Old Paul Simon stands front and center, under a baseball cap, in a shirt with a cross on it, looking modest. Perhaps it’s because he knows that it’s not really him but his music that is the star of the show. He’s composed some great songs over the years and some of them find their way here, despite the off-putting set title, which falsely suggests that it’s primarily a concert of songs from his new album.

He does perform six songs from You’re The One, including the heartbreak anthem title track, but most of the songs he sings are the ones the world already knows and loves. And the backing music often sounds even better than the original album versions, thanks to his band, which at one point has master drummer Steve Gadd totally nailing the complex marching beat of Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover.

That song fuses into a Fender Rhodes jazz session at the end, but funky instrumental breakdowns aren’t uncommon during this show, which is actually a mesh of two recent (2000) shows performed at The Olympia Hall in Paris. It would’ve been better to stick to one show, yes, but Paul Simon and his crew are wearing the same clothes, so you won’t notice unless you’re comparing shots of the audience.

my rating : 4 of 5

2001