Though they had an alleged feud with one another in the 1960s, there was more overlap than contention between Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. It’d take the pair decades to figure this out and eventually tour together, but once they did, they made good on what had been an impressive decade for both. Their work with producer Bob Johnston, with Dylan on Highway 61 Revisited and Simon with The Sound of Silence, shows just how instrumentally close the two were. That breeds competition, causes friction, and is ultimately the reason they never quite overlapped. But they did decades on from their contemporary phase in a show which had the pair perform The Sound of Silence, a song which most would believe requires the subtle additions made by Art Garfunkel. Not so, it would seem. The pair would perform a fantastic rendition of this classic song at the Rose Garden Arena.
Instrumentally, it’s a tremendous rendition. Dylan throws in a few supporting vocal pieces for Simon too, never enough to overwhelm the song with his voice at the time, but he has a phenomenal backing band at his disposal. Tony Garnier and all the other greats of this period are on hand to give The Sound of Silence a richness which it never had on the album. That is, of course, the point of the song. Simplicity in tone, incredible in execution was the route for Simon and Garfunkel, but it’s a song that lends itself to experimentation. An all-time great like that can be pulled apart, given a drumbeat and little flutter of harmonica. Naturally, that elicits some whoops from the crowd. Rightly so, too. It’s a moment worth celebrating across a tour that united two greats of the stage.
Simon still has a voice which can carry this song, at least at the time of this recording he did. Part of the charm to this is that it’s not just Simon and his guitar. He may be touring solo and playing it up with a few backing band members, but the talent Dylan had at his disposal for the post-Time Out of Mind tours is staggering. He puts them to work here and it amplifies the well of silence this song is all about. Sincerely one of the best renditions of The Sound of Silence you may ever hear. There is a tremendous skill to the playing heard on this track that just cannot be emulated. Not just because it’s unlikely Dylan and Simon will take to the stage again, but because of the instrumental skill, the softness which remains in the moments where it matters most of all.
The Sound of Silence is a song which needs few tools to make it a success. But throw in as many layers as you can on stage and it happens to be a mesmerising experience. One of the very best renditions of this song that you may ever find, and it’s all thanks to Dylan’s desire to build up the best atmosphere possible for the great songs of old. Simon sounds comfortable singing this himself, and though Dylan may drift off from performing backing vocal duties, it’s not as though he’s needed. He plucks away instead, becoming a backing musician in his own right, giving Simon that time in the spotlight. It’s a nice touch and Simon is more than comfortable in leading that. He sounds as confident as you would expect of someone who crafted such a mighty, worthy song. The Sound of Silence will always be a classic, and hearing it with Dylan and his impressive backing band is a sincere treat.
