Hi Everybody, I am here on my husbands account so I could send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has left such wonderful comments and shared in this most amazing memory. I am so very grateful for the experience. I will never forget it as long as I live. I am also very happy knowing that this has made so many people smile. Always keep smiling folks!!! peace and love, Rayna Ford
I just learned about this tonight, from someone who was in the audience that night. He says: "It made the news... NPR... It's on their website and the video makes me cry every time i see it." www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2011/05/16/136305513/paul-simon-and-a-moment-of-pure-sobbing-joy
I was there too with my husband, unfortunately missed most of this because of a group of loud ladies yacking instead of listening to the music, and letting those around them listen too. Eventually got them removed by security, and enjoyed the rest of this performance and the whole concert. What a moment for Rayna.
Thinking about this show after all these years. We must have been right next to whoever filmed this. What a night to see Paul Simon in a club and then this! Hope Rayna is well.
Hey Kaminariko ... no plant ... just a local girl from here in Newfoundland. My nephew alerted me and I am grinning from ear to ear! What an experience ... you go Rayna!!! Cool on you too Paul, great job!!! No seriously.... no plant!!!! Life is good!!!
That was amazing. In a world where these is so little actual connectivity between a great artist and his fans, Paul Simon does this. I was in tears watching.
With a career that started about 52 years ago, inspiration that is responsible for billions of heart beats of such intensity, Mr. Simon’s perpetual energy and talent proved again that he has a heart that holds all the missing mass in the universe that astronomers keep searching for, it is in his heart and it explains where the equilibrium in the universe is obtained.
From the way she's breathing there, you can tell she's quite nervous, and Paul looks like the most comforting guy in the world. He does a fantastic job at making her feel at home- at least as much as someone can make a person feel at home who is suddenly onstage in front of thousands of people!
Less than 1% of the people watching this video will come anywhere close to achieving what Paul Simon has in his storied career. Even less will get the chance that Rayna has to get up on stage with him, perform and absolutely nail it! Congrats.
Actually, the guitars already were exhanged earlier in the video, so the band member is coming back with Pauls guitar. Probably because he thought it wasn't working out, so just let Paul go on, right? But Paul wouldn't give up: he probably recognized how nervous she would be, and pushed her a bit. If he hadn't done that, she would've regretted it probably for the rest of her life. Different gesture, but just as great. This is something she can look back on with a smile for the rest of her life: I'm sure that even now, that sweet memory lingers ;-)
@@sisterthesister4870 Those are Martin guitars. The finest acoustic guitats in the world. Listen to the rich, full tone in the opening chord strums by Rayna.
How often do you get a chance to fulfill a dream..and find that the dream is actually a hundred times better than you imagined..you could tell just by the joy radiating from Rayna's face..what a special moment..Thank you Paul Simon-for your great talent and even greater generosity!
Now there's the difference between James Taylor and Paul Simon....Taylor wouldn't even move his freaking laptop so one of his biggest fans could see at his concert! $150 we paid for tickets! That was awesome. Kudos to Paul Simon.
When I was a kid, my secret fantasy was that Simon and Garfunkel were going to call me up and ask me to join their duo. You made my dream come true in a strange and magical way. You rock, Rayna. You are a rock!
@StacksMaxwell I've cried every time I've watched it. Simon is such a class act! You did a wonderful job, and the look of PURE JOY on your face is amazing!
First of all, I am an unabashed Paul Simon fan. I think he's one of the top two or three songwriters of the last 50 years of the 20th century. Secondly, his kindness is wonderful. Thirdly, she rocks it!
@StacksMaxwell Nothing short of amazing and a thrill of a lifetime. The degree of professionalism shows up big time and you are very talented. Paul Simon is a special person to give you the thrill of a lifetime as a part of his own nature that showed up there. My goodness!! How is it influencing your life now?
