Paul Simon may have retired from touring, but he’s not done performing. The iconic folk singer-songwriter staged the final show of his “Homeward Bound” farewell tour back in the fall, performing at Queens, New York’s Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Following that gig, he appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Last night, he returned to late night TV for another “goodbye” performance, this time paired with an interview on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Simon delivered a couple of songs from his most recent album, In the Blue Light, an LP that reimagined tracks from throughout Simon’s career. First, with the help of Jon Batiste and Stay Human, he performed an update of “One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor” from 1973’s There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. Though the moment was clearly Simon’s, the consummate performer ceded a few sparkling moments to Batiste, who twinkled the keys like the masterful collaborator he is.
Next came the surrealist “Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War”, originally recorded for the 1983 album “Hearts and Bones”. As they were on the Blue Light, yMusic were there to add experimental orchestration to the affair. Simon conducted the gorgeous rendition with subtle hand gestures here and there, and the performance even featured a projection of the picture for which the song is named.
Watch both performances below.
Simon also sat down with Colbert himself for an interview. In addition to discussing “Rene and Georgette Magritte” and In the Blue Light, the singer touched upon the fact that he hasn’t gone away since his farewell tour. “The farewell tour was basically just to bump the prices up,” he joked. “No, what I said really was that was a farewell tour; I don’t intended to tour anymore. But I will perform again, and the monies that I make I’m going to donate to various causes that I believe in.”
See what else he talked about below.
