Paul Simon ‘takes bribe’ from audience member and performs song for first time since 2019

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Legendary songwriter and one-half of Simon and Garfunkel, Paul Simon, took a bribe from an audience member desperate to hear a rarity live.

Simon, 83, is currently on tour in the United States and has been playing a series of his greatest hits and deep cuts. Though the Graceland songwriter is clear that he does not take requests during his performances, a $20 bribe from a member of the audience saw Simon play Kodachrome for the first time since 2019. The sweet moment was captured on camera by another member of the audience. A now-viral post to Threads has been praised by fans who saw a lighter side to Simon, whose A Quiet Celebration tour took to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California.

It was there Simon took the $20 bill from the audience member, accepting the “bribe” and performing an abridged version of There Goes Rhymin’ Simon track. A post to Threads reads: “Paul Simon doesn’t do requests, but $20 is $20. “Simon took a bribe to perform Kodachrome for the first time since 2019 last night during his concert in Los Angeles.”

Fans were delighted to hear the deep cut, which was last performed at The Town Hall in New York City. A setlist for Simon’s A Quiet Celebration show from July 16 can be found below.

• The Lord
• Love Is Like A Braid
• My Professional Opinion
• Your Forgiveness
• Trail of Volcanoes
• The Sacred Harp
• Wait
• Graceland
• Slip Slidin’ Away
• Train in the Distance
• Homeward Bound
• The Late Great Johnny Ace
• St. Judy’s Comet
• Under African Skies
• Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War
• Rewrite
• Spirit Voices
• The Cool, Cool River
• Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
• Kodachrome (first time since 2019)
• Father and Daughter
• 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
• The Boxer
• The Sound of Silence

The twenty-four song setlist does not usually feature Kodachrome, though Simon made an exception for his July 16 performance. An earlier date at the same venue saw the songwriter play the exact same set, though without Kodachrome.

The only other song to feature from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon in the set is St. Judy’s Comet, which has been performed a total of forty-three times this year. It marks a surprise addition to the set, with the song, which released in 1973, only performed fifty-three times by Simon. Of those fifty-three, only ten of the performances are from before 2025.

Fans were thrilled by Simon’s inclusion of the song. One fan wrote: “Paul’s the coolest. Bakithi Kumalo back there on the bass! Been with him since Graceland. I haven’t seen much from his current tour, wasn’t sure if he kept most of his longtime band since it’s a different format from his past tours.”

Another added: “This was a wonderful moment in an already beyond wonderful show.” A third shared: “$20 is most definitely $20.”