Concert review/photos: Paul Simon and Sting @ Wells Fargo Center
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Two behemoths of rock met for a magnificent concert.
[ 3/7 ] Last Friday, two behemoths of rock met for a magnificent concert: Paul Simon and Sting. For two and a half hours, they played side-by-side and did some songs solo before an enthusiastic crowd at Wells Fargo Center. Opening with “Brand New Day” and “Boy in the Bubble,” Sting and Simon exchanged lyrics and guitar and bass licks. The arrangements, played by as many as 15 musicians, were both familiar and fresh, as with the lovely violin solo on “Driven to Tears.”
I was enthralled throughout, from “Graceland” to “The Boxer” and “Message in a Bottle” to “Roxanne.” People were dancing in the aisles, and with good reason — the meticulous recreations of classics stirred up many memories. In one of the night’s greatest surprises, history was palpably thick as Sting took on Simon and Garfunkel’s “America,” giving it a backdrop of The Police’s first visit to the States. It was a poignant tribute.
During the encore, Simon was backed by Sting on the timeless “Bridge over Troubled Water.” it worked better than one could have imagined, melodies mixing to create a brilliant version of the song. And after delivering an adequate vision of “Every Breath You Take” as well as “Late in the Evening,” Simon and Sting stripped down to just their voices and guitars for a glorious cover of The Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved.” The audience responded with the rapturous applause the duo deserve for delivering not only a night’s worth of great entertainment but two careers’ worth of marvelous musicianship.
SETLIST
- Brand New Day
- The Boy in the Bubble
- Fields of Gold
- Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
- Englishman in New York
- I Hung My Head
- Driven to Tears
- Walking on the Moon
- Mother and Child Reunion
- 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
- Dazzling Blue
- Graceland
- Still Crazy After All These Years
- Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
- Fragile
- America
- Message in a Bottle
- The Hounds of Winter
- They Dance Alone
- Roxanne
- Desert Rose
- The Boxer
- That Was Your Mother
- Hearts and Bones
- The Obvious Child
- Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
- You Can Call Me Al
ENCORE
- Bridge over Troubled Water
- Every Breath You Take
- Late in the Evening
- When Will I Be Loved (The Everly Brothers cover)
