Paul Simon was in town last week. One of the 'greats' whom I've never seen (and he is getting on -there may not be many more opportunities). I'd had the date pencilled in my diary since about March. I wanted to go all the more when I heard he was going to play the entire Graceland set with the original musicians (as far as was possible). Gimme, gimme, gimme.
I've also have a soft spot for the man. Some of my friends d'iss him as a lightweight. but I think he has a huge catalogue of great songs and was far more musically adventurous than his singer/songwriter contemporaries from the sixties (read Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen. Neil Young, etc.). Long before Graceland he was experimenting with 'world music', avant la lettre: dixie on 'Mardi Gras', reggae on 'Down by the schoolyard' and gospel on 'Loves me like a rock'.
But tickets were E70. Some people I know complained that this was immoral. I don't think morality enters into the price of non-essential items. Water, power, food, schooling yes - but not luxuries like concerts. But E70 could buy me a good pair of shoes (probably not with diamonds in their soles!). And, more pragmatically, I have recently been spoiled for great live music (see blogs passim), seeing Afrocubism,Tinarewin and Lee Scratch Perry and several lesser-known world bands in the past month. So, in economists' terms my consumer surplus for paying so much to see Paul was seriously reduced.
The week before he was due in town I was told about a three evening Lindy-hop course: something I had planned to learn since I first came to Brussels last summer. It was half the price, three times the fun and a better opportunity for social interaction and learning a new skill. Lindy-hop is the new retro-cool!
Now I am regularly practicing shining those diamonds on the soles of my shoes!!!
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4 comments:
That sounds like great fun! A friend of mine went to Paul Simon's concert in Amsterdam and especially loved the encore: just him and his guitar. I tried something new today too :-)
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I've always had a soft spot for Paul Simon - his music was light and easy and he had an earnest social conscience and global curiosity that brought me in contact with ideas and cultures I wouldn't have thought about otherwise. It would be great to see him in a simple setting in a smaller venue - for that, I'd pay 70 gbp.
Many of my friends unfairly (I think) malign him but, like you, I appreciate his pop sensibility etc.. Unfortunately it wasn't a 'small venue' but the largest arena in Brussels and I found that off-putting.
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