PS date 2024 2025

Dinner at a small Italian restaurant on Restaurant Row, New York, July 2024

16-time GRAMMY winner, Paul Simon, sits for a wide-ranging interview with Stephen Colbert, touching on topics like his childhood love of rock and roll, his favorite (and least favorite!) Paul Simon songs, his thought process while writing “Darling Lorraine,” and the dream that inspired his latest album, the subject of the documentary "In Restless Dreams."

White House

Paul Simon performed, together with Mark Stewart, at the White House Dinner Party

. Both the Japanes prime-minister, who was visiting the White House, and Mrs Biden are big fans of Paul Simon.

Paul Singing Graceland

New England Conservatory

Congratulations to the 2024 graduating class of New England Conservatory!

On Sunday, Paul was honored to address the students in a commencement speech, and to be presented with the honorary degree, Doctor of Music, quoting:

"It’s a cliché but music really is the closest we come to a universal language. It crosses borders as effortlessly as a cloud. It nourishes culture like an underground spring. Music has the power to heal, to inspire, to make people weep or jump up and dance for joy. You have chosen a profession that can provide a lifetime’s journey into the ineffable."

Studio

Paul Simon & Joe Locke

Christos Rafalides, Paul Simon and Joe Locke

the SoHo Sessions loft

The show took place at 241 Centre Street, NYC.
It was a fundraiser for the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss.
Paul Simon was joined by Mark Stewart (multi-instrumentalist).
Bernie Williams (former MLB player) participated by whistling on “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.”
This performance was notable because Paul Simon has been dealing with severe hearing loss in his left ear,
Mrs. Robinson
Slip Slidin’ Away
Mother and Child Reunion
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
Homeward Bound
The Boxer
The Sound of Silence

The grand finale of Muldoon’s Picnic, on Saturday, October 12th
at the Irish Arts Center on 11th Avenue,
held a major surprise: a solo performance.
“Last-minute guest Paul Simon took to the stage
with his acoustic guitar and performed
Homeward Bound, Slip Sliding Away and The Boxer –
a moment of exceptional beauty and transcendence,
for 15 minutes, in the company of a legend,” said Cáit O’Riordon on X.

The interview itself was not filmed inside the CBS studio in New York (where CBS Mornings is produced), but includes on-location footage with Simon and correspondent Anthony Mason at:

Stanford University’s facilities in Palo Alto, California, where Simon visited the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss as part of the story about hearing research.
SoHo Sessions performance space in New York City, where Simon performed a live set tied to the segment.

Saturday Night Live

Paul Simon performs Homeward Bound with Sabrina Carpenter

Bitter End

Paul Simon at Bitter End (date unknow)

Simon & Garfunkel at Bitter End ( October 20th 1964)

The Sacred Harp" - Paul Simon & Edie Brickel

Paul Simon and Michael Tilson Thomas

Paul Simon, Joan Baes and Rhiannon Giddens

Mondello Italian Restaurant

Mondello Italian Restaurant : Paul and crew celebrating on Monday night

Juilliard School

The Juilliard School Fall Festival

Paul Simon’s ‘American Tune’ Is Having a Resurgence in Chaotic Times

By David Browne, September 22, 2025

At New York’s Juilliard School of Music on Saturday, Paul Simon returned to the stage for the first time since his summer “Quiet Celebration” tour ended. While his appearance was unannounced until he walked onto the stage of the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, what wasn’t surprising was the song he helped play — one he wrote more than 50 years ago that’s having a new moment in the culture.

For the final performance of the school’s “Fall Festival,” devoted to “the great melting pot of culture” and featuring student singers and musicians, Simon joined Rhiannon Giddens for his “American Tune.” The performance started with an orchestral version of Bach’s hymnal “O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded” (which inspired part of Simon’s own melody for his song) and Simon sitting on a stool and playing guitar. Giddens sang and accompanied herself on banjo. Together, they shared the stage with dancers and a choir, lending added drama and pathos to the 1973 song.

