Simon & Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park (1982)

People are voting emotionally.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

As Good As It Gets

Admirable film.

There isn't much to say about the vocal duo of Simon & Garfunkel that hasn't already been said. Their music (mostly written by Paul Simon) has provided the soundtrack for some of the most profound moments of the 1960s and 1970s. This concert, in particular, finds these two musical geniuses together again for the first time in 10+ years (September 1981). Though some of their exchanges in between songs are a bit chilly, their musical execution is pure precision. It's clear that their decade of separation has, in many ways, helped Simon & Garfunkel mature as musicians. The simple harmonies and musical settings of the original LPs resonate in this performance - and they are enhanced as these middle-aged performers try new things with their old favorites.What's more awe-inspiring is the decision to include many of Paul Simon's material from his solo career - and to exclude Art Garfunkel's (with the exception of his pandering, ineffectual quasi-love song, "Heart in New York", that is clearly the weak point in the concert). Though Simon enjoyed more critical acclaim, one of the things that made S&G so special in the 1960s is that they were a team of two equal musicians with distinct gifts. Art, for his part, appears pleased to join in Paul's songs throughout the concert. In fact, on "Slip Sliding Away", Art moves stage left while Paul sings the solo verse. The camera catches Art merrily singing along like any normal concert-goer, before returning to the mic to harmonize on the refrain.There is nothing overly exceptional about the cinematography of this video (not that you need it for a 1981 concert of folk musicians), but it does an adequate job of capturing all the musicians on stage. The opening aerial view of Central Park gives the viewer an idea of the enormity of the concert (500,000+ in attendance). When it's all said and done, this video lets the performance of two great musicians stand alone.This is, arguably, S&G's finest concert EVER, when you consider the scope of music and the fact that these men are in the musical prime of their life. Regardless of age or musical taste, you can't help but enjoy this epic concert.

I remember this concert well...but as they say of the '60s, if your can remember it you weren't there. I was a teen back then (September 1981) and like most of the hundreds of thousands of others there I was smoking myself a "J". Me and a friend got a good place as everyone packed in hours before the show. Then I had to take a leak. Unfortunately it took an hour of stepping over a mass of stoned people to find somewhere to go, and as the concert started I gradually found my way back. Mrs. Robinson starts it off. Then Homeward Bound, America, Me and Julio, Scarborough Fair, April Come She Will, Still Crazy, Late in the Evening, and it ends with Old Friends, Bookends, Sounds of Silence, and everything in between. This was a great concert and a respite for me from the New Jersey suburbs. Nothing much to do there except count the cars on the NJ Turnpike. I went to Paul Simon's 1991 concert there too.

As one who attended this show, let me say that the video is a terrific testement to one of the best concerts I ever attended. Where else can 300,000 people gather for a musical event and there not be one incident, not one arrest and at the end, the fans clean it all up themselves. That's what happened on the late summer night in 1981. From Ed Koch's introduction to the soul stirring finale, this reunion concert is packed with hits from Simon & Garfunkle, as well as from Paul Simon's solo career.

This pleasant documentation of the 1981 reunion of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel is a must-see for die-hard fans, of course, but it's likely to please the more casual listener also. The duo's much-ballyhooed get-together shows that even though the partners may have been unequal in songwriting talent, there was still something special about them when they reunited to harmonize on their classics. Simon's post-Garfunkel compositions work well too, and a highlight is his "Slip-Slidin' Away," in which his soaring voice on the chorus wraps beautifully around Artie's. "Late in the Evening" is a standout also, showcasing the band of top-notch New York musicians assembled for the occasion, including Steve Gadd and Richard Tee.