As Paul Simon took the stage at Sound Academy and that first note of the vibrant accordion kicked off “The Boy in the Bubble,” we knew it was going to be a night we wouldn’t soon forget. The audience stood captivated by the presence of Mr. Simon, his calm, confident manner transcending the room as he gave a smile and began singing in his trademark clear and mellow voice. To say that Paul Simon is a legend of rock would be an understatement. It is a genre in many ways that he helped to define in the ‘60s with Art Garfunkel with classic songs like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “The Sound of Silence,” and his innovative songwriting spirit continued with his solo work on albums like “Still Crazy After All These Years” and “Graceland.”

With a songwriting catalogue as deep as he has, it is no wonder that he can’t get to all the hits he has written in one set, and if I had one criticism, it would be that I wish I heard a few more hits. I suppose another way of putting it would be I wish the concert went on longer. I say this because Simon’s energy only seemed to go up as the concert went on (somewhat surprising for a man his age), and each song seemed better than the last. The venue at Sound Academy also seemed perfect for Simon, for in his own words, “It’s been a while since I played a club, I like it here.” You get the impression that the informal setting of Sound Academy blends very well with Mr. Simon’s style, and this couldn’t have been displayed more beautifully than when he invited a young lady from the audience on stage to play guitar and sing a song with him. The audience went wild for that one, and it is a true testament to the charisma and charm of Paul Simon. It is an intimacy that gets lost in bigger venues and I’m so thankful I had the opportunity to witness Paul Simon in what seemed to be his natural comfort zone.

For me, the triumph of the night was “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes,” a personal favorite before the concert, but his amazing live rendition only made me appreciate the genius of the song that much more. He played a few fan favorites as well, including a soulful version of “The Only Living Boy in New York” and a heart-wrenching acoustic version of “The Sound of Silence” in his first encore. I say first encore because he came out for another soon after, as the audience couldn’t seem to get enough of the legendary rocker, and he apparently couldn’t get enough of the crowd at Sound Academy. As he came on for his second encore and got ready to play “Still Crazy After All These Years,” he couldn’t help but muse, “Man I’m having fun tonight. There’s a lot of nights I’ll forget, but not this one, I’m gonna remember this one.” And we’re right there with you Paul, we’re gonna remember this one. Thank you for a night we won’t soon forget.

- Written by guest writer, Eric Frisch. Eric is a singer/songwriter based out of Toronto that Handsome is a big fan of.