In 1973, Rolling Stone named “American Tune” its “Song of the Year,” and with good reason. With its stately, Johann Sebastian-nicked melody and lyrics that captured the buzzkill of life in the post-Sixties world, Simon’s quietly anguished song spoke to a generation coping with a teetering country, a gnawing sense of despair about “an age’s uncertain hour,” and the need to somehow carry on. Its lyrics and sense of disillusionment have reverberated over decades, with the song being covered by Willie Nelson, Indigo Girls, Allen Toussaint, and countless others.

But ever since Donald Trump moved into the White House the first time, “American Tune” began tapping into the national mood as much as it did when Simon wrote it in the wake of Richard Nixon’s re-election in 1972 — maybe even more so. Trey Anastasio unveiled a solo acoustic version in 2017, Dave Matthews played the song online in the early months of the pandemic, and Rufus Wainwright played it live in 2023. Early this year, “American Tune” was included in an episode of the futuristic podcast Energy Curfew Music Hour with Chris Thile and Punch Brothers. An instrumental take on the song featuring dobro player Jerry Douglas was in the set list of this summer’s Alison Krauss and Union Station tour.

2024
MARCH 2024
14 March	New York	16-time GRAMMY winner, Paul Simon, sits for a wide-ranging interview with Stephen Colbert, touching on topics like his childhood love of rock and roll, his favorite (and least favorite!) Paul Simon songs, his thought process while writing “Darling Lorraine,” and the dream that inspired his latest album, the subject of the documentary "In Restless Dreams."
APRIL 2024
10 april	Washington	White House Paul Simon performed, together with Mark Stewart, at the White House Dinner Party . Both the Japanes prime-minister, who was visiting the White House, and Mrs Biden are big fans of Paul Simon. Paul Singing Graceland
May 2024
16 may	New York	Pen America Literary Gala More than 50 years ago, Paul Simon wrote “American Tune” in response to events of the time. In accepting the 2024 PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, Simon sang the song to reflect on a new era, and in these remarks, argues there is hope for a better future through art. Thank you. I wrote that song more than 50 years ago in the wake of Richard Nixon’s re-election. And with a memory of the Kent State massacre still fresh. There are songs that can inhabit two eras and speak truth to both. But if you asked me if I was prescient in 1972 when I wrote “American Tune,” I’d say I was describing the zeitgeist. The mood today is uncomfortably similar to those days and we might ask ourselves, what have we learned since that troubled time? Well, we’ve learned that we are slow learners. Overwhelming evidence of global warming hasn’t driven us to reduce carbon emissions sufficiently. We’ve learned that the Baby Boomers are having their last taste of power. And with another historic presidential election looming, that the tidal undertow of the civil war is still pulling us into old antagonisms. There are two countries, stitched together by language and the Super Bowl. We’ve learned that the student protests that roiled campuses back in the day were morally invigorating, naive and transitory. It took years for the American public to turn against the war in Vietnam. And the backlash against the student demonstrations today portend the same attenuated timeline. Anti-semitism, like a plague of locusts, is cyclical and we may be nearing a peak of one of those cycles now. We’ve learned that the cause we are supporting tonight — PEN’s valid commitment to protect writers everywhere from censorship, coercion and imprisonment — is more urgently needed than ever. What can we do about this? Before I fail to answer that question, allow me to digress. As a songwriter and the recipient of this year’s Audible Literary Service Award, I’d like to point out that PEN, the acronym for Poets, Essayists, and Novelists, has no s in it. Songs are the ancestors of poetry, essays and novels. The acronym could read, PENS or SNEP. That would be accurate. Not as clever, not likely to happen, just a thought. What can we do in the face of these seemingly mountainous problems? The worst case scenario would have us staring into a cultural and political abyss. That’s not going to happen. Here are lines by the Nobel laureate poet Wisława Szymborska: *an abyss, but a little bridge,* *a little bridge, but shaky,* *shaky, but the only,* *there’s no other.* We will have to build that bridge. There is no other choice for us. We have the resources to make the future a better place. Art is a weapon of peace. When we meet again in 50 years, there will be some other American tune that describes a more optimistic time in our country. That will be our legacy.
