Trust me, this is not the Paul Simon blog, it’s just that he has been very active this year. Don’t worry, if he falls back into the old routine, he will be 75 by the time he tours and has a new album and I will be dead. He writes an album when he feels like it, he doesn’t force himself, so that’s why his music is so fresh and non-contrived. Onto Paul Simon at Webster Hall!!
The concert was announced very briefly before it was going to happen. I missed the Brooklyn Vegan presale, so had to take my chances with the on sale day. The only thing in my favor is that this was a “no ticket” show. They were not printing tickets--in fact the only way you’re getting into the show is with an ID and the credit card you used to purchase the tickets. Also, for example, if you bought three tickets, all three people must be with you to enter, or you don’t get it. Fuck you scalpers, I finally won!!! So on the day the tickets went on sale, I had my usual safety net of having someone else on TM trying to get tickets. I put in 1 ticket right at 10am. I got one!! I snapped it right up and was finished 2 minutes after I started. Could it be that Ticketmaster is actually living up to their reputation of being the master of tickets? That’s what happens when you have a monopoly folks!
I took the 3:47 into the city and got into Grand Central around 5:15. I went downstairs and perused the local New York delicacies. I settled on a turkey and brie sandwich from Juniors. Yum! After I finished my pickle, I found the “4” train on the subway. The first one was so jam packed with people that I just waited the three minutes until the next one came. The next train was a lot less crowded and I was on my way to 14th Street and Union Square. After a short three block up and one over walk, I had arrived at Webster Hall. As I saw the sign, I also saw some things that threw me. The line was not that long as I thought it would be, and I saw trucks that didn’t look like tour trucks, so I had to investigate. I snapped a few pics on my iPhone so I could remember what companies they were. Judging by the names on the truck, “mobile audio”, “tele-vision” etc, I figured that they must have been filming the show tonight (I was right btw). Hung up on the doors were these big release signs informing us they were filming for a future release. I won’t hold my breath though because in 2009 at the Beacon on the first night, they had the same signs and still nothing. I have a feeling that it will not be coming out on DVD. Someone said it was being filmed for a PBS special. While that may be true, usually the local PBS station will handle production, not subcontract out to a production company. Time will tell. The company that was filming was Parallel 28 Equipe, Inc. Look them up on IMDB, they seem to specialize in concert DVDs.
I got there about 5:45 and the line wasn’t that long yet. The Webster crew kept coming by to make sure we weren’t blocking the entrance to the AMC Theatre at the end of the block. The doors were supposed to open at 6:30. They did not open however until 6:45. While we were waiting, I saw a short man with a fedora coming down the VIP staircase and like a train in the distance, he was gone. It was Paul. It’s a good thing he’s so old looking, not a lot of casual fans would recognize him these days. A few minutes later I saw Eddie walking up the stairs with his VIP badge around him neck. I have not seen the two of them together ever, so maybe they are just one person going around incognito. A few minutes later, I saw Jamey and Jim walk by. I told Jamey that he was the master, he smiled and they kept walking. Jim had a gig bag strapped to his back. Across the street they went and faded into the horizon. A few minutes later Mick, the new piano player passed by on his way up the VIP stairs with a younger woman. Once the line started to move, we were ushered into a dark damp old hall. I’m glad I didn’t have to fill out a form first before I waited in line. We were then split into two lines, A-M and N-Z for our last names. I approached the table for my letter and the guy found my name gave me back my license and I was on my way. I had to run to the bathroom, and found myself in the peculiar predicament. There is only one bathroom for both sexes and it was wide open, so it looks like a bar, but it has stalls. Right before I found the bathroom, this guy walked into me and looked up to see who it was, and it was Bakithi, rushing with a guitar case in his hand back stage. I didn’t mind that he didn’t say sorry.
