There Stands the Glass

The Top Ten Albums of June 2026
1. SML- Spontaneous Music Live
One of my favorite bands doing a few of my favorite things.

2. Ambrose Akinmusire and Mary Halvorson- Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings
Interspatial.

3. Patricia Brennan and Sylvie Courvoisier- Talamanti
Crystal silences.

4. Zoh Amba- Eyes Full
My review.

5. James Brandon Lewis- Omni
With Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones and Chad Taylor.

6. Alden Hellmuth- Tether
With Logan Kane, Miller Wrenn and Justin Brown.

7. Tierra Whack- Whack’s Museum
Whack-a-Mole.

8. Converge- Hum of Heart
My preferred form of rock.

9. BCMC- Stash
My review.

10. Vince Staples- Cry Baby
Undermined by unfortunate production choices.

The Top Ten Reissues and Reimaginings of June 2026
1. Peggy Lee- Too Marvelous for Words
Swinging in 1955.

2. Heiner Goebbels- Walden
A bonkers Thoreau-themed song cycle recorded in 1998.

3. Mekons- Horrorble: Mekons vs. Tony Maimone in Dub Conference
Remix of the 2025 album Horror.

The Top Ten Songs of June 2026
1. Al Xapo and Benzoo- “Fosta Fosta”
Party in South Africa.

2. Rapsody- "God Gotta Afro"
Natural.

3. Rico Nasty- “Rituals”
Transgressive sacraments.

4. Maxo Kream- “6 Months Clean”
Relapse.

5. Ye featuring Don Toliver- "OK"
KO.

6. horsegiirL- "that's my beach"
Quicksand.

7. Charli xcx- “Wink Wink”
Ha ha.

8. 1010benja- “The Whole Damn World (Ain’t Dry Enough…)"
Soaked.

9. Tinishe- “Too Easy”
Simple.

10. Joyce and Tutty Moreno- “Is This Love?”
What the world needs now.

The Top Ten Performances of June 2026
1. By Storm and Lerado Khalil at the Encore Room
My review.

2. Cimafunk at FIFA Fan Festival KC
My review.

3. Christian Death, Gene Loves Jezebel and Descartes a Kant at recordBar
My review.

4. American Wild Ensemble at White Recital Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Paul Simon at Starlight Theatre
My review.

6. Ensemble Ibérica at Polsky Theatre
My Instagram snapshot.

7. Miles Swaminathan at St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Elisha Israel and Az-One at Thompson Park
My Instagram clip.

9. Made in France at Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

10. The Vincents at Meadowbrook Park Festival
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Original image of pre-concert scene at Starlight Theatre by There Stands the Glass.

Watching my father sing along to “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” on a jalopy’s radio is among my earliest childhood memories. Incongruity made the moment memorable. Neither a hippie nor a pop fan, my country-oriented dad wasn’t aligned with Simon & Garfunkel. I’d like to believe he belted out lines like “I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’” merely to amuse me.

About sixty years later, I reckoned it was time for me to finally attend a Paul Simon concert. Hard to believe, right? Even though I’ve seen Art Garfunkel perform twice, I’d never caught up with Simon. Seeing a forecast promising an ideal evening, I ponied up $81 for the least expensive seat at Starlight Theatre on Tuesday, June 16. Having done no advance preparation, the format, setlist and even Simon’s age (84!) were unknown to me.

Simon and his large band (I think it was 11 or 12 pieces) played the entirety of his clerical 2023 song cycle Seven Psalms in the opening set. The audience of about 7,000 politely indulged him. Grumbling began in the second set. Not only was the volume too low for people at the back of the venue, Simon favored deep cuts. Art songs like “René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War” didn’t go over in Kansas City.

A third of the people in my section walked out during a pair of selections from my favorite post-S&G album The Rhythm of the Saints. A furious woman’s profanity-laced tirade about the setlist compelled me to relocate. Simon’s gumption is admirable, I guess, but I found it difficult to immerse myself in the music when almost everyone around me was upset. I felt more grateful than groovy as I tromped back to my car.

June 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Concert Review: Paul Simon at Starlight Theatre