Tag: Paul Simon

The Last Simon & Garfunkel Concert

Simon & Garfunkel last performed a concert in 2010 with Art Garfunkel struggling through the performance due to health issues at the time.

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, Simon & Garfunkel performed at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Due to health issues, Art Garfunkel struggled through the performance, supported by Paul Simon. Seeing the two onstage as the show was coming to a close, someone in the audience would be surprised that it would be the last concert the two performed together.

The two would reunite briefly two months later for one song, “Mrs. Robinson,” at an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award tribute to director Mike Nichols. But the New Orleans Jazz Festival remains the last show the two did together.

Through the years, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel became almost as well known for their feuds and breakups as for their beautiful harmonies and great library of recordings. And then there were the various reunions, including the famous 1981 Concert in Central Park. Another one of their reunions was the 2010 New Orleans Jazz Festival. It was not meant to be their final concert, and many additional shows were planned as part of the tour.

In New Orleans, though, Art Garfunkel had been sick and showed up with what was later diagnosed as vocal cord paresis. The difficulties with his voice during the show led him later to explain, “I was terrible, and crazy nervous. I leaned on Paul Simon and the affection of the crowd.”

His voice struggles and the ensuing support from Simon and the crowd highlight the main set closing song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” While reports regarding earlier parts of the show focused on the troubled performance and ruined songs, the closing number was a triumph, at least in context of Garfunkel’s problems.

Oh, if you need a friend,
I’m sailing right behind;
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will ease your mind;
Like a bridge over troubled water,
I will ease your mind.

Garfunkel made it through the difficult song, supported by his lifelong friend and sometimes nemesis, and urged on by the crowd. It is beautiful to watch, especially in light of the message of the song about supporting a friend.

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” was the closing number of the 15-song set. But the two came back on stage for an encore with three more songs, “Sounds of Silence,” “The Boxer,” and “Cecilia.” It would be the main closer “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” though, that remains most remembered for the song’s reliance on Garfunkel’s challenged solo voice to hit the high notes.

Yet, despite what appears to be love and good will between the two men onstage in New Orleans, that good will would be lost once again after the performance. They had to cancel the rest of the tour due to Garfunkel’s vocal problems.

After the show, Garfunkel looked forward to eventually continuing performing as a duo. But his claim to Simon that he would be able to continue within a year did not come true. Simon felt Garfunkel was not honest about the seriousness of the problem. Once again, their exchanges damaged the trust between the two men. The distrust, as well as the friendship, went back to when they were teenagers (when Garfunkel first felt Simon breached a trust by signing a record deal without him).

After the New Orleans performance and delays, more words were exchanged through the media. In a 2015 interview, Garfunkel called Simon a “jerk” and “idiot” for breaking up the duo, though he still left open the possibility of a reunion. But in 2016, Simon said, a reunion was “out of the question” and that the two men no longer even talked.

Garfunkel’s voice did return, as shown by a 2019 solo acoustic performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” But with the exception of the short 2010 tribute to The Graduate director Mike Nichols, Simon and Garfunkel never returned to the stage together.

While we can still hope for a reunion, Paul Simon announced his retirement from touring in 2018. But he has appeared live since then, including a 2019 show where he sang “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

What is your favorite Simon & Garfunkel song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Jackson C. Frank’s Beautiful Music From a Tragic Life

    Jackson C. Frank’s life featured a lot of pain, but he also created great beauty with his 1965 folk album, which featured “Blues Run the Game.”

    Jackson Carey Jones was born on March 2, 1943, later taking the surname of his stepfather to become Jackson C. Frank. Between the birth and his death at age 56 on March 3, 1999, Frank encountered many tragedies and released one of the great “lost” folk albums of the 1960s.

    Paul Simon produced Frank’s 1965 album, Jackson C. Frank. The album failed to launch the career that Frank’s music deserved, although it influenced other artists and is loved by man today. The leadoff track, “Blues Run the Game” has been covered by several artists and appeared on TV and in movies.

