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At L.A.’s Disney Hall, Paul Simon’s Triumphant Comeback Tour Proves Quietly Unretiring Was the Right Move: Concert Review


Paul Simon made the right move in doing a 2025 tour after previously saying he was done, as seen in a five-night stand at L.A.'s Disney Concert Hall.

It’s safe to guess that most of the audience comes in being unfamiliar with the record, and this is where the booking of fine-arts joints like Disney Hall comes in handy, as even attendees who haven’t come to see the symphony there can still pretty easily intuit that the venue lends itself to a kind of hush and some focused attention skills. The bass player, Bakithi Kumalo, was introduced as the last surviving member of Simon’s original South African “Graceland” band, and his link to the frontman’s (arguably) most essential era was invaluable with some fleeting signature vocalizations. Brickell made a return appearance, entering from the wings to contribute a whistling solo to “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” On this song, which served as climax to the main set, it was like the evening had been the concert equivalent of “Benjamin Button” — beginning with Simon in his advanced years looking into the great beyond, and ending with him as a schoolboy.

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