royd
Jun-03-2011, 18:22 GMT
USA - United Staates America
 | May was a busy month. I was able to attend five Paul Simon shows in May 2011: two in Minneapolis, two in Chicago and one in Atlanta. Most of the time, I was able to combine business with pleasure. Here are some impressions and memories.
Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis MN May 2, 2011 - I was very close to being late to this show. I took my 21 year Old son who goes to college near the Twin Cities. I expected more of a convention hall setting that would not be particularly conducive to hearing music, but the theater, which seats about 3,400, in the impressed me. Architecturally, it´s vaguely similar to some of the smaller halls that have been built in the last thirty years or so in smaller cities.
The rear of the hall struck me as unique; I´ve never seen an arrangement like that before where there are seats actually on the back wall arranged around some lights. Check this out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/minneapolisorg/551362
6982/in/photostream
Here´s the setlist from the first night:
Crazy Love, Vol. II
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
So Beautiful or So What
Slip Slidin´ Away
Vietnam (Jimmy Cliff cover)
Mother And Child Reunion
That Was Your Mother
Hearts And Bones
Mystery Train (Little Junior Parker & The Blue Flames cover)
Wheels (Chet Atkins cover)
Questions for the Angels
Rewrite
Peace Like A River
The Obvious Child
The Only Living Boy In New York
Love Is Eternal Sacred Light
Father and Daughter
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
Gumboots
The Sound of Silence
Kodachrome
Gone at Last
Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles cover)
Late In The Evening
Still Crazy After All These Years
I really like the concert versions of the songs from the new album. My favorite is easily "Love Is Eternal Sacred Light," because the guitars rock so hard but "Dazzling Blue" is simply gorgeous. It´s taken me a while to come around to "Rewrite," but once I decided that Paul was talking metaphorically about life, I began to like the song. "Thank you!"
The United States military had assassinated Osama bin Laden the night before this show. Just before playing "So Beautiful Or So What," Paul said something like "as an American and as a New Yorker...it´s been a ten year wait for a sense of justice."
I missed Jay Ashby´s trombone solo on "50 Ways" but that was a trifling negative in an outstanding show. Paul´s current band does a great job and the song is the perfect vehicle for new drummer Jim Oblon and percussionist Jamey Haddad to interact. Jim Oblon is a marvel; he´s not just a superb drummer but also a wonderful guitarist. Yes, you heard me right - guitar and drums. At the same time....I am not kidding you. He played hi-hat and bass drum with his feet while playing slide guitar, acoustic guitar, and electric guitar on different songs. This was just amazing. Paul played a jam of Hearts And Bones---->Mystery Train---->Wheels that was so impressive. Paul´s acoustic fingerpicking is still jaw-dropping awesome but when Paul, Mark Stewart and Jim Oblon jammed on three guitars for Chet Atkins´ instrumental, "Wheels," they took musicianship to another level. I was surprised that Mark Stewart did not play guitar on "Peace Like A River," but he moved over to stage right to play baritone sax with Tony Cedras playing trumpet and Andy Snitzer playing (I think) tenor saxophone. This horn section played beautifully and not too loudly, complimenting the acoustic guitars without overwhelming them. This song faded into pianist Mick Rossi´s featured solo for the evening which shifted from the very simple harmonic structure of "Peace Like A River" to what became almost atonal with what sounded like a lot of diminished 9th and 11th chords. Think Phillip Glass´s version of "Sounds Of Silence" - but even weirder. "The Obvious Child" really rocked. The band seemed to get into this song totally. Paul´s throat infection was a little evident on this song and on the next one "The Only Living Boy In New York;" some of the transitions to falsetto or even a higher natural register seemed to give Paul trouble. It was nothing horrible, just a little difficulty on songs that demanded a higher range, like "Questions For The Angels." Mick Rossi really stood out on "Kodachrome/Gone At Last;" he was playing what sounded like a Hammond organ on "Kodachrome" and it really filled the song out. The Minneapolis crowd reacted most strongly to Paul´s cover of George Harrison´s classic "Here Comes The Sun." Paul seemed surprised by the roar of the crowd when he sang "it´s been a long cold lonely winter," but it had snowed the day before the show and the ice was literally "slowly melting" in a town where the local joke is that they have two seasons: winter and July..... I swore Paul made a mental note to emphasize those lines the next night and at First Avenue he deftly played the crowd with them. "Late In The Evening" again featured the horn section of Andy Snitzer, Tony Cedras and Mark Stewart. Mark is playing a baritone sax on this tour, not the monster, juggernaut bass sax that he had on the last tour and I think it sounds better. The show closed with the quintessential Paul Simon ballad, "Still Crazy After All These Years" and band introductions. It wasn´t until long after the show that I realized that not only had Paul not performed "The Boxer," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Mrs. Robinson," "Me And Julio," or "Graceland" - I hadn´t missed them. I really really like the song selection on this tour.
