VH1 Airing Rare Nirvana Concert Next Friday Night

byAndrew Martin

from: http://www.prefixmag.com/

The celebrations surrounding the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind will continue next Friday, Sept. 23. VH1 plans on airing a rare, hour-long concert by the seminal grunge outfit on its own network, VH1 Classic, and Palladia. The broadcast starts at 11 p.m. EST/PST, which means you might be a few drinks in once it begins. That's not the worst case scenario, of course, but just make sure you don't get too rowdy.

The concert footage stems from a gig at Seattle's Paramount Theater on Halloween in 1991. It apparently includes performances of "Breed" and "Polly" along with their renowned cover of the Vaselines' "Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam" and, my personal favorite, "Aneurysm." If you happen to miss the televised viewing of the show, you can still catch it on DVD and Blu-ray when Nirvana: Live at the Paramount is released on Sept. 27.

You can watch a trailer for the DVD below.

[Rolling Stone]

The White Stripes, Shot on Tour for Ewen Spencer's Book 'Three's A Crowd'

Photos: The White Stripes, Shot on Tour for Ewen Spencer's Book 'Three's A Crowd' | Rolling Stone

Click here for the Gallery: http://www.rollingstone.com/

New Michael Jackson Album Out December 14

First single off 'Michael' released next week

From: http://www.rollingstone.com/

By Jem Aswad

After nearly a year and a half of rumors and false reports, Epic Records have finally announced plans for their first collection of posthumous Michael Jackson material—though most details remain frustratingly unclear. What's known for sure is that the album will be called Michael and will be released on December 14. A teaser for the project will be posted on MichaelJackson.com on Friday, and on Monday, a full song from the album called "Breaking News" will stream on the site for one week.

The album cover was created by painter Kadir Nelson on 2009, featuring depictions of key moments and people from the singer's life.

According to a press release, Breaking News was recorded in New Jersey in 2007 and was "recently brought to completion." That would seem to place it among the songs that Jackson recorded with producer Eddie Cascio—songs that have recently been the subject of many rumors.

Earlier this week, TMZ reported that Michael's children believe that it is not their father singing on the Cascio tracks. Among other reported evidence, Jackson's son Prince was reportedly in the house during the sessions and has said the recorded versions don't match what he heard. However, Jackson's estate says sound experts have deemed the voice on the recordings to be Jackson's; people involved with the project reportedly have said the children are being "manipulated" by Jackson's mother and others who don't want the album released.

While no further confirmed details have been released, Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman reported that four of the forthcoming album's 10 or 12 songs will come from the Cascio sessions, and that some of the other tracks will be outtakes from Jackson albums, along with a Paul Anka song called "Love Never Felt So Good" from the session that produced the title track for the This Is It concert-rehearsal film.

Photos: The Making of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Video

At the time of his death, Jackson had been working for years on a follow-up to 2001's Invincible, recording tracks with Lenny Kravitz, Akon, Will.I.Am, and others, some of which have leaked in unfinished form. Producer Rodney Jerkins said in July he was expecting to begin work on the album imminently, and has been reported to be doing so in recent weeks. Former Sony head Tommy Mottola has said there are "dozens" of unreleased tracks that could see the light of day at some point. And earlier this year, reports surfaced that a collector found more than 200 unreleased Jackson 5 tracks in a warehouse full of Jackson family memorabilia.

Photos: The Making of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Video | Rolling Stone Music | Photos

Photos: The Making of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Video | Rolling Stone Music | Photos

It’s been 17 years since Douglas Kirkland had exclusive access as the sole photojournalist at Michael Jackson’s landmark “Thriller” video. It wasn’t until Jackson’s death in June, 2009 that the photographer decided to finally share the wealth of material he originally shot for Life magazine in book form, due out this month as Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller/4 Days/1983. We asked Kirkland about a few of his favorite shots, as well as what they revealed about the singer.

