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Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel rolled back the years Wednesday night on the opening date of their Australian tour, with a set carrying all the old favorites, and a few surprises.

As one would expect, there were no fireworks or bombast at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre to herald the arrival of Simon & Garfunkel, to this day one of the more unlikeliest-looking pairs of popular music superstars in the history of the game. The legendary N.Y. singer-songwriter duo were never about smoke and mirrors, and never particularly glamorous. They’re music’s enduring odd couple, endowed with the gift of song and harmony. And what a gift.

Back on stage in Australia for the first time in 25 years, Simon & Garfunkel gave the sold-out arena a lesson in songcraft. The years, it seems, have caressed their sound, in particular Garfunkel’s voice. From the opening moments of this “Old Friends In Concert” event, the audience knew they were in for a night of nostalgia. A showreel played out on the big screens, depicting poignant moments in recent history. There were hippies and Nixon, the lunar landing, the fall of the Berlin wall and start of the new millennium. And all along were Simon and Garfunkel, their images and sound spliced with the historical footage. Читать далее »

TWO old friends relived their brief but glorious musical partnership in Brisbane last night and showed that the songs they made famous have not withered after 40 years.

When Simon and Garfunkel walked on to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre stage it was the first time the legendary duo had performed in Australia for 26 years. No one really expected them to play here again, so it was an eager and responsive crowd that greeted them for the first date on their Australian tour.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, both 67, may not have voices as powerful as they once were, but they still harmonise like no other duo in pop history. Last night was all about celebrating the best moments from their partnership as well as some of the solo successes that came for each of them afterwards. Читать далее »

Back from a busy weekend in Auckland. Simon & Garfunkel played. Twice. And I went to both shows. I only found out I’d be at both gigs at about 4pm on Friday. But, good stuff. I’ve always been interested in the idea of attending back-to-back shows by an artist but it’s an extravagance that I can’t afford. And, if I’m reviewing an artist performing more than one show it’s only ever the one show that is needed for a review.

So for S&G I struck it lucky, wearing my professional hat for one gig and then along as a punter for the second concert.

We booked our flights as soon as we could - back when I wrote this, just after the gig was announced. Then there was the debacle of preferential ticketing; the gig sells out in 17 minutes. I’m sure we weren’t alone in hoping a second show would be added. And, luckily it was; tickets for that show proved easier to obtain. Читать далее »

There is video footage of a much younger Simon & Garfunkel to start the show and then as the lights drop, silhouetted on the stage the two old friends stand together (but in so many ways apart) and sing Old Friends to rapturous applause.

The seven-piece band launches into Hazy Shade of Winter and I Am a Rock. This is all about the nostalgia; young and old are here to hear the soundtrack of more than one generation and through America, Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound and The Sounds Of Silence the folk- rock continues to roll.

A trip back to Hey Schoolgirl (the first song the duo wrote and performed together as “Tom & Jerry” fifty years ago) leads into Gene Vincent’s Be Bop A Lula, referencing the obvious influence. Читать далее »

Bridge Over Troubled Water was always going to be A Moment. But as Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel traded verses on pop’s greatest consoling anthem towards the end of this first show of their Auckland two-nighter, it became Really Quite Something Else. The sound system - possibly overcome by its own electronic lump in the throat - gave out, leaving just the stage-sound and a slighty confused looking Simon and Garfunkel.

The crowd took over. And just as it built to its final crescendo, the sound came back up. Big finish. Aaah. Sigh.

“That was the nicest thing an audience has ever done for us” remarked Garfunkel. Читать далее »

Simon and Garfunkel warmed the hearts of fans with a flawless perfomance of a generous selection of their hits in Auckland. Jeremy Redmore was there.

Simon and Garfunkel
Where: Vector Arena
When: Saturday, June 13

Paul Simon said it was a show he would always remember, the first of his Australasian tour with his oldest friend Art Garfunkel at Auckland’s Vector Arena providing a magical memory in the untold annals of his mind. Читать далее »

Funnyman Steve Martin turned to his old pal Paul Simon to critique his new bluegrass album - because he knew the rocker would give him an honest opinion.

The Pink Panther star released The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo last month - and Simon reveals they traded thoughts to help Martin to perfect his sound.

He says, “Steve’s music is great. I didn’t realise he was going to make this full album.”

But the singer admits their creative exchange was not without the odd insult.

Simon adds, “He gave me four songs to listen to and I sent him my book of lyrics and he emailed me and said, ‘I gotta be honest, it’s not that great.’”

But Martin insists it was Simon who sparked the playful war of words: “It started with (Simon)’s email, which said, ‘Steve, gotta be honest, didn’t really like those songs. Sorry!’”

The old friends teamed up for a mini jam session during an appearance on U.S. TV’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, when they were both guests, with Martin playing the banjo and Simon strumming his guitar.

When Art Garfunkel tells audiences on he and Paul Simon’s 1969 tour that the duo has just finished a new album, those clapping had no clue that by the time Bridge Over Troubled Water came out, the former childhood friends would have split acrimoniously and wouldn’t regularly share the stage for another 13 years.

What you don’t get on this new CD is much variation from the songs’ recorded versions. Simon doesn’t break out a blazing electric guitar solo on “I Am a Rock,” and Garfunkel doesn’t turn into a blues shouter on “Bridge.” However, it is interesting to hear the audience reacting to a tune that - as iconic as it is now - hadn’t been released at the time.

Still, many these live versions come off warmer or more lively than their studio counterparts, with the help of a crack backing band: “Homeward Bound,” “Mrs. Robinson” and “The Sound of Silence” - ironically, on that song, it was producer Tom Wilson’s instrumental add-ons that gave the duo its first hit. Only “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” fares worse, becoming a too-earnest folk dirge like a parody from A Mighty Wind.

Elsewhere, Simon and Garfunkel - reportedly mulling one final reunion jaunt, according to Rolling Stone - break out some catalogue rarities such as “Song for the Asking,” a jaunty “Why Don’t You Write Me” and “Leaves That are Green,” as well as a fine cover of Gene Autry’s “That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine.” Bottom line: Live 1969 is for the listener already an S&G fan, and provides a great glimpse of the pair at a creative peak but personal valley.

Five minutes into an interview with folk legends Simon and Garfunkel, and Paul Simon is already rolling his eyes. The cause? Art Garfunkel, Simon’s childhood friend and longtime musical sparring partner, is explaining why the duo has decided to tour Australia and New Zealand for the first time since 1983.

“I have new things to say,” says Garfunkel.

“And I dread that …” exhales Simon, eyebrows raised.

“Wait until you hear some of my monologues,” adds Garfunkel, looking across at Simon with glee.

Simon looks back at Garfunkel with a look you can only imagine he’s been giving him for over half a century.

“There are several factors,” continues Simon, ignoring the giggling Garfunkel. “One, the clock is seriously ticking, given our ages, so if we’re going to do it, it’s the sooner, the better, I think.”

“Women have their biological clock,” adds Garfunkel, “and we have our mortality clock.”

Simon exhales. Again. Читать далее »

It’s hard to believe Art Garfunkel when he says he never realized he had a voice until a few years ago.

Oh, he knew his sweet, vibrato-filled tenor could deliver an emotionally charged pop ballad better than almost anyone on the planet. In fact, he says he was just 5 when he first recognized that he possessed an extraordinary vocal gift.

Still, it would take another 55 years before Garfunkel’s true voice finally surfaced on his 2002 album, “Everything Waits to Be Noticed.” That’s because the album marked his debut as a songwriter. Читать далее »