    Livin’ is a gamble baby,
    Lovin’s much the same;
    Wherever I have played, and
    Whenever I’ve thrown those dices,
    Wherever I have played,
    The blues have run the game.

    A number of singers have since covered the song. Artists who covered “Blues Run the Game” include Nick Drake, Sandy Dennis, Counting Crows, and John Mayer. The wonderful TV series featured Frank’s original version over a montage giving the heartbreaking backstory of one of the characters.

    Paul Simon would also record “Blues Run the Game” with Art Garfunkel. The song appeared on the Simon & Garfunkel box set Old Friends.

    Frank would never release another album during his lifetime, although he did create more music (now available). His life seemed to be haunted. When he was eleven, a furnace exploded at his school, severely burning Frank and killing fifteen of his classmates, including his young sweetheart.

    After recording his 1965 album, Frank suffered from depression and other mental and physical health problems. At one point he was homeless. He died of pneumonia in Massachusetts in 1999.

    The following short clip from a Buffalo news stations gives a little more information about his life.

    I only discovered Frank’s music recently after seeing a reference on Twitter. It is clear he was a great talent, so it is no wonder that he is well-respected despite the unfortunately small amount of music we have from him. Check out more of his music if, like me, you are new to his work.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Dion: “New York Is My Home”

    New York Is My Home Paul Simon

    Dion Dimucci is releasing a new album, New York Is My Home. The album features ten new songs, mostly co-written by Dion, that focus on Dion’s experience in New York City. On the title track, he is joined by Paul Simon.

    The Bronx-born Dion says he knew Paul Simon would understand the song “New York Is My Home” because Simon grew up in Queens. The Italian Tribune quotes Dion stating, “We share a love for rock ’n’ roll street music, the way it was done when we were kids. I knew Paul would ‘get’ this song. And he did.”

    Dion released a video for the title track, the first single from the album. Check it out.

    Dion has explained that some other songs on the album, like “The Apollo King” and “I’m Your Gangster of Love,” are based upon people Dion knew. Dion imagined “Visionary Heart” as a message that the late Buddy Holly might send to him. For various reasons, Dion remains connected to Buddy Holly in a number of ways. As discussed in more detail in another post, Dion was touring with Holly when Holly was killed in a plane crash.

    Dion has continued to create some overlooked outstanding music late in his career, including some fantastic blues albums. So, I’m looking forward to the new music. The album New York Is My Home, which features guitar and keyboards from Jimmy Vivino of Conan O’Brien’s show, is available starting February 12, 2016.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Troubled Waters Plays “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”

    Troubled Waters Simon

    With the departures of David Letterman and Craig Ferguson from late-night television, the odds of catching an intelligent discussion on a late-night talk show decreased significantly. That is one reason why it was refreshing to see Stephen Colbert finally take over for Letterman, and his first week did not disappoint, with highlights that included a thoughtful conversation about grief and loss with Vice President Joe Biden.

    Of course, we want to laugh and dance too. And the first week of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert did not disappoint in that category either.

    For example, at the beginning of one episode the announcer (Colbert) exclaimed that one of the guests would be Troubled Waters, a Paul Simon tribute band. For those who stayed awake for the end, the “tribute band” did not disappoint, turning out to be made up of Paul Simon. Troubled Waters then performed “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” from Simon’s 1972 self-titled album.

    On the performance of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” Simon also received a little help from Colbert, who proved he not only can be thoughtful, he can sing, dance, and whistle. Check it out.

    What do you think of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert so far? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Don McLean Live at Glastonbury

    Don McLean live American PieI recently discovered that YouTube features a number of full high quality performances from past Glastonbury Festivals in England. Some of the clips are of individual songs instead of full performances. There are some good ones of Paul Simon, Johnny Cash, Buddy Guy, The Gaslight Anthem, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Regina Spektor and OK Go.

    For one that you might not expect, check out this 2011 performance by Don McLean, who of course performs “Vincent” and “American Pie.” Here is “Vincent.”

    And here is “American Pie.”

    To see Glastonbury performances from the other performers, head over to this YouTube link.

    What is or favorite YouTube concert? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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