Click here for the full GALLERY: Photos: The Making of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Video | Rolling Stone Music | Photos

U2 Recording New Album With Danger Mouse

Ernesto Ruscio/Getty

 

By  Andy Greene

From http://www.rollingstone.com/

U2 are recording a new album with Danger Mouse, and they plan on releasing early next year. "We have about 12 songs with him," Bono told The Age . "At the moment that looks like the album we will put out next because it's just happening so easily." Also in the works is a "club" album that will feature Will.i.am, RedOne and David Guetta. "U2's remixes in the 1990s were a real treasure," Bono said. "So we wanted to make a club-sounding record. We have a pile of songs." If that wasn't enough, the band is also contemplating recording the songs Bono and The Edge wrote the Spiderman Broadway musical. "We haven't convinced the rest of the band to do that yet," Bono said. "Larry definitely has a raised eyebrow."

Michael Jackson Video Collection Announced

From: http://www.rollingstone.com/

'Michael Jackson's Vision' will feature over 40 clips, from the full version of 'Thriller' to the unreleased 'One More Chance'

By  Daniel Kreps

 

A collection of all of Michael Jackson's music videos will be released on November 22nd as a three-DVD set called Michael Jackson's Vision, the Jackson estate and Epic/Legacy Recordings announced today. Vision will feature over 40 music videos from Jackson's solo career, including the unreleased clip for 2003's "One More Chance" (off Number Ones); the full version of his legendary "Thriller"; "Bad," which was directed by Martin Scorsese; plus rarer clips like the eerie "Ghosts," Jackson's "Say Say Say" duet with Paul McCartney and director Spike Lee's alternate version of "They Don't Care About Us."
Michael Jackson: The Rolling Stone Covers

Vision will be offered in a limited edition boxed set with a 60-page hard-bound book with photos from Jackson's own archives. You can preorder the package here. The Jackson estate also plans a collection of 10 unreleased Michael Jackson songs to be come out in November.

Michael Jackson's Life in Photos

Michael Jackson's Vision

DISC 1
1. "Don't Stop" 'Til You Get Enough 4:12
Director: Nick Saxton
2. "Rock With You" 3:22
Director: Bruce Gowers
3. "She's Out of My Life" 3:35
Director: Bruce Gowers
4. "Billie Jean" 4:54
Director: Steve Barron
5. "Beat It" 4:57
Director: Bob Giraldi
6. "Thriller" 13:42
Director: John Landis
7. "Bad" 18:05
Director: Martin Scorsese
8. "The Way You Make Me Feel" 9:24
Director: Joe Pytka
9. "Man In the Mirror" 5:03
Director: Don Wilson
10. "Dirty Diana" 5:05
Director: Joe Pytka
11. "Smooth Criminal" 9:27
Director: Colin Chilvers
12. "Another Part of Me" 4:45
Director: Patrick T. Kelly
13. "Speed Demon" 10:08
Director: Will Vinton
14. "Come Together" 5:40
Director: Jerry Kramer & Colin Chilvers
15. "Leave Me Alone" 4:36
Director: Jim Blashfield and Paul Diener
16. "Liberian Girl" 5:34
Director: Jim Yukich

DISC 2
1. "Black or White" 11:01
Director: John Landis
2. "Remember The Time" 9:16
Director: John Singleton
3. "In the Closet" 6:05
Director: Herb Ritts
4. "Jam" 7:59
Director: David Nelson
5. "Heal The World" 7:32
Director: Joe Pytka
6. "Give In To Me" 5:29
Director: Andy Morahan
7. "Who Is It" 6:34
Director: David Fincher
8. "Will You Be There" 5:55
Director: Vincent Paterson
9. "Gone Too Soon" 3:38
Director: Bill DiCicco
10. "Scream" 4:47
Director: Mark Romanek
11. "Childhood" 4:29
Director: Nicholas Brandt
12. "You Are Not Alone" 5:34
Director: Wayne Isham
13. "Earth Song" 6:44
Director: Nicholas Brandt
14. "They Don't Care About Us" 7:08
Director: Spike Lee
15. "Stranger In Moskow" 5:33
Director: Nicholas Brandt
16. "Blood On The Dancefloor" 5:27
Director: Michael Jackson & Vincent Patterson
17. "Ghosts" 3:58
Director: Stan Winston
18. "You Rock My World" 13:30
Director: Paul Hunter
19. "Cry" 4:57
Director: Nick Brandt

