Paul Simon Concludes N.Y.C. Residency For His ‘A Quiet Celebration’ Tour

When he sang the lyric from the classic Simon and Garfunkel song “The Boxer” — “But the fighter still remains” — at Beacon Theatre earlier this week, Paul Simon received a round of cheers and applause. It was a poignant moment among many that occurred during that concert, a symbolic reference to Simon’s career now spanning eight decades as he continues to honor his legacy and find new musical inspiration.

Monday’s show was the final of a series of five hometown concerts at the New York City venue as part of the singer-songwriter’s current tour A Quiet Celebration. At first, it seemed like Simon, 83, was done with performing after a farewell tour in 2018 as well as having experienced major hearing loss over the years.

But he hasn’t retired from making new music as demonstrated by his most recent album, 2023’s predominantly acousitc Seven Psalms, which was intended as a single continuous 33-minute piece with different sections. According to a news release announcing the tour, Simon was inspired to play live again amid a desire to present Seven Psalms on stage.

Accompanied by a large cast of talented musicians, Simon began the evening performing Seven Psalms in its entirety without interruption. As referenced by its title, the exquisite piece was predominantly spiritual in nature and hinted at a variety of genres, from folk (“The Lord” and “Love Is Like a Braid”) to blues (“Your Professional Opinion”) to European classicism (“Your Forgiveness”) to South American influences (“Trail of Volcanoes”). Singer and Simon’s wife Edie Brickell provided vocal accompaniment on the piece’s final two sections “The Sacred Harp” and “Wait.”

The rest of the show covered Simon’s best-known songs and some deep cuts from his catalog. Similar in the way Simon presented Seven Psalms earlier in the evening, the performances for this second half of the show had an intimate, warm and unplugged feel to it and yet also felt electric and vibrant. Among some of the notable examples included the chugging “Graceland”; the soulful “Train in the Distance”; the sublime “St. Judy’s Comet”; and the mournful “The Late Great Johnny Ace.”

The crowd also harmonzied with the singer on the choruses for “The Boxer” and “50 Ways to Leave to Leave Your Lover.” And the performance of the whimsical “Me and Julio Down by the School Yard” (with Brickell providing the whistling solo) generated a standing ovation.

As for his singing, Simon still delivered in his distinct wistful voice that now sounded a bit more softer, which suited to the intimate presentation of the material. The supporting musicians were also superb, with each of them given a solo spotlight over the course of the evening.

For the final song of the two-hour-plus sbow, Simon fittingly performed by himself on acoustic guitar “The Sound of Silence,” the hit with his former musical partner Art Garfunkel that started it all 60 years ago. It was a moment to savor as fans probably never thought they would see him onstage again. It’s not a comeback but rather an graceful new chapter in the legend’s career.

Paul Simon’s A Quiet Celebration tour continues through Aug. 3.

Setlist:

Part I

Seven Psalms

The Lord

Love Is Like a Braid

My Professional Opinion

Your Forgiveness

Trail of Volcanoes

The Sacred Harp

Wait

Part II

Graceland

Slip Slidin’ Away

Train in the Distance

Homeward Bound

The Late Great Johnny Ace

St. Judy’s Comet

Under African Skies

Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War

Rewrite

Spirit Voices

The Cool, Cool River

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

Encore 1:

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

The Boxer

Encore 2:

The Sound of Silence