19 may	London	New England Conservatory Congratulations to the 2024 graduating class of New England Conservatory! On Sunday, Paul was honored to address the students in a commencement speech, and to be presented with the honorary degree, Doctor of Music, quoting: "It’s a cliché but music really is the closest we come to a universal language. It crosses borders as effortlessly as a cloud. It nourishes culture like an underground spring. Music has the power to heal, to inspire, to make people weep or jump up and dance for joy. You have chosen a profession that can provide a lifetime’s journey into the ineffable."
JUNE 2024
27 June	New York	Studio Paul Simon & Joe Locke	Christos Rafalides, Paul Simon and Joe Locke
SEPTEMBER 2024
23 sept	New York NY	the SoHo Sessions loft The show took place at 241 Centre Street, NYC. It was a fundraiser for the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss. Paul Simon was joined by Mark Stewart (multi-instrumentalist). Bernie Williams (former MLB player) participated by whistling on “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” This performance was notable because Paul Simon has been dealing with severe hearing loss in his left ear, Mrs. Robinson Slip Slidin’ Away Mother and Child Reunion Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Homeward Bound The Boxer The Sound of Silence
OCTOBER 2024
12 oct	New York	The grand finale of Muldoon’s Picnic, on Saturday, October 12th at the Irish Arts Center on 11th Avenue, held a major surprise: a solo performance. “Last-minute guest Paul Simon took to the stage with his acoustic guitar and performed Homeward Bound, Slip Sliding Away and The Boxer – a moment of exceptional beauty and transcendence, for 15 minutes, in the company of a legend,” said Cáit O’Riordon on X.
NOVEMBER 2024
20 nov	New York	The interview itself was not filmed inside the CBS studio in New York (where CBS Mornings is produced), but includes on-location footage with Simon and correspondent Anthony Mason at: Stanford University’s facilities in Palo Alto, California, where Simon visited the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss as part of the story about hearing research. SoHo Sessions performance space in New York City, where Simon performed a live set tied to the segment. In his 2024 interview on CBS Mornings, Paul Simon speaks openly about his severe hearing loss and how it has changed his relationship with music. Simon explains that he has lost most of the hearing in his left ear, which has been emotionally and practically devastating. More than performing for an audience, his greatest fear was no longer being able to enjoy music himself. He describes how the hearing loss forced him to rethink how he plays and listens. To continue making music, he now uses multiple speakers placed around him, allowing him to perceive sound differently. Some songs with complex rhythms or strong percussion are no longer playable for him, which limits his live repertoire. The interview also follows Simon to Stanford University, where he visits researchers working on potential treatments for hearing loss. While he remains realistic, he expresses cautious hope that scientific advances might one day help people with similar conditions. Despite these challenges, Simon emphasizes that creativity does not disappear with physical limitations. He compares his situation to artists like Henri Matisse, who continued to create despite serious illness. Simon says he still writes music and performs occasionally in very intimate settings, even if large-scale touring is no longer possible. Overall, the interview presents Paul Simon as resilient, reflective, and deeply committed to music, adapting to his limitations while continuing to create.
2025
FEBRUARY 2025
16 feb	New York NY	Saturday Night Live Paul Simon performs Homeward Bound with Sabrina Carpenter
MARCH 2025
04 march	New York	Bitter End Paul Simon at Bitter End (date unknow)	Simon & Garfunkel at Bitter End ( October 20th 1964)
