Paul Simon appeared as the musical guest on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday night to perform “Slip Slidin’ Away” in celebration of Colbert’s 60th birthday.
Simon, 82, staged a faithful, intimate rendition of “Slip Slidin’ Away” with just an acoustic guitar and a microphone. The song, which originally appeared on Simon’s 1977 compilation album Greatest Hits, Etc., has become a fan-favorite since its release. Watch Simon’s stirring performance of the track below.
Colbert opened the show by announcing his 60th birthday, joking, “I am now the same age as Ian McKellen when he was cast as Gandalf.” Before Simon’s closing performance, the show’s guest was longtime Colbert collaborator Steve Carrell. The two discussed their early days performing in Chicago, Carrell’s recent run in Uncle Vanya on Broadway, and they reprised their “Even Stevphen” segment from their days as correspondents on The Daily Show.
Paul Simon is no stranger to The Late Show, appearing as a guest back in March for an extensive interview with Colbert and a performance of “Your Forgiveness.” Though he’s taken a break from touring, Paul Simon released his most recent album Seven Psalms in May 2023. The album consisted of one 33-minute track with multiple suites, entirely acoustic, and featuring a meditative hue. More recently, he was the subject of the documentary, Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, which is streaming on Prime Video now through June 30th.