paul simon was amazing.

(blue skies!  sun!  it didn't rain a drop!  after the summer we've been having in england, this is a miracle.)

i danced around and sang along and had a huge smile on my face for three hours.  paul simon is 70, but most of the time you couldn't tell - his voice was great, he danced around a little, he played for three hours.  he played with 5 members of his band from when he recorded graceland, plus 3 background singers from the album, plus ladysmith black mambazo for a couple songs.  it was awesome.  they sounded GOOD.

one of the coolest things was being in this huge throng of people - 60,000 is what the newspapers are saying - and every person was singing along.  to be a paul simon fan at that concert was incredible, but to share it with this enormous crowd was even cooler.  and, um, i was in the 5th row.  5th row!  there was music starting at 2pm, and paul simon was scheduled to start at 7:45.  we got there at 2:30 and marched our way as close to the front as we could and then stayed there - minus one bathroom break by yours truly - as the crowd grew and grew behind us.  the view behind me:

(there's an even better photo of the crowd from the concert website here.)

the view in front of me:

(okay, this is really the view in front of cole, who's a whole foot taller than me.  my view was between the two guys' heads who were standing in front of me, but i could see nonetheless!)

he played every song from the graceland album plus lots of well known songs.  his encore included "the boxer" with jerry douglas on dobro.  INCREDIBLE.

the concert was everything i wanted it to be and lots lots lots more.  an amazing night.  it felt like i was watching - was a part of - something really special.