The tour will begin on April 4 in New Orleans and travel throughout North America and Canada, concluding in Seattle in August. The band will include: Caleb Burhans (viola), Jamey Haddad (percussion), Gyan Riley (guitar), Mick Rossi (piano, keys), Andy Snitzer (saxophone), Nancy Stagnita (flute), Mark Stewart (guitar) Eugene Friesen (Cello). Steve Gadd and Matt Chamberlin will alternate on drums. Set 1: Seven Psalms The Lord Love Is Like A Braid My Professional Opinion Your Forgiveness Trail of Volcanoes The Sacred Harp (with Edie Brickell) Wait (with Edie Brickell) Set 2: Graceland Slip Slidin' Away Train in the Distance Homeward Bound St. Judy's Comet The Late Great Johnny Ace Under African Skies (with Edie Brickell) Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War Spirit Voices Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Encore 1: The Boxer Encore 2: The Sound of Silence
APRIL 2025
01 april 02 april 04 april 05 april	New Orleans	Salenger Theater
08 april 10 april 11 april	Austin	Bass Concert Hall Following the second show of a three-night engagement at Bass Concert Hall in Austin (10 april) , the Texas Music Office’s Graham Weber, Gini Mascorro, and Stephen Ray presented Mr. Simon with an official letter from The State of Texas, which had previously been signed by Governor Greg Abbott, pronouncing the iconic musician an Honorary Texan. The TMO staff also presented Mr. Simon with a Texas flag that was flown in his honor over the Capitol on April 8th. Paul Simon is now an honorary Texan	Soundcheck
14 april 16 april 17 april	Denver	Paramount Theatre
20 april 22 april 23 april	Mineapolis	Orpheum Theatre 20 April
26 April	Kansas City	Midland Theatre
28 april 29 april	Saint Louis	Stifel Theatre
MAY 2025
07 may 08 may	Dallas	Winspear Opera House
11 may 13 may 14 may	Nashville	The Ryman 13 May
17 may 18 may	Milwaukee	Riverside Theatre
21 may 23 may 24 may	Chicago	Symphony Center Orchestra Hall
27 may 29 may 30 may	Toronto	Massey Hall
JUNE 2025
04 june 06 june 07 june	Vienna	Wolf Trap 07 June	04 June
10 june 12 june 13 june	Boston	Boch CenterWang Theatre 10 June
16 june 18 june 20 june 21 june 23 june	New York	Beacon Theatre
19 june	New York	The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Stephen Colbert welcomes Paul Simon in New York and mentions he attended Simon’s concert the night before on the “A Quiet Celebration” tour. Colbert explains the show’s structure: a first part focused on Seven Psalms, followed by older songs (“hits”). Segment 1 — Touring again, hearing loss, and audience emotion Back on tour after 2018: Colbert notes Simon hadn’t toured since 2018. Simon confirms and explains the central issue: he experienced hearing loss, which made him doubt he could perform again with musicians. Why it was a real obstacle: He describes a practical onstage problem—too much “overall” sound—making it hard to place his voice within the ensemble and to feel comfortable that he was truly “making music.” First show back (New Orleans, April 4): Simon says he was nervous, which is unusual for him. He’s been performing professionally since he was 16 and typically doesn’t get stage fright, but this time he didn’t know how it would feel in a venue after rehearsing only in a small studio. The show improves as it runs: He says the beginning of that first night was “pretty good,” but the performance kept improving over subsequent dates. Colbert agrees the previous night’s show was extremely moving for the audience (and for him). Segment 1 — “The Sound of Silence”: longevity + an Amazon village story Oldest song in the set: Simon cites “The Sound of Silence,” written when he was around 22–23. On the stylistic leap: Colbert points out the contrast between earlier Everly Brothers–style influences and the stark tone of “Sound of Silence.” Simon says it’s a mystery to him—he mainly remembers thinking, while writing it, that it was “pretty good.” A bet on its future: He adds that if any of his songs could still be around in 100 years, it might be that one. Anecdote (remote village): Simon recounts a trip (he places it roughly in the early 1980s) where he stopped in a very remote village (a few huts, no roads). He played “El Condor Pasa” for a young woman strumming a nylon-string guitar; she responded by playing “The Sound of Silence.” She didn’t know he wrote it—and he didn’t tell her. Segment 2 — Songwriting: why the first line matters After the break, Colbert shifts into “songwriting workshop” mode. The first line as a hook: Colbert says the opening line is crucial and asks for favorite examples. Simon points to the opening of “You Can Call Me Al” (the line about what he learned in high school) as one of his best first lines. Why it works (to him): Simon explains that a strong first