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July 24, 2012 - Norway
Oslo - Spektrum

Setlist

1. Kodachrome/Gone At Last
2. Dazzling Blue
3. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
4. Vietnam
5. Mother and Child Reunion
6. That Was Your Mother
7. Hearts and Bones/Mystery Train/Wheels
8. Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard
9. Slip Slidin’ Away
10. The Obvious Child
Graceland set:
11. Hello My Baby (Mambazo)
12. Nomathemba (Mambazo)
13. Homeless
14. Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes
15. I Know What I Know
16. The Boy In the Bubble
17. Crazy Love, Vol. II
18. Mandela (Bring Him Back Home) (H. Masekela)
19. African Sunset (Thandiswa Mazwai)
20. Stimela (Hugh Masekela)
21. Gumboots
22. Under African Skies
23. Graceland
24. You Can Call Me Al
Encore:
25. The Sound of Silence
26. The Boxer
27. Late In the Evening
28. Still Crazy After All These Years

The band (not all members are present at all shows)

Vincent Nguini - Guitar
Bakithi Kumalo - Bass
Mark Stewart - Guitars, Cello, Saxophone, selfmade instruments
Tony Cedras - Accordeon, Keyboard, Guitars
Andy Snitzer - Saxophone, Synthesizer
Jamey Haddad - Percussion
Ray Phiri - Guitars
John Selolwane - Guitars
Sonti Mndebele - Background Vocals
Isaac Mtshali - Drums
Barney Rachabane - Saxophone, Pennywhistle
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Vocals
Mick Rossi - Piano, Percussion
Jim Oblon - Drums, Guitars
Thandiswa Mazwai - Background Vocals

Fans who attended this show

Hello ! I am a conductor and hhave for the last years done several concerts with the songs of Paul Simon with several choirs. I do also have a maser based upon Simons songs. I would be glad to met him a few seconds in Oslo during his concert there.

I have been a die-hard PS fan since I was 12 (from 1976). I have seen 6 concerts before and loved them all. Yesterday I saw him for the 7th time, in Oslo. It was like being spitted in my face. After the 1st hr with PS songs, rather mediocre set and not perfect sound, he gave the stage away to LBM and Hugh Mazakela (or how you spell it...don´t care to check) for an hour. I left the concert after the audience had been forced to listen to- and watch LBM dance and sing for 25 minutes followed by some weird Mandela-shouting by HM supported by PS. When a South African lady entered the stage I left the show. I have never been a big fan of Graceland, but the album is OK, but highly overrated, but I never imagined he would give away the stage for so long to his African friends with the worst kind of extremely boring music and political shouting. I spend 800 USD in flight ticket, hotel and ticket and spent 2 days of my holiday. Mr. Simon: I want my money back! To make it absurd ( and this a completely true) I later - randomly - met him on the street outside his hotel when he came in taxi after the concert! I couldn´t believe it. I was 1 meter away from PS and looking at him and he looking at me. What do do? Give him a verbal beating for a terrible concert? Ask for the autograph? Take a photo with him? A 13-14 year old boy then came up and asked PS to sign ´Graceland´ and ´BOTW´. The boy obviously knew that PS was at this hotel and had waited outside. PS signed ´Graceland´, bur REFUSED to sign ´BOTW´. PS was also grumpy and did not smile of say anything. What discraceful behaviour! I just left my biggest idol there and then with a bad taste in my mouth. I live in Bergen, Norway and had tickets - or course - in my hometown tomorrow (26th), of what should have been the biggest event in my life, but I have now given them away. I still love his music, but as a person he proved to be Mr. Nothing. I will never see him live again, except with AG - if that happens. From another very disappointed Paul S in Norway ( yes, we have the same initials and first name)

A somehow strange concert review from Oslo.
It is hard to understand why people go to a concert called ´25th cellebration of Graceland´, which promises to play the whole Graceland album, and then are surprised that bands like LBM or Hugh Masekela have a short set of 2 songs both.

Paal I am really sorry you expected a Simon and Garfunkel show and got word renown jazz by Hugh Masekela and grammy winning african musicians like LBM. But anyway, that was it what the concert advertisement said and the show was named. Are you going to AC/DC concerts and want to hear some ballads?

The 25th Graceland show is higly appreciated all over the places where Paul played, in fact I would say that in London, where an audience of 50.000 came to see Paul and the backstage area was packed with other stars, was another highlight of his career.


Hugh Masekela is one of the best jazz musicians on that planet. If you are not open to jazz this might freak you (and I guess you are not because you talk about going to Art Garfunkel concerts), but he is one of the guys who can get your attention alone with his voice and great trumpet playing. For me he was the highlight of the concerts. I showed videos of Hugh Masekela to friends at home and they shared the same feelings, you hang on his lips and he captures your whole attention.

After a show Paul is tired and wants to go to bed early. He is very very careful with his voice, so he just wants to be left alone. He is not a party guy, so capturing him late in the night after the show was maybe not the best moment, because before the show is usually very friendly. I personally think that signing ONE item is enough - because the usual thing that happens is that people put those signed items on ebay and sell it. So that is a rule that should please everyone. Or do you want to wait for Paul in a row to sign your album, but the guy in front of you has 25 albums to sign and you will not get one because there is not enough time? Your personal hate feelings are more connected with your surprise that this is not a Simon and Garfunkel show.

Sorry that you went to the wrong concert. You might have realized that you are the only one leaving the concert in the middle.

Paal - Dette var en jubileumskonsert for Graceland-albumet og du forlater konserten FØR Graceland-showet begynner. Det blir bare for dumt og ved at du i ettertid skriver en anmeldelse av konserten blir som om at du skal beskrive en matrett du aldri har smakt. Hva med litt research på forhånd da? I disse tider så kan du jo se de fleste konserter på Youtube nesten umiddelbart etterpå. Hvis du forventa å høre bare gamle S&G-klassikere så kunne du ha unngått denne, for din del, bomturen. Du skriver at du er en Die-Hard fan av Paul, men det tyder jo fint lite på at det er tilfelle når du så til de grader bommer på hele meningen bak denne turneen. Og at du traff ham etterpå tror jeg vel litt hva jeg vil om. Uansett beklagelig for din del, jeg hadde ihvertfall en fantastisk konsertopplevelse og det virka som om både øvrig publikum og presse storkoste seg.