Paul Simon farewelled fans in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, on Saturday, marking the end of a career that spanned more than 60 years
Paul Simon ended his final concert tour under a moonlit sky on home turf Saturday, telling an audience in a Queens, NY park that their cheers ‘mean more than you can know.’
Simon performed at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which he said was a 20-minute bicycle ride from where he grew up, ending the landmark night with his first big hit, ‘The Sound of Silence.’
The 76-year-old Simon isn’t retiring, and hasn’t ruled out occasional future performances. But he’s said this is his last time out on the road, and he isn’t alone among his peers; Elton John and Kiss are also doing goodbye swings.
New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio introduced Simon, calling him ‘one of the greatest New York City artists of all time.’
The return to New York raised memories of Simon’s two iconic shows in Manhattan’s Central Park, in 1981 with former partner Art Garfunkel and in 1991 on his own.
Simon didn’t directly address the special nature of this occasion, and his only guest was wife Edie Brickell, who came out to whistle the solo in ‘Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard.’
In a fitting homage, Simon’s final performance took place just a 20 minute bike ride from his childhood home
Fans crowded in to say goodbye to the beloved New Yorker, who mayor Bill DeBlasio called ‘one of the greatest New York city artists of all time’
But there were many references to familiar surroundings, like when he paused and beamed at an airplane descending over the park as he prepared to sing ‘Homeward Bound.’
At one point, Simon started a game of catch with the audience, throwing out a baseball and trying to capture it as fans threw it back
‘Welcome to New York,’ he said.
When Simon finished singing ‘Kodachrome,’ with its memorable line about ‘the crap I learned in high school,’ he said, ‘take that, Forest Hills High School.’
But, he conceded, ‘I actually had a good time there.’
The crowd cheered when Simon sang about the ‘queen of Corona’ in ‘Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard.’
‘How much fun is it to sing a song about Corona in Corona?’ he said.
The former high school baseball player brought out a glove and a ball, saying he wanted to play catch. He twice threw the ball into the audience and the return throws sailed over his head. But on the third, Simon caught a perfect strike.
His 26-song set spanned more than 50 years. A staple of the 1960s folk-rock scene with Garfunkel, Simon explored music from around the world as a solo artist. His band contained guitarists from Nigeria and South Africa, and a classical sextet.
His recent work has been his most musically challenging, and in a new disc he revisits overlooked songs from the past four decades. He’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member for both stages of his career.
The only references to Garfunkel were a couple of fleeting pictures during a nostalgic montage on the video screen.
As Simon prepared to sing ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ he said that ‘I’m going to reclaim my lost child.’ He had originally given the giant hit to Garfunkel to sing.
Simon had only one guest on stage with him on Saturday, his wife Edie, and got through the rest of the gig with his regular band
The 76-year-old formed Simon and Garfunkel with friend Art Garfunkel in 1956, before launching a successful solo career after they parted ways in 1970
Despite their enduring history, Simon did not mention Garfunkel, but gave him a nod through a nostalgic montage that played on the video screen
An often dour performer, Simon has been animated and talkative during the final shows.
He seems eager for the freedom that awaits him, said Robert Hilburn, who wrote the biography ‘Paul Simon: A Life’ that was released this spring.
‘The thing that strikes me is that he’s been happy, relieved,’ Hilburn said. ‘There’s a burden off of him.’
During an earlier show in Portland, Oregon, Simon playfully ‘penalized’ himself for flubbing the lyrics to one song by singing an old Simon & Garfunkel hit he confessed to hating: ‘The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).’
Simon announced his retirement in February this year, telling fans the death of his long-time guitarist Vincent N’guini in December 2017 was a major contributing factor.
‘His loss is not the only reason I’ve decided to stop touring, but it is a contributing factor,’ he said in a statement.
‘Mostly, though, I feel the travel and time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing.’
Saturday will likely not be the last time Simon takes the stage, with the songwriter telling fans in February he still intended to perform for charity.
‘After this coming tour, I anticipate doing the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall, and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet, ecologically,’ he said.
Saturday was the final show in Simon’s farewell tour, which saw him travel through North America, the United Kingdom and Europe