STILL SINGING
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Though age has softened his voice, Paul
Simon’s artistry remains undiminished

Paul Simon has spanned numerous musical styles throughout his long career. His Tanglewood appearance, part of his Quiet Celebration tour, continues to demonstrate his range and versatility.

Backed by a ten-piece band and occasionally joined by his wife, Edie Brickell, on vocals, Simon opened the evening with his 33-minute Seven Psalms composition. With lyrics such as The Lord is a welcome door to the stranger in “The Lord” and Heaven is beautiful / it’s almost like home in “Wait,” Seven Psalms reveals Simon at his most spiritual. Tubular bells and finger-picked guitars create a meditative, ethereal mood unlike much of Simon’s earlier work, while a crescendo of percussion in “The Sacred Harp” produces a wash of nearly euphoric sound. The same fascination with new sounds and rhythms that led Simon to collaborate with South African and Brazilian musicians on albums such as Graceland and The Rhythm of the Saints is still at work in Seven Psalms.

Following an intermission, Simon offered a selection of familiar hits and lesser-known numbers. Songs such as “Graceland,” “Slip Slidin’ Away,” “Homeward Bound,” “The Boxer,” and “Under African Skies” are performed with fresh orchestrations and solo improvisations from different band members. Stories provide background for less familiar selections, such as “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and “René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog after the War.”

At 84, Simon’s voice has lost much of its former strength, yet it retains a certain sweetness. What he has not lost is his easy, conversational style of delivery. If anything, the loss of melodic power may have increased his tendency to sing with his hands, much the way many people use gestures to elaborate on what they are saying. Nor has he lost the ability to engage his audience; the Tanglewood crowd was ready to sing along and clap, especially during “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” and “The Boxer.”

Most affecting was his final performance of the evening. Following an encore, the band exited the stage, leaving Simon alone under a single light with an acoustic guitar. A long guitar introduction foreshadowed Simon’s first great hit (performed with Art Garfunkel), “The Sound of Silence.” His hushed yet assured delivery evoked the many changes that have taken place since it was first recorded more than 60 years ago. It is a song Simon has performed on a number of somber occasions, including the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the funeral of a teacher killed while protecting children during the Sandy Hook shooting. The song takes on additional meaning in the wake of Simon’s own struggles with hearing loss, a condition that threatened to end his performing career but that he has overcome with the assistance of technology that allows him to monitor sound. Few songwriters have earned the right to close an evening with “The Sound of Silence.” Paul Simon reminds us why he has.

concert reviewed on June 27, 2026