DISC 3 (Bonus Features)
1. "Blame It On the Boogie" - The Jacksons 3:32
2. "Enjoy Yourself" - The Jacksons 3:31
3. "Can You Feel It" - The Jacksons 9:37
4. "Say Say Say" - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson 4:57
Director: Bob Giraldi
5. "They Don't Care About Us" - Prison version 4:52
Director: Spike Lee
6. "Why?" - 3T featuring Michael Jackson 4:33
7. "One More Chance" - previously unreleased 4:03

Rolling Stone’s bloody ‘True Blood’ cover

Sex, blood and rock and roll: Rolling Stone and HBO's "True Blood" stars bare all for this cover story:

Seems like Rolling Stone has become the new Playboy magazine, with their Risque Covers

Source

Wyclef Jean Details His Run for President of Haiti

Jean decries corruption, cites Mandela as inspiration
By Rolling Stone

Aug 10, 2010 1:50 PM EDT

Just days after announcing his intention to run for president of Haiti, Wyclef Jean stopped by the Rolling Stone offices to discuss this "new chapter" in his life. Jean outlined the main issues facing Haiti as it recovers from the devastating earthquake that struck earlier this year, how his presidential bid was inspired by Nelson Mandela and anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, and why his lack of political experience might work to his advantage in office. Watch video of Wyclef's visit above.

Jean says "the number one problem in Haiti is corruption," and in addition to repairing the nation's infrastructure, he would make it a priority to move all of the earthquake-displaced citizens out of their makeshift tent cities and into "agrarian villages" that will provide basic necessities like food, water and shelter. Jean also foresees a solution for the unemployment problem. "With everything going on in Haiti right now, the contracts that will be coming in within the next six months to a year, you should be able to put a population to work right now."

Jean tells RS that his non-partisan Viv Ansamn ("Live Together")party would allow him to hear suggestions from all sides before makingdecisions. "What I learned from Nelson Mandela is [the need for] dialogue," he explains. "In order to do this, you need to be coming from a neutral perspective, you need to be willing to listen to everyone's point of view."

Jean says the presidential term would allow him to "give five years of service" to the country he lived in as a boy, likening it to Haitians who come to America and serve in our military. For much more on Wyclef Jean and his run, look for our feature in an upcoming issue of Rolling Stone.

The Dark Side of Pink Floyd: The Illustrated History of the Band's Last Days and Bittersweet Reunions

June 17, 1981

Pink Floyd finish their massive The Wall tour at London's Earls Court, marking the final time David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright played a full concert together. Tensions among the members were toxic as Waters attempted to control every aspect of the band, from rehearsals to stage presentation. "There wasn't any room for anyone else to be writing," Waters told Rolling Stone in 1987. "There was no point in Gilmour, Mason or Wright trying to write lyrics. Because they'll never be as good as mine. Gilmour's lyrics are very third-rate. They always will be. And in comparison with what I do, I'm sure he'd agree."

Click here for the full article and gallery: http://www.rollingstone.com/

Pink Floyd's Gilmour and Waters Stun Crowd With Surprise Reunion

Rockers' four-song show is first onstage team-up since Live 8 in 2005

Photo courtesy of DavidGilmourBlog.com

By Daniel Kreps
From: http://www.rollingstone.com/

For the first time in five years, the two driving forces behind Pink Floyd, Roger Waters and David Gilmour, reunited onstage at a benefit in England over the weekend. The unannounced team-up went down before the 200 attendees of the Hoping Foundation benefit in Oxfordshire, which raised money for young Palestinian refugees. The duo's four-song set included Phil Spector's "To Know Him Is To Love Him" (a Floyd sound-check staple according to the blog on Gilmour's website) and the band's classics "Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb" and "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2."

