Photo Credit: Mark Seliger
On Monday, Sept. 23, a who’s who of roughly 150 convened in a loft in downtown Manhattan for an intimate performance from Paul Simon. The latest of a very select few appearances given by the great singer-songwriter since he formally announced his retirement from the stage in 2018 arrived as the 14th installation of the vaunted Soho Sessions series, which has brought on close-quarters sets from some of the biggest names in music for charity since 2021. Simon’s show was invite-only, and featured a stunning setlist and striking honesty to support a good cause.
While Simon is renowned for his shapeshifting discography, which taps countless diverse genres through as many acclaimed studio projects, his latest setlist cut back to the classics. Through the course of the evening, the artist delivered seven songs, beginning with the unforgettable 1968 smash “Mrs. Robinson.” Essentials continued with the Still Crazy After All These Years standout “Slip Slidin’ Away” and “Mother and Child Reunion” from his ‘72 self-titled. When the artist kept on with that release for “Me and Julio Down By by the Schoolyard,” he candidly and cheerfully requested a sit-in to cover the whistling section; none other than Yankees legend Bernie Williams eagerly answered the call.
The hits kept rolling as Simon moved into a touching treatment of “Homeward Bound,” beginning a run of Simon & Garfunkel songs to close the set. Next came “The Boxer,” before Simon finally came to the immortal “The Sound of Silence,” which bridged into an explanation of the cause for the evening’s get-together. Simon spoke clearly and earnestly on the recipient for funds raised by the evening, introducing the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss by sharing the story of his own loss of hearing in his left ear and the emotional torment that came with it. He went on to welcome Dr. Konstantina Stankovic, who laid out the institute’s aims, context and strides towards a future free from hearing loss.
The Soho Sessions are regularly organized by honored producers Greg Williamson and Nicole Rechter, who mobilize stars from music, comedy and more annually for the vaunted Love Rocks NYC benefit concert. Among those icons in attendance on Monday, who helped to raise funds and forge connections for the charity, were Whoopi Goldberg, Jackson Browne, Jerry Seinfeld, Mariska Hartigay, Chris Meloni and more. Since the inaugural Soho Session three years ago, the project has raised north of 50 million dollars for charities selected by the featured performers, who have included Susan Tedeschi, Steve Earle, Marcus King, Warren Haynes, Taj Mahal, Lucius and Lukas Nelson, among others.
Learn more about the Soho Sessions at thesohosessions.com. Read on for the complete setlist from Monday night.
A post shared by Gregory Williamson (@gwilliamson79)
Paul Simon
241 Centre St. – New York
9/23/24
Set: Mrs. Robinson, Slip Slidin’ Away, Mother and Child Reunion, Me and Julio Down By by the Schoolyard, Homeward Bound, The Boxer, The Sound of Silence
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