I found a nice place to stand and I was about 4 people back from the stage, dead center. Then a giant redwood of a man came from getting a drink and stood right in front of me. Was I going to have to stare is his shirt all night, I think not. So I moved about 2 feet off center, and had a fine view and didn’t worry anymore. About 7:15 the guitar techs were running a line check on the mics and monitors. Paul’s guitar tech, who is about 2 feet taller than him practically had to bend over to check Paul’s mic. He was tuning guitars in a pit on stage right and bringing them out on stage to check them. Then the other tech, who looked to be in charge of Vincent’s guitars and Bakithi’s basses, was tuning the guitars via a mac book. I guess the humidity conditions in the hall were off because both techs tuned each guitar at least twice maybe even three times, sometimes more on Vincent’s guitars. Tuning went on and on and the 7:30 start time slowly got pushed to 8:15. The guitars were being tuned and it was dragging on and on.
I noticed that 7 HD cameras were placed around the venue. There were four in the house two on the sides on risers and two with the sound crew in front of the bar. There was a roaming camera on stage right in the back and there was one on a tripod on stage left that would go between being fixed and handheld throughout the night. Then for good measure, they had a camera on a tripod at the back of the stage pointing out into the house. This was most likely a wide angle lens camera for effect. There might have been more, but what annoys me the most about newer concert DVDs is the need for 26 HD cameras and being cut between them every 2.3 seconds. Fast editing distracts from the content, and editing should only enhance the content.
Around 8:15 the band came out from stage right followed by Paul. An easy way to tell when the show is going to start is to watch for when the cameramen take their places. The guitar tech put out his Martin without a capo, so I knew he was going to start with Boy in the Bubble. Instead of strumming the chords, he did finger picking on alternating A’s. I like it when Paul changes things up, he’s not afraid to do that. Mark and Bikithi’s solos were both very good. Paul was in very good voice and had pep in his step. He was wearing a jacket over his usual tucked in tee-shirt that looked like leather. The first number brought the house down. I was hoping for some major deviation in the set list because it was being filmed and all, but like a Trojan, he soldered on with Dazzling Blue. I could not hear Jamey’s chanting that he did on the intro of this song. It may have been where I was standing and which stack I was near, or he may not have been doing it, who knows? I couldn’t see him that well. Jim is the best picker/drummer you will find. It’s amazing how he can play both, sometimes at the same time!
It was quite a sight to see, 1500 people singing in key with Paul during 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. This was the funk-ified edition, the band was very tight and sounded great. Paul greeted us as he strapped on his red 12 string. He said “how great to be playing a club in New York.” He did the usual intro for Vietnam. I think Mark Stewart might have sick this evening. His singing was a bit off. Especially during Vietnam when he mimics Paul’s singing during the verse. He was having a hard time hitting the notes, very unlike him. The time I have seen him, Paul screwed up Mother & Child Reunion. During the second verse, he got behind in the lyrics somehow and covered nicely. I think only a few of us noticed. Paul was staring me down the whole night because I remembered the words better than he did sometimes. The entire crowd was singing along, it was a glorious moment. That Was Your Mother got a rousing reception. The crowd was dancing. Andy got an extended solo motioned by Paul (maybe directing traffic?).
Hearts & Bones was flawless; the best time I’ve seen him sing it. For Slip Sliding Away, Paul played a red 6 string Gibson electric, instead of the ‘Late in the Evening’ funky white guitar I have mentioned before. He really emphasized the “hometown” line in the first verse that got a rise out of the crowd. I could tell he was really relaxed and there just for the music. Once again, during Peace Like a River, he sang that the best I have seen, nailed the guitar and high notes. Mick got an extended solo at the end. I don’t know where the piano solo came from, it doesn’t really fit with the song, but Mick is a great player, he reminds me of Philip Glass, a-tonal pieces that fit together as whole. Mick waved to the audience while we were clapping.
The Obviously Child usually gets a great response, but Webster Hall lost its shit when he started playing this song. I could feel the dance floor shaking, that’s how crazy the crowd was going. People were jumping up and down in time with the music. He swapped 12 strings and started playing The Only Living Boy in New York. He once again screwed up the guitar solo, if he would just go back to playing it the regular way, all would be fine in the world.
