Paul Simon Delivers As ‘A Quiet Celebration’ Tour Winds Down

“Here’s a… an old song,” said Paul Simon with a smile on stage in Chicago. “I suddenly realized they’re all old songs,” he said softly with a wink on opening night of a sold out three evening stand at Symphony Center, part of his “A Quiet Celebration” return run.

Few songwriters can match the canon of music Simon, 83, has meticulously crafted over the course of more than six decades.

Partnering with Art Garfunkel, Simon moved over 100 million records globally, tacking on another 35 million albums sold as a solo artist, rendering him one of the best selling artists of all time.

The duo’s final studio album Bridge Over Troubled Water stood for a spell as the best selling album ever following its release in 1970, with Simon continually experimenting with an array of sounds in his wonderfully diverse body of solo work, going on to move in excess of 16 million copies of his 1986 opus Graceland.

Following a farewell tour in 2018, Simon has appeared on stage a handful of times but “A Quiet Celebration” marks his first full tour since, with the legendary singer and songwriter appearing for multi night runs in each city, performing in smaller theaters better equipped to support and showcase the nuance in his new music better than the arenas he could otherwise easily fill (a North American run which continues this weekend in San Francisco, California ahead of closing shows in Vancouver, British Columbia July 26 through 28 and Seattle, Washington on July 31 and August 2 and 3).

At the heart of the incredible return run lies Simon’s latest album Seven Psalms, a spiritual affair inspired by the old testament’s Book of Psalms which appears on record as an acoustic suite: seven unbroken songs ruminating upon life and mortality which were designed to be absorbed by the listener in full, with the carefully chosen rooms on this tour supporting Simon’s mission.

On stage at Symphony Center, home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Simon and company opened the show with the new album uninterrupted over the course of about 35 minutes, closing the performance with both deep cuts and hits over about two hours and 15 minutes.

“The Lord” read the screen flanking the band as Simon got going with sparse acoustic guitar while voices built the conclusion of the new album’s opening track. Flute cut through xylophone and percussion early as more guitar and timpani rang out later.

That dueling percussion lent “My Professional Opinion” a bit of a shuffle while Simon plucked in an almost flamenco fashion during “Your Forgiveness.”

Vocalist Edie Brickell, Simon’s wife of 33 years, joined for both “The Sacred Harp” and “Wait,” with the backing band swelling to 12 as Simon and Brickell harmonized on the chorus of the former while church bells brought the stunning full album performance of the new Seven Psalms to a close moments later.

“This is the first time since COVID that I’m able to play with my fellow musicians,” noted Simon at the top of the show, setting up the album suite. “The second half is a bunch of hits. Some deep tracks – sort of,” explained the songwriter. “Songs I always liked – but haven’t played live much before. I hope you enjoy yourselves.”

Slide guitar, flute and fiddle fueled a hootenanny as Simon donned his trademark baseball cap during “Graceland.” Simon started “Slip Slidin’ Away” solo acoustic before dusting off “Train in the Distance” from 1983’s Hearts and Bones record.

“Here’s a song from the Simon & Garfunkel days,” he said, characteristically underselling “Homeward Bound” as the second set began to find its footing.

One of the great storytellers, Simon was in fine form on stage, returning to Hearts and Bones as he told the story behind “The Late Great Johnny Ace,” a highlight on opening night in Chicago.

“Here’s a song direct from a childhood memory…” he began. “When I was an adolescent, there was a blues singer named Johnny Ace. His #1 record was ‘Pledging My Love.’ I loved that song,” Simon continued, explaining how Ace accidentally shot himself on Christmas day in 1954. “I heard it the next day on the radio. The DJ said, ‘We’re gonna play his new song and from now on we’re gonna call him the late great Johnny Ace.’”

Simon conducted a bit as drums stomped in, gesturing left toward flute, violin and cello as images of John Lennon and John F. Kennedy appeared on screen as Simon namechecked them lyrically (also both victims of gun violence).

“This next song comes from the Graceland album and it’s written about a specific person,” said Simon, reintroducing fans to Joseph Shabalala of South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. “Here to help me sing – and improve the performance vastly – is Edie Brickell,” said Simon dryly with a smile.

While he experimented with South African sounds on Graceland (bassist Bakithi Kumalo, 69, who performed on the album, is back for this live run) it was authentic reggae he was after in 1972, working with Jimmy Cliff’s backing band on “Mother and Child Reunion.”

Heading for home, Simon and company worked up “Me and Julio Down Down by the Schoolyard” shortly thereafter as opening night neared encore.

Returning to the stage, the Chicago faithful went berserk as Simon put his spin upon “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” clapping along slightly offbeat as he made his way back to the Simon & Garfunkel canon one more time.

“This song is called ‘The Boxer,’” he said simply. Starting the legendary track on his own, the band came swooping in out of the first verse as the crowd roared, with Simon’s arms spread wide as the band took a bow.

Gazing to his left, Simon was clearly swept up in the moment as he wrapped up the evening with the iconic “The Sound of Silence,” delivering both a stirring and stunning solo take on the unparalleled number to the rapt audience.

“In restless dreams I walked alone…” sang Paul Simon as “A Quiet Celebration” drew to a close on opening night in the Windy City.