You got to do better than that you got to do better than do better than that is to f****** loud and you can't hear either one of can't you do any better than that
As an amateur having once played with a 'world famous' musician, it is a nerve-racking experience. The fact that here fingers could even move is incredible. The fact that she, with gentle support from PS, pulled it off incredibly well is unbelievable. Bravo!
This is too cute. Genuine and gutsy for both of them. It's great to see the cereberal side of Paul Simon's '60's songs, and even better to see how much he has grown, showing the same confidence from the spontaneous soul of the man. Very uplifting
Good work Rayna. I've been playing Paul Simon tunes all my life and doubt I would have been able to pull that off. What a great experience with one of the greatest singer songwriters of all time. Simon is all class and so are you.
I rarely stay up for Saturday Night Live, but when I heard that Paul Simon was the scheduled musical artist for last night (5/14/11) I chugged down a can of Coke to be sure I wouldn't fall asleep. He did two songs from his new album - - How lucky we are that he is still sharing his wonderful talent with us!
This is so cool. It made me wonder can you imagine going to a Paul Simon concert and every song a different audience member gets up and performs while Paul just stands behind them and cheers them on
I've passed out,totaly remarkable,goose bumps all over me... The Teacher carried us home... He's a Zen Master...Rayna,you were wonderful and clear,your reactions made me feel something like that : JESUS,HELP ME TO BURN WITH THEM TOGETHER IN THIS MOMENT! Keep on shining !
There are a lot of things on RUclips that are just dreck.... But once in a while you stumble on a rare gem. What a beautiful moment! Thank you RUclips! and Paul... And Rayna!!!
How cool! When she starts to sing notice how Paul Simon gives her a massive round of applause, he made a fan really happy by this act. Not a lot of big stars would do this. Fantastic stuff!
Just incredible. Rayna, I was there and from the audience's point of view it was an incredible experience to be there. I can only imagine what a thrill it must have been for you...Then, I found out on "On the Go" that you are from Kelligrews...just down the street. I could not imagine a more incredible experience. Good for you.
Just saw the story on CBC and had to watch it, I can't stop smiling, it's made my day. Rayna you were great and Paul Simon is just epic. Like someone said on a previous comment great things can happen to anybody. Thank you Paul and Rayna!
This is one of those moments that cements ones love for an artist. Paul was great. Rayna though was extraordinary. Her face when she said and it feels so good brings tears to my eyes.
My wife recently immigrated from Cameroon and I took her to this show. She had never heard of Paul Simon, but thought the show was amazing...and you were definitely one of the highlights!!
We love Paul Simon, and he loves his fans. What a wonderful moment this must have been. Congratulations, Rayna. If that had happened to me, I would have just fainted on the stage. Well done. -jcr
I am watching this as I wake up, and I don't think I will need much coffee the rest of the day. Talk about hitt'n the ground running..That was classic. Nice job.
Grande Paul, lo sapevo che lui è così. E domani a Milano grande concerto. Buon ascolto e grazie Paul per la musica che ci hai dato in tutti questi anni
This is my new favorite thing, ever. This is every fan's dream. Not only was he exceedingly kind to her, but she CRUSHED it. I'll never hear this song again without this performance coming to mind.
This is one of the greatest moment in a very very long time. Paul Simon is one of the best arists in the world. That girl is so brave, together they make this video one of the best on youtube.
It seriously does my heart good to see someone so famous as Paul Simon give so freely such a wonderful memory to a fan. Rayna, I would have been shaking in my boots on stage with Mr. Simon, that's for sure. You must have been over the moon!!!
I love the way Paul is singing along in the background just the way one of us would do to his songs AWESOME. Can't imagine much bigger thrill for the fan.
WOW - lucky her....!!! This is AWESOME... Her facial expression when she saw him behind her picking up his guitar - PRICELESS....!!! I absolutely LOVED this....!! I bet she never thought in a gazillion years something like that would happen when she bought a ticket to his concert.... How gracious and awesome Paul Simon is..., and she was amazing to have the guts to do it - and SHE DID IT...!!
