Paul Simon Takes $20 Bribe To Break Out Beloved Classic In Los Angeles

Paul Simon was prodded into dusting off his classic song “Kodachrome” on Wednesday by the offer of a $20 bribe. Simon led his band through a partial version of the 1973 hit to start the encore of his last of four A Quiet Celebration Tour concerts at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall.

“Kodachrome” had previously been shelved since 2019. The song was the lead single from Paul’s 1973 album, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, and was a staple of his 2018 farewell tour.

Footage of Simon accepting the bribe and the resulting performance was shared on Instagram by @dethsyndicate along with an explanation as pointed out by Ultimate Classic Rock. “Some dude yelled ‘Play Kodachrome!’ (He hasn’t played it since 2019),” read a note from the Instagram user accompanying the video. “And Paul Simon says I don’t do requests…. Unless you got $20 bucks (obviously being a silly goose) and then the dude whipped out a 20 and Paul went ahead, took the 20 and kept his promise.”

The video starts with the end of the exchange as Simon heads to the front of the stage to collect the bribe. Paul was then handed his guitar and made it through a few verses while his band capably followed along. Simon put his hand up to signal the ensemble to stop after he sang the chorus once.

Watch Paul Simon’s partial “Kodachrome” performance in L.A. below:

Paul Simon launched the A Quiet Celebration Tour at New Orleans' Saenger Performing Arts Theater in April. The iconic musician’s first substantial tour since 2018 has seen him perform material from his 2023 Seven Psalms album for the first set and deliver a career-spanning second set and encore.

A pair of concerts in Seattle were recently added to the A Quiet Celebration Tour. Simon’s shows on August 5 and 6 at the McCaw Hall will be filmed for future release.

Scroll below for a full list of upcoming dates and ticketing links.