Row J, Seat
45
This was one
of the rare Wolf Trap shows that started somewhat late (about 8:15), perhaps
because much of the crowd still wasn’t seated by 8:00. Since there was no
opening act and no intermission, it really didn’t matter, as he did pretty much
the same 130-minute set as in previous tour stops. The audience enthusiasm
level seemed higher than at some Filene Center shows, with everyone
spontaneously rising when the band started “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard”
relatively early in the show, and later on several other occasions, most
notably “You Can Call Me Al” (which closed the main set). We also provided
great “lie-la-lies” for the chorus of “The Boxer”, if I do say so myself.
Simon was in
fine form throughout, both vocally and with his whistling on “Rewrite” and “Julio”.
I was a little surprised that he wasn’t wearing a cap, which seemed to have
been always present when I had seen him on TV. He actually has a compelling
stage presence, particularly when he wasn’t playing guitar; he’s definitely of
the “less is more” school of movement, but his gestures were very effective,
reminding me more of crooners than of typical rock stars. (He also contributed
some awkwardly endearing white-boy dance moves on an extended version of the
zydeco-flavored “That Was Your Mother”, which was one of the high points of the
show.)
His 9-piece
band was also great, although unfortunately he never introduced them; I don’t
think you can apply unless you play at least three different instruments. Many
of the songs were re-arranged at least slightly from their studio versions to
spotlight various band members.
The songs
ranged from early Simon & Garfunkel classics such as “Boxer” and “Homeward
Bound” through three tracks from his latest album Stranger to Stranger (the title track, “The Werewolf”, and initial
single “Wristband”, which was the first of seven encore songs). Despite the
excellent work by the band, some of the best moments were during the ballads,
with my favorite being Simon’s poignant solo version of “American Tune” to end
the evening. If you haven’t gone back and listened to that one in a while, you
really should.
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