You know, most musicians are pretty arrogant, if not self-admiring. But Paul Simon was very sporting and very gracious to allow this young woman to come up on stage to play the song Duncan, which was a song she learned to play on the guitar. Kudos to Paul, and for Rayna...thanks for the memorable expressions, as well as the courage to get up on stage in front of thousands of people to play this song. You did grand! Crazy Newfie! LOL I love it!
I'm so happy a good quality video of this magical moment appeared. All of us who work at Sound Academy and a good chunk of Paul's crew were chatting about how awesome this was. Good for you Rayna! It made a memorable evening even more so!
Absolutely outstanding!!! What a dream come true! Isn't it just simply wonderful when our idols appear as they are, compassionate, human. I can imagine that after you've achieved the success he has with his art that he misses those simple collaberations in small venues with people who enjoy the same genre. Like a teacher proud of his student, simply enjoying the performance. My love for his music has increased by the gentle nature of his character. Wonderful!
You are really a lucky one!!!!! Saw Paul Simon in Amsterdam one month ago.... Well you know, couldn't stop dreaming to get on stage and sing something along or so.... It's kind of a pity that Paul just has so many fans, he can't pay attention to any individual with his kindness.... Guess there's not any artist as big as Paul Simon who would just do something like this... Great.....
Hi Everybody,
I am here on my husbands account so I could send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has left such wonderful comments and shared in this most amazing memory.
I am so very grateful for the experience. I will never forget it as long as I live. I am also very happy knowing that this has made so many people smile.
Always keep smiling folks!!!
peace and love,
Rayna Ford
tu as assuré
Fantastic
I just learned about this tonight, from someone who was in the audience that night. He says: "It made the news... NPR... It's on their website and the video makes me cry every time i see it." www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2011/05/16/136305513/paul-simon-and-a-moment-of-pure-sobbing-joy
Rayna, I never get tired of watching this performance of yours, so authentic.
You are great, Rayna!
Rayna - You make a grown man cry...... I was at this show with my wife and thought this was one of the most gracious acts I have ever seen.
I was there too with my husband, unfortunately missed most of this because of a group of loud ladies yacking instead of listening to the music, and letting those around them listen too. Eventually got them removed by security, and enjoyed the rest of this performance and the whole concert. What a moment for Rayna.
Thinking about this show after all these years. We must have been right next to whoever filmed this. What a night to see Paul Simon in a club and then this! Hope Rayna is well.
Paul Simon understands that music is a benediction meant to be shared! A simple gesture with sublime result.
Tears to my eyes... Paul Simon grow larger, if that is possible
Paul Simon, you are one seriously cool and classy guy.
Well done, Rayna!
Hey Kaminariko ... no plant ... just a local girl from here in Newfoundland. My nephew alerted me and I am grinning from ear to ear! What an experience ... you go Rayna!!! Cool on you too Paul, great job!!! No seriously.... no plant!!!! Life is good!!!
That was amazing. In a world where these is so little actual connectivity between a great artist and his fans, Paul Simon does this. I was in tears watching.
With a career that started about 52 years ago, inspiration that is responsible for billions of heart beats of such intensity, Mr. Simon’s perpetual energy and talent proved again that he has a heart that holds all the missing mass in the universe that astronomers keep searching for, it is in his heart and it explains where the equilibrium in the universe is obtained.
From the way she's breathing there, you can tell she's quite nervous, and Paul looks like the most comforting guy in the world. He does a fantastic job at making her feel at home- at least as much as someone can make a person feel at home who is suddenly onstage in front of thousands of people!
Less than 1% of the people watching this video will come anywhere close to achieving what Paul Simon has in his storied career. Even less will get the chance that Rayna has to get up on stage with him, perform and absolutely nail it! Congrats.
Have you noticed Paul let her play with his own guitar, sending back his band member who brought another one??!!
