Simon and Garfunkel (concert review) - blog 100!

As I write I am listening to Bookends, S and G's 2nd to last "proper" album.

Today has been something of an S and G celebration round the vWs, in the house stereo, the car stereo, and when I finish S and G I will be on to Paul Simon's solo output.

The concert was indeed "groovy" in many ways.

I have not seen the Vector Arena so full ever, and not only that, full of well-behaved elderly people!

And then there was the audience...

But seriously, S and G may be physically/visually showing their age (and G's voice has inevitably succumbed a bit to the ravages of time, tho maintaining a ghostly fragility that was not inappropriate for the more intimate numbers), but musically the songs of Paul Simon remain as fresh, timeless and potent as when they were first penned ("how terribly strange to be 70", indeed!).

The concert, for me, fell into 3 sections -

1. The Hits (Old Friends the starter, followed by Hazy Shade of Winter, I Am a Rock, etc. etc.)...Scarborough Fair with cello (not the additional lyrics - straight folksong), Mrs Robinson preceded by entertaining clips from The Graduate (hasn't Dustin Hoffman come a long way?), and interluded by Not Fade Away, finishing with Bridge Over Troubled Water (Art giving it his all) - going into the 2nd chorus the sound cut out and the audience joined in (mostly throughout the concert we wanted to join in, but also to listen, so most of us shut up after the first few lines of each song).

2. The Solo Stuff... (which came in the middle of the hits)
Art Garfunkel with Bright Eyes (you either love or hate it - frankly I prefer the stuff from his first solo album, Angel Clare), a song about New York, and a grace...

Paul Simon with Me and Julio, Boy in the Bubble and Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, then back to the hits - Paul rocked with the band, and the band themselves were a great ensemble...drummer, percussionist, the bassist Paul has used for his last few concert tours, a guy on accordion, trumpet, etc. a lead guitarist who could play sax and Andean flute...hmm, wouldn't mind seeing their contracts for this tour!...a beautiful pianist, a cellist...and Paul on his array of acoustic guitars...the sound beautifully mixed, allowing us to hear the subtleties of S's guitar playing, the musical equivalent of runny, golden honey.

3. The Encores - Celia (fun to look down from our lofty perch and watch the old birds shaking their stuff on what limited floor space was available), "Leaves That Are Green Turn To Brown" (2 men and a guitar - intimate, gorgeous, angelic), The Boxer (my favourite song, and I finally got the significance of the last verse!), and of course "Feelin' Groovy" (house lights up, 2 band blokes prowling around and lapsing into the Jaws music for some cheerful and crazy reason).

Highlights - Simon's solo slot, Scarborough Fair, Leaves etc., My Little Town, Sounds of Silence and of course Bridge (since mum died I always feel like crying when I hear them sing that song)...

Simon's guitar-playing.

The sound overall (lesser bands should blimmin' well pay attention, especially to the fact that the bass does NOT need to be cranked all the way up!).

The rapport of S and G - a friendship that has had its ups and downs, but then they have been doing this for at least 50 years! To see their complicite on stage was special.

The songs - every one a cracker in its own right.

No frills - no explosions, no support act, no "rarking up" the crowd - musicianship, rapport, respect, humour, beauty, 2 and a half hours of bloody good music!

Wish I could've gone again tonight!

Over and out,

G.