Art Garfunkel Comes to "My Little Town"Oct 17 '00 (Updated Apr 26 '04) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Art Garfunkel in my hometown made for one very happy fan! On October 5, an event I had anticipated for months occurred when Art Garfunkel arrived in my own hometown of Erie to perform a concert to benefit Catholic Charities. It was a rainy evening, but I had nothing but sunshine in my soul as I headed to the Warner Theater to hear my favorite singer perform live for the second time this year. Although the majority of the songs were the same, the concert had a different feel to it because it was in a much cozier setting. And while in Pittsburgh he performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, he was accompanied only by his own small band for his Erie appearance. The concert began at 7:30 with a presentation by Catholic Charities, and then there was an announcement that there would be no intermission because Mr. Garfunkel would be playing a straight set. A little before 8:00. the band began to play El Condor Pasa, and he burst out from behind the curtain and began to sing. Next he sang All I Know, a much mellower version than the full orchestral treatment it received in Pittsburgh. Then he introduced himself to the audience. "Well, I arrived with a lot less hair than you expected...I am the old pop warrior Artie Garfunkel. It's great to be in Erie tonight, and now I'd like to sing you a song about my little town." Then he launched into A Heart in New York. Next came The Things We've Handed Down, dedicated to "my lovely nine-and-a-half year-old son." (The only down side of the concert -- James wasn't there.) I first heard that song at his Pittsburgh concert. This time I mouthed along to all the words. What an incredible tribute to the love that parents and children share. For a sharp change of pace, he performed Poem on an Underground Wall, "probably the weirdest song Simon and Garfunkel ever did." I think it was during this song that the microphone failed to reconnect with the stand and it crashed to the ground. He just went on with the song and put it back after it was over. "Well, that was elegant," he laughed. He then sang I Only Have Eyes for You. Then he segued into Scarborough Fair and Cecilia by saying he was "going to sing two songs about loss. I know it's a feeling you've all felt at some time, and I've certainly had my share of it." Cecilia included a rollicking drum solo by Tommy Igoe. Art actually left the stage for a couple minutes while his drummer went at it and came back on with plenty of time to finish the song. He then told us that he was going to break the mood by talking about something serious, and he mentioned the upcoming elections and how "economically, our country is doing terrific, but when I think of our values and where we're going, I get a little bit different picture. This is what Paul addresses in this beautiful song." His rendering of American Tune was one of the most exquisite moments of the concert. I think every one of us left that concert with a renewed attention to the dream America was built upon and a determination to not let it die. Then he pulled up a stool and sat down. "He sings, he moves furniture..." he muttered, before telling the audience his five favorite songwriters and lauding Jimmy Webb as the best romantic balladeer of our time. He mentioned that Mr. Webb had written the next song for him about his life in the eighties, "when I was really up in the air." He sang Skywriter gorgeously. Next Mr. Garfunkel talked about his movie career, and he discussed Jack Nicholson's films at length as well as making several references to the Erie-based movie That Thing You Do. This was by way of introduction to Dueling Banjos, performed by Eric Weissberg on the banjo and Warren Bernhardt on the keyboard. This was his second chance to slip back stage for a quick break while his band took the forefront. After that, continuing in the movie theme, he sang "the song that was a hit in every country except the United States," Bright Eyes. It was every bit as ethereal as it is in Watership Down and the albums it is on. Then he talked about the stage production of The Graduate, saying that the famous eight seconds in which Mrs. Robinson takes off her clothes was stolen from Simon and Garfunkel because they used to strip during that song. Then he cast a sidelong glance at one of the priests who helped arrange this concert and said, "Uh-oh, I'm not out of line, am I, Father?" Next came his ruminations on the break-up of Simon and Garfunkel, leading up to Mrs. Robinson. In addition to singing his own version of the chorus the last time ("Jesus loves you more than you ever knew, woo, woo, woo..."), he made a couple of wry comments about the upcoming election. After he sang "goin' to the candidates' debate," he muttered "here we go again..." and instead of singing the words "you lose" after "any way you look at it," he drily said, "it's money." A little chorus of "Oh, no!"s rippled through the audience as the opening notes of Bridge Over Troubled Water were played. We knew this was the finale, and we didn't want it to be over yet. Still, he mesmerized 1800 people as he gently built the song up to its final crescendo, and we rose en masse at the song's conclusion to give him a minutes-long standing ovation. He came back out and said, "That's what I shoot for when I first step out on stage. To get you to feel that. This is for you. You have charmed my life for 35 years. Thank you." Just as we had finishing mulling appreciatively over that gracious remark, a man near the front shouted, "Get back with Paul!" "Ah," he replied. "Note the command form. When must I do this?" But then another voice piped up: "No way, Artie! You're too good!" "Now we have an interesting dynamic building here," he motioned with his hands. Then he continued with his encore, nostalgically revisiting Kathy's Song and The Sound of Silence. Then he came out once more to talk about listening to a radio show in his childhood that ended with Goodnight, My Love, and accordingly he ended his show the same way. The concert lasted less than an hour and a half, but it was well worth the $25 per ticket to see my favorite singer perform on the same stage I walked across on my graduation night. The magic did not end with the encores for me because I had the rare opportunity to meet this incredible man after the show. His angelic voice is well suited to his gracious manner, and I will forever treasure the kind words he shared with me when he made a life-long dream come true. I now look forward to seeing what treasures his upcoming album will hold. Whatever he has in store, I know it will be nothing short of perfection. In a world overcrowded with pyrite and brass, Art Garfunkel shines as that rare specimen of pure gold. Garfunkel reviews: Up 'Til Now Everything Waits to Be Noticed Garfunkel Songs from a Parent to a Child The Animals' Christmas Angel Clare Across America - DVD Pittsburgh in Concert Erie in Concert Art Garfunkel website  |
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