What a class!!!
Actually, the guitars already were exhanged earlier in the video, so the band member is coming back with Pauls guitar. Probably because he thought it wasn't working out, so just let Paul go on, right? But Paul wouldn't give up: he probably recognized how nervous she would be, and pushed her a bit. If he hadn't done that, she would've regretted it probably for the rest of her life.
Different gesture, but just as great. This is something she can look back on with a smile for the rest of her life: I'm sure that even now, that sweet memory lingers ;-)
@@sisterthesister4870 Those are Martin guitars. The finest acoustic guitats in the world. Listen to the rich, full tone in the opening chord strums by Rayna.
Classy Move, Paul.
It is nice to see some people stay grounded after all these years
How often do you get a chance to fulfill a dream..and find that the dream is actually a hundred times better than you imagined..you could tell just by the joy radiating from Rayna's face..what a special moment..Thank you Paul Simon-for your great talent and even greater generosity!
Now there's the difference between James Taylor and Paul Simon....Taylor wouldn't even move his freaking laptop so one of his biggest fans could see at his concert! $150 we paid for tickets!
That was awesome. Kudos to Paul Simon.
Thats fantastic.. and its amazing she had the balls to do it. I'd have frozen
When I was a kid, my secret fantasy was that Simon and Garfunkel were going to call me up and ask me to join their duo. You made my dream come true in a strange and magical way. You rock, Rayna. You are a rock!
how cool is that!!! what a fantastic story and memory for Rayna - chance of a lifetime for sure!
How freaking cool is that?!?!?! Awesome life experience.
@StacksMaxwell I've cried every time I've watched it. Simon is such a class act! You did a wonderful job, and the look of PURE JOY on your face is amazing!
Lovely Rayna... and Paul you're still the man!
What a delightful experience. Kudos Mr. Simon.
That was wonderful. (And it's nice to see positive comments on here for once!)
First of all, I am an unabashed Paul Simon fan. I think he's one of the top two or three songwriters of the last 50 years of the 20th century. Secondly, his kindness is wonderful. Thirdly, she rocks it!
He didn't sing a word of the song, but this performance will be long in the minds of all you viewers. Great stuff, Paul.
What an opportunity! Hats off to you!
@StacksMaxwell That is the BEST thing I have seen in a VERY long time!!!!!! Wonderful!!!!
@StacksMaxwell Nothing short of amazing and a thrill of a lifetime. The degree of professionalism shows up big time and you are very talented. Paul Simon is a special person to give you the thrill of a lifetime as a part of his own nature that showed up there. My goodness!! How is it influencing your life now?
what a beautiful little moment of life...
Paul is such a class act. Wonderful musician, and great human being too.
You got to do better than that you got to do better than do better than that is to f****** loud and you can't hear either one of can't you do any better than that
This is so super, I had to watch it over and over....
As an amateur having once played with a 'world famous' musician, it is a nerve-racking experience. The fact that here fingers could even move is incredible. The fact that she, with gentle support from PS, pulled it off incredibly well is unbelievable. Bravo!
This is too cute. Genuine and gutsy for both of them. It's great to see the cereberal side of Paul Simon's '60's songs, and even better to see how much he has grown, showing the same confidence from the spontaneous soul of the man. Very uplifting
This is the first RUclips video that makes me cry, period.
Good work Rayna. I've been playing Paul Simon tunes all my life and doubt I would have been able to pull that off. What a great experience with one of the greatest singer songwriters of all time. Simon is all class and so are you.
I,ve been playing Paul Simon tunes since 10 , and I would be afraid about staying with muy idol
I rarely stay up for Saturday Night Live, but when I heard that Paul Simon was the scheduled musical artist for last night (5/14/11) I chugged down a can of Coke to be sure I wouldn't fall asleep. He did two songs from his new album - - How lucky we are that he is still sharing his wonderful talent with us!
