Simon & Garfunkel Wow Brisbane

Noel Mengel - Courier Mail

June 17, 2009 12:00am

CAN you imagine us years from today, sharing a park bench quietly?" So sing Simon and Garfunkel in Old Friends, the song they opened with in Brisbane.

It is their first Australian concert tour in 26 years. In the 41 years since Paul Simon wrote that song there has been a lot of water under the bridge, personal and musical.

At 67, it turns out they're not sharing a park bench quietly but back together on stage celebrating the tunes from one of the sturdiest songbooks of the rock'n'roll era.

And there are few performers alive who can pack a show with so many songs loved by so many.

The show began with just the two of them, just as they performed pre-Sounds Of Silence.

They were soon joined by their band and the fun really began: Hazy Shade Of Winter, I Am A Rock and the peerless ode of the young and restless, America.

Garfunkel introduced Cathy's Song as "the great love song of our generation" and he is not far off the mark. They took to the stage to a video montage of their younger selves and used the device with scenes from The Graduate to introduce rapturously-received Mrs Robinson. There was room for the prime cut from Simon's solo years, including Me And Julio and Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes.

Their voices are still in good shape, Simon is as ever a dazzling guitarist and they were assisted by an immaculate 10-piece band. Will this be the last time they tour? If it is it was a reminder that fashions come and go, but the great songs never lose their power. Simon and Garfunkel play the Brisbane Entertainment Centre again tonight.