Rocking Nostalgic From the Reagan Years

SIMPLE MINDS and INXS. The '80s are back ... again. Monday night at the Beacon Theatre, Manhattan. The bands will perform Thursday night at Jones Beach.

The haphazard revival of the '80s continued Monday night at the Beacon Theatre with performances by the Simple Minds and INXS. Although some variations on '80s rock have found their way into current dance music genres such as progressive trance and electroclash, neither band plays a style with such currency. Instead, they are loyalists to a sound firmly rooted in the days of the second Reagan administration, and Monday night's crowd at the Beacon was there purely for nostalgia.

It's not hard to hear the attraction. Both bands emerged after the raw energy of punk and new wave had faded and before the angst of grunge arrived. Their songs shimmer with gleaming optimism, soaring melodies and, of course, heroic synthesizer runs and guitar solos. There's nothing that can't be conquered in their epic sweep.

Although INXS opened, the two bands split the three-hour concert evenly. And though they made little hay about it from the stage, INXS is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The Aussie rockers didn't hit it big until a decade into their career when their recording "Kick" (Atlantic) launched such hits as "Need You Tonight" and "Never Tear Us Apart." Their sound was rooted in "Sticky Fingers"-era Stones but with a glossier sheen.

This tour is their first in America since the 1997 death of lead singer Michael Hutchence. New frontman Jon Stevens has his predecessor's shaggy look, but he lacks Hutchence's Morrison-esque swagger. The band gleefully ran through its hits, stopping only once for a new song, "Hungry," and once for a song from the posthumously released solo disc from Hutchence. The new material broke the mood, and the band quickly returned to its catalog for songs such as "Devil Inside" and "Suicide Blonde."

The Scottish band Simple Minds could have played this gig as a conventional veteran band touring behind a new CD, but instead opted for memory lane. They trimmed the songs from their recent release "Cry" (Eagle) that were featured on the setlists of their recent European tour in favor of songs that reached back to the late '70s. Although the band has remained popular overseas, its American fan base owes mostly to the 1985 hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)." However, the crowd at the Beacon was just as enthusiastic about older songs such as "Ghostdancing," "Sanctify Yourself" and "Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)."

Most songs started slowly, often riding a gentle guitar lick or a synthesizer figure, then building quickly and majestically until reaching a furious climax and a series of false cadenzas that worked the crowd into a frenzy. On most songs, lead singer Jim Kerr murmured just underneath the band, rendering his words barely intelligible. However, the music's soaring melodies made his intentions clear. The band returned for an encore of "Promised You a Miracle," which put a nifty little bow on a neat package of nostalgia. (by Martin Johnson)

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