Music review

You know the world beat aesthetes — the types who scoff at Paul Simon and his international band, afraid that a pop star who plays with rhythm will somehow taint an imaginary canon of African and South American music.

They got it backwards.

It’s the band — a boggling array of six percussionists, three guitarists, three horns, a keyboard player and three singers — that is reinventing Simon’s old folk favorites.

Friday night, at the Seashore Performing Arts Center in Old Orchard Beach, the band rescued “Bridge Over Troubled Water” from piano-bar limbo, recasting the tune as a bluesy spiritual. In “Me and Julio Down at the Schoolhouse,” they gave Julio room to swing. “Kodachrome” took new color.

And Simon looked like he was having the time of his life.

The 49-year-old singer was a little droopy under the eyes after several months of touring, and he did not hit all the high notes.

But Simon’s smiles were genuine and frequent. More important, he sang and played his guitar with controlled fire, the same irresistable energy that pulsed and undulated from every corner of his oversized band.

Wearing a loose sportcoat over his T-shirt despite the damp evening heat, Simon trotted onstage and got right down to business, opening up a slow, syncopated version of “Obvious Child,” a song from his 1990 “Rhythm of the Saints” album.

The next tune, “Boy in the Bubble,” also simmered on low; by cutting the tempo from the recorded version, Simon gave his drummers room to weave a rich backdrop of offbeats and doubletime. The sell-out crowd had a hard time sitting still, and gave it up after a tight, powerful, four-bongo solo.

Fans of the new Paul Simon got a full show, with grooving versions of five “Graceland” tunes and six cuts from “Rhythm of the Saints.” With the release of a new disc recorded during this spring’s Central Park concert approaching, Simon proved that his live performance is no mere reproduction of recent studio albums.

But it was the old Paul Simon songs that sent fans into small ecstasies, and Simon apparently sensed this. As the show wore on, Simon transformed himself from the conductor of an all-star band to the singer-guitarist the crowd wanted.

“Still Crazy After All These Years” was a singalong; his pared down “Sounds of Silence” — the last of seven songs he performed over two encore appearances — sent people swooning.

But something beyond nostalgia resonated through these oldies. It was the haunting sound of a lone African recorder opening “Cecelia;” it was the triumphant rhythms injected into “Late in the Evening” by 14 different musicians, from 14 different musical traditions. It was Simon’s songwriting strength enriched by a talented band, and his willingness to feast on a musical smorgasbord.

“This has been a good night for me,” Simon said after nearly 2 1/2 hours of music. It was the kind of comment many pop stars toss out between every number to whip up the crowd. But from Simon, who figures nobody is paying $24 to hear his patter, a remark is a rare thing, and he sounded like he meant it.

The audience loved it, and responded still more excitedly when Simon added, “We ought to take you on the road with us.”

We’ll start packing, Paul. We’d love to see more of your world.