In the news today:

THE legendary Paul Simon has extended his Bluesfest visit for a run of headlining shows at Easter.

Simon has promised a show which encapsulates his entire career, including his early solo emergence from New York’s folk clubs in the 1960s, his seminal partnership with Art Garfunkel and the historic Graceland record.

Simon will bring his good friend Rufus Wainwright, a regular visitor to Australian stages, to open the concerts.

The renowned singer and songwriter is one of a raft of heritage artists touring Australia in March and April, with Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, Neil Young and Iggy and The Stooges headlining a crowded concert calendar.

Tickets go on sale from January 30.

Paul Simon performs at

Adelaide Entertainment Centre on March 27,
Rod Laver Arena on March 28,
Hope Estate, Hunter Valley on March 30,
Bluesfest in Byron Bay on April 1 and
Sydney Entertainment Centre on April 2.

In 1966 Simon Garfunkel did their first European tour. Besides Scandanavia, they visted at least Engalnd and The Netherlands.  Here they recorded the now infamous Twien TV Show.

They also performed in Haarlem, De Waag, on June 29, where they were interviewed by Dutch newspaper ‘Het Vrije Volk’:

(click on the picture to enlarge)

Here’s a translation:

Het Vrije Volk, Thursday 30 June 1966

Two 24 year old boys stopped by in The Netherlands for a short while, together with their girlfriends. Since last December (and that really is just 7 months ago) they sold 5 million records.

Simon & Garfunkel yesterday recorded, in Studio Irene in Bussum, a TV Special for NCRV TV, which will be broadcasted on August 10. *)

In the evening in De Waag in Haarlem, where Cobi Schrijer has a place of pelgrimage for every folksinger who visits our country, Reina starts knitting while Paul Simon;s girlfriend is reading a leaflet of a Soda Pop company.

Paul Simon, a small dark little man with a Caesar-like haircut in a burgundy red sweater starts to talk. ‘We sing folksongs from the city. That’s the future and where all the problems are now.The rural blues is not appealing to the people so much anymore. Art Garfunkel and  I are already singing since we were 15. Art never cared so much to be in showbusiness. This is our first large tour together, because his still studying mathematics at NYU.

First hit

The first hit of Simon & Garfunkel was The Sound of Silence in September 1965. Which was quickly followed up by ‘Homeward Bound’ and ‘I am a rock’, written by Paul Simon.

–          Follows part of the lyrics of ‘I am a rock’

Do they still agree with the content of  their lyrics? Paul Simon: ‘Yes. Even though I have had many requests, I wrote for myself, because the lyrics talk about problems that have my interpretation.’

A couple of moments later Simon & Garfunkel are on the very small stage of De Waag and sing ‘I am a rock’ and ‘Homeward Bound’.

*) the correct broadcast date is August 12, 1966.

Paul Simon will lecture and perform in February next year at Emory University in Atlanta:

see for more info: http://www.emory.edu/ellmann/schedule/index.html

Recently it was brought up here that Simon & Garfunkel played at the Odeon Theatre in Manchester. You can read about in the comments to the 1967 page.

I knew too they played the Odeon, but I never put that on my 1968 page. It was www.paul-simon.info that did wake me up again (thank you Bodo) and I will add these to my 1968 list.
(see also: https://roboud56.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/1966-march-simon-garfunkel-for-concerts-in-the-uk/, but here wrongly thought to be in 1966).

(from Melody Maker March, 1968)

The concert in the Odeon Theatre is there, but it was not 1967, but 1968.

1968-03-03 Manchester, Odeon Theatre
1968-03-04 Edinburgh, Usher Hall
1968-03-08 London, Royal Albert Hall

1968-05-30 Birmingham, Town Hall
1968-07-00 London, Royal Albert Hall

If I remember well Art Garfunkel had to cancell one or two shows too, because of some problems which he  had to solve in the US. I must look that up too, it could have been ‘throat problmes’. That might be the cause for a second concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in Juy of that year.

But new for this posting too is a concert in Birmingham at  Town Hall. I was able to buy a ticket stub at eBay when prices were still reasonable:

And as it often happened Garfunkel’s name became Garfunkle.

Anyone who has more infor about the concerts, please feel free to inform us!