The Morningstarr* - Paul Simon Live At The M.E.N Arena 04/11/2006

Mr Morningstarr* · 05-11-2006, 16:11

Mr Simon took to the road this Autumn promoting his latest album "Surprise", his first in six years.

The Arena was far from sold out, with the top tier closed off to the public and still empty seats available. With seating fixed on the main arena floor the usual capacity was far from complete, possibly a reflection of his status which is long past it's heyday. Paul still managed to woo his audience with many of his classics dating back to his career with wild haired Arthur Garfunkel.
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The set list was as follows:
Gumboots
Boy In The Bubble
Outrageous
50 ways
Slip Slidin' Away
You're The One
Me And Julio
Train In The Distance
Northeast
Loves Me Like A Rock
That Was Your Mother
Duncan
Graceland
Father And Daughter
Cecilia
Only Living Boy In New York
Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
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First Encore

Call Me Al
Still Crazy
Mrs Robinson

Second Encore

Wartime Prayers
Late In The Evening
Bridge Over Troubled Water

Third Encore

The Boxer
Homeward Bound

This mix managed to keep his fans more than happy, with highlights being 'Me and Julio', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and a marvellous cover of Chevy Chase's hit 'Call Me Al'.

'The Boxer' has long been a personal favourite of mine, and the Manchester audience were treated to a special solo rendition of 'Homeward Bound', a song missing from his usual setlist and possibly an aknowledgement to Manchester being his closest tour date to Widnes, where the song was originally penned.
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The show was quite a low key affair, concentrating on the songs rather than performance or showmanship. In this age of Stadium or Arena rock, his stage set couldn't be compared to the likes of U2 or similar stadium rockers. One could be forgiven for feeling short changed on their Â£45 ticket price. For die hard Paul Simon fans I'm sure the songs alone were worth the money, I'd have rather seen a show of this type in a more intimate venue. This certainly wasn't the case for everyone who attended, a large crowd gathered right at the foot of the stage, just a few feet away from the man himself, despite security's best efforts to get them all back in their seats. This was obviously the best thing to do, because at what looked like just over four feet tall, Mr Simon was quite difficult to spot from the back of the room.

All in all I enjoyed myself, just wish he'd done that one from Watership Down.

Ck · 05-11-2006, 16:19

I love bridge over troubled waters. Who was it that covered that? those five sisters I think.

SFB · 05-11-2006, 16:34

A far cry from one of his final appearances with Art Garfunkel in Central Park, when they sang to an audience of at least 40 thousand. And that wasn't very long ago in my diary, we still have the video.
Just popped it on to see if the date was mentioned, but I missed the start when recording it, so it was probably a long time ago as far as you youngsters are concerned, he said, trying not to feel old!

Mr Morningstarr* · 05-11-2006, 16:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ck

I love bridge over troubled waters. Who was it that covered that? those five sisters I think.

I used to have a copy of Phil Cool doing an impersonation of Rolf Harris singing it, that was good.

Quote:

Better get your chunder rags ready, it's a bit of a weepy

Ck · 05-11-2006, 16:41

I was thinking of the Nolans.

Mr Morningstarr* · 05-11-2006, 16:44

You should never think of the Nolans.

Alpha · 05-11-2006, 16:45

Bright eyes,
Burning like fire.
Bright eyes,
How can you close and fail?
How can the light that burned so brightly
Suddenly burn so pale?
Bright eyes.

i like that one, along with Call Me Al