The Saturday night set marks the first time Waters and Gilmour have shared the stage since Pink Floyd's reunion performance at 2005's Live 8 in London. The duo's Hoping Foundation performance helped raise £350,000. At the benefit, Gilmour and Waters — who swapped his bass for an acoustic guitar — were joined by keyboardists Harry Waters and Jonjo Grisdale, drummer Andy Newmark, guitarist Chester Kamen and bassist Guy Pratt, who ironically replaced Waters in the Gilmour-led, Division Bell-era Pink Floyd.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Waters asked Gilmour to join his 30th anniversary tour of The Wall this year, but his onetime bandmate declined. "David is completely uninterested," Waters said in May. "I could have probably gone for doing some more stuff, but he's not interested." Hopes for an official Pink Floyd reunion tour were mostly extinguished when keyboardist Richard Wright passed away in 2008 and Gilmour lamented, "No one can replace Richard Wright."

Even without Gilmour, Waters' The Wall tour is one of the few treks that has seemingly staved off the summer's concert industry struggles: While artists including Rihanna and the Jonas Brothers and tours like Lilith Fair and American Idols Live continue to cancel dates, the demand for The Wall 30th anniversary tour has led Waters to double, triple and, in some cases, quadruple the number of dates he's performing in certain markets.

New Radiohead Album Coming Late This Year

From: http://www.rollingstone.com/

Guitarist Ed O'Brien: New disc is "best we've ever made"

Buckner/Getty

By Daniel Kreps

Radiohead are currently back in the studio putting the finishing touches on the "best album we've ever made," guitarist Ed O'Brien announced during his guest DJ spot on BBC 6 Music this weekend, adding that the LP will hopefully be released by the end of the year. "It's genuinely exciting, it's very different from what we did last time. It's so good to be making music with a band that you feel is as good as it's ever been," O'Brien said of the group's anticipated follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows.

Telling host Adam Buxton (via AtEase) wrapping up the record "feels it's in touching distance," O'Brien added that "bursts of energy" could derail the band slightly, but he sees the group exiting the studio with the final product within "a matter of weeks."

O'Brien didn't offer up any specifics regarding the upcoming disc, but Yorke has debuted nearly a dozen new tracks — "The Present Tense," "Lotusflower," "The Daily Mail" and "Mouse Bird Dog," just to name a few — over the last year while touring solo or with Atoms for Peace. However, Yorke hasn't confirmed whether those fresh songs are bound for the follow-up to his solo record The Eraser or Radiohead's next disc.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Radiohead last unleashed the track "These Are My Twisted Words" as a free download to fans late last year. "I'm an eternal optimist, but I truly believe we can shift massively on this [next] record. That's the thing we all know, that we feel in our bellies as we're rehearsing — we're on a big move here. We're definitely on a journey," O'Brien told Rolling Stone last year about the band's new direction.

During the interview and mixtape session for BBC Music 6, O'Brien also chatted about the laborious In Rainbows recording sessions and the band's desire to make recording "fun" again, the influence producer Nigel Godrich has had on the band (he's produced every Radiohead album since OK Computer) and the band's tour documentary Meeting People Is Easy. O'Brien spun records by XTC, Brian Eno, Diplo, composer Eumir Deodato and, of course, Radiohead. Listen to O'Brien's guest DJ spot for six more days on the station's site.

Now that Radiohead have confirmed they have new music, the question remains how will they release it? In 2007, the band unveiled In Rainbows with a game-changing "pay what you want" method, which was followed by a physical release on TBD Records two months later. Despite the fact that most listeners downloaded the album for free, the band made more money from their open-ended price scheme alone than it from all sales of Hail to the Thief, their last album for EMI. Radiohead have gone on record saying In Rainbows's unique release was likely a one-time deal, but Yorke has since called the record biz a "sinking ship."

Mick Jagger Calls For Marijuana Legalization On Isle Of Man

By Steve Elliott
From: http://www.tokeofthetown.com/

Photo: Bob Collacello

​Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger has called for U.K. government officials to legalize marijuana and other drugs on a British island, to see if it prevents violence associated with the illegal drug trade.

The rock singer, who was convicted of marijuana possession in the 1960s, said that young people will always experiment with psychoactive substances, despite the risks, reports StarPulse. He is urging the government to legalize drugs on the Isle of Man, a British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea, to test the consequences of an end to prohibition.

