It certainly feels more than a little ironic (don't you think?) that, after a long history of predominantly building a national mythology on being "nicer" and generally "better" than the US, Canada finally tried to prove it in our most recent federal election by, as Bono put it, "not electing a populist." The U2 frontman isn't the only musician to sing the country's praises this week, with Paul Simon having expressed a similar sentiment.
Tuesday night (May 27), the singer-songwriter played his first Canadian concert in seven years with his first of three post-retirement performances at Toronto's Massey Hall behind the 2023 album Seven Psalms. As per The Globe and Mail's Brad Wheeler, when Simon walked out on stage for his second set of the night, someone yelled, "Welcome to Canada!"
The artist began strumming the 1968 Simon & Garfunkel song "America" before stopping and reflecting, "I wrote that song many years ago." Simon explained that the Bookends track was about anger and division, likening its couple of young lovers on a Greyhound bus seeking out the "real" America to the situation millions of people south of the border are facing today.
"I'm happy to report that I've found it," he reportedly told the crowd. "It's here in Canada. You really are a beacon in the darkness at this point."
It's great that our national victory over the fascist agenda of someone like Pierre Poilievre can provide hope and inspiration, but there's still plenty of work to be done here, too. If you need a reminder, feel free to ask your mom about what's going on in the comments sections she's reading on Facebook lately — or spend any amount of time in the replies on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.