REVIEW: Paul Simon received applause and respect at the Convention Center

American singer-songwriter Paul Simon is eighty-four years old, and age has naturally rubbed off on his performance. His voice is less energetic than it used to be, it no longer has the range it used to have and it was not always under his expressive control.

These restrictions, however, supported the themes of loneliness, death and sadness, which are especially associated with the songs from the Seven Psalms album from 2023. Perhaps that’s why the whole song was heard in the packed hall.

Simon stated that the idea for its creation came in a dream he had on January 15, 2019. In it, a voice told him: “You are working on a piece called Seven Psalms.” He wrote it down after waking up and had no intention of doing anything with it.

In the following weeks, however, he always woke up late at night and worked on the texts. The main inspiration for them was the Book of Psalms, and the key theme was the presence of God.

The songs from the record kept the chamber setting when performed live in Prague. Although there was a ten-member band on stage with Simon, which was reinforced in the songs The Sacred Harp and Wait by his wife, the American singer Eddie Brickellová, it was a quieter part of the evening.

After a twenty-minute break, Simon and the band returned and started singing and playing songs that are among the most important in his repertoire. He didn’t make it until the end of the sixties, when he was on stage in a pure folk duo with Art Garfunkel and they were in such excellent form that they gave the world many long-lasting hits. It was obvious, however, that he chose the songs for the concert repertoire with regard to his current singing condition.

His band gave a technically proficient and emotional performance, with Eddie Brickell once again joining in some songs. When Simon explained their history and to whom they are dedicated, it was like an excursion into the history of music with a competent guide, who radiated that he still has great fun being on stage and playing songs.

His entire performance in Prague was also a small miracle. In 2018, he announced that traveling on a concert tour had taken its toll on him, so he decided to quit. Fortunately, an impulse came in the following year in the form of a dream about a new record and later an improvement in health.

In 2023, he admitted almost complete loss of hearing in his left ear. He sought help from experts from the Stanford Hearing Treatment Initiative and was lucky. In just a few months, he could start thinking about returning to the stage, as well as about the acoustic modifications of the halls, which are necessary for his performances today.

He will repeat it in the Prague Congress Center on Friday and Sunday evenings.