Paul Simon announces his upcoming tour will be his last
NEW YORK – Only a few days after Elton John announced he will retire from touring in three years, and Neil Diamond revealed a medical condition that is forcing his retirement, another venerable music figure is throwing in the touring towel – Paul Simon.
Simon took to social media Monday to say his upcoming tour will be his last, citing the personal toll of touring and the death of his lead guitarist.
“I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I’d consider bringing my performing career to a natural end. Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating, and something of a relief,” the 76-year-old wrote. “After this coming tour, I anticipate doing the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall, and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet, ecologically.”
Tickets for his “Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour” will go on sale Thursday. It kicks off May 16 in Vancouver, B.C., and will visit Key Arena in Seattle on May 18 and the MODA Center in Portland on May 19 before continuing across North America and Europe. His last date is July 15 in London with James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt as special guests.
Simon’s best-known songs include “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes.”
Simon is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has been inducted into the Rock `n’ Roll Hall of Fame, both as a member of Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist.
Simon brought his stage show to Spokane for what appears to have been the first time last June. He played a variety of songs from his solo career and peppered in a handful of tracks from the iconic Simon & Garfunkel canon.
Late last month, the 70-year-old John said his upcoming would tour would be his last, saying he wanted to spend time with his family. His “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour will end in 2021. A few days earlier, 77-year-old Diamond, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, announced he was retiring from touring.