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Post by fatfingerjohn on Nov 13, 2016 9:05:50 GMT
Hi,
Quick review of the show last night.
These days it's with a bit of trepidation that I go to see the 'old timers' and wonder whether its all gone. This had been the case with Gordon Lightfoot earlier this year (still worth seeing for nostalgia sake but the voice had gone). But, wow, what a show this was. In front of a truly amazing band of 9 people Paul put on a stunning performance for a sell-out audience. Starting 20 minutes late (which I find annoying when there's £500,000 of customers' money waiting) we were treated to non-stop 2 hours 20 minutes of Paul. I wish I had half his energy. He didn't pull the trick of disappearing for 20 minutes whilst his band did a spot (although they would have been excellent entertainment); it was just non-stop Simon.
The gig list was a mixture of many tracks from his new CD (Stranger to Stranger), some of which are not totally my cup of tea but are innovative musically (Werewolf and Wrist Band particularly good fun); and oldies, of which Me and Julio, America, Diamonds in her Shoes, The Boxer and Late in the Evening were stunningly performed. Reviews of the show had said he finished with a solo acoustic of Sounds of Silence but for us he did one of my all-time favourites American Tune (which seemed quite poignant in the current climate). His voice was little short of amazing; yes, the odd lyric high note was replaced but totally within context.
It was a privilege to see one of the absolute top ten singer songwriters of all time. I sometimes find arena type gigs a bit distant (literally) and thus lacking in intimacy but this show, without any big screens, was nothing short of brilliant. And the final amazing thought when we left was that his song catalogue would probably have allowed him to do another 4 similar quality shows without one song repeat.
I'll repeat, WOW! |
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Post by slasher on Nov 16, 2016 14:34:39 GMT
Sounds like a great show. I'm with you on big venues, not too keen. Paul Simon does not seem to have been considered to be as 'cool' as Dylan or Cohen(RIP) but is their more accessible equal and one of the 'Greats' (IMO).
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Post by andyhowell on Nov 17, 2016 7:52:28 GMT
Musically he is streets ahead of Cohen. Cohen touched people of a certain generation with some lovely and evocative lyrics but Simon's experiments over the years may seem accessible now but were bold and radical at the time!
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leoroberts
C.O.G. 
Posts: 26,146 
My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Nov 17, 2016 13:27:22 GMT
Musically he is streets ahead of Cohen. ! Well, now, that's a bit subjective, Andy... (That is a polite way of me saying "I disagree with what you've said there") |
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,397
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Post by colins on Nov 17, 2016 15:08:04 GMT
He's still the guy that copyrighted Scarborough Fair  Colin |
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Post by andyhowell on Nov 17, 2016 21:04:43 GMT
Musically he is streets ahead of Cohen. ! Well, now, that's a bit subjective, Andy... (That is a polite way of me saying "I disagree with what you've said there") That's OK Leo :-) I did say musically :-) Imagine what will happen when Paul Simon dies !! SaveSave |
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Post by dobro on Nov 23, 2016 12:55:07 GMT
To me, he is up there with Dylan and Neil. And he is widely played on the US college radio, at an age of 76! That's an achievement.
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Post by andyhowell on Nov 23, 2016 20:34:07 GMT
To me, he is up there with Dylan and Neil. And he is widely played on the US college radio, at an age of 76! That's an achievement. Dare I mention John Prine? |
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Post by sigmadel on Nov 30, 2016 1:03:26 GMT
I'd love to see Paul live ! I agree that he is one of the true great songwriters up there with the best . I watched the 'Greatest albums' programme the other night which I have recorded on Graceland and I never tire of seeing it .
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Nov 30, 2016 9:03:37 GMT
I'd love to see Paul live ! I agree that he is one of the true great songwriters up there with the best . I watched the 'Greatest albums' programme the other night which I have recorded on Graceland and I never tire of seeing it . Also watched this and found the detail that he goes into to create 1 final recording is amazing. he said at the performance that his latest CD took 5 years to make and, having watched the TV programme I can see why. |
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Jo whoever he is.
