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The neck of my Guitar

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July 24, 2006 - USA / Texas
San Antonio - Municipal Auditorium



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

Vincent Nguini - Guitar
Bakithi Kumalo - Bass
Steve Gadd - Drums
Mark Stewart - Guitars, Cello, Saxophone, selfmade instruments
Robin diMaggio - Drums, percussion
Tony Cedras - Accordeon, Keyboard, Guitars
Andy Snitzer - Saxophone, Synthesizer
Harper Simon - Guitar
Adrian Simon - Keyboards




Fans who attended this show

 





Review by:
Lisa

The tired old people at the concert Monday night in San Antonio are the teenagers from 40 years ago that helped create the Icon that is Paul Simon. We understand the lyrics and are most comforable in his presence with our eyes closed, drifting off to a place that will never again exsist. His passionate rhythms and perfect lyrics are the reason that this music is timeless.The new songs intertwined with the old,are a testament to a long and consistant song writing career. Paul Simon reminds us that natural rhyme is still possible, that mastering an instrument is still important and mostly for us old folks, he understands us. He is one of us

Review by:
Wade

Tired old people should dance more.

You almost ruined Mr. Simon´s show.

Dance. Dance. Dance.

And to the guy who told the hippie chick to shut up and sit down. Stand up, make noise.

Peace and Love









P.S. I got Paul´s setlist. Na na na na na

Review by:
Wade

You know, he may be old, but he probably doesn´t want to be thought of that way. Otherwise he would not have hired Brian Eno. All artists, no matter what age want to be appreciated by the youth. Is it fun for Paul to stand while everyone is sitting? Probably not. Why do you think Bob Dylan plays almost exclusively college campuses?

I respect your position, and maybe someday I will sit at a concert. Actually, If I won´t stand, I probably won´t go. Whats the point?

Review by:
MeanWeenRules

One of the most interesting shows I´ve seen. I was very shocked at how empty the arena was. Would have thought San Antonio could have filled, or almost filled a 5000 seat arena for Paul Simon. Austin ain´t that far away. I worked a full day in Austin drove down, and was in my seat well before Jerry Douglas took the stage.

I thought the first two songs, and the last five were outstanding. Those performances raised the emotions I´ve come to expect from Paul Simon´s music. The middle part of the show was spotty. There were a few highlights, such as Lincoln Douglas, but most of the songs in that part of the show seemed flat.

I was glad that he did different arrangements of many of his old songs. This was not a nostalgia show. It seemed to me that he was trying to play some of his old hits, like Mrs. Robinson, in the style of the new album. I really like the new album, and really like Eno, so I enjoyed hearing the different versions.

All in all it was worth the $, time, and being extremely tired all day today, to catch a few brilliant glimpses of one of my favorite artists. However, I´m still longing for a performance like he was giving in the early 90´s.

Review by:
Triana & Richard

My wife and I came up from Laredo for this show and, besides the minor side issues of the small turnout and the old folks failure to boogie (actually, we sat up front and the watched the security guards call for reinforcements to hold back those same sedate old folks charging the stage ´with their canes´) I must say this was one of the best concerts we have seen in a long time--fulfilling almost every expectation and desire we had about Paul Simon. He and his band seemed genuinely to be having fun and trying to put on what I considered to be a great show. I have to respect the showmanship and artistry of a real ledgend of American music who wants, despite the success and the ego that must go with it, to want to please his fans. As we age we all learn a little about getting older and less eager to please and I really respect Simon for sharing so much of himself with us. The set list was incredible, including many new songs from Simon´s two latest CD´s. Anyone who learned to strum a guitar in the 70´s knows Duncan, which was beautifully rendered, and of course The Boxer, an wonderful duet with Jerry Douglas. I loved the mix of old and new, songs and sounds, and although there are many old favorites I would have like to have heard, Simon´s songbook is so extensive that would be impossible. Simon himself seemed so gracious and seemed to take the small crowd with a grace and lack of ego that, if the ealier review is accurate that he was upset he did not let on in his performance. We have seen a number of good performances from older masters recently, Guy Clark, Mary Black, Butch Hancock, Dylan (tho that SA show, of many incredible Dylan concerts we have seen, was a disappointment), the Stones, and this performance and Simon´s band, music, and accompanying musicians is among the very best in recent years.
I suppose music and art is subjective, but to my mind, this was a wonderful concert and a wonderful opportunity for the ´enlightened few´ to experience an artist with a finger on the pulse of America the way none other has.

