Paul Simon Revives ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ at Hollywood Bowl

The Graceland classic returned to Simon’s setlist for the first time in over six years during his Quiet Celebration Tour stop in Los Angeles.

Paul Simon brought ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ back to the stage for the first time since 2019 during the second stop of his Summer 2026 Quiet Celebration Tour at Hollywood Bowl on Sunday night. The performance marked the Graceland track’s first appearance in Simon’s setlist in over six years, closing out a 22-song concert at the historic Los Angeles venue.

Seven Psalms Opens, Graceland Closes

As with every show on the Quiet Celebration Tour, Simon opened the Hollywood Bowl concert with a complete performance of his 2023 studio album Seven Psalms. Wife Edie Brickell joined him for ‘The Sacred Harp’ and ‘Wait,’ the final two tracks of that record, marking her first of several appearances during the evening.

Simon then turned to his broader catalog for an extended second set and encore. The Graceland album served as the structural spine of that portion of the show, with the title track opening the set and ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ closing it. Brickell returned to duet on ‘Under African Skies,’ also from Graceland.

A Six-Year Absence Ends

‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ had been a reliable presence during Simon’s Homeward Bound Farewell Tour in 2017 and 2018, and it appeared in a string of shows he played in 2019. After that, the song went dormant on the Quiet Celebration Tour until Sunday night’s Hollywood Bowl performance.

By all accounts the band was well prepared for the moment. The version performed in Los Angeles was described as tight and well rehearsed, suggesting the song’s return was deliberate rather than spontaneous.

Encores Lean on the Classics

Simon opened his encore with ‘Me And Julio Down By The River,’ with Brickell contributing whistling. He followed with the Simon and Garfunkel staple ‘The Boxer’ before closing the night with a solo acoustic performance of ‘American Tune’ as his second and final encore.

The full 22-song setlist reflected the dual identity of the Quiet Celebration Tour: a commitment to presenting Seven Psalms in full, paired with a deep dive into a catalog that spans more than six decades.

Full Setlist: Paul Simon at Hollywood Bowl, June 8, 2026

The concert featured a complete Seven Psalms performance followed by an extensive second set and two encores:

• Seven Psalms (performed in full)
• The Sacred Harp (with Edie Brickell)
• Wait (with Edie Brickell)
• Graceland
• Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War
• Under African Skies (with Edie Brickell)
• Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
• Encore: Me And Julio Down By The River (with Edie Brickell whistling)
• The Boxer
• Second Encore: American Tune (solo acoustic)

What we know

• The Hollywood Bowl show was the second stop on Paul Simon’s Summer 2026 Quiet Celebration Tour.
• ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ had not been performed by Simon since 2019, making the Hollywood Bowl performance its first in over six years.
• Every Quiet Celebration Tour concert begins with a complete performance of Simon’s 2023 studio album Seven Psalms.
• Edie Brickell joined Simon for ‘The Sacred Harp,’ ‘Wait,’ ‘Under African Skies,’ and ‘Me And Julio Down By The River’ at the Hollywood Bowl show.
• Simon closed the night with a solo acoustic performance of ‘American Tune’ as his second and final encore.
• ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ was a regular part of Simon’s setlists during his Homeward Bound Farewell Tour in 2017 and 2018.

The take

The return of ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ is worth pausing on. The track, built around a collaboration with South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, is one of the signature achievements of Graceland, the 1986 album that remains one of the most debated and celebrated records in Simon’s catalog. Its rhythmic complexity and layered vocal arrangement make it a genuine production challenge to recreate live, which may partly explain why it cycled out of the Quiet Celebration Tour’s rotation until now. The fact that the band pulled off a tight version on only the tour’s second stop suggests serious preparation.

The Quiet Celebration Tour’s structure, opening every night with Seven Psalms in full, is an unusual artistic commitment for an artist of Simon’s stature. Most legacy acts at this stage lean heavily on greatest-hits sequencing. Simon is doing the opposite: asking audiences to sit with a meditative, spiritually oriented 2023 album before he rewards them with the catalog deep cuts. That the Hollywood Bowl crowd received both halves enthusiastically speaks to the loyalty his audience brings. Brickell’s recurring presence throughout the show also adds a warmth and spontaneity that distinguishes these concerts from a standard legacy tour. The pairing of ‘The Boxer’ and a solo acoustic ‘American Tune’ as closing statements is about as emotionally resonant an ending as Simon’s songbook allows.

Why it matters

For fans who have followed Simon across decades of touring, the reappearance of ‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’ is a genuine event. The Graceland era represents a creative peak that still generates discussion about cultural exchange and artistic risk, and hearing that material performed live carries weight beyond nostalgia. The Quiet Celebration Tour’s willingness to evolve its setlists, even while maintaining the Seven Psalms framework, signals that Simon is treating this run as a living concert experience rather than a fixed theatrical presentation.

What’s next

The Quiet Celebration Tour continues across North America through the summer of 2026. Simon has also announced a film and soundtrack release titled The Quiet Celebration Concert, which will document the tour for audiences beyond the live shows.

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