Photo by Adam Miszewski
Paul Simon - Riverside Theater
Paul Simon performing at Riverside Theater
The difference between an artist and a performer is that an artist creates, while a performer interprets. The very best of them offer a dynamic combination of the two characteristics, communicating their deepest thoughts and emotions in ways meaningful to their audiences. Few individuals fill the bill as well as singer/songwriter Paul Simon.
Now 83 and suffering from hearing loss, Simon had retired once before. But his creative muse—not to mention an adoring fan base—brought him back for one more time around, resulting in “A Quiet Celebration,” the Simon show that filled both the stage and the auditorium of the Riverside Theater for two performances this past weekend. Saturday’s sold-out house, presumably filling the venue’s 2,480 seats, greeted Simon with an enthusiasm notable for even today’s audiences. In the end the emotional outpouring was well-rewarded.
Backed an 11-member band plus Simon’s wife vocalist Edie Brickell, the troupe delivered a relatively new work as well performed many of his earlier songs, including some less familiar ones that the artist himself chose specifically because of what they meant to him. None of those choices were off the mark.
Seven Psalms
Photo by Adam Miszewski
Paul Simon - Riverside Theater
Paul Simon performs at Riverside Theater
The first half of the two-hour performance was devoted to “Seven Psalms,” a 33-minute acoustic composition divided into seven interconnected movements inspired by the Book of Psalms and reflecting on themes of faith and mortality. Recorded in 2023, the composition supposedly came to Simon in a series of dreams that would wake him so he could write down his ideas.
Based on the content and Biblical emphasis, “Seven Psalms” may mark a pending artistic and physical finale to Simon’s remarkable career. The unfamiliarity and subtlety may have caught some audience members expecting “The Sounds of Silence” unawares, but the song cycle seems a natural evolution from that inaugural Simon & Garfunkel hit, and one that further marks Simon’s artistic progression.
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It might have been the crowd’s enormous size or its unbridled enthusiasm for the artist, but there was a palpable buzz in the air from the evening’s beginning when Simon was given a standing ovation the moment he walked on stage.
Fan Favorites
The concert’s second half was a string of Simon favorites—including a few less familiar ones that Simon chose for the crowd – which prompted singalongs and, in several cases, dance-alongs. Favorites such as “Homeward Bound,” “Slip Sliding Away,” “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and “Graceland” were accompanied by less familiar works like “The Late Great Johnny Ace,” “Spirit Voices” and the oddly titled “René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War.” The artist once again was performing in ways designed to educate as well as entertain his fans.
The band ended the evening with a two-song encore: “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and “The Boxer.”
At 83, Simon not surprisingly has slowed down, his voice weakening a bit. But his empathy for humankind as evidenced in his lyrics seems as vibrant as ever, creating a strong rapport with the audience. “Milwaukee loves ya, Paul!” someone shouted from the crowd during a quiet moment in performance. At least it certainly did on Saturday night.
