Paul Simon and Sting: On Stage Together: 2014/2015

Sting and Paul Simon captivate the Zénith de Paris...

Sting and Paul Simon, former half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, captivated the Zénith de Paris on Friday evening for the first of their two joint concerts at the Parisian venue, drawing from their reservoir of timeless hits.

Paul Simon and the former lead singer of The Police—the former sporting a hat, the latter a full beard—put on a three-hour show in front of an audience that blended generations.

The two artists, aged 73 and 63 respectively, performed, sometimes together and more often separately, some thirty songs, including "Fields of Gold," "So Lonely," "Englishman in New York," "Mrs. Robinson," and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes."

A highlight of the evening was the song "Message in a Bottle," performed solo by Sting, which the audience rose to their feet and sang in unison, followed a few moments later by the timeless "Roxanne." Paul Simon also delighted the audience with, notably, "You Can Call Me Al."

More convincing solo than as a duo, the two artists nevertheless delivered a high-quality finale to the concert, performing, together, "Cecilia," "Every Breath You Take," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

The duo, who return to the stage at Paris's Zenith this Saturday, have been in Europe since March 12th, the date of their concert in Krakow, Poland, as part of their "On Stage Together" tour, which launched last year in North America. Their European tour will conclude in Amsterdam on April 18th, after seven dates in the United Kingdom, including two in London on April 15th and 16th.

(c) Le Parisien