In 2018, Paul Simon revealed that he was retiring from the road due to severe hearing loss in his left ear. However, yesterday, he announced that he will play a few small dates starting on April 4th in New Orleans.
“It was during the recording of Seven Psalms, as revealed in the acclaimed In Restless Dreams documentary, that Simon began to steadily lose the hearing in his left ear which initially made extended live performances impossible,” the press release states. “Together with the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss, and his own production team, Simon redesigned his entire stage set up to make performing viable. This included moving monitors to surround him.”
That is why the 83-year-old legendary singer is playing the smaller venues where the acoustics will work for him, and he will be able to set up the stage to accommodate his needs.
He was inspired to perform the songs from Grammy-nominated Seven Psalms live for the first time and has been rehearsing to give the audience the best show with those seven singles and other ones from his past.
I am hoping that he will be able to reunite with Art Garfunkel for a few gigs now that they are getting along again. That would be the greatest gift they could give their fans. Could you imagine?
The timing of Simon’s announcement was brilliant because we are still talking about his duet with Sabrina Carpenter of Homeward Bound to open Saturday Night Live’s 50th celebration on Sunday.
Tickets for A Quiet Celebration Tour go on sale on February 21st.
Valentine’s Day was only four days ago, but Peter Noone’s Herman’s Hermits and The Ludlow Garage want us to be thinking about our Christmas plans 310 days before the holiday.
And that is way too early. At least wait until Easter, Jesus’ death day, before we start thinking about his birthday.
Even Mariah Carey, the Queen of Christmas, waits until Halloween. So, until she is defrosted, we don’t talk about Bruno, I mean Christmas. Deal?
REO Speedwagon has been touring for over 55 years, but at the end of this year, they are no longer going to take it on the run.
Late last year, guitarist Bruce Hall had to take medical leave to undergo back surgery and recuperate.
I guess he was ready to rejoin the band on that road, but instead, they made a shocking announcement:
To our fans: Bruce has intended to be Back On the Road Again by now. If it were up to just him, he’d be back on tour… but it’s not up to just him. The consensus opinion was that he had not recovered sufficiently to be able to perform at the level the fans have come to expect. Bruce respected that opinion and is grateful that Matt has been around to keep the Wagon rolling through the summer tour. Bruce never had any intention of retiring or walking away from the band, fans, and crew he has loved for almost 50 years.
For Kevin’s [Cronin] part, he too has never had any intention of leaving the band, and the fans and crew mean the world to him, as well.
Due to this complex situation, irreconcilable differences arose between Bruce and Kevin. So, it is with great sadness that we announce REO Speedwagon will cease touring effective January 1, 2025. Neal, Kevin, and Bruce thank their fans for all their years of loyal support and for giving back to the band such wonderful memories that will remain with each of them forever.
When Hall saw that statement online, he made his own:
Hey Everyone,
Never ever thought it would end like this and I’m heartbroken. Please know Neal [Doughty] and I did everything in our power to try and keep the Wagon rolling. I am so appreciative of ALL the amazing love & support. You guys have been very vocal and clear in your wishes for me to return to the stage. Trust me…that’s all I wanted too. We all deserved a farewell tour.
For the record, I wanted REO Speedwagon to continue to tour with the lineup of Kevin, myself, Dave [Amato], Bryan [Hitt] and Derek [Hilland]. Just as it was prior to my necessary, planned and successful back surgery.
I love and will miss you all,
Bruce
I am assuming that they couldn’t keep the fire burnin’ and roll with changes, so the bandmates can’t keep on loving each other in a tour bus.
It is a sad day in Rock’n’Roll as they let the singer live out the lyrics to Time For Me To Fly. BTW I don’t know the songs, so I don’t know if he is really living out the lyrics. But he is living the title. So there is that.
Lauryn Hill and the Fugees were supposed to hit the road on August 9th in Tampa, but they cancelled the North American leg of it yesterday. However, they did not say why. Today, the singer explained why the show will not go on.
With difficulty the decision was made to pull down our upcoming North American tour dates.
The shows in the UK and Europe ARE MOVING FORWARD as planned.
Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows.
Regrettably, some media outlet’s penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour. The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal.
The audiences in the UK and Europe not only haven’t seen the Miseducation Anniversary performance yet, they also haven’t seen the Fugees perform together in over 25 years!
Performing for my fans, is a profound exchange of energy and emotion that excites me every time. Every show is a piece of my expression and testament to our connection and shared love for music. I can assure you that no one is more disappointed about not being able to perform than I am.
Know that I am not only grateful for those who appreciate and support my art, but that I FIGHT and push through all kinds of resistance to put together experiences that mean something for all of us. I love being able to bring these performances to you!
I appreciate your understanding. We’re looking forward to performing at the shows in the UK and Europe
in October – and for our fans in North America, when these unforeseen circumstances are resolved, we’ll be back in full force…
With Love, Respect and Honesty, MLH
Hill cancelled several tours last year due to a vocal injury.
Did you have tickets to The Miseducation Anniversary Tour?
We want to see all of you come out in your best yellow dresses for this tour! Don’t have a yellow dress? Don’t worry! Come dressed in your favorite yellow shirt, pants, sunglasses, whatever you got. Looking forward to a sea of… pic.twitter.com/ixbkXScsdH
Train is hitting the road on July 8th, and they have a dress code for their concerts.
“This might be the look of the summer, seriously,” the band wrote. “We want to see all of you come out in your best yellow dresses for this tour! Don’t have a yellow dress? Don’t worry! Come dressed in your favorite yellow shirt, pants, sunglasses, whatever you got. Looking forward to a sea of yellow out there ☀️ ”
Why do they want you to wear yellow dresses as compared to yellow polka dot bikinis? That is because their latest single is Long Yellow Dress.
And can we all agree that Pat Monahan looks so hot in a Long Yellow Dress? I hope he wears yellow dresses throughout the tour.
If any of you go to see Train, can you send me photos of all of the sunshine?
