Paul Simon already has big plans in place for his final run of live performances, dubbed Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour. Now, coinciding with his final ride, Simon has announced that he will release a new album, In The Blue Light, on September 7th.
As Simon explains in the album’s behind-the-scenes announcement video titled “The Story of In The Blue Light”,
The idea was to take songs that I thought were really good songs, but didn’t get much attention when they first came out.” The album features guest contributions from Wynton Marsalis, Bill Frisell, yMusic, and more. Notes Simon in the video, “It was very easy because the musicianship is extraordinary.
You can watch the full Paul Simon album announcement video and take a look at the tracklist and cover art below. A pre-order window is also currently underway:
Paul Simon – “The Story of In The Blue Light”
Simon is currently in the midst of the European leg of the tour, which continues tomorrow night, July 13th, in Dublin, Ireland, before culminating with a July 15th blowout in London’s Hyde Park featuring James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and more as part of the British Summer Time Festival. Then, in September, Simon will mount an eleven-date U.S. run that ends with a three-night stand in his native New York City, featuring two performances at Madison Square Garden (September 20th & 21st) and a final outdoor farewell show at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the same Queens neighborhood where he was raised.
As Simon explained to Variety when the final show was announced, “It seems more like fate than coincidence that I should do the final show on this final tour at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. … I could have ridden my bike from home to the park in about 20 minutes, when I was a kid. But this is less a goodbye than a farewell. Thank you all for the ride, I had a great time.”
For a full list of Simon’s farewell tour dates, see below. For more information on the new Paul Simon album or his upcoming tour dates, head to his website.