PAUL SIMON!! - Wednesday 10/4/2006

Sorry, am I shouting? It’s hard to make myself heard over the Graceland CD blasting in my studio.

Yes, that’s Paul Simon down there. Once again, I was so excited about the event that I forgot to change my camera batteries, so didn’t have many opportunities to take pix. It was a cool night at the Greek, which is—of course—open air. He looked a lot like a Songmaker at one of the campouts we go to several times a year.

We had a miserable time getting to the venue, and although we bought the most expensive tickets that TicketMaster had to offer, we were still back fairly far. How do you get those section A tickets at the Greek and do you have to pay double or triple the face value??

But wow. The music was great. And quite a head trip. He played songs from all eras, all the way from his & Garfunkel days to his most recent CD, which I have been listening to for a couple of weeks. I got teared up during “Only Living Boy in New York,” which I knew from my big brother’s LPs, and “Slip Slidin’ Away” from my own treasured moments of teenaged melancholy.

And then I danced as energetically as you can without hurting your row-mates when we were all out of our seats for “Graceland,” etc.

Amazing band, I have to say. Great depth of talent, which is to be expected.

Would have liked it if he had told a couple of stories, but not everyone’s a talker. (Now Arlo, there’s a talker.)

Great way to start out our month of music!