Whatever issues Paul Simon was experiencing because of the loss of hearing in his left ear, they weren’t evident as the 83-year-old folk-rock legend brought his five-date stand at the famous Beacon Theatre in New York City to a close on Monday, June 23.
Simon’s current tour is called “A Quiet Celebration,” and his show at the Beacon was just that. Paul was backed by a large and eclectic group of musicians that included multiple guitarists and percussionists, as well as flute, viola, saxophone, cello, keyboards, bass, and drums. In addition, Simon’s wife, Edie Brickell, hit the stage several times to sing backing vocals.
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The songs were arranged inventively to showcase various instruments, often within the same tune, creating sonic confections for the audience to enjoy.
Simon was greeted warmly by the hometown crowd as he noted he lived in walking distance from the venue. He then quipped that he’d taken a helicopter to the venue.
The concert began with a full performance of Simon’s latest album, Seven Psalms, which was released in 2023. Seven Psalms is a meditative piece split into seven movements. The movements are presented almost like standalone songs, although many are connected by a recurring theme played by Simon on acoustic guitar.
Lyrically, Seven Psalms touches on themes of mortality and belief in a higher power. The piece’s music features influences including folk, avant-garde, World Music, classical, and jazz. Brickell joined Simon to contribute vocals to the final two pieces, “The Sacred Harp” and “Wait”.
Simon Takes Fans on a Career-Spanning Journey in the Second Set
At the beginning of the concert, Simon explained that after the performance of Seven Psalms, he would play a set included many of his best-known songs and some tunes that he’d rarely performed live before this tour.
In non-chronological order, Simon played selections from various solo albums, as well as a few Simon & Garfunkel classics.
For the second set, South African bassist Bakithi Kumalo and Nigerian guitarist Biodun Kuti joined Simon’s group onstage. Paul later introduced Kumalo as the last surviving member of his original Graceland band.
Appropriately, the set began with a performance of “Graceland.” Simon followed that with a rendition of his 1977 hit “Slip Slidin’ Away” that had the audience singing and clapping along during the choruses.
Next up was the 1983 deep cut “Train in the Distance,” the first of three songs Simon played from his Hearts And Bones album.
Paul then teased the audience by playing the guitar intros to the Simon & Garfunkel classics “I Am a Rock” and “The Sound of Silence,” before launching into the duo’s enduring 1966 tune “Homeward Bound.”
This was followed by “The Late Great Johnny Ace,” another song from Hearts And Bones, in which Simon paid homage the titular R&B artist, as well as John Lennon and John F. Kennedy, all of whom died prematurely.
Simon then played another deep cut, “St. Judy’s Comet,” from his 1973 album There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. The song is an ode to his first child and oldest son, Harper.
Paul returned to the Graceland album for “Under African Skies,” performed as a duet with Brickell.
Winding Down the Second Set
Next up was “Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War,” a whimsical gem from Hearts And Bones. At the end of the performance, the photo that inspired the song was projected on a screen behind the stage.
Simon dipped into his 2011 album So Beautiful or So What for the playful “Rewrite.”
As the main set neared its end, Paul and his group played two songs from his Brazilian music-influenced 1990 album, The Rhythm of the Saints.
The first was “Spirit Voices,” which Simon introduced by explaining that it was inspired by an incident that happened during a trip to the Amazon. While visiting a village, a local shaman had given him the hallucinogenic ayahuasca. The second tune was “The Cool, Cool River,” highlighted by grooving, hypnotic rhythms.
Simon closed out the set with a celebratory rendition of his 1972 hit “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” A highlight of the performance was Brickell deftly recreating the tune’s catchy whistling solo.
The Encore
After briefly exiting the stage, Simon and company returned to close out the show with a couple more classic tunes. His wry 1975 chart-topper “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” was enhanced with a jazzy jam at the end.
Paul and the band then delivered an inspired and emotional version of the enduring 1969 Simon & Garfunkel song “The Boxer.” Simon encouraged the crowd to sing the “lai-la-lai” choruses.
The band left the stage once again, leaving Simon to finish the show with a solo performance of his first Simon & Garfunkel hit, “The Sound of Silence.”
Although Simon’s vocals sounded weathered and a bit quavery throughout the concert, they did not detract from the cavalcade of inspired performances heard from beginning to end.
More About Simon’s Band
In addition to Brickell, Kumalo, and Kuti, Simon’s band featured Mark Stewart and Gyan Riley on guitar, Matt Chamberlin on drums, Andy Snitzer on saxophone, Nancy Stagnita on flute, Caleb Burhans on viola, Eugene Friesen on cello, Jamey Haddad on percussion, and Mick Rossi on keyboard.
Simon’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Simon’s “A Quiet Celebration” tour moves on to Philadelphia next for a trio of concerts—June 26, 28, and 29.
The trek will then head to the West Coast, with shows scheduled in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, California; Vancouver, Canada; and Seattle, Washington. The outing ends with three concerts in Seattle, on July 31, August 1, and August 2.
Visit PaulSimon.com for a full list of tour dates.
Paul Simon Set List, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, 6/23/2025:
Set 1:
- “The Lord”
- “Love Is Like a Braid”
- “My Professional Opinion”
- “Your Forgiveness”
- “Trail of Volcanoes”
- “The Sacred Harp” (with Edie Brickell)
- “Wait” (with Edie Brickell)
Set 2:
- “Graceland”
- “Slip Slidin’ Away”
- “Train in the Distance”
- “Homeward Bound”
- “The Late Great Johnny Ace”
- “Under African Skies” (with Edie Brickell)
- “St. Judy’s Comet”
- “Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War”
- “Rewrite”
- “Spirit Voices”
- “The Cool, Cool River”
- “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” (with Edie Brickell)
Encore:
- “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”
- “The Boxer”
- “The Sound of Silence”
Photo by Jake Edwards