Thursday, April 28, 2011

Paul Simon at The Fillmore


Paul Simon is touring in support of this new album, "So Beautiful Or So What."  On each city in his tour, he is trying to arrange intimate club gigs where he and his band can play more of his old songs, as well as other songs.  They played at Davies Symphony Hall on Monday night, the Fox Theater on Tuesday night, and then at the Fillmore last night.  The set list included several from the new album plus four from "Graceland," a few covers ("Wheels," "Vietnam" and "Here Comes the Sun"), two Simon & Garfunkel numbers ("Only Living Boy In New York" and "Sounds Of Silence") and more.

He was in fine form, and the crowd was enthusiastic about seeing him.  The more I think about it, the more I realize how rare and special it is to have the opportunity to see such a large show in such a relatively small and intimate setting (completely sold out, and it took over half an hour for the crowd to get out of the building).

UPDATE: Since several people seem to be searching for the setlist, I'm adding it here:

Setlist:
The Boy In the Bubble
Dazzling Blue
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
So Beautiful Or So What
Vietnam (Jimmy Cliff cover)
Mother And Child Reunion
That Was Your Mother
Hearts And Bones
Wheels (Chet Atkins cover)
Slip Slidin' Away
Rewrite
Peace Like a River
The Obvious Child
Only Living Boy In New York
Getting Ready For Christmas Day
Love Is Eternal Sacred Light
Father And Daughter
Diamonds On the Soles Of Her Shoes
Gumboots

Encore 1:
The Sound Of Silence
Kodachrome
Gone At Last
Here Comes the Sun (Beatles cover)
Late In the Evening
Proof

Encore 2:
Still Crazy After All These Years

And Spinner has already posted a fairly ecstatic review.  Click here to read the entire review.

Excerpt: "All told, Simon didn't say much, except to introduce the songs, the band, say thanks and not much more. But he didn't need to. He's one of the rare legends that doesn't have to turn to nostalgia to make 30-year-old classics sound as fresh as his brand new ones...and his brand new ones as relevant as his 30-year-old classics. If Simon has been, lyrically, looking for redemption as of late, well, musically, he found it at the Fillmore on Wednesday."

UPDATE:  The San Francisco Chronicle reviewed the show in today's (Friday's) paper.  It does not wax rhapsodic like the Spinner review, but it is highly positive.  Click here to read it.

Excerpt:  "His voice was supple. His attire was predictably practical. But what made Paul Simon's sold-out concert at the Fillmore on Wednesday really noteworthy was his enthusiasm for just being there. After years of putting on alternately awkward and curmudgeonly performances in the Bay Area, the 69-year-old rock icon arrived here with something resembling a smile - as rare a sighting in his company as a bushy-haired Art Garfunkel.

Erratum:  "The new songs - including 'Love is Eternal Sacred Light,' 'The Afterlife' and an especially lively 'Rewrite' - fit squarely alongside the favorites..."  ("The Afterlife" was not in the setlist.  Since "The Afterlife" is the first single from "So Beautiful Or So What," one might expect it to be emphasized in concert, but it was not played at the Fillmore on Wednesday night.)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Looks like a great show!
I miss those red curtains... and the 38 Geary!