This year I finally got to see Garfunkel and Simon in concert. 
But I didn’t see them at the same time. 
Art Garfunkel visited Milwaukee this past January, and the Mrs. and I went to see him. We had fantastic seats in a small venue theater, so it was a great view and a very intimate show.
It was a sort of “musical performance plus visit with the artist” experience. Art admitted his pipes were not what they used to be, and he tailored his musical numbers accordingly; edited versions of his songs which allowed him to do creditably well without tiring himself out. That mixed with chat back and forth about his life and times and adventures made it very enjoyable. Lots of tales of his career and personal life and his work/friendship with Paul Simon. Nothing about the feud.
Hearing him sing, he really, really sounded like the Garfunkel I remembered from the 60’s and 70’s. It took me right back to my dorm room freshman year, listening to Breakaway and Bridge over Troubled Waters over and over again. It wasn’t what I’d call a ‘rockin’ evening, but it was very memorable. Like a get-together with your old college buddies, after far too long apart.
Last night the Mrs. and I saw Paul Simon at Summerfest. A much larger venue, a ‘rockin’ crowd (well, barely. The demographic was mostly fellow boomers, and some of us wobbled more than rocked), and a huge musical ensemble supporting Mr. Simon. Paul belted out tunes from every stage of his career, and they were nearly all notable and almost all great, but none of them sounded like they sounded when he first released them, whether or not it was in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or in the current century. Lots of dancing in the aisles, lots of singing along, lots of fun. He closed with a solo acoustical version of Sounds of Silence, his first hit, and one of his earliest songs. It was amazing, and spine chilling in just how relevant it remains today.
Simon reflected a bit on his career over the ages, told a few anecdotes about his life and times, but there was certainly little nostalgia about it. Nor was there mention of Art. My enjoyment of it was not very nostalgic, the way it was for the Garfunkel performance. But it was A Great Show. Like an old college friend showing up unexpectedly to say hi along with his wife, parents, kids, grandkids and few close friends, most of which you’ve heard of but don’t know so well. Lots of excitement, action, emotions, and a dash of confusion.
Of the two of them, I think Simon is the superior artist. He’s continued to explore new music, turn out new popular tunes, find new audiences. His new stuff has continued to excite me over the decades. Garfunkel, it seems to me, has quite the talent, but over a narrower range. Nothing he’s done musically after 1975 has caught my attention. Maybe that’s my flaw though, for not paying more attention to his work.
Yet on the whole, I enjoyed my evening with Mr. Garfunkel more than my evening with Mr. Simon. Maybe I’m looking back more than forward. Or whatever. Go figure.
Next up? I guess I should go see Neal Young, so I can claim to have seen Young, Crosby, Stills, & Nash in my lifetime. 