line functions like the start of a story (“a man walks down the street…”): it immediately gives him a character and a situation, and the narrative develops even if he doesn’t yet know the destination when he writes that first sentence. Segment 2 — “Al” and “Betty”: where the names came from (Pierre Boulez story) Colbert asks whether there’s a real “Al” (and “Betty”). Simon tells a late-1970s story: He hosted a gathering at home with his first wife, Peggy. A friend asked whether the composer/conductor Pierre Boulez would be there; unexpectedly, Boulez did come. When Boulez left, he thanked them by calling them “Al” and “Betty” (instead of Paul and Peggy). The moment stuck and later became the source of the names in the song. Segment 2 — “The Sacred Harp” and Edie Brickell: what the song is about Colbert mentions that the audience noticed Edie Brickell joining Simon onstage and asks what “The Sacred Harp” is about (the song performed on the show). Simon describes it as a road scenario (he imagines it in Texas): a couple in a car picks up two hitchhikers even though they don’t feel like talking, simply out of “road courtesy.” Then the voices (including Edie’s) take over, and the hitchhikers’ story shifts the narrator’s perspective. Simon says it’s his favorite song on Seven Psalms.	The Sacred Harp" - Paul Simon & Edie Brickel
26 june 28 june 29 june	Philadelphia	Academy Of Music
JULY 2025
07 july 08 july	Los Angeles	Terrace Theater Long Beach Pac 08 July
09 july 11 july 12 july 14 july 16 july	Los Angeles	Disney Hall
19 july 21 july 22 july	San Francisco	Davies Symphony Hall Live July 19th Davies Symphony Hall Live July 21th July 19th July 19th July21th July 21th	Paul Simon and Michael Tilson Thomas Paul Simon, Joan Baes and Rhiannon Giddens
25 july 26 july 28 july	Vancouver	The Orpheum
31 july	Seattle	Benaroya Hall
AUGUST 2025
02 aug 03 aug	Seattle	Benaroya Hall	Mondello Italian Restaurant Mondello Italian Restaurant : Paul and crew celebrating on Monday night
05 aug 06 aug	Seattle	McCaw Hall Paul Simon Nancy Stagnitta, flutist Edie Brickell
SEPTEMBER 2025
20 sept	New York	Juilliard School The Juilliard School Fall Festival Paul Simon’s ‘American Tune’ Is Having a Resurgence in Chaotic Times By David Browne, September 22, 2025 At New York’s Juilliard School of Music on Saturday, Paul Simon returned to the stage for the first time since his summer “Quiet Celebration” tour ended. While his appearance was unannounced until he walked onto the stage of the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, what wasn’t surprising was the song he helped play — one he wrote more than 50 years ago that’s having a new moment in the culture. For the final performance of the school’s “Fall Festival,” devoted to “the great melting pot of culture” and featuring student singers and musicians, Simon joined Rhiannon Giddens for his “American Tune.” The performance started with an orchestral version of Bach’s hymnal “O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded” (which inspired part of Simon’s own melody for his song) and Simon sitting on a stool and playing guitar. Giddens sang and accompanied herself on banjo. Together, they shared the stage with dancers and a choir, lending added drama and pathos to the 1973 song. In 1973, Rolling Stone named “American Tune” its “Song of the Year,” and with good reason. With its stately, Johann Sebastian-nicked melody and lyrics that captured the buzzkill of life in the post-Sixties world, Simon’s quietly anguished song spoke to a generation coping with a teetering country, a gnawing sense of despair about “an age’s uncertain hour,” and the need to somehow carry on. Its lyrics and sense of disillusionment have reverberated over decades, with the song being covered by Willie Nelson, Indigo Girls, Allen Toussaint, and countless others. But ever since Donald Trump moved into the White House the first time, “American Tune” began tapping into the national mood as much as it did when Simon wrote it in the wake of Richard Nixon’s re-election in 1972 — maybe even more so. Trey Anastasio unveiled a solo acoustic version in 2017, Dave Matthews played the song online in the early months of the pandemic, and Rufus Wainwright played it live in 2023. Early this year, “American Tune” was included in an episode of the futuristic podcast Energy Curfew Music Hour with Chris Thile and Punch Brothers. An instrumental take on the song featuring dobro player Jerry Douglas was in the set list of this summer’s Alison Krauss and Union Station tour.

