Paul Simon kept it hot last night at Starlight

Welcome to summer. Yesterday was so hot that while standing in the sun waiting for Paul Simon and his band to come to the stage, even my knees were sweating. Many attendees were flushed, and long lines for drinks moved painfully slow. Yet, as the band made its way onstage as the sun was setting, a breeze in the upper part of the amphitheater picked up. The band warmed up, and the icon arrived.

Simon began the show big and familiar, with “The Boy in the Bubble,” “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” and the jumpy, zydeco-influenced “That Was Your Mother.” The crowd, which stood when Simon entered the theater, immediately sat down and showed little interest in getting moving early on. It was likely due to the 90-degree temperatures that hovered all evening, in addition to the crowd being an older one – one requiring breeze and/or cocktails to set in before thinking about standing, much less dancing.

Simon covered material from throughout his career, incorporating several songs from Graceland as well as newer work, including a sharp and smart performance of “Rewrite.” Simon explained before the song began that for a lot of his material he will just start with a sound, in this case the sound of his knuckles rapping on the guitar. As the song progressed, the sizable rhythm and percussion sections seized their opportunity to show off, working through the complex arrangement and beats, building the song’s body from Simon’s original notion. Additional elements such as a handheld percussion instrument that sounded like a ticking clock gave the song additional texture as it further told the song’s story.

Simon’s backing band was exceptional throughout the night, incorporating dozens of different instruments into its arrangements, which were often slightly modified in instrumentation as well as tempo from recorded versions of Simon’s songs. And even as the large band is necessary to pull off Simon’s songs, it is also simply entertaining.

Rather than giving the audience a show with LED screens and animations, the band provided good visuals solely on its own merits, no screens used or necessary (a rarity anymore for a show of this size). As needed, a horn section would pop up, and as the night’s tone shifted, percussion sections arrived as the songs called for it. Counting Simon, there were 10 musicians working onstage throughout the night, most members fulfilling multiple duties.

The audience did finally get to its feet for a performance of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” one of the most playful songs in Simon’s catalog. Couples briefly strayed into the aisles to dance. Parents danced with their (adult) children, and the air began to feel light. The arrangement incorporated blasting, burping horns and a dancing accordion. Simon whistled perfectly.

In addition to that healthy whistle, Simon’s body and voice are in good shape for performing. His voice is clear and doesn’t struggle in higher registers. I think I was sweating more than he was, even with him facing the additional warmth of stage lights. He looked like he was enjoying himself.

After “Julio” concluded, Simon explained the inspiration for “Spirit Voices,” which came from a trip to the Amazon and a dose of ayuhuasca tea, ayuhuasca being a hallucinogen that makes almost all users vomit after taking it. No one apparently explained this to Simon, who after being warned by the tea’s purveyor about the physical effects, forged through the experience, and came through with a song.

A clear highlight of the night was the performance of “Obvious Child,” the drum-centric track from Simon’s undervalued Rhythm of the Saints. As the pounding cascade of drums circled him and his guitar, Simon’s voice rang through: Sonny sits by his window and thinks to himself / How it’s strange that some rooms are like cages.

Simon bounced through decades, showing off “Stranger to Stranger,” from his 2016 album of the same name, to the ’60s and “70s for Simon and Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” and “El Condor Pasa,” and to the ’80s with “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes.” As the decades progressed and the tempo and instrumentation of the band built, the audience’s energy grew, and crowd responses increased in volume and in sincerity. 

Simon performed two encores, beginning them with a new track, the ear-wormy, slickly percussed “Wristband,” before moving to “Still Crazy After All of These Years,” finally settling on the classic “The Boxer.” The audience, so reserved at the beginning of the night, now sang.

Simon went far back to close the night with “Sound of Silence,” bringing on waves of nostalgia. The crowd became reverent. The song is beautiful and was beautifully performed. Simon still has it – all of it. 

Setlist:

Proof (Instrumental)

The Boy in the Bubble

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

That Was Your Mother

Rewrite

Kansas City (Instrumental)

Dazzling Blue

Slip Sliding Away

Mother and Child Reunion

Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard

Spirit Voices

Obvious Child

Stranger to Stranger

Homeward Bound

El Condor Pasa

Duncan

The Werewolf

The Cool, Cool River

Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes

You Can Call Me Al

Encore:

Wristband

Late in the Evening

Still Crazy After All These Years

Gumboots

The Boxer

The Sound of Silence