Paul Simon played ‘Something So Right’ on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert this week – check out footage below.
The legendary singer-songwriter dropped by the talk show on Thursday night (April 2) and dusted off the song – which was first released on his third solo album ‘There Goes Rhymin’ Simon’ in 1973 – for its first live performance since 1993.
Perched on a stool, Simon sang the song backed by an arrangement including acoustic guitar, strings, flute, bass and percussion. He later joined Colbert for a reflection on his early career in England prior to Simon & Garfunkel’s success with ‘The Sound Of Silence’ in 1965.
Watch the performance and the interview here:
Later this week, Simon will kick off the UK and European leg of his ‘A Quiet Celebration’ tour which launched in the US last summer – his live comeback after seven years of retirement.
The dates begin in Prague on Thursday (April 9) and will include shows in Liverpool and Glasgow before a pair of gigs in London’s Royal Albert Hall in May and a final date in Dublin. See all of the dates here and find any remaining tickets here.
Over the summer, the songwriting icon was forced to postpone two of his aforementioned US dates after experiencing “chronic and intense back pain”.
“Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention,” his statement at the time read. “Unfortunately, we have to cancel these shows at this time, as we don’t have the ability to reschedule them.”
“However, we are hopeful after this minor surgical procedure which has been scheduled in the next few days, Paul will be able to complete the tour as well as look into returning to make up these dates.”
Back in 2018, Simon played in New York’s Flushing Meadows Corona Park in what was described as his final-ever concert at the time. “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,” he said back then. “Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating and something of a relief.”
He then went on to discuss his struggles with hearing loss last year, explaining how it made the recording process of his 2023 album ‘Seven Psalms’ “incredibly frustrating”.