Simon & Garfunkel: Konzert im Central Park 1981

This is outstanding concert featuring most of the famous singing duo's best songs, of which there were many. There is a good mix of fast and slow songs and so-so stereo. Too bad they couldn't have re-mixed this in 5.1surround for the DVD.

Simon and Garfunkel are such pros. The two harmonize so well it's amazing and even though they were live, playing in front of a mammoth crowd, most of their songs sound like perfect studio takes. Yes, a couple might not sound as good as those original studio recordings but some - thanks to the great backup band here - sound even better than the originals! Most are equal....and ALL of them are winners. There are no "clunkers" in this group.

The boys looked a bit smug, but when you can draw literally hundreds of thousands of fans to a concert, I guess it's hard to be humble. They were real superstars of their music era.

As one who attended this show, let me say that the video is a terrific testement to one of the best concerts I ever attended. Where else can 300,000 people gather for a musical event and there not be one incident, not one arrest and at the end, the fans clean it all up themselves. That's what happened on the late summer night in 1981. From Ed Koch's introduction to the soul stirring finale, this reunion concert is packed with hits from Simon & Garfunkle, as well as from Paul Simon's solo career.

I have the VHS version, which I enjoy on regular occasions. I just purchased the DVD version, and (at the time) there was a new song played called The Late Great Johnny Ace. In fact, Paul Simon said so just before performing it. Now this seems to be missing from the DVD. And it doesn't seem to be hidden anywhere. Does anyone out in music land have any idea what happened to this? Anyway, this will go down in history as one of the best outdoor concerts ever performed, especially coming "10 years after" (does that name ring a bell?) the duo split up to pursue solo careers. S&G sound just as good here as they did when they first joined up. This is an absolute must-have for any serious baby-boomer music fan like me.

One of the whitest concert movies of all time. Not a criticism or a positive - just an observation. The main thing is the music is very good. Setlist isn't all bangers, but all the usual suspects are here, song-wise (plus a few quirkier choices here and there).

The bit with the guy who rushed on stage surprised me. Always like it when those things are included in otherwise standard concert movies, for authenticity (reminded me of how the 30th-anniversary celebration concert for Bob Dylan included Sinead O'Connor getting booed by the crowd, all because she publicly criticized the Catholic Church before it was cool on TV sometime earlier).

Someone recently told me that he thought Paul Simon is generally underrated as a songwriter.

I responded that most would regard him as the top tier of great songwriters. He is in the list of one of the all time best.

The duo of Simon and Garfunkel split up after the recording of the album Bridge over Troubled Water in 1970.

The split was acrimonious but in 1981 they reunited for a one off concert to raise money for the restoration of Central Park itself.

Over half a million people attended to watch this two performers reunite. Belting out classics such Mrs Robinson, Homeward Bound, The Sounds of Silence. There were a few solo hits and an a fan interrupted the performance.

Art attempted some humour that the drug dealers would donate half their proceeds to the restoration fund.

I did find the performance was a little subdued, maybe they needed to have rehearsed a bit more.

Also the constant shaking of hands and putting their arms around each other looked a bit forced. I think the simmering tensions never went away.

It was the dawn of a new decade and Simon and Garfunkel showed that their songs were still relevant. This concert brought them a new audience.