It is one of our greatest regrets that we never managed to see Simon & Garfunkel in concert and it was with some trepidation that we decided to book to see The Simon & Garfunkel Story at Lincoln Royal Theatre.
We needn’t have worried because Dean Elliott (Simon) and Jonny Smart’s (Garfunkel) interpretation is part tribute act and part West End show. To an ear so used to the original songs, it occasionally jarred but if you took the show as a whole – a celebration of 50 years since the release of the seminal The Sound of Silence – then it more than ticked most if not all the boxes.
With a supporting band, the pair sang and chatted their way through almost two hours of iconic music and memories. The renditions of He was my Brother, Scarborough Fair, America and Feelin’ Groovy were the high points. When it was just Ringer, Elliott and his guitar – which was finger-picked perfectly – you could suspend reality, squint and believe you were back in the 60s.
The Royal Theatre, Lincoln was a sad building with paint pealing off the radiators, the volunteer ushers not wearing name badges or uniform and the back half of the stalls being empty. We are beginning to think that culture has bypassed Lincolnshire and when we compare the city’s only theatre to the facilities in, for example, Wellingborough then it indicates there is something wrong here. We may have to search further afield for our cultural diet.
“Bridge over troubled water”, “Celia” amongst others – yes – a blast from the past, bringing back fond memories of Glebe Point and parties, parties, parties!
Hey, don’t “diss” the culture of Wellingborough. Helene and I have become quite regulars at “The Castle” and seen some great things compared to the cost of doing so elsewhere…Ha!
Paul
I was merely saying that Wellingborough with its relatively small population has better cultural facilities than the city of Lincoln. We need to go further afield to satisfy our cultural diet. Good to read your comment.
Simon and Garfunkels ‘Bridge’ was part of the soundtrack of my childhood, it awoke me to the beauty of harmony and oceans of feeling. It still moves me to this day and is a treasure I hope will never fade from meaning.
Sounds like you got the closest you’ll ever get to any Simon and Garfunkel gig, given there’s a fair whack of animosity between them – shame that!
We were in our late teens when S&G were at their best and so they are very much part of our lives. We watched the Graduate the other evening and it took us back 45 years – that’s a lot of time travel.