Paul Simon Optimistic About Returning to Live Performances Despite Partial Hearing Loss

Legendary musician Paul Simon has expressed optimism about his potential return to live performances, despite losing most of the hearing in his left ear. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Simon revealed that while his hearing impairment makes performing with a full band challenging, he remains hopeful about staging a full-length concert in the future.

“I’m optimistic,” Simon said. “Six months ago, I was pessimistic.” This shift in perspective marks progress from his initial announcement in May 2023, when he disclosed his sudden hearing loss in an interview with The Times. At the time, doctors were unable to explain the cause of his hearing loss, which made performing more difficult.

Simon, now 82, completed his final full tour in 2018 but clarified in his latest interview that he never intended to retire from music. “I never said I was going to retire. I said I was going to stop, which I did.” He explained that his 2018 tour was the culmination of what he and his band could achieve, but after the tour, he sought new experiences, including traveling with his wife.

A pivotal moment came when Simon had a dream that inspired him to create new music. This dream led to his latest project, Seven Psalms, a 33-minute acoustic album released in 2023. Simon said the lyrics for the album came to him in dreams over several weeks. As the album took shape, veteran filmmaker Alex Gibney documented its creation in a 3.5-hour feature titled In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon.

“Seven Psalms is an example of the whole piece coming to me in a unique way,” Simon explained. “It was very interesting and really quite pleasurable for a long time—until my hearing loss threw me off.”

Despite the setback, Simon recently performed alongside two guitarists at a fundraiser for the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss, marking his longest live performance in five years.

The documentary, In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, which premiered in the U.S. in March, is set for release in UK cinemas on October 13, coinciding with Simon’s 83rd birthday.