Paul Simon @ Summerfest 2001 (idea)

I can descibe Paul Simon's preformance at Milwaukee's Summerfest on June 29, 2001 in two words; spontaneous orgasm. This was truly the best concert I have ever attended.

Opening for Mr. Simon was the Beach Boy's Brian Wilson. He riled the crowd with favorites such as, In my Room, California Girls, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Ann, Good Vibrations and Surfin' USA. It was mindblowing to hear live songs that have been around since before I was born and that are staples of American music history, but the fun was just beginning.

Then, Paul Simon came out. The entire Marcus Ampitheatre was filled, and everyone was focusing on him. Not only is he himself an exceptional preformer and musician, but all the members of his band are as well. There were THREE fully loaded drum sets on stage with congas, bongos, maracas, and just about any percussive instrument imaginable. The horn players were sonorous(the trombonist turned me on!), and the guitarist's and bassist's hands were faster than a cable modem. The complex interwoven harmonies and eclectic time signatures overtook the senses and elated the mind. The concert order was as follows(and I apologize for not knowing all the song titles and or having some incorrect. /msg me if you can helpout for any of these):

• When I see you smile?
• Graceland
• You're the One?
• 50 Way to Leave Your Lover
• Corner of Lafayette
• Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
• Children of a Different Sky?
• These Spirit Voices
• Diamonds on the Sole of Her Shoes
• Call me Al
• Sound of Silence
• Homeward Bound
• I am a Rock
• Boy in the Bubble
• Prayers are a Memory of God?
• Late in the Evening

Encore

• Homeland for the Homeless?
• ?This song featured a banjo-ist from Appleton, WI
• Still Crazy After All These Years

2'^nd Encore

• Mrs. Robinson
• The Boxer
• Rock of Ages
• Kodachrome

The encores alone were 40 pure minutes of music, and every second of the whole concert was flawless. Paul Simon appeared to be enjoying himself immensely, because every Mrs. Robinson he gestured backstage that he wanted to do one more song, and again after Rock of Ages.

Also note worthy was the incredible amount of attractive boys. I think the fact they were there also indicated they had some sort of intelligence, thereby making them that much more attractive.

My one and only qualm with the concert was the lack of Cecillia, one of my absolute favorite songs. I suppose he probably tires of playing so often. But still, the concert was fabulous. To hear songs of such emotional magnitude for so many people makes you tremble with inability to suppress your own excitement.