Paul Simon Faces Decisions on Retirement and Concerns About Hearing Loss Ahead of 2025 North American Tour

Paul Simon’s Return to the Stage

Paul Simon challenged the odds as he kicked off his North America 2025 tour following his retirement and battles with hearing loss.

• Read more: Art Garfunkel tells us about reconciliation with Paul Simon: “I burst into tears – and then there were arms”
  

The live shows commenced in New Orleans on Friday evening (April 4) and marked the launch of the much-anticipated tour “Quiet Holiday.” This event also represented a significant milestone, as it was his first major performance in two years amid speculation about his live performances due to serious hearing issues.

Set List Highlights

Taking the stage at the Saenger Performing Arts Theatre, the 83-year-old musician began his set with several tracks from his latest studio album “Seven Psalms,” accompanied by his wife, Edie Brickell, for the performances of “Wait” and “Holy Arp.”

As the set unfolded, Simon transitioned into some of his most beloved songs, including “Homeward Bound,” “Slippin’ and Slidin’,” and “Graceland.” He concluded the 19-song set list with two iconic Simon & Garfunkel classics: “The Boxer” and “The Sound of Silence.”

Check the shot material and setlist below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lor9uf5xx1q

Setlist for Paul Simon in New Orleans

“Lord” (live debut)
“Love Is Like a Braid” (live debut)
“My Professional Opinion” (live debut)
“Your Forgiveness”
“Track of Volcanoes” (live debut)
“Holy Arp” (with Edie Brickell, live debut)
“Wait” (with Edie Brickell, live debut)
‘Graceland’
“Slippin’ and Slidin'”
‘Train in the Distance’
‘Homeward Bound’ (Simon & Garfunkel song)
“Holy Comet Judy”
‘Late Great Johnny Ace’
‘Spiritual Voices’
‘Rene and Georgette Magritte with His Dog After the War’
‘Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard’
“Under African Skies” (with Edie Brickell)
“The Boxer” (Simon & Garfunkel song)
“The Sound of Silence” (Simon & Garfunkel song)

According to Consequence, the singer-songwriter collaborated with the Stanford initiative to address hearing loss challenges in live performances. This included repositioning stage monitors and selecting smaller venues with superior acoustics to enhance his ability to hear himself during shows.

Simon has also expressed that he will be omitting the classic track “You Can Call Me Al” from his setlists due to his hearing issues.

The tour carried on over the weekend with a second night in New Orleans, followed by three shows at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin. Other planned stops include Denver, Minneapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, and more throughout the summer.

Notable upcoming highlights include five shows at Disney Hall in Los Angeles and five performances at the Beacon Theatre in New York. Visit tickets here.

Back in 2018, Simon implied that his concert at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York, might be his final performance. He reflected at the time, “I often wondered what it would be like to conclude my professional career on a natural note. Now I understand: it feels a bit alarming, bittersweet, and somewhat of a relief.”

Last year, he elaborated on his struggle with hearing loss, sharing how disheartening it was to create his 2023 album “Seven Psalms.” After reporting to Time that he had lost “most of the hearing in my left ear quite suddenly” in 2023, he later mentioned to The Guardian in November 2024 that he felt “optimistic” about returning to live performances.

While the show in New Orleans was noted for being his first major performance in years, Simon also recently made a television appearance alongside Sabrina Carpenter, performing their duet “Domestic War” in a special 50th anniversary episode of Saturday Night Live.

At the end of 2024, Simon’s former partner, Art Garfunkel, shared insights with NME regarding their recent reconciliation, effectively putting to rest a year filled with estrangement and revealing honesty.

Reflecting on a recent lunch they had together, Garfunkel remarked, “Paul’s ex-wife, Peggy Simon, moved to my area, and their son Harper bumped into me in the hallways. I suspected this meeting would happen eventually.”

“Harper arranged lunch with Paul and me, and we concluded the years of estrangement with a lot of heartfelt confessions. Paul said to me: ‘Art, it’s not what you mentioned to the British press and how you didn’t handle it well. I know you felt like you needed to add some spice to the narrative of Simon and Garfunkel. I felt you thought I was too conservative, which made me feel like I was the problem.’ He conveyed that I had hurt his feelings.

“He added, ‘I felt that you wanted to hurt me. That’s how I perceived it.’ And I realized: ‘This is true.’ I wanted to hurt him. The next thing I knew, I burst into tears.”