Pilgrimage to Lourdes

... but not in France

The multitudes at the Cathedral of Tanglewood [photo by HG]

Some pilgrims travel to Lourdes, France, to visit the grotto where Bernadette Soubirous discovered the spring of healing waters.

Last night, I, along with thousands of others, made a pilgrimage to the Cathedral called Tanglewood, where the evening service was officiated by the high priest, Paul Simon.

The pews held 5,000 people, and another 20,000 or so reclined on the spacious green lawn. There were plenty of loaves and fishes to go around.

The pilgrims were there to take the healing powers of that potent medicine, music. Despite the large numbers, people were generally patient and kind. Many pilgrims arrived despite infirmities -- just as they would at Lourdes. The man a few seats down told me this was his first outing since back surgery - he could barely walk, but he was determined to show up. Another man told me he was being treated for cancer and could barely walk. (I showed him where the staff could provide wheelchair assistance.) Many pilgrims displayed their badges of honor -- from life and its insults. Lots of wheel chairs, walkers, canes, and other assistive devices were in use. Despite needing them, it was clear that people badly wanted and needed the healing powers of Paul Simon’s music enough to endure the discomfort to be there.

The program ... well, the program wasn’t exactly what I expected. My sense was that the audience wanted to come and revel in the sacred Simon & Garfunkel canon, dancing and singing along. Only a few songs came from there. (That makes sense, since S&G were a duo -- and they split up over 50 years ago.)

By the Simon & Garfunkel canon, I am referring to their albums from the mid to late 1960s:

• Wednesday Morning, 4 a.m.

• Sounds of Silence

• Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

• Bookends

• Bridge Over Troubled Waters

I listen to them frequently on my LPs, CDs, and Spotify playlists. Thankfully, Alexa never tires of me saying, “Alexa, Shuffle songs by Simon and Garfunkel.”

The first set last night was Simon’s 2023 composition “Seven Psalms.” I have listened to it many times -- it intrigues me and always feels a bit like a puzzle I have not yet quite cracked. I find the lyrics quite enigmatic. Each time I ponder them, I have new ah-ha moments. I do like the piece a great deal; it haunts me. I think many in the audience were a bit puzzled and perhaps surprised by it. It’s certainly not as well known as his S&G canon, for sure. Opening the show this way set an introspective and somewhat somber tone, not what I think many people were looking for on that summer night in the Berkshires. (I was thrilled to be hearing it.)

One of the psalms, the song “Wait,” struck me as quite poignant, given the age profile of the pilgrims. I’d estimate that over 75% of the pilgrims were age 70 or older. The high priest himself is 84.

Here are the lyrics:

[”Wait”]

Wait

I’m not ready

I’m just packing my gear

Wait

My hand’s steady

My mind is still clear

I hear the ghost songs I own

Jumpin’, jivin’, and moanin’

Through a heartbroken microphone

Wait

Life is a meteor

Let your eyes roam

Heaven is beautiful

It’s almost like home

Children! Get ready

It’s time to come home

I want to

Believe in

A dreamless transition

Wait

I don’t want

To be near

My dark intuition

I need you here by my side

My beautiful mystery guide

Wait

Life is a meteor

Let your eyes roam

Heaven is beautiful

It’s almost like home

Children! Get ready

It’s time to come home

Amen

Click HERE for the lyrics to the entire piece.

After the break, we received a variety of offerings from the post-S&G era -- some familiar to me and others not. Some dealt with themes of loss or mortality.

The pilgrims came to life for “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” -- much dancing and jiggling around ensued. The penultimate encore, “The Boxer,” had everyone up and singing along. But the powerful ending was Paul Simon, alone on the stage with his guitar, offering a version of the Sounds of Silence that took my breath away. The first verse was guitar only. Assertive — maybe even a bit angry — like, LISTEN UP, PEOPLE. Just wow. Even though his voice showed its age, his guitar playing did not. That closing 5 minutes was definitely the highlight for me.

The last verse, in particular, had the audience up and joining in … and then taking a collective deep breath:

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

And the sign said, “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls

And whispered in the sound of silence”

The crowd of 25,000 left the cathedral as peacefully as they entered -- no pushing or shoving, no honking horns. Just a congregation that had received the healing sacrament of music from the high priest himself. I’m glad I partook. I won’t forget it.

Music is medicine.