Last week, Paul Simon, one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the 20th century shocked the world when he announced a final, farewell show in London’s Hyde Park this Summer. It’d probably be fair to say that fans in his home country were a bit miffed that they wouldn’t get their own chance to say goodbye in person. Today, Simon has decided to mollify their wounded feelings, announcing a full farewell tour of North America, set to kick off in Vancouver, Canada on May 16th.
In a statement on his website, Simon explained his rationale for finally hanging it up “We lost our lead guitarist and my friend of 30 years, Vincent N’guini, who died last December,” he wrote. “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.”
But while this will be the last tour of Simon’s career, he doesn’t expect to sit at home and do nothing in the years to come. “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.”
A message from Paul Simon — February 5, 2018https://t.co/kdNRIgKswR pic.twitter.com/EFq3Ry4cUp
— Paul Simon (@PaulSimonMusic) February 5, 2018
You can check out the full slate of dates for Simon’s Homeward Bound Farewell Tour below.
05/16 — Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
05/18 — Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
05/19 — Portland, OR @ MODA Center
05/22 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
05/23 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
05/25 — Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
05/27 — Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
05/30 — Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green
06/01 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Arena
06/02 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
06/04 — Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
06/06 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
06/08 — St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
06/10 — Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Center
06/12 — Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
06/13 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
06/15 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
06/16 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
06/19 — Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
06/20 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