Review by:
blu

Kinda long, guys :)

We arrived at the auditorium at around 4:00 (the concert starts at 7:30). We went around to the back where they were unloading the busses and set up camp, hoping to catch Paul walking by so he could sign my Graceland album. We got blown off by several roadie-types when we asked where we could get an autograph.

A couple of hours later, we saw Paul´s bassist B.K. wandering around looking lost. I waved at him and he came over, asking how to get to the front of the building. We told him, and then I asked him how I would go about getting Paul´s autograph. The next thing we know he´s saying that he´ll be back with backstage passes. 30 mins later he returns, passes in hand. He gave them to us and said he was glad that he now had friends in San Antonio.

So the concert starts, and the opening band was awesome. The place was pretty barren. Less than half of the auditorium was full. But then again ´“ it´s San Antonio ´“ not the prime place for sophisticated and meaningful music. As bad as this sounds, the percentage of ´cultured´ people here is quite low. Country and rap shows sell out, but someone like Paul Simon is just not appreciated here.

Finally Paul took the stage and played three songs before opening his mouth. He looked over the audience and said ´And here we have the enlightened few!´ Everyone laughed. Then he said, ´That´s alright ´“ I know how that is´ and continued into the next song. He later talked about how he likes the evenings in San Antonio. Also when he was talking about Lincon Duncan, he mentioned the year in which he wrote the song and said ´that was probably before a few of you were born´ and then said something about winning a Nobel Prize.

The concert was wonderful. My only complaint is that we were sitting too far. The music was wonderful, as I expected, although people didn´t get into it as much as I had hoped. But then again, this is a much different crowd of concert-goers than my generation is used to. For a 65 year old, Paul´s definitely still got it. Oh, and no third encore for us :(

At the end of the show, I rush to the front and a couple of band members come out. The other VIPs seemed to know them already, so I was the only real newbie. I´m frustrated how we´re not going backstage, and I ask the guitarist what´s going on. He asks what I´m waiting for, and I say ´I want to get Paul´s autograph.´ He gives me a sad look and goes ´I don´t think Paul´s coming out.´ WHAT?! ´Yeah, he´s prolly in his PJ´s already´ Another lady standing there agrees. I ask what was the point of having backstage passes if you don´t get to go backstage or get an autograph? Both of them look upset about it, and the lady says ´honestly, I don´t know..´ in a sad voice. So we stand around for a minute while the shock sinks in, and then the other band members have to go. The guitarist gives me a hug and looks really upset (I think he realized how much I wanted to meet Paul) and said he was sorry, and then they all leave.

When I go outside I run into a security guard who apologizes for what happened. He says that Paul was really upset since there were only 1600 people there and therefore took off as soon as he could.

I was hurt, disappointed, and just about any other emotion you could think of to throw in there. Not only does he make the most beautiful music and poetry in the world, but from everything I knew he was a good person. He gets upset that the crowd was small and runs off like a kid throwing a tantrum? Please! It´s SAN ANTONIO! You had a small crowd when you were here 5 years ago, and you still have a small crowd. That´s how this town is, what did you expect?! Besides, like someone in the crowd screamed at the beginning of the show, Quality over quantity! We are his fans just like a group of thousands are his fans. How hard is it to take 10 minutes out of your life and shake some hands and do some autographs? We´re the people who make you what you are ´“ we buy your records and pay $80 ticket prices to see you live. Show some gratitude.

Of course, this all could have been prevented if I never got that backstage pass to begin with. The fact that I did made my hopes rise to a level I never thought possible, which in turn made the heartbreak all the more painful.

I must say, Paul ´“ I am disappointed with your attitude.