Concert Review: Paul Simon & Sting in Auburn Hills, Michigan

For my dad's birthday, my mother and I bought him tickets to see two of his favorite artists perform on stage together: Paul Simon and Sting. While I was never the biggest fan of Sting or The Police, I've always enjoyed the music of both Paul Simon and Simon & Garfunkel, so I was excited for the possibilities.

We arrived at The Palace just before eight o'clock to find that our seats had been ungraded. However the reassignment table was such a mess that I was still standing in line when "Brand New Day" began to sound from the main stage. It sounded great, but I didn't get to see any of it performed, and in fact missed part of "Boy In the Bubble," in which Sting's distinctive voice joined Paul Simon's for the chorus. The first song I heard fully was a favorite Sting track of mine, "Fields of Gold," which was played as a gorgeous duet. 

Photos by Kenneth Sedam

Paul Simon left the stage, and Sting launched into some of his classics including "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," "Englishman In New York," and a very staying version of "I Hung My Head." He then played two more Police classics, "Driven to Tears" and "Walking on the Moon." "Driven to Tears" was really where the band began to show how great they were, with some impressive electric guitar and a killer violin solo. 

Paul Simon returned to the stage for the perfect crossover song with Sting, a performance of "Mother and Child Reunion" even more reggae-riddled than the original. Sting then left the stage, and Paul Simon played "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover." 

The intro to "Dazzling Blue" was another showcase for the band's talents. The drummer began to play a sitar-style slide guitar, and other percussionists came in to create a tabla feel. Nothing really does justice to "Dazzling Blue" quite like hearing it live with Sting and Paul Simon's band. 

After "Dazzling Blue," they played a slightly more country "Graceland" and "Still Crazy After All These Years." Paul Simon and band then played one of the most exciting tunes of the evening in terms of energy from both the performers and the audience. "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard" was incredibly fun and high-energy. My only complaint was that Paul Simon opted for avoiding the high note in the "goodbye Rosie" line, whether due to the fact that his voice isn't as agile as it used to be or because he just wanted a different feel for the live song.

Sting returned to the stage for a joint cover of  "Fragile" and "America." Although I missed part of it, "America" was still as tear-jerkingly beautiful as the original Simon & Garfunkel version. 

Again, Sting was left alone on-stage to play "Message in a Bottle" and "Hounds of Winter."

He continued with "They Dance Alone" and "Roxanne." Finally, Sting and the band performed an impressive "Desert Rose." 

The duo rejoined yet again for "The Boxer." It wasn't a perfect rendition, but it was certainly a good one.

Minus Sting yet again, Paul Simon played a rousing "That Was Your Mother," followed by "Hearts and Bones." He then did two songs back to back, almost in a medley fashion; "Mystery Train" and "Wheels." He hailed them as his favorite songs before kicking off the acapella opening to "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes." Simon closed his set with an energetic "You Can Call Me Al," the lyrics to which he altered slightly.

A very brief pause separated the encore, at which point Sting and Simon returned to the stage to do "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Every Breath You Take" and "Late in the Evening" together.

The band left the stage, but Paul Simon and Sting returned for one final encore, a duet cover of The Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved." The audience then provided a standing ovation as the lights came up after the great show.

Paul Simon and Sting put on a very respectful, under-stated dual show. Both musicians still sounded near the top of their musical game, despite being past their respective heydays. It was a fan-pleasing show, loaded with big hits by both artists and their previous bands. The sounds managed to mesh better than I'd ever imagined, to create a great sound throughout the whole show. 

One-Mind Tracks: Musical Tour of the U.S.

In celebration of the 4th of July, this blog and the One-Mind Tracks radio show are going on a musical tour of the U.S.A. I mean, the blog will stay where it is, but the songs will provide musical journey (or something cheezy like that).

America by Simon and Garfunkel
I figured we should open with an overview. Simon and Garfunkel describe a trip across the U.S., hitchhiking and riding a Greyhound bus.

Boston by Augustana
Augustana's most popular song from 2005 makes reference to Boston, Massachusetts.

New York City by They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants provided this cover of a gorgeous Cub song that is a love song about two people as well as a love song to New York, New York.

Philadelphia Freedom by Elton John
Elton John suggested the title "Philadelphia Freedom" to his lyricist Bernie Taupin after John became friends with tennis coach Billie Jean King. The lyrics of the song, however, were more inspired by the bicentennial, and the music attributed to the "Philadelphia sound" such as The Delphonics and The Spinners.

Florida by Push Kings
A band originally from Boston sing this fun tune about Florida.

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence
Over to Georgia for this dark tune about the hanging of an innocent man by Californian Vicki Lawrence.

Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver
John Denver played a show with Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff who had written a song they were going to try to get Johnny Cash to sing. They decided to let Denver hear it, thankfully for both West Virginia and Denver himself.

My City Was Gone by The Pretenders
Chrissie Hynde laments about the Akron, Ohio that changed in her absence.

Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Over to Illinois for this sweet track by Sufjan Stevens.

Kentucky Woman by Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond wrote this track about the groupies at a Kentucky show.

Graceland by Paul Simon
The title track off of Paul Simon's 1986 album explores Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, which Simon visited after his separation from wife Carrie Fisher.

Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn
Still in Tennessee, Marc Cohn sings about his trip to Memphis as well as Graceland.

Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
A band from Florida sings the praises of Alabama.

House of the Rising Sun by The Animals
The most popular version of an old blues track by a British band references New Orleans, Louisiana's unfortunate patronage.

Waking Up in Vegas by Katy Perry
Katy Perry sings a song of Las Vegas, Nevada where anything can happen and you must just accept it as fate.

California by Phantom Planet
A tale of returning to California which is credited in part to Al Jolson, who sang a song called "California, Here I Come" (although he is only a co-author of the song).

Walking in L.A. by Missing Persons
Nobody walks in Los Angeles, California.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose? by Dionne Warwick
Catchy tune about finding (or not finding) success in California.

Oregon Girl by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
In the vein of "California Girls," "Oregon Girl" sings the praises of women from Oregon.

Hello Seattle by Owl City
Despite being from Minnesota, Adam Young has said he considers this song about Seattle, Washington to be a track most representative of the type of music he wants to make.

Private Idaho by The B-52's
In this track, Idaho is code for paranoia.

Surfin' U.S.A. by The Beach Boys
To close much the way we started, here's another overview of the U.S. by The Beach Boys.




Any More? I'd love to hear them.

And if you live in the area of Marion, Ohio, be sure to catch most of this playlist Thursday night at 7 on One-Mind Tracks on 97.5 WDIF.