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On This Day, Sept. 19, 1981: Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunite for a concert in New York’s Central Park

By Jill Lances Sep 19, 2024 | 10:15 AM

On This Day, Sept. 19, 1981…

Former musical partners Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunited for a concert on the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park.

The concert took place more than 10 years after the pair’s final studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Water.

The duo performed many of their classics songs, including “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “The Boxer,” “Bride Over Troubled Water,” “Homeward Bound” and “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy),” as well as Simon solo tunes like “Late in the Evening,” “Slip Slidin’ Away,” and “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover.” 

More than 500,000 people attended the free concert, which benefited the redevelopment and maintenance of the park.

An album of the concert was released in February of 1982, and peaked at #6 on the Billboard album chart. It was later certified double platinum by the RIAA.

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