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A beloved folk rock singer-songwriter who was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, Paul Simon has become one of the most respected songwriters in rock music. He grew up in Queens, New York and developed an interest in baseball and music at an early age. Along with childhood friend Art Garfunkel, they formed Simon & Garfunkel in 1964 and scored a deal with Columbia Records, releasing their debut Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. They later won ten Grammy Awards and put out four more studio albums including 1966’s Sounds of Silence and 1970’s Bridge Over Troubled Water before parting ways that year. Simon’s self-titled solo album came out in 1972, instilling Latin and reggae flavors into his soft rock in its singles "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard". 1973’s pop-folk album There Goes Rhymin’ Simon incorporated gospel and R&B and its follow-up, 1975’s Still Crazy After All These Years, reached number one on the Billboard charts and had four Top 40 hits including "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" and "My Little Town" with vocals from Garfunkel. In 1986, Simon released his seventh studio album Graceland, expanding his musical palette by infusing African textures and collaborating with South African musicians including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which went on to sell over 5 million copies in the U.S. and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. His Brazilian music-tinged The Rhythm of the Saints was released in 1990, achieving commercial and critical success, as well as introducing world music to a broader audience. His latest album, the acclaimed 2011’s So Beautiful or So What was touted as one of the year’s best. He has toured successfully through the years, as a solo artist as well as jaunts with both Bob Dylan and Sting, selling out concerts to ticket holders across the globe.
I love Paul! I think the sound man should have had Paul's voice a little more cranked. The sound academy is a great place to see bands, I highly recommend it. Okay so only one thing, I wish that sound academy would raise their stage about 3-5 feet so people could see the bands that much better. I am usually standing at the back of the room dancing on my tip toes so I can see better. Thanks Paul I was honored to be in your presences.
We all loved the concert. A fantastic talented group of accomplished musicians just added to the night of wonderful music. The audience were right there with them but we disliked the venue. We knew we would not be sitting but some of the patrons were very rude trying to push their way forward when we had been standing for 45 mins to an hour for a good spot. I am not a tall person and neither was the lady next to me. I went with my husband and our daughter but my husband and I are just a bit too senior to be standing for three hours at a venue like this.
one of the most amazing shows, what talent! Saw Elton John and this was 10x better. Need more chairs though, standing is too hard. Drinks expensive. Parking expensive.
Simon was performing well and good but the venue is bad.
To be honest it was difficult to enjoy the music due to the venue. Packed in like saridines and some people were inconsiderate.....noisy. Constant movement going to the washrooms or going to the bar people constantly bumping into to you ! Stepping on your feet. Very distracting from the concert. It was difficult to hear the lyrics to some of the music. It was a lot easier with the old traditional songs. We found lounge seats near one bar and watched most of the concert presented on the Monitor .
It has been 25 years since I saw Paul Simon on the Graceland tour so I was very eager to see this show. Paul did not disappoint, he was right on. He covered a great selection of music from his career and even threw in some Jimmy Buffet and George Harrison to boot. The band were exceptional players and they played great arrangements of his music. Being a nightclub the crowd although chatty throughout the concert were right into the music and created a party like atmosphere which made for an uplifting show. The bonus was the sound mix. I applaud the soundman who managed to turn the most dreadful acoustical venue in Toronto into an audiophile's dream. I think most who were there would concur.
Paul was 20 min late to start. General admision means no seats, so had to stand for over 3 hours and very crowed. Too many drunk and rude people. If you are under 5'6" you can not see very much. Music was good and a great selection but would not play graceland. Would like to see again in a proper venue.
Paul Simon put on a brilliant performance, but it was offset by the crappy venue. The crowd was really into it, which was great....all true fans and he gave it 100%. However, standing cheek to jowl with 1500 other people for well over 2 hours, not being able to see anything or hear anything clearly, rwas really frustrating. The stage was not elevated (he is only 5'2") so we couldn't see him. Last time I go to Sound Academy.
Great show... not a huge fan of the venue, but great show nonetheless. He was in great form, and his backup band were awesome - accordion, sax, piano, keyboard, tonnes of percussion... really great. I got chills down my spine when he did "sound of silence" at the end...
Great to see Paul Simon in a fairly small venue, but the sound quality was awful.
Paul Simon, a songwriting giant and a masterful performer, had us yelling and dancing - young and old alike. The highlight was, well... I don't think there was ONE. I understand the show at the Sound Academy was much livelier than the one at Massey Hall. I guess standing around, being able to move and drinking beer work in the favour of music
After reading the universally derogatory reviews of the Sound Academy (unfortunately too late to influence my ticket purchase for this event!), it lived up to its billing - without a doubt the WORST venue I have ever experienced in my decades of concert-going. I can't understand why an artist of Simon's pedigree and reputation for perfectionism would have selected the venue - probably the only club to have had the balls to ask him. Never again - I don't care if even someone like Clapton decides to play there; I won't be back. Paul Simon was terrific - very tight band and a great and generous set list covering his 5 decades of contributions to music culture. Presumably he enjoyed the rapport with the first 5 rows of the mosh-pit audience; any further back, they couldn't see him and I have to assume he couldn't see them. Further back, we were not only struggling to see and hear him, we were struggling to understand why anyone would have paid $70 for admission to a substandard club, then not pay attention to the artist at the other end of the room as they talked loud enough to be heard above the sound system, sharing their pathetic life stories with all those around them. Next time, save the $70, go to your local pub and leave the rest of us to listen in peace!
This was a great show. Paul was in command, easygoing, having a great time getting down, gracious and genial, in great voice, with a great band and superb musicianship all around. Good mix of numbers and arrangements. Two hours of terrific music, including the double encore. Whether you have a passing interest in any stage of Simon's career, or are a long-term hard-core fan, this show is a real crowd pleaser- simple, no-frills, makes it look so easy great classic rock and all over all genres expressed and explored by Simon, from world music, cajun accented, percussive, pure pop rhymin' Simon, ballads, rockin' pop, and nice rockabilly early Sun records sounding jams! Only complaint is we didnt hear the songs Graceland and You Can Call Me Al- those 2 songs added to the set list would make a great show even more perfect!
Go see Paul Simon! You will not be sorry! He's a gentleman and a scholar ...... and a brilliant performer!
Paul Simon: A+ The Sound Academy: D What a terrible venue. Poor sightlines, lousy sound.
Paul is still writing amazing new tunes. A nice blend of the old and the new. He sounds great and played some tunes that he hasn't played live in years. His band is outstanding, a wildly multi-talented group of guys. An intimate show at a small venue was a terrific idea but perhaps the Sound Academy wasn't the best choice. Unless you were right up at the front like we were, you wouldn't have been able to see much at all. I've seen Paul numerous times and he really seemed to be enjoying himself this time around.
I've never been to a concert before that was standing room only, and after waiting for an hour or so for the show to start, my feet were already starting to hurt , but that was all forgotten as soon as Paul Simon came on stage. They played for almost two and a half hours and it was great!! The energy on stage was incredible. I"ve waited a long time to see him in concert, and it was definitely worth it.
Paul Simon is legendary and this performance is one that rates as one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I was lucky enough to be at the front of the stage and really enjoyed the concert.
Paul and his band were soooo good. They are consummate musicians. The choice of material from his huge catalogue was excellent. Sound was a bit too loud for the size of the room.
Paul Simon played for more than two hours with no opening act and no intermission. He played songs from a number of different albums, and styles.
