Jessica Gilbert/Legacy Recordings;
C Brandon/RedfernsPaul Simon‘s Homeward Bound farewell tour stopped at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, and the show featured a rare appearance by one of the legendary singer/songwriter’s musical idols, The Everly Brothers‘ Don Everly.
The Tennessean reports that Simon duetted with the 81-year-old Everly on a rendition of the 1957 Everly Brothers classic “Bye Bye Love,” a live version of which appears on the final Simon & Garfunkel album, 1970’s Bridge over Troubled Water. You can check out fan-filmed footage of the Simon and Everly performance on YouTube.
“Well that makes my night,” Simon quipped after the performance. “I got to be Phil Everly for a night.”
Phil Everly, Don’s younger brother, passed away in 2014 at the age of 74.
The Everly Brothers were a major influence on Simon & Garfunkel. During Paul and Art’s legendary 1981 concert in New York’s Central Park, they performed a version of the Everly Brothers’ hit “Wake Up Little Susie,” which became their final top 40 hit. The brothers were also the special guests on Paul and Art’s “Old Friends” reunion tour in 2003 and 2004.
Also during the Nashville concert, Simon paid tribute to his late guitarist Vincent Nguini, who’d played with Paul from 1987 until his death in December 2017.
“The last thing he played on an album will come out in September,” Simon told the crowd. “I was worried I couldn’t play music again because my music is so infused with his playing.”
This week, Simon announced that his Homeward Bound tour’s final concert will take place on September 22 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Paul’s hometown of New York City.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