The next song was a treat; he sort of dropped it from the set list, but picked it back up for the club shows. The Afterlife is a peppy song about what happens when we die. I would have rather had Getting Ready for Christmas Day, but I digress. The Afterlife was followed by another new song, Questions for the Angels. The references of New York City got a rise out of the crowd.
Webster Hall was once again shaking during Diamonds. Mark usually plays his Stephen Stills White Falcon Gretsch here, but he opted for the telecaster. The drum breakdown at the end was intense. The bass solo wasn’t the best, Bakithi even made a face like he screwed it up. Something happened about halfway through the show, the band got their mojo thrown off and didn’t regain it until Gone at Last. They weren’t playing bad, it just wasn’t as tight as I have seen. His band could play awful and still sound amazing, that’s how good each of them are. Gumboots ended the show to rapturous applause. I noticed that when Paul and Mark de-tune their guitars for the ending of Gumboots, Mick had mallets in his hand and was pounding on the piano string inside the baby grand. The cameraman was in his way and he almost missed it because of that. After Gumboots, Paul and the band left the stage.
A few minutes later Paul came back. There was a weird delay on his guitar for the opening bars of The Sound of Silence. It got fixed right before he started his extended intro. He sang this song well. The crowd was very respectful while listening to the master show off his prowess. By this time, they had turned on the very large wind machines. I guess there is no air conditioning in Webster Hall, so the PA was competing with these large machines.
The band came back out and really rocked Kodachome® and brought the house down with Gone at Last. I was surprised by how many younger people were there. The Beacon and Foxwoods shows were like visiting a state home. Maybe the younger vibe from the crowd caused his resurgence during these songs. The band rocked Gone at Last. Here Comes the Sun was the worst song they played. All three musicians screwed it up. Tony was having accordion problems and came in late, Paul screwed up the words and started with the wrong verse and Mark screwed up the guitar part at the end. Mark and Paul just smiled at each other at the end to let us know it was OK. It would have been nice if they just started the song over.
Once again Paul proclaimed “it’s late in the evening.” The crowd was shaking the dance floor yet again. By this song the band was on fire again. They really are a tight band and it’s the musicianship that blew the people away. He doesn’t need giant video screens or visuals to distract from the auto tune awful singing other artists do. He is the king of New York and Webster Hall was his castle.
In the dark during the next encore break after the band left the stage, a tech came out with a mic stand and placed it to the left of Paul’s. It was tall like Garfunkel’s would have been. Everyone was convinced Garfunkel was here. I’m not trying to be a snob, but I knew it wasn’t Garfunkel because he is always on Paul’s right when they sing, always! Also, at the Beacon shows, Paul said Artie was still struggling with his voice. But I knew it was someone tall.
Right when I saw the mic go up, they also had what looked like words to a song that the guy taped down by the mic stand. I pulled out my camera and started to roll, I didn’t want to miss it, because Paul rarely ever has “guests.” A few minutes later, the band came back out, followed by Paul, followed by David Byrne from the Talking Heads. Austin is a huge David Byrne fan and would have really enJoyed this, but alas he decided to go to England instead. Paul introduced David and David picked up one of Paul’s Martin’s and started to play an ‘F.’ The dance floor was shaking, probably the worst shaking of the night. I was praying it would hold us all. People were loosing their shit left and right, yet again. Two New York icons on the same stage. David and band started the Talking Heads song Road to Nowhere. Paul was playing the harmonica and singing. David has never been the best singer, but he really puts his whole soul into it and that’s all that matters. This song got one of the loudest rounds of applause. David put the guitar down.
