Genre: Music
Where: Masonic – Phoenix Room at Gluttony – Masonic Lodge North Terrace
When: now through to March 1st
[Review by Tania Jezukaitis]
Paul Simon super fan, Dan Clews has a passion for his music and his enthusiasm is infectious, leaving us dancing on our feet and begging for more. 60 minutes is not nearly enough time to experience the full song writing ability of Paul Simon through the mastery of Dan’s performance.
Dan takes the audience on a chronological journey through Simon’s career, narrating the relevant personal and political context before each song. These insights into Simon’s musical evolution elevate this show beyond some mere cover band and even those who may not be hard core fans are soon won over to Simon’s brilliance. Together with the fact that Dan is an extremely talented guitarist and singer who taps into the rich emotive vein of many of Simon’s work. Close your eyes and it could be 1965 and Paul is playing solo at a folk festival.
After his early career songs with Garfunkel (spoiler alert), the backing band hits the stage and things liven up. The talents of the drummer; keyboard player, bass and lead guitarist, bring funk to the show as they explore the African influence on Simon’s later works. Graceland and You can call me Al really gets the audience grooving. There are no weak links here, the band sure knows how to play.
Even if you are not a big Paul Simon fan you will like this show. It’s both entertaining and informative and reminds you of just how good Paul Simon’s music was (and still is). The title of the show says it all- it is truly an experience.
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