Lookout, NYC midtown traffic:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, U2, Paul Simon, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Friends and Simon and Garfunkel are among the legendary artists confirmed for a landmark two-night concert event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sprawling across October 29th and 30th at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the shows will feature Hall of Fame acts sharing the stage with guests and collaborators, honoring their influences and essentially retracing the history of rock in the process. For example, Crosby, Stills and Nash will share the stage with California-based artists while Metallica will lead a hard rock portion of the concerts. Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin will also each front a soul revue with Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra.

They're going to cram all these artists who could sell out Madison Square Garden in their own right into a 2 night event? Looking forward to the live stream. We'll keep you posted as acts get added.

Cover songs, especially of artists both classy and classic like Simon and Garfunkel, are usually marginally good or undeniably terrible (see Limp Bizkit, "Behind Blue Eyes".) That makes The Bangles' version of S+G's "Hazy Shade of Winter" from the soundtrack to Less Than Zero all the more exceptional. It's a little unfortunate that The Bangles, a great band in their own right, has their finest moment locked in a song they didn't write (and another with "Manic Monday", penned by Prince,) but clearly their tense instrumental interplay and whimsical vocal harmonies tapped into a dark and electric subtext that the original composers may not have even realized was there.

That's why this is my favorite cover song of all time, hands down. What's yours?

Rolling Stone:

Last week Simon and Garfunkel reunited for three songs at New York’s Beacon
Theatre. Now the pair of singer-songwriters are talking about hitting the road. “Our plan to work together is coming together,” Art Garfunkel told the BBC. “But it doesn’t go through England this time.”

Paul Simon’s manager Jeff Kramer confirmed this in a statement to Rolling Stone: “Yes there have been conversations taking place, but nothing has been confirmed.”

While it probably won't be great as the above clip, those of us who have never seen them together would sure enjoy it. Here's hoping.