Considering the late hour I am too tired to write any detailed review, I´ll just add some short comments:
Yes, the new version of Kodachrome was great. Thought he refused to perform I Am A Rock. Hopefully he won´t regret that he did, it sounded real good indeed. Darling Lorraine - the man should become an actor (and yes, I know
about OTP) Missed YCCMA, maybe because I was too young to see the Graceland tour as well as BATRT. Paul seemed to be in real good shape, not ´old´ at all. The audience was, well, boring... Looking forwards seeing him tomorrow again, this time from the 9th row (23rd today), without my mother watching me :-)and hopefully with a more enthusiastic audience. He certainly deserves it.
She then sent in the following fully-fleshed review:
Still Crazy After All These Years
So finally I´ve seen him. It feels empty. Wish I had it undone. Wish to see him again. Why did he have to sing in Stockholm first? What is now left looking forward to? Hope he´ll continue the tour next spring. I would do anything´¦
Anyway, I´m no journalist and certainly not a musician. I´m just an ordinary Swedish girl with a bad memory who happens to like Paul Simon´s music a lot, and whose life would have been poorer without him. I don´t think I´m the right person to write a review, but I can write about my own experiences, feelings and thoughts during his second show. Hope you all forgive me if not remembering everything in exactly the right way.
5 - 10 minutes past 8 p.m. the light in the hall vanishes and the members of the band enter the scene. There´s some big applauds when He comes up. He´s taller than I expected, maybe cause I´ve heard so much about his short stature. At least I don´t think he´s shorter than me. Yesterday´s black trousers are now replaced by a pair of blue jeans. The short-sleeved black shirt is anyhow the same. Today the baseball-cap is yellow (the red one he wore on Monday looked better).
The first song is That´s Where I Belong. Seems as if he cannot make the highest notes, his voice sometimes breaks. Afraid yesterday was too tough for him. On the other hand, same thing happened yesterday, and then his voice sounded great on the more speeded-up songs, so I hope my anxiety is unmotivated. The version of the song is beautiful, mostly just Paul and his guitar.
The second song is Graceland. I get the impression that today´s audience is more enthusiastic than yesterday´s. Some are whistling. Some are screaming ´woooo´. Everybody (I think) is making applause. I´m a little bit disappointed, though. Yesterday, people rose to their feet when hearing this song. Today everyone is still sitting on their chairs. But on the other hand, yesterday Graceland was an extra, today it´s number two after the slow opening with That´s where I belong.
No. 3. One Man´s Ceiling´¦Heavy. Blues. Better than on the record. Don´t really remember that much.
You´re The One. Quite like the CD-version. In the audience, most people don´t seem to recognize anything from the new record. Maybe Paul shouldn´t have started with TWIB. The audience seemed more enthusiastic after yesterday´s beginning with Kodachrome.
The fifth song is 50 ways´¦Don´t remember that much, but I´m pretty sure he had made some changes in the text. All I can say is that it was good. Hope the PBS-recording will be available on video´¦
Look At That. As on the record. The audience is annoying in its lack of knowledge of Paul´s songs. Doesn´t even react on the ma-ma-ma-ma-thing. Am I the only one liking it? Even if they don´t hear the words he´s singing, everybody must be able to get that part.
Love. This time his voice makes it. Another version, which in my amateurish ears sounds very much alike the one on YTO.
Me And Julio´¦Finally the audience seem to loosen themselves up a bit. Some in the front rows begin to dance. Wish I were among them. They´re pretty young, the audience in general on the other hand is very mixed-up. Some look as if they´re retired, some can´t be more than about ten. Most of them are well-dressed. There´s a huge difference between this audience and the one on Bob Dylan´s concert in Gothenburg -97. In short, I like today´s singer better, but I certainly prefer the audience of -97. Then, they even succeeded in getting me, who usually is a much too reserved person for my own liking, involved. In addition I have to submit I knew very little about Bob´s music at that time (so who am I to complain today?). Anyhow, this evening I´m the one, not having the courage to raise, trying to clap my hands as high above my head as possible hoping my enthusiasm shall help the other ones going. After the song, Paul looks at the ones in the front, nodding at them as a ´thanks´. God, I wish I was one of them´¦
The Teacher. The ninth song. There isn´t much to be said. See earlier YTO-songs.
Spirit Voices. Good, I guess. Don´t really remember that much. But, since everything Paul´s doing is great (OK, almost everything) at least I´m not exaggerating.
You Can Call Me Al. WOW. He must have read what I wrote after Monday´s show. Believe it or not, everyone is now standing (at least everyone my eyes can catch). Afterward he thanks the listeners. He´s walking along the stage bowing ,with his hands together ( handflate / handflate ) under his chin. Shall he thank us? We have done nothing. He´s the one who´s written all those songs, who´s brought meaning to so many people´s lives, who in words has expressed the feelings of so many persons, who has learnt us so much. We´re the ones <g> to say thank you´¦PAUL, WE LOVE YOU´¦(which, by the way, no one screamed today. Yesterday someone did. The newspapers didn´t even get the fun in Paul´s ´I appreciate that´. Sigh´¦.)