With all the bad news happening around the world and in the U.S., this video is a breath of fresh air. Absolutely beautiful.
This is so cool. It made me wonder can you imagine going to a Paul Simon concert and every song a different audience member gets up and performs while Paul just stands behind them and cheers them on
Marvelous. Simply marvelous. What a classy dude Paul Simon is.
You did a fantastic JOB Rayna!!
I've passed out,totaly remarkable,goose bumps all over me... The Teacher carried us home... He's a Zen Master...Rayna,you were wonderful and clear,your reactions made me feel something like that : JESUS,HELP ME TO BURN WITH THEM TOGETHER IN THIS MOMENT! Keep on shining !
There are a lot of things on RUclips that are just dreck.... But once in a while you stumble on a rare gem. What a beautiful moment! Thank you RUclips! and Paul... And Rayna!!!
The story's linked from NPR's website now.
Really wonderful. Thank you.
This how real music is made!
How fantastic for Rayna, and how gracious of Paul Simon. I got a few tears just watching this!
How cool! When she starts to sing notice how Paul Simon gives her a massive round of applause, he made a fan really happy by this act. Not a lot of big stars would do this. Fantastic stuff!
+Paul Walters He's too big man to allow her to learn the song 'for nothing' - I love Paul Simon, I think he's 100% for real.
He is nothing if not gracious! I love him.
Beautiful musician to Beautiful human...lifes journey,well done Paul Simon
I Love this Man...!
Paul👏👏👏💫🍻
Just incredible. Rayna, I was there and from the audience's point of view it was an incredible experience to be there. I can only imagine what a thrill it must have been for you...Then, I found out on "On the Go" that you are from Kelligrews...just down the street. I could not imagine a more incredible experience. Good for you.
Love Paul Simon for this
Paul is one of the greatest artists of the XX Century and is also an awesome human being.
Just saw the story on CBC and had to watch it, I can't stop smiling, it's made my day. Rayna you were great and Paul Simon is just epic. Like someone said on a previous comment great things can happen to anybody. Thank you Paul and Rayna!
This is exactly what every hobby musician dreams of, to be called upon stage by one of your idols. Amazing!
This is one of those moments that cements ones love for an artist. Paul was great. Rayna though was extraordinary. Her face when she said and it feels so good brings tears to my eyes.
My wife recently immigrated from Cameroon and I took her to this show. She had never heard of Paul Simon, but thought the show was amazing...and you were definitely one of the highlights!!
We love Paul Simon, and he loves his fans. What a wonderful moment this must have been. Congratulations, Rayna. If that had happened to me, I would have just fainted on the stage. Well done.
-jcr
You were AWESOME. You have a Great voice.
I could go after this My Hero
That was AWE.SOME!! She played well despite being nervous too! So generous of Paul Simon!!! I smiled the whole time I watched this.
Wow! A truly heartwarming moment
I am watching this as I wake up, and I don't think I will need much coffee the rest of the day. Talk about hitt'n the ground running..That was classic. Nice job.
Grande Paul, lo sapevo che lui è così. E domani a Milano grande concerto. Buon ascolto e grazie Paul per la musica che ci hai dato in tutti questi anni
This is my new favorite thing, ever. This is every fan's dream. Not only was he exceedingly kind to her, but she CRUSHED it. I'll never hear this song again without this performance coming to mind.
Weezer used to do this during their Blue Album tour, I think it's one of the coolest things you can do as a musician. So much respect for Paul Simon.
What a kind and wonderful man he is.
This is one of the greatest moment in a very very long time. Paul Simon is one of the best arists in the world. That girl is so brave, together they make this video one of the best on youtube.
I knew I loved Paul Simon, I just didn't know how much until I saw this video. What a generous heart.
It seriously does my heart good to see someone so famous as Paul Simon give so freely such a wonderful memory to a fan. Rayna, I would have been shaking in my boots on stage with Mr. Simon, that's for sure. You must have been over the moon!!!
