Above: Art Garfunkel in 2004, performing with the Kansas City Symphony. He returned to Kansas City on Thursday, for a show at the Folly Theatre. File photo.
Art Garfunkel's achievement Thursday night at the Folly Theater was extraordinarily rare. He chose to make the art of the song the centerpiece of the concert. Acknowledgment of Garfunkel's stardom and baby boomer nostalgia were afterthoughts.
The result of this unexpected approach was a sublime evening of sophisticated song interpretation.
Beginning with "American Tune," the first of 18 songs Garfunkel performed, it was evident that the audience of approximately 800 would witness a unique blend of theatrical cabaret and folk hootenanny.
From a remote seat in the balcony, the 65-year-old Garfunkel looked no different than he had thirty years before. Overflowing with sensitive longing and optimism, Garfunkel's voice retains its boyish charm. It reflexively evokes emotions and experiences associated with seminal Simon & Garfunkel hits. It's a powerful instrument.
Much to the audience's delight, the 85-minutes of music were loaded with Simon & Garfunkel songs.
"I had dinner with Paul the other night," Garfunkel dished. "I represent the two of us."
Best of all was "The Boxer." Garfunkel's reading uncovered new nuances in the familiar song. Just as effective was his devastatingly heartbreaking revival of Randy Newman's "Real Emotional Girl."
A few songs, including the ballad "Bright Eyes," teetered on the precipice of treacly wimpiness. But in each instance, the unobtrusive four-piece band's arrangements added precisely the right emphatic tempo and volume shifts to prevent a maudlin mess.
Garfunkel's special guest this evening was his son, James. He offered Simon's anti-war screed "The Side of a Hill" and a most peculiar version of "Mr. Blue." He also sang along with his dad on a relaxed version of "Cecilia." James looks uncannily like his father, hair and all. To put it kindly, he did not get his father's gift for singing and interpreting songs.
Although the elder Garfunkel confessed that he was "a very nervous performer," he was exceedingly gracious, freely showering compliments on Kansas City.
"You have a beautiful sounding room here," he said of the historic Folly. He and his music fit right in.
SET LIST
American Tune, Homeward Bound, Bright Eyes, Scarborough Fair, The Boxer, Real Emotional Girl, Perfect Moment, El Condor Pasa (If I Could), Someone To Watch Over Me, For Emily. Intermission. The Side of a Hill (James), A Heart In New York, Kathy's Song, And So It Goes, Mrs. Robinson, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Cecilia (with James), Mr. Blue (James), The Sound of Silence. Encore: Goodnight, My Love.
I attended the Art Garfunkel concert and thought it was magnificent. I was disappointed in your comments regarding his son. I found them to be both inaccurate and needlessly unkind.
Posted by: Carla | July 28, 2007 at 09:13 AM