Simon sings to sold-out audience

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon of 1960s folk-rock duo Simon and Garfunkel fame performed for a sold-out IU Auditorium crowd Sunday.

Tim and Amy Brown traveled  with their son, Spencer, from Indianapolis to see Simon. Amy Brown said this was an excellent opportunity and experience for her son who she said loves live music.

“Always been a big fan, but we saw him probably about 10 years ago in Indianapolis,” Tim Brown said. “That was one of the best shows that I’ve ever been to. We got the opportunity to see him again and wanted to come down.”

Bluegrass group The Punch Brothers opened the show with a mix of original songs and covers, including The Band’s “Ophelia.”

“His staying power is just amazing. It just seems like the music is current,” said Ryan McCormick, who also came from Indianapolis to see Simon perform. “He’s not relying on a lot of the stuff that he did in the ’60s or ’70s.”

Ryan traveled with his wife, Colleen and said she is a big Simon fan and has attended many of his concerts.

Both said they like Simon’s most recent CD, “So Beautiful or So What.”

“He’s a legend,” said Colleen McCormick. “He’s just a fantastic songwriter and a fantastic storyteller through music, and he’s been around for decades.”

Singing to a packed Auditorium, Simon started his set with the song, “The Boy in the Bubble.” He later continued to play hits like “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and "Mother and Child Reunion.”

Simon sang a few covers as well, including the old blues song, “Mystery Train” by Junior Parker.

Senior Dylan Cowley bought  a ticket for her mother, Deborah Vogel, who traveled from Ohio to see Sunday’s show.

Vogel said her daughter bought her the ticket as a birthday present.

“I saw Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park when I lived in New York, so I thought this was an especially good concert for me,” Vogel said.

Cowley said she remembers listening to Simon and Garfunkel in the car with her mother and said she wasn’t too familiar with his most recent works.

“The opening band should be really good. I listened to them when they came to the
Auditorium, last year or two years ago,” Cowley said.

The Punch Brothers performed at the IU Auditorium in April 2010 and returned this year as Simon’s opening act.

Vogel said she thought it was cool to see the different ages who attended the
performance.

“It was my generation in the ’60s,” said Vogel, “I think Simon and Garfunkel stand for what’s really good. They talk about love and peace and doing what’s right in the world. What’s not to like about that?”