Garfunkel Does Simon)Īlthough it was left off the live album of the event, Simon debuted "The Late Great Johnny Ace," a tribute to John Lennon, at the Central Park show. was out there)Īrt Garfunkel first sang Simon's "American Tune" at the duo's reunion show in Central Park, and has kept it in his solo shows ever since then: SOUNDCUE (:21 OC. Shortly before his 2012 death, legendary New York City DJ Pete Fornatale - who authored the book Simon And Garfunkel's Bookends - recalled to us that by the end of 1968, Simon & Garfunkel's fame had crossed generational boundaries in much the same way the Beatles' music had: SOUNDCUE (:30 OC. It tells you that they're saying, 'we love you, big time,' and that made us very, very happy."Īside from being arguably the first major rock event of the 1980's culturally, the concert marked one of the music's most important forces coming full circle. It was thrilling to be in front of an enormous crowd of that size. In 2018, Art Garfunkel looked back to the 1981 concert, recalling to The Daily Gazette, "It was Central Park, we were full of joy, and I can tell you a singer gets very happy when he performs in front of 500,000 people. The pair made two nods to early influences, playing the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up Little Suzie," and performing Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" in a medley with Simon's "Kodachrome." The duo also performed several of Simon's '70s hits, such as "Kodachrome," "Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard," "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover," "Still Crazy After All These Years," "Slip Slidin' Away," "American Tune," and Simon's latest hit, 1980's "Late In The Evening," which was featured twice in the show, being reprised as the concert's final encore. Robinson," "The Boxer," "Old Friends," "April Come She Will," "Scarborough Fair," "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)," "America," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and others. The show was mainly comprised of Simon & Garfunkel's '60s classics, including "Homeward Bound," "America," "The Sound Of Silence," "Mrs. You'll like it.'" The majority of the backing band was familiar with the songs' arrangements, having backed Simon on his then-recent One Trick Pony tour. Simon explained in Simon & Garfunkel – The Definitive Biography how he convinced Garfunkel to see his way: "I kept saying to him 'Artie, the band will jell and when it does, you'll want to sing. Simon insisted on a full band, including a horn section. Garfunkel preferred just the duo as they did in the '60s two voices along with Simon's guitar. Prior to the Central Park show, Simon & Garfunkel butted heads about how the concert should be performed. Back in 1975, Simon & Garfunkel scored a Top 10 duet with "My Little Town" in 1975, with the song appearing on both Simon's album, Still Crazy After All These Years and Garfunkel's Breakaway. Although the duo had performed together several times after their 1970 break up - most notably at a fundraiser in 1972 for Democratic Presidential nominee George McGovern, a handful of times in 1973 during Simon's first solo tour, and on Saturday Night Live - The Concert In Central Park was Simon & Garfunkel's first full-blown reunion show. It was 39 years ago Saturday (September 19th, 1981) that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited in front of a reported 500,000 fans for a free concert in New York's Central Park.
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