Paul Simon began his first tour since 2018-2019 with a transcendent 19-song acoustic performance on Friday night (April 4) at New Orleans’ historic Saenger Theater. “I’m as excited as you are,” he admitted on stage, “and you’re probably not as nervous as I am.”
In fine voice again, Simon devoted the opening set of this aptly named Quiet Celebration Tour to 2023’s Seven Psalms, a gorgeous uninterrupted 33-minute meditation on struggles with faith that had never been performed in its entirety. After a brief intermission, he returned with an engaging – and a bit more lively – second set that alternated between his most familiar songs and some intriguing deep cuts.
Simon, 83, probably wouldn’t have been allowed to leave the ’20s-era Emile Weil-designed theater without playing tried-and-true favorites like “Slip Slidin’ Away” and “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” But he also made room for “Train in the Distance” from 1983’s Hearts and Bones, “Under African Skies” from 1986’s Graceland and “Spirit Voices” from 1990’s Rhythm of the Saints, among other lesser-known gems.
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He’d mounted Homeward Bound: The Final Tour, which included a September 2018 stop at the nearby pro basketball arena in New Orleans, after suffering since-resolved issues with his hearing. This new tour is smaller in scale, with 50 concerts held on multiple nights at midsized venues, and far more intimate.
Simon spoke almost confidentially at the sold-out 4,000-seat Saegner when sharing stories about “St. Judy’s Comet” (from 1973’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon), and “The Late Great Johnny Ace” and “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War,” both also from Hearts and Bones. When not playing along with a group of musicians that sometimes numbered almost a dozen, Simon seemed to direct them – and the music – with the wave of his hand.
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Edie Brickell, who scored a Top 10 hit in 1988 with “What I Am,” joined her husband on stage for three songs: “The Sacred Harp” and “Wait” were among six tracks from Seven Psalms that made their live debuts. (Simon had performed “Your Forgiveness” in March 2024 on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert.) Brickell also replaced Linda Ronstadt for the soaring duet on “Under African Skies.” (They changed the lyric from Ronstadt’s hometown of “Tucson, Arizona” to Brickell’s, “Dallas / Fort Worth.”)
Simon made only rare returns to his foundational work with Simon and Garfunkel. “Homeward Bound” was featured toward the beginning of the second set. He began a two-song encore with “The Boxer,” which became a sweet singalong in New Orleans, and then stood alone to conclude with “The Sound of Silence.”
His Quiet Celebration Tour continues tonight (April 5) at the Saenger Theater, with upcoming stops in Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Nashville, Milwaukee and Toronto, among others.
Paul Simon, April 4, 2025, New Orleans
Set 1: Seven Psalms
“The Lord”
“Love Is Like a Braid”
“My Professional Opinion”
“Your Forgiveness”
“Trail of Volcanoes”
“The Sacred Harp”
“Wait”
Set 2:
“Graceland”
“Slip Slidin’ Away”
“Train in the Distance”
“Homeward Bound”
“St. Judy’s Comet”
“The Late Great Johnny Ace”
“Spirit Voices”
“Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War”
“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard”
“Under African Skies”
Encore:
“The Boxer”
“The Sound of Silence”
Top 40 Singer-songwriter Albums
From Bob Dylan and John Lennon to Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel.
Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
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