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Paul Simon came out of semi-retirement on Thursday night (19Mar20) to perform as part of Willie Nelson's virtual Till Further Notice festival.
The veteran, who stepped back from the spotlight and announced his retirement last year (19), joined his wife Edie Brickell and pal Woody Harrelson in the back garden of his home in Hawaii for a short set from self-isolation, which was posted on the festival's one-night-only livestream site.
Simon performed American Tune and a cover of the Everly Brothers' All I Have To Do Is Dream with Edie and Woody before signing off with the message, "Stay safe everyone. Stay well."
The virtual festival also featured at-home performances from Margo Price, Jewel, Lucinda Williams, and Neil Young and closed with a family jam from Nelson and his sons Lukas and Micah Nelson, who front Young's former backing band Promise of the Real.
The Nelsons performed Willie's hits like Whiskey River and On The Road Again and ended the five-hour online festival with Lukas' apt Turn Off The News (Build A Garden).
"Thank you very much everybody," Willie Nelson said. "Artists and everybody, chipping in. It's for a great cause and we're all glad to be part of it."
Fans were asked to raise funds for charity by donating to a virtual tip jar.
The Till Further Notice initiative was hastily put together after Nelson and his associates were forced to cancel Thursday night's Luck Reunion festival due to the coronavirus pandemic.