Simon and Garfunkel tour postponed until summer due to vocal strain
After a shaky start to their long-awaited North American spring tour, iconic singer-songwriter team Simon and Garfunkel have rescheduled their remaining concerts until the summer. The postponement comes on the heels of a vocal strain reportedly suffered by vocalist Art Garfunkel.
The Simon and Garfunkel summer tour will now pick up with a July 3 concert at General Motors Place in Vancouver, BC. The rescheduled dates stretch through the end of the month and a July 31 set at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, NJ. The venue has not yet been finalized for the pair’s new July 14 date in Madison, WI.
“In an effort to provide the highest quality performance for their audience, Paul and Art decided it would be best to move the scheduled concert dates,” read a statement on the duo’s official Web site. “The dates have been rescheduled to allow for an adequate period of rest and rehabilitation, after which Art is expected to make a complete recovery.”
The statement ended, “Both Paul and Art regret any inconvenience this has caused their fans and are looking forward to seeing them at the rescheduled shows.”
Simon and Garfunkel kicked off their spring tour on April 24 at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, their first-ever performance at the long-running and eclectic annual event. However, even early in the pair’s headlining set, reviewers noted Garfunkel’s poor vocal quality.
A report from Rolling Stone related, “When fans in the front row gestured that Art Garfunkel was low in the mix, he sadly admitted his vocals were strained: ‘It’s not that the mike is not on. It’s that the voice is a little elusive right now.'”
That episode occurred at the beginning of Simon & Garfunkel’s Jazz Fest debut. The publication reported that the singer’s voice further deteriorated as the show progressed, and Paul Simon ventured into his solo material as Garfunkel took a mid-set break before returning to the stage.
Simon and Garfunkel were originally scheduled to follow their Jazz Fest gig with the Vancouver show tonight, April 29. The tour-end show in Atlantic City had been slated for May 21.
Simon and Garfunkel itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| July 3 | Vancouver, BC | General Motors Place |
| July 5 | Calgary, AB | Pengrowth Saddledome |
| July 6 | Edmonton, AB | Rexall Place |
| July 8 | Winnipeg, MB | MTS Centre |
| July 9 | Saskatoon, SK | Credit Union Centre |
| July 11 | Fargo, ND | Fargodome |
| July 12 | St. Paul, MN | Xcel Energy Center |
| July 14 | Madison, WI | TBA |
| July 17 | Auburn Hills, MI | Palace of Auburn Hills |
| July 19 | Toronto, ON | Air Canada Centre |
| July 21 | Ottawa, ON | Scotiabank Place |
| July 22 | Montreal, QC | Bell Centre |
| July 24 – 25 | Halifax, NS | Halifax Metro Centre |
| July 29 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun Arena |
| July 31 | Atlantic City, NJ | Trump Taj Mahal Etess Arena |
