In a career spanning over 50 years, Paul Simon is acknowledged as one of the foremost singer songwriters of the popular music genre
I have had the pleasure of seeing him perform several times, including the Graceland Tour in April 1987 at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the full cast of 24 South African musicians that he recorded that amazing album with
I was also able to witness the silky smooth voice of his former partner Art Garfunkel in Toronto when Art did a solo tour back in the 1990s
So, it's fair to say that I am a Paul Simon fan in pretty much every sense of the word
At 83 years of age, he has suffered hearing loss and hadn’t performed live since 2018, although he released his 15th studio album Seven Psalms to critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination in 2023
He announced what many consider could be his last full scale tour, starting in April 2025
Watch the video trailer for the tour
Lasting 4 months, the tour was scheduled with a final date in Seattle on August 3rd. The dates and venues didn’t coincide with any place I was expecting to be near so I resigned myself to not seeing this master of his craft in person again
However, in mid-July, it was announced that 2 additional nights would be presented in Seattle on August 5 and 6 - and be filmed for archive purposes and possible future broadcast
What if…
…I was able to get to the other side of the continent to visit my son AND see Paul Simon ?
Well, it all worked out, and I flew to Seattle for a wonderful mid-week break and was able to spend some quality time with son Liam AND take him to see the final show of the tour on August 6th. The relatively intimate McCaw Hall, home of the Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet was the perfect venue for what would prove to be an amazing performance
I was certainly not disappointed… stay tuned for more about a truly memorable evening