Paul Simon has announced that he is homeward bound for good following his upcoming tour. The 76-year-old music icon shared the news of his retirement earlier this week in a heartfelt message to his fans, writing, “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. Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating and something of a relief.”
Rest assured all is well with Simon. His decision stems from a desire to spend more time with his wife and family as he feels that the travel and time spent away take “a toll that detracts from the joy of playing.” He also admits that the loss of his lead guitarist and friend of 30 years, Vincent N’guini, who passed away in early December 2017, was a contributing factor.
Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour will launch on May 16, 2018 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at Rogers arena and will visit 19 cities across the U.S and Canada before heading to the UK and Europe for 9 shows. The final show of the tour is scheduled for July 15, 2018 in London, UK with special guests James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt.
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Simon is the latest in a string of legendary musicians who have recently shared their plans to retire from touring. Elton John will retire after his upcoming farewell tour and Ozzy Osbourne is about to launch his final global tour, while Neil Diamond announced his retirement last month. Diamond’s retirement was announced mid way through his 50th anniversary tour following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.
Paul Simon, however, isn’t entirely planning on giving up performing. “After this coming tour, I anticipate doing the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall,” he says in his statement, “and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet.”
He concludes his statement expressing gratitude to his fans “who heard something in [his] music that touched their hearts.”
Tickets for Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour will go on sale February 8 at 9am in Europe and February 9 at 10am in North America and the UK.
Paul Simon Farewell Tour Dates
May 16 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
May 18 – Seattle, WA – Key Arena
May 19 – Portland, OR – MODA Center
May 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
May 25 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
May 27 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 30 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green
June 1 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Arena
June 2 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
June 4 – Austin, TX – Frank Erwin Center
June 6 – Chicago, IL – United Center
June 8 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
June 10 – Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Center
June 12 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
June 13 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
June 15 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
June 16 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
June 19 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
June 20 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
June 30 – Stockholm, Sweden – Ericsson Globe
July 1 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
July 3 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena
July 5 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
July 7 – Amsterdam, Holland – Ziggo Dome
July 10 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena
July 11 – Glasgow, UK – SSE Hydro
July 13 – Dublin, Ireland – RDS Arena
July 15 – London, UK – Hyde Park, BST Festival