In the break I am moving two rows forwards while I´ve noticed some empty chairs. Now I´m not that far away from the enthusiastic youngsters in the front rows.
Old Friends/Bookends. Once again his voice sounds better than yesterday. Which also could be said about the following American Tune. (I think it was AT. After arriving home I realized I had noted him doing it twice. The second time I think he did Homeward Bound. My guess is I got to upset during the song before HB getting things right. So, that´s a guess´¦) Nice, slow versions. Not as much a la Africa as most of the other material.
I Am A Rock. OK, the audience doesn´t exactly scream out its happiness, but the following applause hint on great appreciation. It´s tough. Not as raw as on The Paul Simon Songbook, the bitterness isn´t that clearly expressed, but it´s certainly better than the S&G-version. I am an iiiiiiiisland. Superb.
Song 17 and 18 are both from YTO. First comes Darling Lorraine. What can I say? Like yesterday, I loved it. Wish I once again will be given the opportunity of seeing One Trick Pony. Could it be that lousy? My impression is that Paul´s very good in intonation, gestures, everything. He animates the story, makes it living in an even higher rate than on the CD.
The second song is Old. Now, this one really rocks. But, even now you can notice Paul is in some way very reserved. I doubt it´s only Frank who´s got a part of him that talks. Paul always states the songs aren´t autobiographic, that they aren´t about him. I´m sure, though, most of them are, at least to some extent.
Boy In The Bubble. For the second time this evening the audience is on their feet. The woman in front of me is, to my surprise and pleasure, pretty much shorter. If I try really hard, make myself as tall as possible and clapping my hands as high above my head as possible maybe he will notice me. Maybe, maybe I really do exist´¦Once again he says thank you to the audience. ´Thank you so very much, thank you so Very very much. Everything in a way that makes you think he really means what he says, or at least wants us to believe that even if he doesn´t talk that much, he enjoys being here, that he appreciate our appreciation. (BTW, everything Paul says during the concert is those Thank you and the introducing of the band-members.) Paul, we´re the one´s who owe you a thousand thank yous´¦
Pledging My Love. Hadn´t heard the song before yesterday. It´s nice. During the song, Paul says this was the first record he bought and that Johnny Ace killed himself in 1954. Didn´t mention the Russian roulette thing, though. Is immediately followed by Late Great Johnny Ace. Was wondering if anybody was considering shouting something, and how Paul would react. No-one did. Just as good, I think. Anyway, I don´t think Paul would react at all, otherwise he wouldn´t perform the song.
The Coast. For not that long time ago I thought my memory was excellent.
Late In The Evening. Third time the whole audience is on its feet. Tour-record. We don´t deserve it´¦we should be grateful´¦
Homeward Bound. I think (see AT). Am I the only one who would have preferred something odd, something not-expected? On the other hand, who´d thought he´d skip Sounds Of Silence and The Boxer? And sing I am A Rock? Once again, who am I to complain.?
Hurricane Eye. CD-version. Good, off course, but nothing extra. Paul leaves the stage, people are rising trying to applaud him back. Surprisingly J, he comes´¦
First extra song. Kodachrome. Drums. Some kind of talk-singing, especially in the beginning. As usually it seems a bit pathetic when he sings the Mama don´t take my Kodachrome away part. But it certainly doesn´t feel odd when he repeats that he Wants to take a photograph of you all. Yes Paul, we would like a photograph of you as well. I´ve been trying to catch him with my camera for quite a while now. Which ends up unsuccessful also after this song, I´m to busy clapping my hands, dancing (OK, maybe not dancing, but at least my feet were moving).
The second extra. Bridge. Personally, I would have preferred The Boxer. Somehow, I know it´s wrong, Bridge feels like Arts song. Nothing can be as good as Arnheim (-95). Please Paul, can you forgive me? You are making everything else just soooo much better than Art, and off course your version is great. But, Arnheim was just´¦perfect.
For the second time Paul leaves the stage. Before that, he walks along the edge shaking hands with the ones sitting in the front row. I´m just SO jealous. Paul, obviously you read what I wrote about Al. Her I am´¦ OK, I´m a bit far away. Instead, could you please send me your autograph? Send me an e-mail and you´ll get my address. Maybe I will even send you a photo. Didn´t you say you wanted a photograph of us all J? Once again, Paul bows and says Thank you. Haven´t I told you we´re the privileged?
Once again he re-entries. Proof. By now, I´ve managed to take three pictures. Four yesterday. Can´t bear ´til all the pictures on the film will be taken. Don´t remember that much of the song, but I think it was slightly different. Afterwards he´s receiving a flower, a rose I think, from someone in the first row. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE. HAVEN´T I DESERVED IT? (I bought my seat-place with my tears´¦if it had been possible to buy a better seat with tears I certainly would have got one L.)
Anyway, two marvelous evenings which I hope and think I will never forget. Asked in a record-store near the arena for a YTO-poster and, believe it or not, they gave me one not even used. I´m gonna frame it together with my tickets. I´m also hoping the photographs will be OK and that the show will be available on video. And that I will be able to join more concerts in the US coming spring. By the way, if he would have shaken my hand, I probably never would have washed it. So, no need to be sorry.
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