Paul Simon has built his entire career on defying expectations. So it was fitting that his compelling “A Quiet Celebration” concert Wednesday at the Winspear Opera House wasn’t particularly quiet or celebratory.
Before launching the tour, Simon said he’d be adjusting his shows to adapt to his hearing loss. And sure enough, there was no raucous horn section. No “You Can Call Me Al.” No “Late in the Evening” with its fiery Latin jam. This was the first Simon tour where a gentle flute player stole the spotlight on several songs.
But the show rocked and swung in its own subdued way. Backed by a versatile 11-piece band — with key cameos by Dallas singer Edie Brickell — Simon didn’t shy away from any part of his career, moving effortlessly from the Afro-beat of Graceland to genre-benders like “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and “Mother and Child Reunion.”
And while most late-career singers take a victory lap and play a show full of hits, this “celebration” was often dark and cerebral.
He started the show on a bold note, performing his entire 2023 album, Seven Psalms, a spiritual 33-minute meditation on mortality and the afterlife. It was a full-circle moment, with haunting acoustic guitar that recalled “Anji,” the folk instrumental he recorded in his early 20s. Later, underscoring the theme of impermanence, he introduced bassist Bakithi Kumalo as the last surviving member of the Graceland band.
Simon is one of the rare pop hitmakers who weaves universal songs out of all things sad and philosophic, like “The Boxer” and “Homeward Bound,” both of which he played. In between those two, he sang “The Late Great Johnny Ace,” his deep cut from Hearts and Bones about dead heroes. Even “Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard” was a bittersweet symphony. If you listened closely, you could hear a tale of forbidden gay love.
The 83-year-old singer could be funny at times, as when he gently mocked his old pal, Brazilian vocal legend Milton Nascimento, for sitting way back in “terrible seats.” He was breezy and conversational, too, explaining his songwriting approach a la VH1 Storytellers.
And some of the most charming moments arrived when Brickell, his wife of 32 years, came out to harmonize with him on a pair of Seven Psalms tracks and later on Graceland’s “Under African Skies.” With her sweet, jazzy soprano blending nicely with Simon’s weathered baritone, a full-fledged duets tour might be a natural next step.
Simon’s voice clearly wasn’t what it once was, a casualty of time and near-total hearing loss in one ear. For those of us who’ve been going to his shows for decades, it was hard not to separate the memories from the now.
Then again, Simon is an artist who’s never been too concerned with what fans think or want.
He’s like the character in “Slip Slidin’ Away” who sings “A bad day’s when I lie in bed and think of things that might have been.” After retiring from the road following his 2018 farewell tour, Simon changed his mind, climbed out of bed and “un-retired.”
Bravo to him. Wednesday’s concert wasn’t a perfect encore — just the latest chapter from an artist who flourishes by constantly reinventing himself.
Details
Paul Simon performs again at 8 p.m. tonight, Thursday, May 8, at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St., Dallas. $113 and up. Attpac.org.
