Paul Simon, 83, undergoes back surgery after canceling 2 shows
Hello darkness.
Paul Simon underwent successful back surgery after “severe” pain forced the legendary musician to cancel two shows.
The “Sounds of Silence” singer, 83, was forced to cancel Philadelphia shows on June 27 and June 28.
“As previously reported, Paul Simon underwent a surgical procedure this week to alleviate severe back pain that he has been experiencing for some time. Thanks to a great team of doctors, the surgery went well, as expected,” his official Instagram account read on July 3.
His surgery also caused him to postpone his scheduled show on July 7 at The Terrace Theater in Long Beach, Calif.
The Instagram statement continued, “However, it has become clear he will need one additional day of rest and recuperation to ensure he is able to perform at the top of his ability in Long Beach.”
Out of an “abundance of caution,” his team decided to delay his July 7 concert by one day, the statement explained.
The Simon & Garfunkel icon is on his A Quiet Celebration Tour, which he announced in February, shortly after performing “Homeward Bound” alongside Sabrina Carpenter during the “Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special.”
It’s scheduled to wrap in August.
Previously, the “Bridge over Troubled Water” singer retired from touring in 2018, due to hearing loss.
That year, he ended his farewell concert tour at Flushing Meadows Park, where his career began: the borough of Queens.
“Hello, my friends,” he greeted his cheering crowd at the time. “This is 2 miles from where I played high school baseball in Forest Hills.”
While recording his 2023 album “Seven Psalms,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was suffering from hearing loss in his left ear that made the idea of extended live performances seem impossible.
“It was incredibly frustrating. I was very angry at first that this had happened,” Simon told “CBS Mornings.”
But after working with the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss and his own production team, Simon revamped his entire stage setup to make performing viable again.
His current tour is at intimate venues, to provide a better setting acoustically for Simon’s hearing challenges.
Simon released his most recent solo album, “Seven Psalms,” in 2023. It was his first album since 2018 – and his first new material since 2016.
Prior to his surgery, Simon’s team posted another statement on Instagram explaining the canceled shows.
“Paul has been struggling with chronic and intense back pain,” a statement posted to his Instagram read on June 28. “Today it became unmanageable and demands immediate attention. Unfortunately, we have to cancel these shows at this time, as we don’t have the ability to reschedule them.”
The statement didn’t specify what surgery the “Mrs. Robinson” singer had, but simply called it a “minor surgical procedure.”