WOW...............
Since everyone covered the tecincal stuff I´m going to write about the emotional side.
My brother asked me a few days before the concert
´So what are you going to do when he (Paul) comes out on stage?´ I answered that I didn´t know and hoped I wouldn´t faint.
I wasn´t prepared for what happened...
I wept. During the video thing my lip started to quiver, then I saw Paul on stage. There was no stopping it, I started crying uncontrolably, and I contine to cry for the first four and five songs. I was beyond happy, way beyond giddy. I was near the man I´ve looked up to and amired since that day my dad brought home ´Graceland´ when I was eight. Before the show I had prayed and prayed that I´d get to meet Paul but when he came out on stage and I started to weep, I prayed ´Oh dear God, I think this is enough´ I could´t handle much more.
They looked amazing, for all the TV apperances I thought they looked kinda old but pretty good for their age. But they looked like they were thirty(at least to me).
They sounded great, I felt like I was listening to my LP´s, except that I could SEE them. My dad said I was still shaking till the very end.
Paul talk to someone on a cell phone, he interduced himself to the person on the other line, but she fainted or had a heartattack and didn´t respond.
The two hours flew by, we encored them twice clapping, yelling and stomping for them to come back.
They came out and sang Cecilia. And I noticed smoke and a very odd smell, and I looked down and a few rows in front of me were two girls and a guy passing a joint around and dancing!! And of course two rows down from me was a dancing hippie girl in a peasant shirt! The crowd was great. The vibes for them alone were amazing.
During ´The Boxer´ everyone sang along, 20,000 people singing the same song (a song that means a lot to all of them) it was breathtaking.
This was the first concert I had ever been to, I was completely and totaly blown away. We (My dad and I) had pretty good seats S&G were stright ahead of us and we were a length of a hockey rink away. They had Paul and Artie on a jumbo-tron. It was amazing. I´ll never forget that night.
A Very Happy and Giddy Little Willow
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I can´t possible review the concert as comprehensively as Erin did (haven´t read that review yet, but will soon), and apologies if I repeat something the others have already noted. I haven´t read anyone´s reviews yet on purpose, in order to keep the experience fresh. So I am just going to add some bits and pieces to my initial posting.
Paul said into the cellphone: ´Paul Simon speaking´ three times or so and then announced in disbelief: ´He HUNG UP on me!´
Art sang his verse of ´El Condor Pasa´ (the swan song) to the seats behind the stage (the audience there rose from the seats and waved). In fact, both Art and Paul (Art a bit more since he is more mobile) acknowledged the audience behind them throughout the concert which I thought was very thoughtful of them.
Someone in the front row apparently made a suggesstion of some kind (your guess is as good as mine) to Art, and Artie replied, ´I can´t now; I am doing the show.´
And yes, I had tears in my eyes on and off throughout the concert, starting with the very first song... I was all by myself (one ticket was all we could afford, my anniversary and Christmas present this year), and breaking down in tears among strangers would probably not be a good idea, so I just had some quiet tears...
´Hey, Schoolgirl´ was the only song in this concert I haven´t heard before...
I slept in my new Simon and Garfunkel T-shirt that night and couln´t have been happier... When I woke up the morning after the concert, my first thought was that it has been a dream (I had several dreams about this concert ever since I got my ticket). Then I looked down and saw the T-shirt, with Artie and Paul fitting so perfectly into the curves of my body, and I knew the concert was real...
Then I went to the kitchen and had coffee from my new Simon and Garfunkel latte cup... I know, it was horibly, ridiculously overpriced at $25, but I bought it anyway because it´s my favorite cup shape, and it had the line ´put it in your pantry with you cupcakes...´ on it, and I knew I´ll use it every day, so I splurged...
But the program definitely gives you the most for your money, so I recommend it to everyone. The double CD, ´Essential S&G´, was $30, and I have all the songs there on my other CDs, so I didn´t even consider buying this one. But if any of you guys want it, get it from Barnes and Noble, it´s only $22.50 there, at bn.com.
Oh yes, about the clothes. Totally inadvertently, I was wearing the same clothes as Artie! Well, almost: blue jeans and blue collared shirt, only my jeans were darker than his, and my shirt was lighter blue than his. Still... Paul had the same jeans as Art and a t-shirt (what else). Both looked great, and, Artie especially, full of energy.
Artie sang ´Kathy´s Song´ with such tenderness. As he did in his solo concert, he preceded it with a remark that he considers this song the best love song Paul has ever written. After he was done, Paul came up to him and said something, smiling. He was definitely pleased. The vibes between the two were warm throughout: shaking hands periodically, smiling, just acting like old friends.
