On Feb. 5, Paul Simon posted a 217-word letter to his fans on his website. In it, the iconic songwriter unceremoniously announced his retirement, noting that his upcoming tour would be his last. “I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I’d consider bringing my performing career to a natural end,” Simon wrote. “Now I know: It feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating, and something of a relief.” Not to be macabre, but it’s nice to be able to say goodbye to the guy while he’s still living. Recent set lists show that Simon’s song selection on Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour has wavered very little from night to night so far, but it’s a gobsmacking set of tunes that includes Simon & Garfunkel selections like “America” and “The Boxer” alongside career-defining gems like “50 Ways,” “Me and Julio,” “Kodachrome” and “Still Crazy.” And that’s not even to mention the handful of songs he plays from 1986’s Graceland, a record that — for all the questions of colonialism and appropriation it raised then and now — holds an undeniable place in the pantheon of pop-music masterworks. On Wednesday, Homeward Bound will land at our friendly neighborhood enormodome. If you’ve never caught Rhymin’ Simon in the flesh, don’t blow your last chance to do so. Get on the bus, Gus. D. PATRICK RODGERS
Paul Simon's Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour
