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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Winnipeg fans fondly recall prior Simon & Garfunkel shows

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 02/26/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

SIMON & Garfunkel's appearance at the MTS Centre on May 5 won't be their first after all.

It will be their third.

The iconic folk duo -- Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel -- previously appeared in Winnipeg twice, playing the University of Manitoba's West Gym (now a parkade) on Nov. 3, 1966, and at the Winnipeg Auditorium (now the Manitoba Archives Building) before a crowd of 3,800 on July 6, 1967.

Incorrect information appeared in Thursday's paper. We apologize for the error and thank the many readers who provided us with the correct information and their memories of the show.

"Simon and Garfunkel were very, very big at the time and I thought they were absolutely great. Paul Simon was considered a genius," said Bernie Frankel about the 1967 show, which was the first concert he ever attended.

Dede Phelps was also at the auditorium show and recalls being worried about the evening after seeing Simon walk out with his guitar and Garfunkel emerge without an instrument.

"There were no backup musicians of any kind and I thought to myself, 'This is not good. This is not going to be good,' and I remember being blown away. It was a great, great show," she says.

Diane Zack and her friend were at the U of M concert and sat on the floor in front of the duo, who stood on a riser.

"It was the first significant concert of my life at that point, and has rarely been matched since then, either," she said. "Before the concert, we were walking through the corridors of the Bison Building and saw the two singers walking towards us. We whispered to each other about whether or not we had the nerve to say hello. We didn't, but sort of smiled at them as they passed."

Bill Zuk recalls them arriving at the U of M gig without fanfare, walking through the crowd to the stage and starting the show without saying a word.

"One of the memorable pieces during their performance was an a cappella Sounds of Silence, a recognizable airwaves tune of the time," he says, recalling that they announced that they would have their songs showcased in the upcoming movie The Graduate.

For Leslie and Bill Leake, the forthcoming concert at the MTS Centre will be even more special because they will be celebrating their anniversary on May 1, 44 years after seeing the U of M Simon & Garfunkel show on their first ever date.

"We will certainly make that a date night," Leslie said.

Ticket information for the forthcoming Winnipeg concert has not been announced.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 26, 2010 D2

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