Live in Hyde Park

It's all Harry Hill's fault. Many years back in his second series for Channel 4, he did a series of sketches depicting "The Continuing Adventures of Simon and Garfunkel". As with all his pop star impressions he got the look spot on, playing Art Garfunkel with big hair and the mid sixties clothes akin to the cover of the album "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme". His vocal impression was more wonderful, with his Art talking in high pitched tones like his singing and his Paul communicating by strumming his guitar. Wonderful stuff and of course nothing like their real life characters. Now I can't imagine Art Garfunkel talking anywhere near to normal I'm afraid.

This week I saw Simon and Garfunkel live in Hyde Park. It was one of those lovely summer evenings, that wasn't too hot or cold and considering this summer's been somewhat stormy, it didn't rain either until we were homeward bound. Steve and I arrived early, found a spot of grass to call our own and waited for a few hours for the two of them to arrive.

I've grown up listening to their music. I didn't know it really well, however, until earlier this year. I knew they were good and the stuff of music legend, but I never really knew why. Its because they were damn good at what they did; writing, singing and harmonising together. Although I didn't realise it at the time, my first encounter with their music was standing outside Le Centre Pompidou in Paris, watching one of the most wonderful buskers I've ever seen in my life. He was an American with an acoustic guitar and he was singing lots of 60s songs. It was a cold January evening and he sang "The Boxer". It was magical.

I didn't know the words back then, but, like everyone else I could join in with the lie-la-lie bits, and he soon had a large crowd of tourists singing along. It was quite magical. And that's it. Like another favourite band of mine, Crowded House, they wrote songs that everyone seems to know, but didn't realise they sang. From the titles it wasn't obvious, but as I heard them I realised I knew a lot more of them than I thought. Even the ones I dismissed from their early days as sub-standard teenage poetry put to music I've come to appreciate over the last couple of months, and so going to see them was a wonderful experience.

I spotted Art Garfunkel's hair first. Still as curly and sticking up as ever, with a tiny Paul Simon next to him (well the stage was a fair distance away from us!) and they started quietly with "Bookends". Very quietly. The sound wasn't too hot really. It was rather soft and distorted, which was a real shame, especially considering the price we'd paid to go in. It seemed to take them a while to hit their stride too. The early songs seemed to pass by with them seemingly disinterested in them. I was a bit upset by this as they did my two favourites "I am a Rock" and "America" at this point, and they didn't come across very well at all. We both looked a bit disappointed. Paul Simon was really communicating with just his guitar for a long time, and he didn't address the audience until Art had said something of about their meeting, and Art himself didn't have the high pitched voice I'd hoped for!

Then, suddenly, "At The Zoo" began. This is a particular favourite of ours and we both smiled. It was as if they had found their form and they did a barnstorming medley of it leading into "Baby Driver". From here on in they were mostly wonderful. Of course, it helped that the material was so strong to begin with, and that despite being forty years older and not able to reach the notes they once could, they could still natural harmonize with each other.

The sun slowly set above the stage and the songs kept coming. The Everly Brothers came on stage and sang a few songs, and we were treated to the four of them singing "Bye Bye Love". From here on in, things were great. Paul Simon finally spoke to the audience after Art explained how they met fifty years ago, to tell us that they had their first argument forty eight years ago and finally there seemed to be a little bit of camaraderie between them on stage.

The classics came and went; a stormingly funky "Mrs Robinson", a quiet and tender "Sound of Silence", and a personal favourite of ours from the night, "My Little Town" a song they recorded in 1975. It rocked! Of course everyone was waiting for the really big ones, and they saved them for the encore. "The Boxer" came first, which Steven dismissed as having not enough Lie-la-Lies in it, but I found rather wonderful, with 50,000 people singing along. "Cecilia" bounced along next and was rather groovy, and then everything went silent in the park as the first chords of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" played on the piano. It was truly beautiful. Art sang the first verse, Paul came out of the shadows to sing the second verse (the song has long been a bone of contention between them, as Paul used to feel Art stole all the glory for his song when he sang it solo in their concerts in 1970) and they sang the final one together. We joined in with the roar of applause they received at the end when they hugged each other and took a bow.

The applause didn't die down and they came back and played a few more songs, finishing with "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)". 'Life I love you, All is groovy'. A nice way to end. We then battled to the merchandise stand, where Steve managed to not quite buy a very expensive mug (£15! I ask you!) and then battled our way through the crowds to get the tube home. As we got back to West Hampstead the rain began to pour down, but I don't think it dampened our enthusiasm for the night.

So were they worth the £45 we paid to see them? Yes and no. I'm glad we went, because its not every day you have the chance to see singers as legendary as them, but I do wish the early part of the show had been better. Not the best concert I've ever been too, but I'm glad I was there on that balmy night to see them Live in Hyde Park.