Paul Simon announced his first two concerts ever on Maui, scheduled for Aug. 13 and 14 at the Maui Arts &Cultural Center.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday for the legendary singer-songwriter’s first Hawaii shows since 1968. That year, he and recording partner Art Garfunkel performed at what is now Blaisdell Arena.
Simon is known for a bevy of hits, including “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “The Sounds of Silence” and “Mrs. Robinson” with Simon &Garfunkel and “Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard,” “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and “You Can Call Me Al” as a solo artist, as well as the landmark 1986 album “Graceland.” He has been inducted into the Rock &Roll Hall of Fame both with Garfunkel and as a solo artist.
Last year, Simon, 77, announced that he was retiring from touring but still planned to do “the occasional performance in a (hopefully) acoustically pristine hall, and to donate those earnings to various philanthropic organizations, particularly those whose objective is to save the planet, ecologically.”
With that in mind, these Maui shows will benefit two local environmental nonprofits: Auwahi Forest Restoration Project and Kuaaina Ulu Auamo. A Live Nation spokeswoman said no Oahu shows are in the works at this time.
Tickets for the shows, which will start at 7:30 p.m., will cost $55 to $185 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MACC box office, by phone at (808) 242-7469 or online at mauiarts.org. MACC members can buy tickets starting Thursday.