Nostalgia took center stage at the Staples Center on Monday night (11/17) as Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel brought their "Old Friends" tour to the City of Angels for the first of two sold-out nights.

Reunion shows rarely offer many surprises, instead giving fans all the hits all the time. And the set list that Simon and Garfunkel have been running with since the start of this tour, which began in mid-October, provided all the hits and more.

As the house lights went down, black-and-white images of 1930s Americana flashed across a screen above the stage. Anthemic music accompanied the footage, which included photos of young Paul and Artie, Mickey Mantle, MTV, OJ Simpson, and, unavoidably, older Paul and Artie.

Just then, white spotlights streamed down onto Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Opening with "Old Friends," the legendary duo laid the foundation for a night of mutual admiration and shared sentimentality.

The ever-youthful Garfunkel wore an untucked white dress shirt, a black vest and a matching tie. Though ill the week before, he was in a fine mood tonight, staring out at the Los Angeles crowd in utter appreciation. Before playing "America," he announced almost compulsively, "Los Angeles. I couldn't be more thrilled than to be standing up here." Later, after "American Tune," he would compliment his partner, saying simply, "Isn't he a good writer?"

Wearing a simple red T-shirt and black jeans, gray-haired Paul Simon played the straight man to Garfunkel's approachable demeanor all night. Singing "I am a Rock," the two Queens-bred legends seemed magnanimous. Their band was epic as well, laying down a tight, lively rendition of the 1966 hit.

While Paul Simon's most recognizable talent is his unmistakable voice, it is his guitar playing that truly impressed. His flawless fingerpicking was aided by volume for a dramatic effect. "The Sound of Silence" opened with Simon coaxing beautiful melodic lines from his instrument. The performance was gorgeous, reminding the audience that the song itself is so beautiful--so perfect--that one really has to acknowledge it as one of the great songs of the 20th Century.

The theme of nostalgia influenced the entire show. At one point, the two reminisced about their early days in Queens, recalling their first meeting in 1953, at the age of 13 during a junior-high play. They acknowledged their affinity for the Everly Brothers, who suddenly appeared from out of the shadows. As Art and Paul left the stage, Don and Phil, dressed all in black, dropped a trio of hits, including "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have to do is Dream." The headliners returned to join the Everlys on "Bye Bye Love."

Garfunkel's lilting tenor was vulnerable and impressive as he sang the opening to "Scarborough Fair." Accompanied by Mark Stewart on cello, Simon and Garfunkel offered a passionate version of the haunting classic. Next, "Homeward Bound" was delivered with an alt-rock feel reminiscent of Wilco and Ryan Adams--two acts that owe as much to Simon and Garfunkel as they do to any other folk artist.

A short film that included clips from "The Graduate" warmed people up for a stupefying "Mrs. Robinson." Holding his guitar between his legs, Simon rocked out with his famously funky acoustic riff, aiming his axe at the audience and his bandmates with childish excitement.

Surprisingly, only one of Paul Simon's solo hits, "Slip Slidin' Away," was played. Its author introduced the song by saying he always "thought [it] could have made a pretty good Simon and Garfunkel song." Tonight, it was a great Simon and Garfunkel song.

The show closed with a pair of encores, the first featuring "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Cecilia." After a second standing ovation, the two returned to the stage to play the gorgeous "Leaves that Are Green," a song Simon said the two hadn't played in concert since 1967. Finally, the entire band blasted out "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" as fans sang along to the tune's carefree, hippie-inspired lyric.

There weren't too many surprises during the sentimental show, but the songs and the performers were inspired and rewarding--like any good reunion show ought to be.

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