Paul Simon ROLL CALL OMFGWTFBBQ123!!!!!

[eltee]

I would consider Johnny Cash and Dylan to be bigger.

C'mon, I would think Paul Simon is just as big of an artist (get) as Cash or Dylan. Just different genres. (JT? Then put Melissa Etheridge's four nights too.) Now Seth just needs to get Springsteen to the club and my mom will really be happy.

[sweetcell]

I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed by the show. Some bright spots for sure, but overall it seemed to lack a certain je ne sais quoi.

But yeah, Sound of Silence was worth the price of admission. 

what ggw said.

i think i might have preferred the DAR show.  it was essentially the same as tonight's, so the newness of DAR trumps the intimacy of the 930.  had i known, i would have skipped DAR.

For a sold out show it didn't feel stuff to the gills and very few people spent the entire evening using their camera phones especially in front of us.

my only complaint was the pair of cackling hens behind me (who i eventually asked to shush), otherwise no complaints about tonight's crowd.  there was a lot of space around us and the balconies didn't seem packed either.

[lily1]

First off, a big thank you to Seth for booking the show. Seeing Paul Simon in such a venue was priceless. We were less than 30 feet from the man. Seth looked to be having a good time as well.

Second, a big thanks to the the Staph for an absolutely seamless willcall/ticketing/id check. We were thru it and in the club in less than 15 min, probably more like 10 min. And that was with a line that was 2 blocks long.

Third, another big thank you to the Staph for promptly and professionally handling a very intoxicated man that was disrupting the show for a number of patrons (including me and my friends).

Lastly, I thought the show was great. His band is fanfeckintastic. Wow. And, I agree with GGW-an acoustic Sound of Silence was fabulous. I thought the ending of the show was abrupt and would have liked another 3-4 songs. Bridge Under Troubled Water, a couple selections from Rhythm of the Saints, etc would have put an already very strong show on an epic level.  

Was the set list identical to the DAR show on Wed?

[sweetcell]

First off, a big thank you to Seth for booking the show. Seeing Paul Simon in such a venue was priceless. We were less than 30 feet from the man. Seth looked to be having a good time as well.

Second, a big thanks to the the Staph for an absolutely seamless willcall/ticketing/id check. We were thru it and in the club in less than 15 min, probably more like 10 min. And that was with a line that was 2 blocks long.

 
yup, seamless operation.  we rolled up around 7:30, and walked right in.  zero line.  and staph were awesome all around.  thank you everyone at the 930!
 

Was the set list identical to the DAR show on Wed?

+/- one or two songs - yeah.

[hutch]

paul is always great but seeing him at the 930 from 10 feet away will always be an amazing memory..you just dont get that close

khumalo is a monster and nguini priceless...too bad gadd was missing...

thanks 930!

i was at cash and dylan (x2)...this was of that magnitude...

sounds of silence had something extra tonight....(whatever bartenders/patrons felt they had to throw away beer bottles with loud clinks during the key moments of the song should be shot)
glad so many boardies made it!


after show noticed backbar was closed for private party!

was not too crowded and people were pretty cool


dc crowd as usual

[thatguy]

i'm glad to hear that everyone thought the entry process went smoothly.  it's always a challenge for us to come up with a plan for such a high profile event.  i felt like it worked very well, but it's good to know that our patrons agree.

[heather]

for what could have been a cluster, it was anything but.  the will call & entry worked like a well-oiled machine. we were in by 6:45 and found a good spot on the floor, stage right, about 30 ft away.

thank you 9:30, thank you seth, thank you staph for a once in a life time opportunity, and what was a wonderful night.  i've been out of the loop, haven't seen many shows in the last year or so, and it's been more than a year since i've been to 9:30.  standing there, waiting for the show to start, i felt an overwhelming sense of being home.

this show had me smiling ear to ear from start to finish.  "sound of silence" and "here comes the sun" were magical, and predictably, had me in tears.

what a nice way to start the holiday weekend....and it feels so good to be back home. 

[kosmo vinyl]

Don't get me wrong it was a great show in the best venue, but a bit of a missed opportunity by Paul and Co. to take advantage of playing in an intimate venue as it seemed to lack spontaneity and looseness that can occur with bands in such settings.  I think had it been a date in the midst of a series of club shows verses a club show in between larger venue shows, the feel might have been different.  Last night we got the show that works best for larger audiences and venues, with his well rehearsed band of musicians. 

