Paul Simon, BST Hyde Park, gig review: Emotive closing chapter of an all-time great

Addressing the crowd at London’s Hyde Park for his final ever European show, Paul Simon described the event as a privilege, adding modestly: “My whole life has been that way.”

The curtain inched ever closer to falling on the singer-songwriter’s six-decade career as the entirety of London seemed to assemble for a gig that would soon be cast ironed into the history books as one of the all-time greats.

This was a closing chapter for an icon who launched into a graceful two hour-plus set that was as simplistic as his outfit choice – red T-shirt, black trousers and aviators (even the sun didn’t want to miss out). Simon, four years shy of 80, opened a time portal with which he dropped the needle on tracks dating as far back as 1964 up to his more recent output from 2016.

“Hello friends,” he greeted fans after the contrasting one-two hit of the soothing “America”, made famous alongside former collaborator Art Garfunkel, and the rebellious “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”

If tracks “Mother and Child Reunion” and “Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard” helped subside the sadness caused by his farewell, it was Simon the storyteller’s willingness to pepper more heart-rending tracks with an anecdotal context that reminded everyone why they were there (“Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War” was inspired by a line from a book pulled off a shelf during a festival rehearsal with Joan Baez).

Most notably, Simon used the opportunity to “reclaim a lost child” in the form of 1970’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, a song he admits to having given away over the years. “Feels good to have it back,” he said after a rendition which saw the crowd sway their arms in between their tear-wiping.

The ringleader retreated into a flurry of instruments performed by his backing band, most memorably on the frantic “Can’t Run But”, while bassist Bakithi Kumalo’s moment arrived during crowd-pleaser “You Can Call Me Al”. Simon later paid tribute to long-time guitarist Vincent Nguini, whose death from liver cancer last December is believed to be the reason behind the decision to bring his touring days to a close. Immense applause, then, was reserved for Nigerian replacement Biodun Kuti, whose talents we had to thank for witnessing the singer live one last time.

In true Paul Simon fashion, he subverted expectations not once but twice, returning to the stage for a duo of encores that were a patchwork of joyous foot-stompers and heart-string tuggers. While the likes of “Graceland” and “Kodachrome” lifted the mood – Nikon cameras were replaced by iPhones – they were no match for the acoustic renditions which closed proceedings.

Families, friends, lovers and strangers held onto one another as Simon sang “Homeward Bound” to the backdrop of photographs selected from the singer’s history. “American Tune,” a stirring standout, followed before The Graduate theme “The Sound of Silence” brought it back to the beginning for his final ever live performance in Europe.

“In the naked light I saw, 10,000 people maybe more,” he sang to an audience far exceeding that, all of whom were stunned into a silence no one dared disturb – the privilege was theirs.