# Live in the City of Light

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| CMJ | (favourable) |
| Martin C. Strong | 6/10 |
| Q | |
| Record Mirror | |
| Smash Hits | 6/10 |
Live in the City of Light is the first (double LP / CD) live album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds. It was released in May 1987 to document their successful worldwide Once Upon a Time tour, and charted at No. 1 in the UK. The album spawned one chart single release, a live version of "Promised You a Miracle".

## Overview

The album was recorded live mainly on 12 & 13 August 1986 at Le Zénith, Paris, France (Paris is nicknamed "La Ville de Lumière" which means "The City of Light", hence the album title), on the last dates of the Once Upon a Time world tour, with the only track "Someone, Somewhere In Summertime" recorded in late October 1986 at Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia. It features the band's 1986 touring lineup, which included second vocalist Robin Clark and percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos. Additional "fixing and mixing" was done at Castle Sound Studios in Edinburgh and Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York. Lisa Germano (at the time, a John Mellencamp band member who would perform on Simple Minds' next studio single, Belfast Child), contributed studio-overdubbed violin on "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" and former Simple Minds member Derek Forbes contributed uncredited bass guitar overdubs.

## Album cover

Although the album was not recorded there, the inside of the gatefold sleeve curiously features a photograph taken at another show from the same Once Upon A Time tour: on 9 July 1986 at Piazza Grande, a square in Locarno, Switzerland.

## Release details

Live in the City of Light was released as a double vinyl album with the band's logo in gold lettering over black sleeve. The package featured a 12" x 12" attached giant-sized booklet with state-of-the-art photography of the band's performance and outdoor session pictures. This art could not be reproduced faithfully on later CD releases (an original 1st pressing on double-fat jewel case and the USA version packaged in a long box on two separate discs).

## Track listing

All tracks recorded live on 12 & 13 August 1986 at Le Zénith, Paris, France except "Someone, Somewhere In Summertime" recorded live on 24 (or 30) October 1986 at the Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia.

### Side four
## Complete setlist of the shows on 12 & 13 August 1986 in Paris, France

Source
* Intro / Waterfront
* Speed Your Love To Me (missing track on the live album)
* Come A Long Way (missing track on the live album)
* Book Of Brilliant Things
* Ghost Dancing
* Don't You (Forget About Me)
* Big Sleep
* Promised You A Miracle
* Hunter And The Hunted (missing track on the live album)
* Once Upon A Time
* Oh Jungleland
* All The Things She Said (missing track on the live album)
* Alive And Kicking
* New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)
* Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)
* Sanctify Yourself
* East At Easter
* Medley: Love Song / Sun City / Thank You / Dance To The Music

## Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes.

### Simple Minds

* Jim Kerr – vocals
* Charlie Burchill – guitars
* Michael MacNeil – keyboards, piano
* Mel Gaynor – drums, backing vocals
* John Giblin – bass

### Additional personnel

* Robin Clark – additional vocals
* Sue Hadjopoulos – percussion
* Lisa Germano – studio-overdubbed violin on "Someone Somewhere in Summertime"
* Derek Forbes – bass overdubs on "Promised You a Miracle" and "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" (uncredited)

### Technical

* Bruce Lampcov – producer, mixing
* Steve Riddle – engineer
* Douglas Cowan – computer work
* Callum Malcolm – assistant engineer (Castle Sound Studios)
* Tom Cadley – assistant engineer (Bearsville Studios)
* Bob Ludwig – mastering
* Malcolm Garrett – sleeve
* Guido Harari – photography
* William F. Ryan – "Claddagh" drawing
* Mick Haggerty – original Simple Minds logo

## Charts
### Weekly charts

| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) | 13 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) | 10 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) | 26 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) | 17 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) | 3 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) | 6 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) | 14 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) | 6 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 5 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 5 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 | 96 |
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) | 3 |

### Year-end charts

| Chart (1987) | Position |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 22 |

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| France (SNEP) | Gold | 100,000$^*$ |
| Germany (BVMI) | Gold | 250,000$^^$ |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 2× Platinum | 600,000$^^$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||