Paul made a speech in which he said that ´this is a fifty-year friendship now´--you can argue with that, I guess, but this acknowledges that their friendship carried on and survived even during the break-up periods. Paul said, ´we met when we were 11. We started singing together when we were 13. We started arguing when we were 14.´ The audience laughed, and Art chimed in with, ´Can you imagine what it would be like if we REALLY argued?´ Paul shook his head, smiling and exclaimed: ´How do these rumours get started?´ Everyone laughed, of course, and I thought: ´What an elegant way to refer to the scandal of their break-up and the thrill of their reunion, and make it all insubstantial by denying the validity of their arguments! As Art put it, a deeply burried affection has been there all these 50 years, and they just had to have the courage to admit it and let it thrive again.´
Artie had his bar stool again for several songs, sitting on it just like in that photograph when they are so young... Paul stood the whole time, and one of my favorite moments was when he jumped to the guitar player, and they faced each other and played together, half-teasingly, half-playfully competing. It was great to see Paul acting so young and enthusiastic.
Also, Paul played and instrumental preface to a few songs, weaving the melody in, and that was stunningly beautiful. His guitar playing is just superb. It is his second voice.
Love you all, guys, and thanks for reading! |
I ended up going to both nights in St. Paul. It cost me my almost two-week paycheck plus I might have screwed up my midterm on Monday a bit, but it was worth the trouble.... They sounded amazing and looked like enjoying themselves.
Day One, Sunday Night
I loved the show. I loved all the songs...many of them were the ones I had thought I´d never hear in live. I felt so happy to be in the audience, among the fans who know the songs, who sang along their favorite tunes, and to cheer with them.
The short film was very nicely done. The photo of young Art sitting in front of the piano was cute!
The venue was literary packed. There were people sitting in top blocks behind the stage! Artie often turned back to the people behind and even apologized for the tree on the stage distracting the view.
I loved to see Artie and Paul together...they were so funny. Warm Artie and ironic Paul, they were like brothers fighting at home. At the beginning of the show, a fan in the audience shouted from (I guessed) the upper block behind the stage to Paul, ´Happy Birthday!´ ´Thank you,´ Paul replied, rather ironically. ´Did you bring a present?´ The fan said yes.
Paul: ´Oh you did. That´s incredible. By the way, it´s not my birthday. My birthday is October 13th. It´s a national holiday.´
Art jumped in. ´But I´ll take the present.´
Paul: ´Art´s birthday is November 5th.´
Art: ´1962.´
Paul sniffed, ´Ha, you look great. What are we, Smothers Brothers? Let´s get on with the show.´
Everly Brothers were simply amazing. Unfortunately, Don Everly had a cold but I didn´t notice that until he told the audience after ´Wake Up Little Susie.´ They harmonized so perfectly. ´All I Have To Is Dream´ is one of my favorite! Don managed to do the three songs but gave up singing the solo part in ´Bye Bye Love´ so S&G took his part.
The band was impressive, better than I had imagined. They did some songs like the studio versions, the others with new arrangements, and I enjoyed them all. ´Homeward Bound´ was interesting, and it was fun to listen to Artie and Paul sing repeatedly ´home´ at the end. They sang it so happily that they sounded like they were heading home!
When Paul started to play the intro of ´Slip Slidin´ Away,´ he said ´Artie played in the movie Catch-22 in 1969, and he went down to Mexico...´ And then he realized that he was talking about ´The Only Living Boy in NY´ . He started to laugh at himself with embarrassment. Art told him, ´Paul, people love mistakes, it´s so human!´ Sure we did! It was so funny and warm to see the two laugh together.
´Bridge Over Troubled Water´ was so special. I am a shameless die-hard Artie Garfunkel fan, but it was so special to see Art and Paul sing this particular song together. What a night.
After the show, the Star Tribune was giving out ´Concert Special´ copy for free at the exits, which was nice. They had a nice review of the show and you can read it at http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/4176639.html
Day Two, Monday Night
I had a ticket in the row 23, twelve rows ahead of the seat of the previous night. I could see the two on the stage, which was super. Though the blocks behind the stage were closed this time, the venue was, again, sold out. I was more relaxed than the first night, so I could just be absorbed in the music. Art opened the show with ´Good evening, dear friends in Twin Cities...and family.... I come here often to see my family.´ Kim is from Minnesota, so I think he was referring to Kim´s family. I´ve read an article on this website a few years ago that Art needed 80 tickets for his solo concert in Twin Cities to seat Kim´s relatives and friends! I noticed that he was waving and talking to somebody in the front rows, probably her family members were present.
I enjoyed the second night as well...I´m so glad that I could make it to two shows, which I´ll never forget. |