They've been performing music together for more than five decades, but the duo of Simon and Garfunkel has never made a stop in Madison, according to an online tour diary for Paul Simon. That situation will be rectified this spring, as the legendary folk rockers have announced a concert stop at the Kohl Center on Sunday, May 9, as part of a tour kicking off at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April.
Tickets, priced from $52 to $187, go on sale at 10 am on Saturday, March 13, at the Wisconsin Athletic Ticket Office, located at Camp Randall Stadium, via phone at 608-262-1440 or online. Those committed to standing in line at Camp Randall should note that a lottery system will be used, according to the press release:
Patrons are reminded that the UW Athletic Department will utilize a lottery system for this on-sale. Patrons wishing to participate in the lottery must arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. The lottery will close at 9:30 a.m. At this time one number will be drawn and the line will be re-organized. Individuals arriving after the lottery line ends will need to wait until all lottery participants have been serviced before purchasing tickets.
While S&G haven't been to Madison as a duo, they did play the Bradley Center in Milwaukee in 2004. Garfunkel last visited Madison on his own in April 2009 for an Overture Hall concert. They began performing music together in the 1950s, hitting the charts for the first time in late 1957 (as Tom and Jerry) with the Everly Brothers-esque "Hey Schoolgirl." Less successful duo singles followed over the next few years, along with some early rock 'n' roll by Simon under various aliases. Their acoustic folk debut album under their own names, Wednesday Morning, 3AM sunk quickly in Beatles-besotted 1964, and the duo broke up.
But an experiment by producer Tom Wilson at adding rock backing to one of the album's tracks eventually resulted in the smash hit "The Sounds of Silence," reuniting the mercurial duo for the first of many times. Together or apart, they've been in the limelight ever since.
