Paul Simon September 29, 2006

PAUL SIMON
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 • 7:30PM
KEYARENA LOWER BOWL

PAUL SIMON kicks off his 2006 U.S. tour in support of his new Warner Bros. CD Surprise. Simon recently debuted his new band as well as songs from his brilliant new album during a set at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which earned cover story kudos in USA Today and inspired the New Orleans Times-Picayune to write, "Almost everything seemed perfect Sunday afternoon when Paul Simon walked out... Simon's set at the Acura Stage was a final healing balm for a population desperately in need of it." Paul Simon's touring band is: Steve Gadd (drums), Mark Stewart (keyboards, woodwinds, guitar), Andy Snitzer (keyboards, woodwinds), Tony Cedras (keyboards, trumpet), Bakithi Kumalo (bass), and Vincent Nguini (guitar). Surprise' was produced by Paul Simon and features some of Simon's best songwriting and performances since the Graceland album. The New York Daily News said Simon has "forged something focused and strong," and the Washington Post proclaimed that Surprise "may be his best yet." Meanwhile, Simon was recently named as one of the "100 people who shape our world" by Time Magazine, joining Al Gore, Elie Wiesel and others in the Heroes and Pioneers category. One measure of Simon’s enduring artistry is that decades after he first became one of our defining singer-songwriters, he retains the ability to surprise us again. Surprise, Simon's first new studio effort in six years, reintroduces us to Simon in a bold, even surprising way. Like Grammy Album of the Year masterpieces Still Crazy After All These Years or the groundbreaking Graceland, Surprise finds Simon drawing artistically on well-established strengths while continuing to move in intriguing new directions and musical textures. This artist who helped define the Sixties with songs such as "The Sound of Silence" and "I Am A Rock" — and the Seventies with "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "American Tune" — has composed a set of tunes that speaks to all Americans and addresses the modern world in all its complexities. 'Surprise' is, significantly, Simon's first album of songs since before September of 2001. "It almost becomes impossible to ignore some powerful emotions," the native New Yorker explains. "Certain thoughts just seem to bubble to the surface." On Surprise, Paul Simon continues to change and grow before our ears.

Tickets are $39.50, $49.50 and $69.50 plus applicable service charges and go on sale Friday, August 25 at 10 a.m. all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or hob.com or charge by phone at (206) 628-0888.

Official Website: http://hob.com/tickets/eventdetail.asp?eventid=40942