Paul Simon, 83, has simply changed his mind about a farewell to touring that he announced in 2018, with a valedictory arena tour that ended with a park concert in Queens. He had more to say and sing.
He’s back on the road with a relatively intimate, scaled-down postscript: his A Quiet Celebration tour. It’s booked into theaters selected for their acoustics, and it’s made possible by an advanced monitoring system that helps him cope with his recent severe hearing loss. […]
In 2023, Simon released “Seven Psalms,” a continuous 33-minute suite of songs about the brevity, fragility and preciousness of life — “Two billion heartbeats and out / Or does it all begin again?” […]
He opened his Beacon Theater concert with a full performance of that album wearing a blazer, without his usual ball cap. The suite’s sections are loosely held together by delicate guitar picking patterns, recurring vocal lines and occasional refrains. But they also explore enigmatic tangents and dissolve into abstract sounds. In the best way, “Seven Psalms” sounds like someone thinking aloud, melodically and philosophically. […]
Between songs, Simon spoke about musical constructions. He teased instantly recognizable “guitar figures” from Simon & Garfunkel songs before playing a weary, countryish version of his touring-musician’s lament, “Homeward Bound.” He explained “Rewrite” — sung by a burned-out character wishing he could rewrite his life story — as growing out of a beat and a quick-fingered guitar lick.
Simon’s songs have had grown-up concerns for decades. He sang about parenthood in “Graceland” and “St. Judy’s Comet.” He sang about inevitable disillusionment in “Slip Slidin’ Away.” He sang about reluctant breakups, wistfully, in “Train in the Distance” and drolly in “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” And after explaining how he saw a song title in a photo caption, he sang about romance, art, consumerism and the power of music in “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War,” in the pointillistic arrangement from his 2018 album “In the Blue Light.”
His reedy voice is weaker and scratchier than it once was, but he was still game, reaching for high notes in “Slip Slidin’ Away” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” The restrained volume and the age of the audience made the room reluctant to sing along until near the end of the set. But when “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” arrived, and when Simon suggested “Sing!” during “The Boxer,” loud singalongs sprang up. For all his intricacies, he always knew how to write a hook.
— Jon Pareles, excerpts from “Paul Simon at the Beacon Theater: Quiet, Intricate, Masterly (NY Times, Jun 17 2025)
Photo: jambands.com
Am ready
Not yet!!!!
Good for him!
Would love to go watch one of those intimate concerts.
It’s hard when you get to a certain age and you start seeing all the famous people who you greatly admired when you were young and invincible… Start to cross over to the other side.
The relatively recent loss of Gordon Lightfoot hit me particularly hard. I was a big fan, and after a small bit of research, I learned that he was born with exceptional musical talent (a prodigy). Grateful I got to see him once in concert.
PS: when Elton John leaves us… Despite his controversial lifestyle… I’m going to find that one pretty tough.
Me too!
And Paul, as to his lifestyle, that’s his business and not mine. He’s an incredible performer, has had a remarkable career, he has done so much good during his time on earth, I feel we are all better for it.
All good points, Dave! Agree, 100%.
I saw him in concert once in Boston.
He was fabulous!
It’s sad (for you) that you had to say that. Elton live and loved (finally) and was ultimately accepted for who he is.
P.S. The Brits never had a problem embracing Elton completely. Shame that so many others did.
I share your thoughts and sentiment Paul. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad to hear this and sometimes we just have more to say or do and so why not?
Exactly!
I love his songs!
Me too!
Keep singing along.
Yes!
I saw Paul Simon at Lincoln Center when we were both much younger. It’s wonderful that there are sound systems and/or programs that can facilitate a musician’s hearing loss (as well as regular people too). He lives in Texas, I think, with a studio on the property. An urban child finds magic in the rolling acreage of a gentlemen’s farm.
It must have been a wonderful memory to see and hear him live at Lincoln Center (beautiful venue).
It was really fantastic – I was close enough to give him a rose, and felt like I had just received a gift
Wow! Now that’s Something.
Truly
What a lovely story, Mimi. An additional thread in your glorious tapestry of experiences….❤️
Thank you so much for this! I never heard the Magritte’s song. Beautiful as is every song he ever wrote. Now I need to learn more about Rene Magritte. McLean’s “Starry, Starry Night” started me on a trip that has been never ending. Maybe this will do the same.
Peace,
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