Her face and the shape of her mouth both tell how touching it is.
This video brightening my day
What a generous thing for Paul to do! Great stuff.......not easy to do completely cold in front of thousands of people!!
I love this song brilliant moment!
I love the way Paul is singing along in the background just the way one of us would do to his songs AWESOME. Can't imagine much bigger thrill for the fan.
I cannot stop loving this wondrous, beautiful video.
Wow
...my already huge respect & love for Paul Simon just went up gazillion notches!
WOW - lucky her....!!! This is AWESOME... Her facial expression when she saw him behind her picking up his guitar - PRICELESS....!!! I absolutely LOVED this....!! I bet she never thought in a gazillion years something like that would happen when she bought a ticket to his concert.... How gracious and awesome Paul Simon is..., and she was amazing to have the guts to do it - and SHE DID IT...!!
fantastic, performance and thanks Paul for giving a fan the thrill of a lifetime.
Tears to my eyes... Paul Simon grows larger, if that is possible... Thanks Rayna, what courage you show stepping up, playing, and singing!
You know, most musicians are pretty arrogant, if not self-admiring. But Paul Simon was very sporting and very gracious to allow this young woman to come up on stage to play the song Duncan, which was a song she learned to play on the guitar. Kudos to Paul, and for Rayna...thanks for the memorable expressions, as well as the courage to get up on stage in front of thousands of people to play this song. You did grand! Crazy Newfie! LOL I love it!
Beautiful.
I'm so happy a good quality video of this magical moment appeared. All of us who work at Sound Academy and a good chunk of Paul's crew were chatting about how awesome this was. Good for you Rayna! It made a memorable evening even more so!
I never get tired of watching this video. God bless RUclips.
I’ve watched this several times and came across it again tonight. It’s one of the most joyful things I’ve ever seen. Thank you Paul and Rayna.
Just magical!!!
OOOoooh, that was beautiful!!!!!!!
Absolutely mind blowing!!!!!!!!
Great job Rayna and how generous and beautiful of Paul to go for it and trust.
She was worthy of Paul's handing the stage over to her. Don't we all get a huge vicarious thrill of pretending this could be me? Way to go Rayna.
goose bumps & tears of joy... pure epic-ness!!
Avec plaisir je reviens sur cette performance musicale ❤bravo les musiciens👏🏾👏🏾
❤
i've always loved paul simon, but my god.. i adore him exponentially more now. this is so cool!
Brought tears to my eyes. Tears of happiness and joy, what an experience.
Rayna, I am speechless and wet eyed!!!! I could not be any happier for you. That was simply AMAZING!!!!!!
WOW, that is truly incredible. I literally had a tear rolling down my face. WHAT a dream come true! And she DID IT!! She was great!!! WOW.
I'm not sure who's enjoying this more...Rayna or Paul.
there's a lady who performs well under pressure! Top job
So fun to see someone living a dream-come-true! YES! Great job Rayna, so cool of you, Paul! Big hugs all around~
That was magic.
Lovely moment. As a performer, your goal is to make somebody's day, maybe cap their week, but it looks like Paul just made somebody's life.
Absolutely outstanding!!! What a dream come true! Isn't it just simply wonderful when our idols appear as they are, compassionate, human. I can imagine that after you've achieved the success he has with his art that he misses those simple collaberations in small venues with people who enjoy the same genre. Like a teacher proud of his student, simply enjoying the performance. My love for his music has increased by the gentle nature of his character. Wonderful!
What a wonderful moment. This literally brought tears to my eyes.
You are really a lucky one!!!!! Saw Paul Simon in Amsterdam one month ago.... Well you know, couldn't stop dreaming to get on stage and sing something along or so.... It's kind of a pity that Paul just has so many fans, he can't pay attention to any individual with his kindness.... Guess there's not any artist as big as Paul Simon who would just do something like this... Great.....