First time at the revamped Acoustic Cafe now called PCMH. Local bon vivant John Torres put glass garage doors, revamped the stage, bar, and sound system to capitalize on the hipster enclave known as the Black Rock section. Torres’ son fronted this incarnation of Simon homage with two jam packed sets. The setlist took a loose arc of Simon’s storied career. Great versions of Me and Julio, Slip Slidin’ Away, Kodachrome, Cecilia, 50 Ways to Leave Your lover, Hearts and Bones, Mother and Child Reunion, One Trick Pony, and a personal fave The Only Living Boy in NY. Closed the set with a rousing Late In The Evening. Like the Beatles or the Stones, many people seem to have an innate affiliation with the Simon catalog, belting out lyrics to most of the songs. The band was expansive with Torres on vocals/guitar, female singer, organ, guitar, bass, percussion, drums, with occasional horns creating a full sound. Torres explained that the songs sound simple but are challenging to play, and not just when they move into world music territory. The median age of this band was probably 30, which puts them squarely in diapers when the tail end of this material was even recorded. How then did the project come to be? I imagine sitting around a coffeehouse with one musician saying “you gotta check out Paul Simon, dude is amazing on all fronts”. Second set focused on the Graceland era of Simon’s success. The Boy in the Bubble, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, I Know What I Know, Graceland, Crazy Love Vol. II were all expertly delivered. There was an excellent deep cut Can’t Run But from the widely under-appreciated Rhythm of The Saints record with some righteous conga work. Closed with a great version You Can Call Me Al. The beauty of this kind of tribute is the wide appeal of the music and the multi-generational allure to view and play it.
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