2024

2025

2024

MARCH 2024

14 March

New York

APRIL 2024

10 april

Washington

White House

Paul Simon performed, together with Mark Stewart, at the White House Dinner Party

. Both the Japanes prime-minister, who was visiting the White House, and Mrs Biden are big fans of Paul Simon.

Paul Singing Graceland

May 2024

16 may

New York

Pen America Literary Gala

More than 50 years ago, Paul Simon wrote “American Tune” in response to events of the time. In accepting the 2024 PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, Simon sang the song to reflect on a new era, and in these remarks, argues there is hope for a better future through art.

Thank you. I wrote that song more than 50 years ago in the wake of Richard Nixon’s re-election. And with a memory of the Kent State massacre still fresh.

We’ve learned that the cause we are supporting tonight — PEN’s valid commitment to protect writers everywhere from censorship, coercion and imprisonment — is more urgently needed than ever. What can we do about this?

What can we do in the face of these seemingly mountainous problems? The worst case scenario would have us staring into a cultural and political abyss. That’s not going to happen.

Here are lines by the Nobel laureate poet Wisława Szymborska:

an abyss, but a little bridge,

a little bridge, but shaky,

shaky, but the only,

there’s no other.

19 may

London

New England Conservatory

Congratulations to the 2024 graduating class of New England Conservatory!

On Sunday, Paul was honored to address the students in a commencement speech, and to be presented with the honorary degree, Doctor of Music, quoting:

JUNE 2024

27 June

New York

Studio

Paul Simon & Joe Locke

SEPTEMBER 2024

23 sept

New York NY

the SoHo Sessions loft

The show took place at 241 Centre Street, NYC.

It was a fundraiser for the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss.

Paul Simon was joined by Mark Stewart (multi-instrumentalist).

Bernie Williams (former MLB player) participated by whistling on “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.”

This performance was notable because Paul Simon has been dealing with severe hearing loss in his left ear,

Mrs. Robinson

Slip Slidin’ Away

Mother and Child Reunion

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

Homeward Bound

The Boxer

The Sound of Silence

OCTOBER 2024

12 oct

New York

NOVEMBER 2024

20 nov

New York

The interview itself was not filmed inside the CBS studio in New York (where CBS Mornings is produced), but includes on-location footage with Simon and correspondent Anthony Mason at:

Stanford University’s facilities in Palo Alto, California, where Simon visited the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss as part of the story about hearing research.

SoHo Sessions performance space in New York City, where Simon performed a live set tied to the segment.

In his 2024 interview on CBS Mornings, Paul Simon speaks openly about his severe hearing loss and how it has changed his relationship with music.

Simon explains that he has lost most of the hearing in his left ear, which has been emotionally and practically devastating. More than performing for an audience, his greatest fear was no longer being able to enjoy music himself.

The interview also follows Simon to Stanford University, where he visits researchers working on potential treatments for hearing loss. While he remains realistic, he expresses cautious hope that scientific advances might one day help people with similar conditions.

Overall, the interview presents Paul Simon as resilient, reflective, and deeply committed to music, adapting to his limitations while continuing to create.

2025

FEBRUARY 2025

16 feb

New York NY

Saturday Night Live

Paul Simon performs Homeward Bound with Sabrina Carpenter

MARCH 2025

04 march

New York

Bitter End

Paul Simon at Bitter End (date unknow)

APRIL 2025

01 april

02 april

04 april