Paul Simon/PA,USA 2018

Paul Simon has announced his retirement from touring. His last tour, “HOMEWARD BOUND – THE FAREWELL TOUR”, is currently underway. Here is a superb live album that reports on the scene. This work is engraved with “Philadelphia performance on June 16, 2018”. First, let’s check the show’s position from the entire final tour. ・May 16-June 20: North America #1 (21 performances) ←★Here★ ・June 30-July 8: Europe (6 performances) ・July 10-15: UK (4 performances) ・September 5-22: North America #2 (11 performances) This is the schedule that has been announced so far. Initially, the Hyde Park performance on July 15 was the last, but later “North America #2” was added. The Queens performance on September 22 has been announced as the last show. Among them, the Philadelphia performance of this work was the concert at the end of “North America #1”, the 19th performance. This work, which contains such a show, has a sparkling and beautiful audience sound. It was handled by “edtyre”, a modern master. He is a person who has received worldwide acclaim for his recordings of Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, and THE MOODY BLUES, and is well known for the beautiful sound produced by the famous machine “Schoeps MK41v”. This work is not the type to be mistaken for a sound board, but the performance sound that reaches you straight is detailed and has a strong core. It feels like the echo is slightly stronger than the official live album, and the performance that penetrates it is extremely clear. And above all, Paul’s singing voice. The slightly wrapped venue acoustics are moistly colored and create a deep flavor. In up-tempo, it powerfully supports the live voice, and in slow, it delivers deep emotions to every corner of the venue. To repeat, because the acoustics are crystal clear, the subtleties are doubled without being hidden. Furthermore, the warm sense of realism is also wonderful. The Wells Fargo Center, which was the scene, is a stadium that can accommodate about 20,000 people, and the space feels like it is boiling up. There is nothing to block the powerful performance or singing, but the generous applause given to the masterpieces of a long career erupts, and the spectacle of a chorus of 20,000 people turning into a thick chorus is wonderful. This flavor can never be experienced on a sound board with a bare core. It is a sound of elegance that pursues “beauty because of the audience” rather than “how close to the line”. “HOMEWARD BOUND – THE FAREWELL TOUR” drawn with such quality is wonderful. As it is the last stage, it is a culmination stage that includes both solo and SIMON & GARFUNKEL. A career of more than half a century since the debut flashes back like a slideshow. Most of the songs have been played on recent tours, but the ones that catch your ears are “Kodachrome” (first time in five years) and “Can’t Run, But” (first time in 19 years). The best is “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War”. This is a masterpiece from “HEARTS AND BONES”, but it has not been played on stage since then. It is the first time in 34 years that this song has been revived. “HOMEWARD BOUND – THE FAREWELL TOUR” was declared the last. This is the first report and a famous recording that is already being called the representative work of the tour. A concert that condenses a career of over half a century into about two and a half hours and 26 songs. This is a masterpiece of beautiful sound that was recorded by a modern master with all his might. Live at Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA. USA 16th June 2018 PERFECT SOUND Disc 1(71:26) 1. America 2. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover 3. The Boy in the Bubble 4. Dazzling Blue 5. That Was Your Mother 6. Rewrite 7. Mother and Child Reunion 8. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard 9. Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War 10. Can’t Run But 11. Bridge Over Troubled Water 12. Wristband 13. Spirit Voices Disc 2(74:32) 1. The Obvious Child 2. Questions for the Angels 3. The Cool, Cool River 4. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes 5. You Can Call Me Al 6. Graceland 7. Still Crazy After All These Years 8. Late in the Evening 9. Homeward Bound 10. Kodachrome 11. The Boxer 12. American Tune 13. The Sound of Silence