After the show, neither Josh nor I could remember where we had parked so we wandered around downtown Minneapolis for the better part of an hour, then drove the 50 miles back to his college. Here are some nice pictures from the two Minneapolis shows: http://www.citypages.com/slideshow/paul-simon-at-t
he-convention-center-auditorium-and-first-avenue-3
3191427/7/
The next night it was on to First Avenue, a tiny club in downtown Minneapolis. No assigned seats, so it was first come, first served and my son (God bless you, Josh!) agreed to get to the doors early to wait in line. I´m glad we did because we were able to get very close to the front and dead center.
I expected an identical show at First Avenue the next night because in the past, Paul has seemed to change his set list very seldom once a tour starts. But this tour is obviously different and Paul appears to have at least two different primary setlists. First Avenue is a tiny club; they claim the capacity is 1,500 but it sure seems smaller than that.
I shot some iPhone video at First Avenue because I was so close. I posted these links previously but here they are again for the sake of convenience:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DfROSPRodk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8sahyVIFKg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_0HLqSwojE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW23_wlEGDw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHJVHHdt3k4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGlYiyNKGrs
Here´s the First Avenue set list for May 3, 2011:
The Boy In The Bubble
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover/
So Beautiful or So What
Vietnam
Mother and Child Reunion
That Was Your Mother
Hearts and Bones
Mystery Train
Wheels
Slip Sliding Away
Rewrite
Peace Like a River
The Obvious Child
The Only Living Boy in New York
Getting Ready for Christmas Day
Love Is Eternal Sacred Light
Father & Daughter
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Gumboots
The Sounds of Silence
Kodachrome
Gone at Last
Here Comes the Sun
Late in the Evening
Still Crazy After All of These Years
It was good to hear "Getting Ready For Christmas Day;" I really like that one and wondered if he had dropped it from the tour or not. "Diamonds On The Soles" doesn´t jam out with a ten minute drum solo like it did on previous tours, which is just fine by me. It´s also the chance for Bakithi Kumalo to do his Ladysmith Black Mambazo impression. Being so close to the stage and right in between the speaker columns was the perfect opportunity to close my eyes and just dig the harmonies on "The Only Living Boy In New York," one of my all-time favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs. Vincent Nguini sounds like he only sings one note on this one - holding up the bottom all by himself - but it´s a great note! I let this song just wash over me....pure heaven. Paul proved that I was correct the previous night about "Here Comes The Sun;" he really emphasized "it´s been a long cold lonely winter," and worked the crowd with that line. The First Avenue show was a real treat - my first Paul Simon club show! All I can say is "thank you!" Paul for doing these shows where you have to be losing money every time you play. I can safely say that every single person in the crowd appeared not just to enjoy the show but to revel in it.
Random bit of Roy humor: I met a couple of guys at the show who wanted to know what the setlist was like. I asked if they wanted me to spoil the show for them by giving details or if they wanted me to give them categories of songs. They opted for the latter so I told them he´s been doing five songs from the new album, two Simon & Garfunkel songs, four covers, and then 15 songs from his various solo albums. One of the guys asked who Paul was covering, so I said "one Jimmy Cliff song, one Elvis/Junior Parker song, one Chet Atkins song and one song by a really obscure English group from the 60´s. I doubt that many people here would even have heard of them." The guy said "oh, a real obscurity, huh?" I said "absolutely. Let me know if you think you ever heard it before when they play it during the show." When Paul played "Here Comes The Sun," I just smiled at the guy.
Total Mileage this trip: 1,268.
On to the Windy City to see my old friend, Bob. This time the club show was first. I had last been to the Vic Theater in October of 1985 to see John Sebastian and Arlo Guthrie. One of the few memories I have of that show (besides Arlo telling David Bromberg, who was in the audience, to go home and get his guitar. Bromberg left the theater and returned about 20 minutes later with his guitar and plugged into someone´s amp on stage) was the sound of the el rumbling during the show. The el tracks are right behind the theater which gave me a bit of concern that the train would make its presence known during quieter songs like "Questions For The Angels" or "Here Comes The Sun." But the theater has been renovated since 1985 and one of the improvements is better sound insulation from the outside.
This show turned out to be very special. I thought the sound from my seat (yes, I got there early enough to snag a seat) was perfect. The stereo separation was very crisp and the sound was just incredible. Even more important, I thought Paul and the band gave one of the best performances I?ve ever heard - by anyone, including Paul?s solo acoustic 1984 Chicago show that I was fortunate to attend. I thought Mark Stewart in particular played brilliantly. Here´s the setlist for this show:
The Boy in the Bubble
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
So Beautiful or So What
Vietnam
Mother and Child Reunion
That Was Your Mother
Hearts and Bones
Mystery Train
Wheels
Slip Sliding Away
Rewrite
Peace Like a River
The Obvious Child
The Only Living Boy in New York
The Cool Cool River
Getting Ready For Christmas Day
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Gumboots
The Sounds of Silence
Kodachrome
Gone at Last
Here Comes the Sun
Late in the Evening
Still Crazy After All of These Years
Crazy Love, Vol. II
Memorable moments: Paul Simon cracking up during the intro to ?Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes;? I can only guess that he was laughing at Bakithi Kumalo?s impersonation of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. During the band introductions, Mark Stewart asks Paul to mention that Mark grew up in Evanston, a suburb of Chicago. After the show, Bob and I went to an old hangout of ours from the old days, Leona?s, and had a wonderful dinner and conversation. Just as we were seated, in walked Mark Stewart with what appeared to be a dozen family members and sat at the table next to us. OK - I really do try to give performers their space and I realize how rude it is to interrupt someone else?s dinner. So, I waited until Mark stood up and was walking toward me before I said anything. We had a brief conversation about the show and about the various instruments he was playing including bass harmonica, penny whistle and palm sax. Mark: ?Oh, you have GOT to get a palm sax! They?re only sixty bucks! You?ll become a reed player in no time.? Me speaking: ?Oh, wow - thanks for the tip - that sounds great!? Me thinking: ?Ummmm....yeah....I barely play guitar and harmonica...buying a palm sax ain?t going to turn me into a reed player any more than buying a bassoon would.?
