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Paul Simon at Orpheum Theatre (April 20, 22, 23 2025)
Tour Dates
April 26 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
April 28 St. Louis, MO Stifel Theatre April 29 St. Louis, MO Stifel Theatre May 07 Dallas, TX AT&T Winspear Opera House May 08 Dallas, TX AT&T Winspear Opera House May 11 Nashville, TN The Ryman May 13 Nashville, TN The Ryman May 14 Nashville, TN The Ryman May 17 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre May 18 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre May 21 Chicago, IL Symphony Center Orchestra Hall May 23 Chicago, IL Symphony Center Orchestra Hall May 24 Chicago, IL Symphony Center Orchestra Hall May 27 Toronto, ON Massey Hall May 29 Toronto, ON Massey Hall May 30 Toronto, ON Massey Hall June 06 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap June 07 Vienna, VA Wolf Trap June 10 Boston, MA Boch Center - Wang Theatre June 12 Boston, MA Boch Center - Wang Theatre June 13 Boston, MA Boch Center - Wang Theatre June 16 New York, NY Beacon Theatre June 18 New York, NY Beacon Theatre June 20 New York, NY Beacon Theatre June 21 New York, NY Beacon Theatre June 23 New York, NY Beacon Theatre June 26 Philadelphia, PA Academy of Music June 28 Philadelphia, PA Academy of Music June 29 Philadelphia, PA Academy of Music July 07 Long Beach, CA Terrace Theater - Long Beach PAC July 09 Los Angeles, CA Disney Hall July 11 Los Angeles, CA Disney Hall July 12 Los Angeles, CA Disney Hall July 14 Los Angeles, CA Disney Hall July 16 Los Angeles, CA Disney Hall July 19 San Francisco, CA Davies Symphony Hall July 21 San Francisco, CA Davies Symphony Hall July 22 San Francisco, CA Davies Symphony Hall July 25 Vancouver, BC The Orpheum July 26 Vancouver, BC The Orpheum July 28 Vancouver, BC The Orpheum July 31 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall August 02 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall August 03 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall Read More
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(Reporting and photos from our fan-in-the-stands, John "PBS" Rafalski)
‘Farewell’ was not necessarily goodbye after all-
After a recent SNL50 special singing “Homeward Bound” with Sabrina Carpenter, legendary folk icon Paul Simon announced he would un-retire from live concerts (in the spirit of Cher, Kiss, and countless other acts) and head out once more on the road, for the first time since 2018 on his “Quiet Celebration Tour”.
Instead of larger venues, the 20-city/50-show tour is playing concert halls and theaters, usually for multi-night stands in major cities, and centered on Simon’s most recent album, 2023’s Grammy-nominated “Seven Psalms” as well as more intimate arrangements of his older and more familiar songs from his six-decade catalog.
We caught him on the last of his three nights at the Orpheum in Minneapolis, for this Fan-In-The Stands report. His ten-piece band includes Caleb Burhans (viola), Jamey Haddad (percussion), Gyan Riley (guitar), Mick Rossi (piano, keys), Andy Snitzer (saxophone), Nancy Stagnita (flute), Mark Stewart (guitar) and Eugene Friesen (cello), with Steve Gadd and Matt Chamberlin alternating on drums. Also along is his longtime wife (and ex-New Bohemian), Edie Brickell, who predictably sings very well with Simon, especially on the newest album’s last two tracks and the pair’s harmonies on the familiar “Under African Skies” from 1987’s classic LP, “Graceland.”
Simon’s severe hearing loss had necessitated a complete re-design of the stage setup, and his production team worked with the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss to surround himself with monitors, among other enhancements, to make live performance again possible.
The theme and sound of “Seven Psalms” both was a reflection of the opening set and echoed a similar tone to the entire performance- the 83-year-old Simon while thinner vocally, emoting in a way to make every lyric viable as more of a self-reflection on his own life.
This was the voice of an experienced soul looking back with a contemplative contentment and a mature and profound sense of joy; spiritual in nature, though not necessarily religious in tone (which makes calling the tour a “quiet celebration,” even more fitting).
After an intermission, the second set began in a more casual, bluesy mood, with Simon dressing down from his dark suit to a less-formal ballcap, jeans, and purple velour zip-up and the familiar beginning sounds of the title track from “Graceland” getting people on their feet. But it wasn’t that multi-Grammy Award winning album that was more of the focus; instead, there were a handful of songs from 1983’s somewhat overlooked “Hearts and Bones” record.
Whatever strength was lessened in his voice was more than bolstered by the sound of his large band and the strumming of longtime guitarist Stewart, still as tall and imposing as ever.
Simon’s low-key charm and wit was evident on the brief stories between songs, especially those that the crowd didn’t know every word to- “Train in the Distance” – a 70s’era Simon working up a break-up themed lullaby for his then-young son and “The Late Great Johnny Ace” was inspired by a lesser-known blues singer’s accidental death and branched out to reference the famous gun-related deaths of other cultural icons.
“St Judy’s Comet” was named in tribute to a Zydeco drummer from Louisiana and “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War” imagined the French surrealist painter and his wife transplanting to mid-century NYC.
And like a sweet pastry and demitasse, the final satisfying and classic songs were those ingrained into the popular culture for decades, begging for a sing-along, played with glee by the band, and left the crowd with smiles from the best kind of musical comfort food.
In one last gesture, Simon was left alone with his black acoustic guitar under a spotlight for a final closing, “Sound of Silence,” one of his signature songs delivered in a way that brought together both the hushed and reflective tone of the opening set, and the more joyous and hit-filled familiarity of the second set. What resulted following as band members all re-emerged for a final bow, was loud sustained applause for this “quiet celebration” ...and still maybe not the final goodbye for Paul Simon.
PAUL SIMON at Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis MN (2025-04-23)
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PAUL SIMON at Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis MN (2025-04-23)
PAUL SIMON at Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis MN (2025-04-23)
| John C ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥X / twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap |
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