It’s really hard to surprise me, I can usually guess what songs they are going to do, but I nearly lost my shit when they started the next song. In a way I was happy that You Can Call Me Al was retired for this tour, because it meant he could play something else that he hasn’t done in a while, but I also missed it. The fact that David got him to do it for this one off, was fantastic. The next day I found the link between them. When Paul did those BAM shows in 2008, David sang I Know What I Know for the African show. He did an admirable job too, you can find it on YouTube. David started singing the song and the roof almost caved in. Everyone was cheering and jumping and singing, it was the most enthusiastic crowds I have ever seen and I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my day. Paul and David were both singing the song. David was adding his inflections and Paul was singing it straight. Tony’s solo was lost by crowd because David was doing his Once in a Lifetime dance and was driving the crowd crazy. He forgot to come back for the third verse so the band vamped. Bikithi’s solos were not the best, maybe because they have not been playing this song on tour, or maybe he was distracted by the African smock he decided to wear. David was once again dancing and the horn section was really playing their hearts out. The song ended, Paul thanked David and the crowd was still talking amongst themselves about what they had just witnessed.
I’m still tired about Still Crazy After All These Years. I wish he would just send it to the glue factory already. His voice still sounds tired and I would rather hear something else. Yes Andy plays a fantastic solo, but it just sounds bad. After the smattering of applause, the tech brought out a guitar with a capo on the 5th fret, so I knew it was going to end with Crazy Love, Vol. II. Paul thanked us once again and said he was going to close with a song from Graceland. Everyone thought it would be Graceland, there was a buzz, but I knew which song it would be. The band started Crazy Love, Vol. II and crowd was very receptive. I think it’s smarter to open with Boy in the Bubble, to get the crowd going, and close with Crazy Love. The set list for this tour is perfectly balanced and I know Paul does it according to key signatures, so I will have to figure this out and get back to you all.
All in all and after everything was said and done, I was glad I decided to get a ticket. Just for the David Byrne songs, it made it worth the train, subway, and ticket price. Paul was very loose and was in a good mood and the band for the most part was tight. The last show of the tour could go either way sometimes. I have no more Paul Simon booked, unless he does a fall leg or Garfunkel does in fact talk him into going out later in the year. On a side note Art has a concert scheduled for September in Canada, so maybe he is getting his voice back.
After the show was over, the lights came up and my whirlwind tour with Paul Simon was finally over. I should have been on the payroll. There was only one way out of the venue, and all 1500 people were trying to use it. I waited around for a bit, watching the crew strike the stage. I was exhausted from standing for six hours and just wanted to get out of there. When I finally went down the stairs, I went into the room with the merch table, I really wanted a “Webster Hall” stamped poster. There were these huge mirror doors that had printed signs, “keep out” which all but made me wonder who was behind them and why we were supposed to keep out. I got my poster and was rolling it when one door opened and I saw inside there were a bunch of people running around, it looked like that space was being used as home base, like it was backstage. So I took my time rolling my poster and just for good measure I bought a magnet to kill some more time. Then, the other door swung open and out walked David Byrne in his pink shirt on his road to nowhere. I quickly quipped that he just ‘burned down the house.’ He looked and smiled then went on his way with a younger woman at his side. I thought it was pretty funny and so did the merch guy.
I knew from an 8:15 start time that I would never make the 10:22. But I did make the 11:22 and I was so tired, and the train ride just seemed to take forever. We stopped at stations I had never even heard of. We even stopped at Willoughby. I got home slightly before 1am and crashed as my head hit the pillow. What a great end to a month of touring with Paul! Here’s hoping for a fall leg!
The Boy In the Bubble
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
So Beautiful or So What
Vietnam
Mother & 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 Afterlife
Questions for the Angels
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Gumboots
The Sound of Silence
Kodachrome
Here Comes the Sun
Late In the Evening
Road to Nowhere (w/ David Byrne)
You Can Call Me Al (w/ David Byrne)
Still Crazy After All These Years
Crazy Love, Vol. II
*Fine print: please do not duplicate these photos or use them anywhere else, even without profit, support the artist and buy their legitimate releases*
*Fine print: please do not duplicate these photos or use them anywhere else, even without profit, support the artist and buy their legitimate releases*
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