Open Road

It was the first time I was able to keep a secret long enough to surprise someone with the information I kept secret. Generally, I am very bad at keeping things to myself. I tend to blab everything. It's a weakness of mine. This is why I am very proud of myself for surprising Doug with tickets to Paul Simon last Friday for his birthday. To be fair, it wasn't a complete surprise. I broke during our dinner before the show, but it was still quite a feat for me to keep quiet for as long as I did.

Paul Simon is one of Doug's favorites; one of mine as well. He played in NYC at the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side. The Beacon is a classic NYC venue that has been showcasing performers since 1928. It recently underwent a grand renovation and re-opened last Friday night with Paul. It's a small, rather ornate venue catering to an older, more highbrow (and I hate to say it, but downright boring) crowd.

The concert was incredible. The crowd, less so. We were the youngest people there. Almost everyone sat down during the show. Doug and I were actually shushed twice during the evening (once for talking too loudly during a song and once - get this - for screaming too loudly during the applause). The woman to my right had never even heard of Paul Simon. Her date attempted to sing "Mrs. Robinson" to her before the show to see if she recognized the song. And the man to Doug's left slept through probably 80% of the night.

But don't get me wrong, Doug and I had a blast. We stood. We danced. We screamed. We were obnoxious. We elicited stares. But we didn't care. We were at a rock concert. And, of course, it wouldn't have been a true rock concert exprience without Doug's renowned "whale call," which he unleashed at certain points throughout the night. He also developed a new yelp - he calls it the "porpoise call." For all those familiar with the whale call, the porpoise call is even better, trust me.

Paul Simon, himself, was amazing. He's getting up there in years, but the man still sounds exactly the same. He performed with a very large, very talented band - around 10 people playing a range of instruments. And Paul Simon's dance moves, though kinda odd at times, were quite entertaining.

He played all of our favorites, with the exception of Obvious Child (despite my repeated attempts to influence the set list with my loud, screetching "Obvious Child" screams). And, to top off an already incredible show, Garfunkel joined Simon for the encore! And yes, the woman to my right had no idea who Garfunkel was either.