Singer-songwriter Paul Simon has announced that he will be embarking on a farewell tour this summer, taking his music to countless arenas in North America and Europe. Simon released a statement with the announcement of his final tour, which you can read below:
"I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I’d consider bringing my performing career to a natural end. Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating, and something of a relief.
I love making music, my voice is still strong, and my band is a tight, extraordinary group of gifted musicians. I think about music constantly. Sadly, we lost our lead guitarist and my friend of 30 years, Vincent N’guini, who died last December. His loss is not the only reason I’ve decided to stop touring, but it is a contributing factor. Mostly, though, I feel the travel and time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing. I’d like to leave with a big Thank You to the many folks around the world who’ve come out to watch me play over the last 50 years.
After this coming tour, I anticipate doing the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall, and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet, ecologically.
Once again, I am very grateful for a fulfilling career and, of course, most of all to the audiences who heard something in my music that touched their hearts."
The tour is slated to kick off on May 16th in Vancouver, BC, and will conclude with a show in London with special guests James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt on July 15th. Tickets for the North American dates go on sale Friday, February 9th at 10 AM, local venue time. Select European shows are on sale now, while the rest will be available on February 9th at 10 AM, local venue time (Dublin, Ireland will be on sale Monday, February 12 at 9 AM). Simon's final show in London is on sale now. You can view the full itinerary below.
May 16: Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
May 18: Seattle, WA - Key Arena
May 19: Portland, OR - MODA Center
May 22: Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
May 23: Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
May 25: Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
May 27: Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 30: Denver, CO - Fiddler's Green
June 1: Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
June 2: Houston, TX - Toyota Center
June 4: Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
June 6: Chicago, IL - United Center
June 8: St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
June 10: Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Center
June 12: Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
June 13: Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
June 15: Boston, MA - TD Garden
June 16: Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
June 19: Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
June 20: Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
June 30: Stockholm, Sweden - Ericcson Globe
July 1: Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
July 3: Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
July 5: Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
July 7: Amsterdam, Holland - Ziggo Dome
July 10: Manchester, UK - Manchester Arena
July 11: Glasgow, UK - SSE Hydro
July 13: Dublin, Ireland - RDS Arena*
July 15: London, UK - Hyde Park, BST Festival*
* = w/ special guests James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt
Paul Simon
www.paulsimon.com
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