Customer Reviews
Not as good as the rest say - By: N. Tate, 21 Jul 2008 
I am a fan & always will be,and I dont mind raw footage but the quality on this realy lets it down
Absolutely essential - By: S J Buck, 09 Jul 2007 
This concert record on 19th September 1981 reunited Simon & Garfunkel in front of a crowd of 400,000, & its one of the best concerts ever recorded. You'll know this if you've only ever heard the audio CD, which is worth getting in its own right. However to see, as well as hear, the great music made that night makes this something special.
There are a number of things that make this concert great. Firstly of course theres Paul Simons great songs. Mrs Robinson, Homeward Bound, Still Crazy, Fifty Ways, Bridge Over Troubled Water, the list of fabulous songs goes on & on. At the time of this recording Paul Simon hadn't reallly recorded a bad album & if anything the material he wrote in the 1970's was as good if not better than the 1960's material. Secondly there was the magical combination of their voices. They were just meant to sing together. I have no idea whether they understood what they were singing in terms of harmony but somehow it just worked.
The last thing that makes this concert great is the band playing. This was essentiallly Paul Simons touring band of the time, so you get Steve Gadd & Grady Tate on drums, Anthony Jackson on Bass, Richard Tee on Keyboards plus a great brass section. These guys are great players in their own right so on tracks like 'Me & Julio' & 'Late in the Evening' the whole park is rocking.
If never seen or heard this concert you're missing an absolute treat. Buy now!
A Poet and a........ - By: Mr. Andrew Crowther, 19 May 2007 This concert finds Garfunkel still in the mindset of the folkie sitting in the park, whilst Simon is feeling the vibes & the drums of the rock n roll though is still touched by what he wrote prior. The result... One of the finest concerts you are every likely to see/hear (and that includes Dylan @ Free Trade Halll in 66'!).
The tenderness, pronunciation, togetherness, symbolism, & virtosity of Simon & Garfunkel takes the breath away & leaves you transfixed.
The set list is superb, each song bounces off each other as it slides from tender love songs with rich Paul Simon inspired symbolism to up tempo, toe tapping rock & roll numbers such as 'Late in the Evening'.
I don't sign up to the mindset of Simon being cynical toward Art, both have a genuine warmth & respect which is undying. This can be seen when Art jumps the gun on the second line of 'Homeward Bound', Paul smiles warmly at him & they both slot right back into harmony.
An essential DVD for any Simon and/or Garfunkel fan & essential for even the slightly curious.
Visions slowly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping ... - By: T. Amant, 14 Jul 2006 And the vision planted in my brain, still remains! I only dropped a 5-spot for this grand concert in Central Park (at Target even)? WHAT A FRIGGIN' DEAL - I have already watched it 7 or 8 times & I'm just getting started (how much was a ticket to this event?). Many of these songs evoke memories of The Graduate of course (that's cool, great movie), but to people who were children when these albums first came out in the 60's, WHAT A NOSTALGIA TRIP! Planted in my brain, still remains...I'll say! No one dares disturb the sounds of silence when the classics are lovingly presented by these two brilliant musicians (obviously this song, in the encore, had a huge imact). Special mention should be made of Steve Gadd on drums & the many excellent lesser known pros filling out the show (Nice electric guitar work, etc.), the presentation & production are first rate. Highlights: Homeward Bound, America, Scarborough Fair, April Come She Will...just beautiful, Bridge Over Troubled Water...unreal, 50 ways to Leave Your Lover...sharp, The Boxer...a true highlight - I can listen to it endlessly. Encores: The Sound of Silence (the words of the prophets are written on the subway wallls...people hearing, but not listening?)...The fans are transfixed by this gorgeous song. Then the lighthearted Late in the Evening...what a great night in Central Park & gift to the many, many fans. Yes this concert, though a little short at 88 minutes, is a delight to say the least. I should take up Karaoke just to sing songs like this & develop the heavenly harmonies that flow like water here. This is reallly fun to sing, drum & play guitar with if you are so inclined. A bridge over troubled water? The waters part for this & no bridge is needed. Enjoy this rare event!
Still brilliant after all these years - By: Philip Slater, 03 Mar 2006 
The music on the dvd is almost pure S & G. (Some minor musical alterations were included, the obvious detremental one being the jazzed up piano on Bridge Over Troubled Water...a classic peice of music doesn't need jazzing up)
You will be able to sing along to alll the songs, re-capturing alll the smells,sounds & culture of S&G's heydays OR you can just quietly listen, letting the classic words evoke life's memories.
Paul & Art start this concert behaving rather coldly towards each other. As the concert progresses, they visibly warm to each other & eventuallly drop alll barriers & inhibitions as the penny drops that they are what they are because of each other. This bonding throughout the dvd is almost a tiny love story within itself. You cannot help but feel good as they loosen up to produce touching renditions of famous songs.
Highly recommended for S&G fans & to show any of our children just how skillful, innovative & influencial this pairing were/are.