[Mr.Whippy]

We loved the show and agree that the whole process was very smooth.

Did anyone else notice the line for food?  It was like a third world country or something.  I guess lots of people took the advice to get dinner once they got to the club.

[yohansen5b]

i'll quote my own email to my dad, who for the first time was jealous of a me seeing a concert:

the show was was excellent.  i'm not familiar with most of his catalogue but i enjoyed every song. i was hoping more for a "paul simon and a guitar" but got a "paul simon rocks with a huge band".  some people have said it was a missed opportunity for Paul and I somewhat agree: 930 club can be such an intimate venue and I don't think someone as Big as Simon plays in clubs this small very often.  I was really hoping for acoustic but got huge rock/jazz band.  that said, it was a fantastic night.

the band was about 8 dudes and about 100 different instruments.  it was the most complex show with regards to arrangement i've ever seen.  he had the entire place dancing the whole time. 

highlights...
...."The Only Living Boy in New York" -- this was gorgeous.  the entire place was stone quiet during the verses but on the "oh-aah" choir, they all joined in and the place sounded like a church with everyone singing.  it was epic.  one of my favorite experiences in all the concerts i've ever seen.
...."Here Comes the Sun" -- great Beatles cover.  it was a little more upbeat than the original (if i remember correctly).  it's amazing to see a Legend cover another Legend's song.
..."Sound of Silence." -- here, it was just Paul and a guitar and a microphone and a spotlight.  watching this trumped the "only living boy in new york" comments.  astounding.

he played for 1.5 hours, then had two encores: entire show lasted just over 2 hours.  after the show, i hung around outside with some truly die-hard fans who were waiting to meet him when he left the place.  he came out, said hello, but didn't sign anything (claiming he was worried about getting sick; he caught phenomena doing a meet-and-greet earlier). 

i had a really great time.  the staph was flawless, the will-call ticket set-up was brilliant.  i avoided the line for food and the people around me where a bit annoyed that the wait for food was so long.  i didn't notice any super-drunk bros where I was, though a dude next to me pissed me off on a deeper, fundamental level by bragging about how much he made by scalping tickets to other shows. 

this was one of the big moments in me seeing live music.  thanks Seth & staph for putting this together.

[kosmo vinyl]

Anyone know what the instrument the keyboardist on the left briefly played near the start of the show.  It appeared to be a single stringed instrument with a metal cone on the end.

[Here's the thing]

I was thinking last night about how fortunate I am to live close to the 9:30, and to have seen so many fantastic shows at the club.
We arrived about 6:30, and were in by 6:35. No hassles at all. Stood about two people back from the rail on the left, had plenty of room, talked to some nice people, had a great time. Even my short wife who usually stays home had fun. People were very considerate, calm, and friendly, and even moved around a little so she could see. The sound was perfect in our spot.
I just really appreciate the way smart people figure out a way to make things work well for everyone. Well done once again, Seth and Staph.

[Here's the thing]

Anyone know what the instrument the keyboardist on the left briefly played near the start of the show.  It appeared to be a single stringed instrument with a metal cone on the end.

Kosmo, I don't know if we are thinking of the same instrument, but it we are, it did not have a string. There was some sort of a "scratch block" within, almost like a strike pad on a box of matches.

[kosmo vinyl]

Anyone know what the instrument the keyboardist on the left briefly played near the start of the show.  It appeared to be a single stringed instrument with a metal cone on the end.

Kosmo, I don't know if we are thinking of the same instrument, but it we are, it did not have a string. There was some sort of a "scratch block" within, almost like a strike pad on a box of matches.

It's probably the instrument I'm thinking of, we were a couple rows back of you near the Food window, so it was hard to make out exactly how he was playing that instrument.   From our vantage point it looked he was plucking it, but a scratch block would make sense as well.  Thanks for the description...

[Bombay Chutney]

my only complaint was the pair of cackling hens behind me (who i eventually asked to shush), otherwise no complaints about tonight's crowd.  there was a lot of space around us and the balconies didn't seem packed either.

They had to be stoned.  Nobody can giggle like that for 2 hours non-stop.