Paul Simon has announced that he will embark on his final tour this spring. The legendary singer-songwriter will cap off his 50+ year touring career with Homeward Bound — The Farewell Tour, a two-month outing that will kick off on May 16 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Considering what Simon has chosen to call his final tour, a New York City performance was notably absent from the list of American dates. Simon, who was born in Newark, NJ and grew up in Queens, played some of the most important shows of his career in the Big Apple, including the famed 1981 Concert in Central Park.
However, the United States and Canada aren’t the only parts of the world that will get a taste of Simon’s final run. Today’s news comes a week after Simon confirmed that a stop in London with Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor is set for July 15th. Evidently, that concert in Hyde Park will close out the European leg of the farewell tour.
Earlier this morning, Simon released a statement on his retirement that reads:
I’ve often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I’d consider bringing my performing career to a natural end. Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating, and something of a relief.
I love making music, my voice is still strong, and my band is a tight, extraordinary group of gifted musicians. I think about music constantly. Sadly, we lost our lead guitarist and my friend of 30 years, VincentN’guini, who died last December. His loss is not the only reason I’ve decided to stop touring, but it is a contributing factor. Mostly, though, I feel the travel and time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing. I’d like to leave with a big Thank You to the many folks around the world who’ve come out to watch me play over the last 50 years.
After this coming tour, I anticipate doing the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall, and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet, ecologically.
Once again, I am very grateful for a fulfilling career and, of course, most of all to the audiences who heard something in my music that touched their hearts.
Tickets for Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour will go on sale this Friday, February 9th.
Homeward Bound — The Farewell Tour:
May 16 Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
May 18 Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
May 19 Portland, OR @ MODA Center
May 22 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
May 23 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
May 25 Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
May 27 Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 30 Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green
June 1 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Arena
June 2 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
June 4 Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
June 6 Chicago, IL @ United Center
June 8 St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
June 10 Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Center
June 12 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
June 13 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
June 15 Boston, MA @ TD Garden
June 16 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
June 19 Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
June 20 Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
June 30 Stockholm, Sweden @ Ericcson Globe
July 1 Oslo, Norway @ Spectrum
July 3 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
July 5 Antwerp, Belgium @ Sporpaleis
July 7 Amsterdam, Holland @ Ziggo Dome
July 10 Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena
July 11 Glasgow, UK @ SSE Hydro
July 13 Dublin, Ireland @ RDS Arena
Just 15 London, UK@ Hyde Park (BST Festival)