Paul Simon takes back his farewell, will tour again after all
Simon will hit the road to support his 2023 album Seven Psalms.
If seeing Paul Simon open the SNL50 show made you think, “I’d love to see this guy live,” you’re in luck. It turns out his 2018 farewell tour was one of those tours that didn’t end up being farewell at all, because on Tuesday, Simon announced the “Quiet Celebration Tour” to begin this spring. The tour will be the first live performance of his album Seven Psalms (a single 33-minute track acoustic track divided into seven parts), in addition to “a celebration of his timeless classics,” per Rolling Stone.
While recording Seven Psalms, Simon experienced the sudden loss of most of the hearing in his left ear. That made the prospect of live performance a challenge, but over time he developed a new monitor setup (collaborating in part with the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss) that he’ll take on the road for the new tour, per RS. Last year he expressed his optimism about getting to the point of performing a full-length concert in an interview with The Guardian. “I never said I was going to retire. I said I was going to stop, which I did. I thought that with that band and the repertoire we were doing we’d developed it as far as we could. It was enjoyable, but I wanted to find out what happens when you stop,” he told the outlet.
Most PopularThe Quiet Celebration Tour is being held in “intimate theaters with pristine acoustics” to accommodate the particularities of Simon’s setup, Rolling Stone reports. He’ll be backed by a band that includes Caleb Burhans (viola), Jamey Haddad (percussion), Gyan Riley (guitar), Mick Rossi (piano, keys), Andy Snitzer (saxophone), Nancy Stagnita (flute), Mark Stewart (guitar), Eugene Friesen (Cello), and Steve Gadd and Matt Chamberlin alternating on drums. And who knows, if we’re really lucky, maybe Art Garfunkel might make an appearance—Garfunkel said the pair recently reunited and teased that he was “in the mood to work with” his longtime friend and collaborator.
Tickets for The Quiet Celebration Tour will go on sale February 21. You can check out the full list of tour dates below.
Related ContentThe Quiet Celebration Tour dates
April 4—Saenger Theater—New Orleans, LA
April 5—Saenger Theater—New Orleans, LA
April 8—Bass Concert Hall—Austin, TX
April 10—Bass Concert Hall—Austin, TX
April 11—Bass Concert Hall—Austin, TX
April 14—Paramount Theatre—Denver, CO
April 16—Paramount Theatre—Denver, CO
April 17—Paramount Theatre—Denver, CO
April 20—Orpheum Theatre—Minneapolis, MN
April 22—Orpheum Theatre—Minneapolis, MN
April 23—Orpheum Theatre—Minneapolis, MN
April 26—Midland Theatre—Kansas City, MO
April 28—Stifel Theatre—St. Louis, MO
April 29—Stifel Theatre—St. Louis, MO
May 7—AT&T Performing Arts Center—Dallas TX
May 8—AT&T Performing Arts Center—Dallas TX
May 11—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
May 13—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
May 14—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
May 17—Riverside Theater—Milwaukee, WI
May 18—Riverside Theater—Milwaukee, WI
May 21—Symphony Center—Chicago, IL
May 23—Symphony Center—Chicago, IL
May 24—Symphony Center—Chicago, IL
May 27—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON
May 29—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON
May 30—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON
June 6—Wolf Trap—Vienna, VA
June 7—Wolf Trap—Vienna, VA
June 10—Boch Center, Wang Theatre—Boston, MA
June 12—Boch Center, Wang Theatre—Boston, MA
June 13—Boch Center, Wang Theatre—Boston, MA
June 16—Beacon Theater—New York, NY
June 18—Beacon Theater—New York, NY
June 20—Beacon Theater—New York, NY
June 21—Beacon Theater—New York, NY
June 23—Beacon Theater—New York, NY
June 26—Academy of Music—Philadelphia, PA
June 28—Academy of Music—Philadelphia, PA
June 29—Academy of Music—Philadelphia, PA
July 7—Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts Center—Long Beach CA
July 9—Disney Hall—Los Angeles, CA
July 11—Disney Hall—Los Angeles, CA
July 12—Disney Hall—Los Angeles, CA
July 14—Disney Hall—Los Angeles, CA
July 16—Disney Hall—Los Angeles, CA
July 19—Davies Symphony Hall—San Francisco, CA
July 21—Davies Symphony Hall—San Francisco, CA
July 22—Davies Symphony Hall—San Francisco, CA
July 25—The Orpheum—Vancouver BC
July 26—The Orpheum—Vancouver BC
July 28—The Orpheum—Vancouver BC
July 31—Benaroya Hall—Seattle, WA
August 2—Benaroya Hall—Seattle, WA
August 3—Benaroya Hall—Seattle, WA