Paul Simon announces surprise tour, with 3 shows each in Vancouver, Toronto

Paul Simon fans in Toronto and Vancouver will get a chance to catch the legendary singer-songwriter in a theatre setting after he announced Tuesday a return to touring.

The Toronto dates occur several weeks into what is being called the Quiet Celebration tour, which kicks off April 4 in New Orleans. Simon is set to play Massey Hall on May 27, May 28 and May 30.

The Vancouver shows at the Orpheum are to take place July 25, July 26 and July 28. It's the second last stand of the tour as scheduled, before Simon wraps in Seattle a week later.

Simon, 83, last toured in 2018, playing arena venues in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

He speculated publicly at the time that it was possible it was his last full-fledged tour, and he then experienced hearing issues in his left ear that manifested during the sessions for his 2023 album, Seven Psalms.

"Where I'm at now, I can't play live," Simon told CBC Q host Tom Power in an interview broadcast in June 2023.

"What I can't do at the moment is hear when there are three or four players, which I've tried," he added.

Simon will, in fact, be accompanied on the upcoming tour by several musicians. In a news release for Tuesday's announcement, Simon was said to be "inspired to perform again" after his production team and experts at Stanford University's hearing loss clinic worked together to construct a stage setup that made it viable.

Seven Psalms, which Simon said was inspired by an unusual dream, was composed as a single 33-minute acoustic suite divided into seven movements that ruminate on God, faith and meaning. 

It was the 15th studio album as a solo artist in a career that has seen Simon inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame both for his individual work and for his earlier body of work with childhood friend Art Garfunkel. Simon has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2007 was the first recipient of the annual Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress.

Simon is fresh off an appearance on the 50th anniversary special for Saturday Night Live.

Simon sang a duet with pop star Sabrina Carpenter on Homeward Bound, originally a top five hit for Simon and Garfunkel in 1966.

A longtime friend of Canadian SNL producer Lorne Michaels, Simon has made several appearances on the late night show as host and musical guest through the years.

Simon and Garfunkel performed on the second episode of the show in 1975, and in a memorable Thanksgiving weekend appearance a year later, Simon sang Homeward Bound with former Beatle George Harrison.