"The whole question of legalizing drugs is fraught... You usually try these things out in very small places," Jagger told interviewer Larry King. "You know, like you try a new product out in a small kind of society or an island somewhere," Jagger said.

"And in England they always try out new mobile phones in Isle of Man," Jagger said. "They've got a captive society. So I said, you should try -- you should try the legalization of all drugs on the Isle of Man and see what happens."

"Human beings seem to have a propensity to want to take drugs in some form," Jagger said. "It seems to be the propensity of human beings to want to use them."

"And then you also get a lot of violence at both ends of the scope," Jagger said. "So you get violence in some countries... which, like, we have in Mexico now, and you get violence at the other end of people trying to obtain drugs. That's the part that speaks to some sort of legalization, Because that, you would hope, would help the violence from both ends of the supply line."

Phish Return to the Road Summer 2010 With Monster Tour

From: http://www.rollingstone.com/

Photo: Loccisano/Getty

Bust your patchwork pants out of mothballs and tune-up your VW Bus. After last year’s triumphant return to summer touring, Phish have announced that they will hit the road again for a 29-date tour that kicks off June 11th in Chicago. The upcoming trek features multiple-night stands in major cities, including three back-to-back nights at the relatively intimate Greek Theatre in Berkely, California, starting August 5th. And while Phish haven’t planned have any of their trademark festivals — such as last October’s Festival 8 in Indio, California — the band has slotted in plenty of shows in more bucolic settings, such as the two-night stand at the scenic Telluride Town Park in Telluride, Colorado.

Check out photos from Phish’s Festival 8.

A ticket request period is currently underway through this Friday at 11:59 at Phish’s website; tickets will go on sale to the general public on April 2nd.

The announcement follows weeks of speculation that the jam-band kings would tour. On March 4th, bassist Mike Gordon hinted to Rolling Stone, “It’s looking like [a tour] is in the talks. We knew we wanted to wait until summer to do something.”

Of course, Phish haven’t exactly laid low over the past few days. On Monday in New York, Phish paid tribute to Hall of Fame inductees Genesis, performing note-perfect live versions of the prog-rock kings’ “Watcher of the Skies” and “No Reply At All.” If you missed that performance, expect those tunes to pop up in their set lists for the upcoming tour.

Check out a gallery of Phish-heads hanging out pre-show at the band’s Hampton reunion gig.

To get fans pumped for the upcoming tour, Phish will release a 3-D version of their Halloween festival in April. Details on theater locations and ticketing will be announced shortly; more information is available here.
June 11 – Chicago, IL @ Toyota Park
June 12 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
June 13 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
June 15 – Portsmouth, VA @ Telos Pavilion at Harbor Center
June 17 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre
June 18 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre
June 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 20 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
June 22 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
June 24 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 25 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
June 26 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 27 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
June 29 – Canandaigua, NY @ CMAC
July 1 – Raleigh, NC @ Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
July 2 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
July 3 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park
July 4 – Alpharetta, GA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre @ Encore Park
August 5 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
August 6 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
August 7 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
August 9 – Telluride, CO @ Telluride Town Park
August 10 – Telluride, CO @ Telluride Town Park
August 12 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 13 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
August 14 – East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 15 – East Troy, WI @Alpine Valley Music Theatre
August 17 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach
August 18 – Wantagh, NY @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach

Kevin O'Donnell

Rolling Stones named world's most expensive wedding act

• From: The Daily Telegraph

Most popular and most expensive choice of wedding singers ...Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. Source: AFP

THE Rolling Stones have been named the "'world's most expensive wedding act"' at an estimated cost of $10 million (£5m).

A poll to find out the most costly wedding crooners saw Mick Jagger and co ahead of Elton John, Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue and Leona Lewis.

If the million pound-plus fees for international superstars do not come within the bridal budget, up-and-coming stars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry were said to be available for around $120,000.

Tell us below who would you like to croon at your wedding?

A fraction behind were karaoke favourites The Proclaimers, who could belt out I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) for £100,000.

