Paul Simon Plots Expansive Tour Ahead of New Album ‘Stranger to Stranger’
Paul Simon will kick off an extensive North American tour after performing at Jazz Fest in late April. He played arenas on a co-headlining run with Sting in 2014, but hasn’t played the United States on his own since 2011. The tour focuses largely on indoor theaters, though it will wrap up June 30th at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York. The historic stadium, which reopened for concerts in 2013, is just blocks away from Simon’s childhood home.
There was no mention of a new studio album in the official tour announcement, though an advertisement for the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium concert states that a new album entitled Stranger to Stranger will be released this spring. A spokesperson for Simon confirmed the new album. Stranger to Stranger will be Simon’s first new studio LP since 2011’s widely acclaimed So Beautiful or So What.
Simon last played Forest Hills Stadium in July 1970 on Simon and Garfunkel’s tour in support of Bridge Over Troubled Water. Art Garfunkel also grew up in Forest Hills, Queens and the duo became friends in the sixth grade, attending Forest Hills High School together. They haven’t performed in public together since vocal problems derailed a planned tour in 2010. Garfunkel’s voice has recovered, though last year he vented his frustration over Simon’s reluctance to launch another reunion. “How can you walk away from this lucky place on top of the world, Paul?” he said. “What’s going on with you, you idiot? How could you let that go, jerk?”
Paul Simon Tour Dates
April 29 – New Orleans, LA @ Jazz Fest
May 3 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theater
May 4 – Birmingham, AL @ BJCC Concert Hall
May 6 – Tulsa, OK @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – The Joint
May 7 – Thackerville, OK @ Winstar Casino
May 8 – Dallas, TX @ AT&T Performing Arts Center
May 10 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
May 11 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert hall
May 14 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
May 15 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
May 18 – Des Moines, IA @ Civic Center
May 19 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinewood Bowl Theater
May 20 – Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
May 22 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverick Center
May 23 – Boise, ID @ Botanical Gardens
May 25 – Portland, OR @ Schnitzer Concert Hall
May 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
May 28 – Woodinville, WA @ Chateau St. Michelle
May 29 – Woodinville, WA @ Chateau St. Michelle
June 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
June 3 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
June 5 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
June 11 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight
June 12 – St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theatre
June 14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
June 19 – Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook
June 21 – Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre
June 22 – Montreal, QC @ Place Des Arts
June 24 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
June 25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts
June 30 – Forest Hills, NY @ Forest Hills Tennis Stadium