‘The Sound of Silence’ No More: Paul Simon Eyes Return to Stage

When Paul Simon announced a farewell tour in 2018 he made it clear he was retiring from touring, not performing live altogether. While the legendary musician intended to play one-off concerts occasionally, he began to suffer from hearing loss, which curtailed those plans.

Paul Simon only major appearances in the five-year span from September 2019 through September 2024 came at 2022’s Homeward Bound, an all-star concert held in his honor and at the Newport Folk Festival that same year. Simon broke that streak last month when he played a seven-song set for “The Soho Sessions'” fundraiser for the Stanford Initiative to Hearing Loss. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is now “optimistic” he’ll soon be able to perform full shows with his band.

“I’m hoping to eventually be able to do a full-length concert. I’m optimistic. Six months ago I was pessimistic,” Paul Simon told The Guardian in a new interview published today. Simon lost most of the hearing in his left ear while recording his latest album, 2023’s Seven Psalms.

“It was scary, frustrating,” Simon admitted to The Guardian of his struggle. “You’re in denial and then you’re overwhelmed by this change in your life because you now have a disability. But even though it wasn’t pleasurable any more, I started to think that this was some new information that I needed to absorb into the piece. I started to focus on sounds, not from computers or synthesisers, but acoustic instruments used in unusual ways.”

That Paul Simon is “optimistic” he’ll return to the stage for a complete show is a marked change from what he said as recently as July. “I haven’t figured out how to perform with the hearing loss. I’ve tried to rehearse with the guys in my touring band, to see if I could manage it. I can’t so far,” Simon explained to Mojo magazine.

The 82-year-old musician’s September 23, 2024 “Soho Sessions” concert saw him perform accompanied by multi-instrumentalist and his longtime musical director Mark Stewart. Baseball great and accomplished guitarist Bernie Williams provided the whistling during “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard.”

Hopefully Simon’s optimism leads to future shows with a full-band. He has sounded good in the solo performances he’s given in recent years. Stay tuned.