By Those who may have missed Simon & Garfunkel’s iconic 1981 reunion concert at Central Park will have the opportunity to be taken back to the historic performance next Sunday.
Recording artists Lee Lessack and Johnny Rodgers will perform at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at 2 p.m. on Nov. 18 in Live in Central Park: Simon and Garfunkel [Revisited], a 120-minute Simon & Garfunkel tribute performance.
In 1981, more than 500,000 fans gathered in Central Park to witness the iconic reunion of Simon & Garfunkel, a folk rock duo comprised of New York natives Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. The concert was the first reunion of the duo after more than a decade apart.
Lessack and Rodgers will recreate the setlist from the 1981 concert in Central Park in their show, performing some of Simon & Garfunkel’s biggest hits such as “The Boxer” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” But the singers will not be doing impersonations or impressions of Simon or Garfunkel.
The pair will be accompanied by a live band with Rodgers on the piano as well as a slideshow that goes along with the performance.
According to Lessack, the two have known each other for over 20 years and have collaborated several times in the past, but this is their first big project together since 2005. The project came into fruition four years ago and the two have toured the concert for roughly three years.
Audiences can expect to hear renditions of the iconic harmonies that branded Simon & Garfunkel’s music. Lessack will be singing Garfunkel’s lines while Rodgers will sing Simon’s.
“There’s something about, not only the melodies, but the harmonies of these songs that are so ingrained in people’s psyche that it just really resonates with people,” Lessack said. “We look out into the audience every night and people are lip syncing to the lyrics. They just know every word.”
Rodgers noted a nostalgic factor that comes into play for many audiences they have performed for through the years.
“It always evokes personal memories for me and I think for a lot of the audience as well,” Rodgers said. “Music is a lot of ways in our DNA and our experiences.”
Tickets can purchased online for $40 up until Saturday, when prices will raise to $45 on the day of show, according to assistant ticket office manager Laura Campa.
I purchased your CD at South Florida State College, Avon Park, Florida. However, it skips in a couple different places. It is not my player because my other CDs do not skip.
I did not know where else to send a message. So enjoyed your show.
Thank you