Paul Simon joined singer-songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff onstage Sunday at the Newport Folk Festival for several songs.
Rateliff and his band, the Night Sweats, first performed an entire headlining set of Simon covers with several guest appearances: “Mother and Child Reunion” featured Lucius, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” included Lee Fields (plus Phil Cook on keyboards), “Slip Sliding Away” with Courtney Marie Andrews, “St. Judy’s Comet” featured Midlake, “El Condor Pasa” included Natalie Merchant, Adia Victoria and the Silk Road Ensemble, “Homeward Bound” with Lukas Nelson and “Cecilia” featured Marcus Mumford.
Simon then joined Rateliff for a rendition of “Graceland” before performing “American Tune” with Rhiannon Giddens and joining Rateliff again and the rest of the performers for “The Boxer.” Simon closed out the set with a solo performance of “The Sound of Silence.”
You can watch footage of the performances below.
“What a joy working with Nathaniel and his incredible band,” Simon said of the experience. “The atmosphere at the festival was nothing short of wonderful.”
This was Simon’s first-ever appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, which has been running since 1959 and has hosted iconic sets from the likes of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. At the 2022 festival, performers included Taj Mahal, Brandi Carlile, the Roots, Courtney Barnett, the National, Japanese Breakfast, Maren Morris and more, including a surprise appearance by Mitchell.
“It’s hard to put into words the joy we felt bringing the great American songwriter Paul Simon to the Newport Folk stage,” Rateliff said. “Thank you, Paul, for your songs, your voice and your presence.”
Watch Paul Simon and Nathaniel Rateliff Perform ‘Graceland’ at the Newport Folk Festival 2022
Watch Paul Simon and Nathaniel Rateliff Perform ‘The Boxer’ at the Newport Folk Festival 2022
Watch Paul Simon and Rhiannon Giddens Perform ‘American Tune’ at the Newport Folk Festival 2022
Watch Paul Simon Perform ‘The Sound of Silence’ at the Newport Folk Festival 2022
Paul Simon / Simon and Garfunkel Albums Ranked
Paul Simon was always an uneasy folksinger, a role his record company tried to push him into starting with Simon & Garfunkel’s debut album.