Over the holiday weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to attend two concerts at the jewel of the Catskills, Bethel Woods. This venue, a gift to concertgoers from the visionary Alan Gerry and company, never fails to amaze.

The hills that I walked over in 1969 have been magically transformed into a world-class site for the performing arts, and I and millions of others have enjoyed countless concerts there in the past 20 years.

Last weekend’s double bill gave us Paul Simon on Friday and the Doobie Brothers and Santana on Saturday, July 4. The two concerts were a study in contrasts.

Paul Simon’s tour is titled “A Quiet Celebration,” so maybe we should have been aware that it was not going to be what we have come to expect from a performer we loved in the 1960s and 70s. When I attend a concert by a band or person I love, I expect to hear their greatest hits and sing along with thousands of fellow fans. Mr. Simon had other ideas, and, as an icon, he can surely do what he wants. However, what I (and others) did not expect was a full performance of his Seven Psalms, a newly released album with songs he has been working on for years.  We came ready to rock, but the first set of this concert settled us right down. I believe that if his first set had been performed in a more intimate venue, say Bethel Woods’ Gallery, it would have been better received. I found the Seven Psalms online, and they are beautiful songs, but perhaps not something designed to delight an audience in a large concert venue.

His second set brought the audience back to life, including his hits “Graceland,” “Slip Slidin’ Away,” and “Homeward Bound.” His encore was filled with favorites and had the audience rocking away. “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” “Something So Right,” and “The Boxer.”  Then the stage cleared, except for Mr. Simon, and he played “The Sounds of Silence” as his benediction. It was a beautiful ending to a very unique concert.

The July 4 concert at Bethel Woods delighted all the fans. The Doobie Brothers, in their ninth appearance here, came out swinging and never quit until Mother Nature made them hit pause. They opened with “Rockin’ Down the Highway” and we were off. Michael McDonald was on keyboards, sounding great, as were Tom Johnston, John McFee, and Patrick Simmons. Their set was one banger after another and the audience was on their feet throughout, dancing and singing along. The only disappointment was that after the half-hour rain break, the Doobies played just two more songs, “Black Water” and “Listen to the Music,” but time was of the essence, and Carlos Santana was in the wings.

This was Carlos Santana’s seventh performance at Bethel Woods (not counting his iconic performance at the original Woodstock concert), and he never fails to deliver. His band, complete with his wife Cindy Blackman Santana on drums, and Ray Greene and Andy Vargas on lead vocals, rocked out into the night.  

Saturday’s Oneness concert was perfection, lifting the audience into that wonderful zone that live, familiar music can do. And Bethel Woods’ drone show after both concerts was the icing on the cake. What a holiday weekend!