Chicago Theater, Chicago IL
I had seen some shows including Brian Wilson and Belle & Sebastian over the years at the Chicago Theater so I knew the sound would be good. What I didn?t remember was that unlike most theaters, the double letter rows are in front of the single letter rows, so that my seat in Row KK was a lot closer than I had anticipated. The sound once again was great at this show and each instrument could be heard clearly and distinctly. Clearly and distinctly that is unless the world?s rudest couple were seated behind you. These people yakked through THE ENTIRE SHOW. Not just between songs, not just the quiet songs, the entire freaking show. Even after I asked them if they could be a little quieter they just kept on talking. I finally asked them if they would like me to ask Mr. Simon to play a bit more quietly so that the music didn?t intrude on their conversation but they just stared at me. At one point, I remember thinking that I was surprised I could hear anything because sound requires air in order to transmit audible vibrations and these two people had surely sucked all of the air out of the entire room. She also kept singing off-key. I did not like being in the same city as these people. Here is this fun couple:
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h33/blackmanny1/
?action=view¤t=happycouple.jpg
Highlights of this show for me were a particularly moving vocal on ?Mother And Child Reunion,? an especially hot ?That Was Your Mother? (which is a highlight at every show), and a poignant ?Questions For The Angels.?
Set List Chicago Theater:
Crazy Love, Vol. II
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
So Beautiful or So What
The Only Living Boy In New York
Slip Sliding Away
Vietnam-->
Mother And Child Reunion
That Was Your Mother
Hearts And Bones---->
Mystery Train---->
Wheels
Rewrite
Peace Like A River
The Obvious Child
Love Is Eternal Sacred Light
Questions For The Angels
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
Sounds Of Silence
Kodachrome
Gone At Last
Here Comes The Sun
Late In The Evening
Still Crazy After All These Years
The Boy In The Bubble
After the show, I was able to find my car with relative ease and head home but made the mistake of getting back onto the interstate following a gas stop - but going in the wrong direction. That set me back almost an hour and I got home around 3:30 am.
Total Mileage This Trip: 504 miles
Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta GA
Crazy Love, Vol. II
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways
So Beautiful Or So What
Slip Sliding Away
Vietnam---->
Mother And Child Reunion
That Was Your Mother
Hearts And Bones---->
Mystery Train------>
Wheels
Rewrite
Peace Like A River
The Obvious Child
The Only Living Boy In New York
Love Is Eternal Sacred Light
Father And Daughter
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
Gumboots
Sounds Of Silence
Kodachrome---->
Gone At Last
Here Comes The Sun
Late In The Evening
Still Crazy After All These Years
The Boy In The Bubble
Even worse than the Chicago Theater show, the crowd noise at Chastain was horrible. This was so, despite a pre-show announcement that requested the audience to be considerate of others and not to talk during the performance, reminding the crowd that other people had paid money to hear the music. The announcement might as well have said ?Please talk freely during the show and stop talking only to unwrap candy wrapped in brittle cellophane or to unzip velcro pockets as loudly as possible.?
The show itself was great; it was wonderful to hear Paul in the open air of a tree-lined amphitheater and watch the light change with the music as the sun set. I thought this was probably the best version of ?Rewrite? that I had heard on tour. I was glad to hear ?Father And Daughter? and ?Love Is Eternal Sacred Light" again. The acoustic guitars of Mark Stewart and Paul Simon and Tony Cedras?s accordion sounded perfect on ?Here Comes The Sun? this night. Every night, without fail, the crowd reacted joyously to the opening notes of ?Here Comes The Sun,? probably shocked that they were hearing an authentic version of the Beatles? classic. The crowd reaction was a treat for me each night; I knew it was coming and I knew they probably didn?t, so I anticipated their reaction. ?Doo-do-doo-doo.....(yeah, they got it) ROAR YEAH ALL RIGHT!!!?
This was the only show at which I bought any merchandise. I bought a t-shirt (Style No. 5) and a poster for that particular show. Those apparently go fast; they don?t make a lot of them, so if you want a poster from the show, get to the merchandise table early before the show or they may be gone.
Total Mileage This Trip: 1,020
Total Mileage: 2,792 miles (4,493 km |
