Blue Peter and Chalk Circle combine forces in concert

You know for sure you're over 40 when you wait in line outside in sub zero temperatures to see a double headline concert featuring Blue Peter and Chalk Circle.

The two Canadian bands, who made most of their music during the 1980s, played at The Mod Club in Toronto (on College St. east of Ossington) on Friday, January 21.





While staff prepared the stage and fans filed through the doors, the Mod Club played 80s videos on its giant screen, including one of U2 in concert playing Sunday Blood Sunday.


The concert debuted with Chalk Circle, who sounded much better in concert than on the radio or on MP3s. They entertained the packed club with hits such as Me Myself and I and This Mourning. I guessed their last song would be either April Fool or 20th Century Boy. I was correct. They ended with 20th Century Boy.        

Before they played Sons and Daughters, lead singer Chris Tait announced his band had been asked not to play it on Parliament Hill, but did anyway. It wasn' t clear who asked them not to play it or why. Released in 1989, Sons and Daughters includes a reference to Boston Harbor, which was a flashpoint in the 1988 U.S. presidential elections. At that time, Republicans had criticized Michael Dukakis, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, for pollution in Boston Harbor. Dukakis at the time was the governor of Massachusetts.

Unlike U2's Bono, Tait and Chalk Circle were gracious enough not to preach their politics to the crowd. Other than thanking the crowd for coming out, Tait kept his remarks to a minimum and sang.

The second band, Blue Peter, did not sound quite as good in concert as they do on the radio.
That was either the acoustics or the instruments. The voice of lead singer Paul Humphrey, who also played in the band Broken Arrow, is as good today as it was in 1979. What Blue Peter lacked in sound they made up for in the lighting and the volume. I guessed the band would end with either Radio Silence or Don't Walk on Past. I was correct on that speculation. The band played a long version of Radio Silence during the middle of the concert and went out with a bang with Don't Walk on Past. Humphrey's probably a good actor but his performance shows he's just as into his music now as he was 30 years ago.

For $20, I certainly got my money's worth from this concert. Blue Peter may have walked past, but they didn't break this heart.