Rick Astley, who stormed the charts in the 1980s and whose Never Gonna Give You Up video inspired the internet phenomenon of Rickrolling, was also priced by the survey at $50,000.

The poll was conducted for TV channel Living by a financial analyst.

Calculations were based on information from agents and examining accounts, ascertaining how much it would cost to hire each act for a private performance.

The 12 most costly wedding singers, according to the Living poll:

1. The Rolling Stones (up to $10 million)

2. Sir Elton John (up to $4 million)

3. Kylie Minogue (up to $4 million)

4. Christina Aguilera (up to $3 million)

5. George Michael ($2.6 million)

6. Amy Winehouse ($2 million)

7. Sir Paul McCartney ($2 million)

8. Leona Lewis ($2 million)

9. Jennifer Lopez ($2 million)

10. Barry Manilow ($1.5 million)

11. Rod Stewart ($1.2 million)

12. Duran Duran ($1 million)

Paul Simon Reunites With Art Garfunkel, Revisits Rich Solo Catalog in New York

Photo: Gershoff/WireImage

ByAndy Greene:

Paul Simon’s first show at New York’s renovated Beacon Theatre this past Friday night ended with his former partner Art Garfunkel coming onstage to stunned applause by an A-list crowd that included Paul McCartney, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Jon Bon Jovi, Rosie O’Donnell and many others. Nobody expected Garfunkel to show since he had a solo show in Key Largo, Florida, the night before and another one in Fort Piece Florida the following evening, but he flew up on his day off to join Paul for heavily nostalgic performances of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Old Friends,” “The Boxer” and “The Sounds of Silence.” I’m sure it was an amazingly powerful moment, but I wouldn’t know since I went to the Saturday show. The Springsteen rule of concert-going says always go to the final concert of a multi-night stand, but that doesn’t take into account Art Garfunkel’s packed calendar.

This wasn’t like missing a spontaneous Who reunion at the end of a Roger Daltrey solo concert. Since breaking with Garfunkel in 1970 Paul has released 10 diverse solo albums whose styles literally span the globe. During the nearly three-hour show, Simon drew from all of them with the exception of 2000’s You’re the One. For a man who will be 70 in just three years, Paul Simon’s voice is remarkably preserved. Many of his peers (Bob Dylan, Elton John, Peter Gabriel) can make no such claim. As usual, he was backed by an ace band that was equally prepared to tackle the complex Brazilian rhythms of “Cool, Cool River” and “Proof” as the gentle harmonies of “Slip Slidin’ Away” and “The Boxer.” Nuggets from his 1986 classic Graceland were sprinkled liberally throughout the night, drawing huge applause each time.

After a 20-minute intermission, Simon uttered words few wanted to hear: “We’re going to do some songs from The Capeman now.” A large doo-wop choir came onstage and you could feel the crowd stifling a collective groan. Eleven years ago, after nearly a decade of work and $11 million, the Paul Simon-penned Broadway play about a Puerto Rican gang member went belly up after a disastrous three-month run. The massive failure stung Simon hard and he’s been searching for redemption ever since, most recently with a five-night run of Capeman performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last year. Paul joined the singers and tried to make the most of the material, but removed from their context it was impossible to follow the story and the whole thing never took off. Simon wisely followed it up with a slowed down, trippy version of “Mrs. Robinson.”

Simon’s pair of Beacon shows commemorated the grand re-opening of the Theatre, which just underwent a $16 million renovation. The place looked truly spectacular and it remains one of the best spots in town to see a show. There was no red carpet Saturday night, and no Beatles or mayors were in the audience. The only celebrity I saw was Wallace Shawn, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself, particularly during “You Can Call Me Al.” When Paul toured with Garfunkel in 2003/04 he played to his biggest crowds in many years, but the set list was confined to a tiny sliver of his overall career. It was great to see him push most of those tunes aside in favor of gems like “Train In The Distance” and “Born At The Right Time.” I have little doubt that same night the crowd at the Sunrise Theater in Fort Pierce Florida saw Garfunkel sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water”; it was likely a killer nostalgia trip, but one Simon didn’t need to take back in his hometown.