On Apr 23, 10:40 pm, Ans <ans.koe
...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I was there this evening, it was great!
Paul F got us fantastic seats - first row center on Saturday night and
second row center on Sunday night. We got to meet all of the band
members (Steve Gadd, Bakithi Kumalo, Vincent Nguini and Tony Cedras
all autographed Paul's limited edition "Rhythm of the Saints" CD).
Paul F had another lengthy conversation with Paul Simon after the show
Saturday. I had a fairly long discussion with Amos Lee, among
others. Paul's band was staying at the same hotel that we stayed at
so we got fairly friendly with Vincent, Tony and Bakithi. At the
hotel, I told Bakithi how much I enjoyed the CD he had recorded with
his wife and he seemed genuinely pleased that I wasn't relating to him
as just Paul Simon's bass player. As it turns out, the fifteen bucks
I spent on the CD may have been the best money I ever spent. After the
Sunday show, Bakithi invited us to the after-party at the bar across
the street. They had security at the door but Bakithi told them
"these are friends of mine" and we got in. We hung out, drank beer, I
got to talk to Paul Simon a little bit while Paul F talked to Harper.
The Cameroonian singer Kaisha (?) came up to Paul F and called him by
name. The official photographer seemed fascinated by Paul F's
"Capeman" t-shirt and took a bunch of pictures of it. After an hour
or so, we left and headed back out of town.
The Saturday and Sunday setlists were almost identical; on Saturday,
Paul played "That Was Your Mother" after "Mrs. Robinson" and on Sunday
he played "Train In The Distance."
The Roches opened with a truly gorgeous version of "American Tune,"
Terre on guitar and vocals, Suzzy singing, and Maggie on piano and the
low harmony. I had the feeling that maybe they had sung together once
or twice before.... Seriously, they harmonize so well they almost
seem like a single musical instrument. They then introduced "Another
Galaxy" from Paul's last album, "Surprise," with Suzzy playing lead
acoustic guitar and Terre playing rhythm acoustic guitar, and Maggie
still on piano. This was another beautiful version and made it clear
that Paul still writes songs that can be adapted wonderfully by other
artists. They closed their set with "Cecilia," with Suzzy switching
to piano and Maggie moving to center stage for vocals and what looked
like a kazoo. Rob DiMaggio played a very cool vibraphone (I think)
part that sounded very much like the solo on the recorded version.
Maggie did a dance that could charitably be called bizarre during this
song, but what the hey - I guess she was into the moment.
Paul Simon then came out to thunderous applause and performed "50 Ways
To Leave Your Lover" with his band. I've said this before but it
bears repeating: Paul's band is insanely talented. Every time I hear
them perform I marvel at their musicianship. And this isn't just me
being in awe of "professional musicians" (and yes, I am in awe of
professional musicians). These guys are jaw-droppingly, stunningly,
unbelievably good.
After Paul Simon left the stage, Grizzly Bear performed "Graceland"
and "Mother And Child Reunion." I was impressed by Grizzly Bear's two
main singers; they showed remarkable range and control. Their
arrangements of these two songs were radically different from any that
Paul Simon has ever done, and I thought they did a good job of
adapting the tunes to their own style.
I can't remember for sure who went next; I think it was Olu Dara but
it could have been Amos Lee. Let's say it was Olu Dara - for me, this
was the only part of the concert that I could have done without. He
performed "Slip, Sliding Away" and "Still Crazy After All These Years"
but managed to avoid singing huge chunks of both songs, opting instead
to sort of chant them in the fashion of a jazz hipster. His
performance destroyed the biggest reason that these songs remain
memorable: their melody. I think that the guy is really good but
wasn't the right singer for this material.
Amos Lee came out and did a really nice solo acoustic version of
"Peace Like A River." His playing on this was really nice; he had
the riff down perfectly and let the front half of the riff ring for
just a bit before playing the back half of it. I was also impressed
by his vocal here. He followed that with "Nobody" and again did a
really nice version complete with falsetto. Steve Gadd's drumming on
this was outstanding. Amos finished up with "Homeward Bound" and Mark
Stewart sang the harmony vocal - without playing an instrument!!!
Tony Cedras did a great job playing acoustic guitar on this one.
I have mixed feelings about Josh Groban's performance. He sang
"America" accompanying himself on piano without the band, "Silent
Eyes" with the band, and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with the band
and Paul. Groban did a nice job on "America" but seems to be in love
with his own voice. Groban is a very talented guy but he suffers from
what I call "Michael Bolton syndrome." He appears to have no sense of
subtlety and seems convinced that his audience will never "get it"
unless he starts off way over the top and then proceeds to layer on
even more. As an aside, let me say that I believe this is one of Art
Garfunkel's strengths: as a singer and a producer he clearly knows
how to use subtlety and understatement so that when he does go for
crescendo the effect is even more pronounced. But back to the show.
Groban said that Paul Simon had suggested he sing "Silent Eyes" and
now I understand why. Groban's overly emotive singing was perfect for
"Silent Eyes" - which after all is about meeting God face to face and
owing up to the moral failures in our lives. Kudos to Rob Schwimmer
who played organ (sounding just like a Hammond B-3, but I couldn't be
sure). I thought this was one of the show's highlights. Groban moved
back to piano for "Bridge" and Paul came out to sing the second verse
in a version that was reminiscent of the 2003-2004 S&G performances.
After Groban hit the crescendo - and this almost note for note the
recorded version - Paul started singing "I believe, I believe" sort of
like the "Live Rhymin'" version but this coda didn't last nearly as
long.
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings came out and did a bluegrass version
of "Gone At Last" that was very effective. They followed that with
"Duncan" and then were joined by Paul and the band for "The Boxer."
Tony Cedras played beautifully on accordion and Andy Snitzer on
soprano sax on the instrumental solo (no "after changes upon changes"
verse). But I think the real highlight of the show was their version
of "Sounds of Silence" with Paul singing harmony and playing acoustic
guitar, Gillian singing lead and playing acoustic guitar, and David
Rawlings playing lead acoustic guitar. The Saturday night performance
was even more exceptional than Sunday. Rawlings' guitar work was
superb; he played light harmonics at crucial times and let the guitar
just ring and at other times was literally all over the fretboard.
After the Saturday night show, I talked a little bit to both of them;
Gillian plays a 1956 Gibson acoustic ("no sunburst!") and I think
David plays a 1936 Gibson tenor guitar. These vintage instruments
lend an authentic feel to their "just down from the mountain" stage
presence but their talent is undeniable.
Paul then sang "Mrs. Robinson," "How Can You Live In The Northeast,"
and "That Was Your Mother" (on Saturday) and "Train In the Distance"
on Sunday. He came back with The Roches for "The Only Living Boy In
New York." Vincent Nguini sang the bass part on the big "choir"
voice. I thought this version was particularly effective because of
The Roches. Paul closed with "Late In The Evening" - Mark Stewart
playing electric guitar then moving over to play a monster baritone
sax mounted on some kind of a support for the horn riff while Andy
Snitzer played tenor sax and Tony Cedras played trumpet.
All in all this was a great show. I didn't mind a bit that Paul
didn't sing all the songs himself. It was a real treat to hear some
different versions of familiar songs and especially songs like "Silent
Eyes" and "Nobody" that haven't been played live in decades.
