November 23, 2011 - USA / Ohio | |
The band (not all members are present at all shows) | |
Vincent Nguini - Guitar | |
Fans who attended this show | |
| Gino | |
After 70 years, Paul Simon himself hasn´t changed one bit. But his music certainly has. This was very evident in last night´s show at the University of Akron´s E.J. Thomas Hall. After a great performance by the opening act, the ´Mumford and Sons´-esque ´Punch Brothers´, Paul and his band took the stage at about 8:30, opening with ´The Boy in the Bubble´ from ´Graceland.´ Paul then played a track from his current album ´So Beautiful or So What´ called ´Dazzling Blue.´ The next song was his only #1 hit single as a solo artist, the ever popular ´50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.´ The show progressed for 2 more hours with this wonderful combination of recent songs, popular songs from the ´Graceland´ and ´The Rhythm of the Saints´-era, and his classic 70´s hits that established him as one of America´s greatest musicians. Through the rest of the main set, Paul and his band blasted through ´Mother and Child Reunion´, ´Late in the Evening´, ´The Obvious Child´, ´Slip Slidin´ Away´, ´Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes´, and ´Father and Daughter.´ The encores began when Paul´s band left the stage for Paul´s moving solo performance of ´The Sound of Silence´. The band came back on stage and played a rockling version of ´Kodachrome´ that segued into ´Gone at Last´. After this, Paul´s band left again and the Punch Brothers were brought out and they played once-in-a-lifetime versions of ´Cecilia´ and ´The Boxer´ with Paul on acoustic guitar. Paul then played a great version of The Beatles´ ´Here Comes the Sun´. Paul then ended the show with a triplet of ´Graceland´, a Bo Diddley song called ´Pretty Thing´, and ´Still Crazy After All These Years´. Paul showed the Akron/Greater Cleveland area that, even after 70 years, he really is still crazy; he had the energy of a 20 year old and his voice sounds exactly the same as his voice that we came to know and love in the 1960´s and 70´s. Thanks for a great show, Paul! | |