sound, that I predicted to myself and every one of my friends that Simple Minds is for real and to be taken very seriously. My first Simple Minds live concert was sometime in late '81 or early '82 at a small 250 capacity room in downtown Calgary Alberta for the Sons and Fascination Tour.I saw them again in '83 for the 81-82-83-84 Tour. On stage they were perfect and so was the sound. Jim Kerr, the lead singer did not smile much. He was totally focused and immersed in his music. I have included the "I Promised You A Miracle" video to illustrate this point.
The 2013 live performance at the Metropolis Club in downtown Montreal on Monday October 21 was a tad disappointing.The songs which "made" Simple Minds in its heyday were NOT performed.
Songs like "Big Sleep", "Thirty Frames A Second", "Theme For Great Cities","Sister Feeling Call"". "Premonition", and the most surprising one of them all "CELEBRATE" ! "Celebrate" is the name of this World Tour for God's sake ! It's one of their best songs ever. And they did not perform this ?And there were many other songs not included as well. Instead the band plays cover song such as "Neon Lights" (Kraftwerk), and "Gloria" their last song of the evening, a song done many times by many artists (Van Morrison). Puh-lease ! Simple Minds blew it in my opinion. This concert could have easily been the CONCERT OF THE YEAR. But instead they opted for the easy way out. They just went "corporate" , and commercial, like so much of music today. Shame on you Simple Minds. I still love the band and the music. Simple Minds will still be in my library with some of the greatest songs on this planet. Well, you know, all good things must come to an end. I have seen Simple Minds live for the very last time. And I will just have to look at old videos and listen to the vintage Simple Minds albums to keep the spirit alive.

By the way ; here are some positives of the live Simple Minds concert on October 21. The young and beautiful African lady accompanying Jim Kerr on stage was fabulous, very competent. Her singing of "Neon Lights" was impeccable. Simple Minds did play "I Promised You A Miracle" (at least !). Peace out. Have a great day everyone !