Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman stirred up some troubled water earlier this month, when a cell phone faux-pas led legendary singer-songwriter Art Garfunkel to temporarily leave the stage during an intimate performance at the Great Neck Arts Center.
The performance, an unpublicized and unplugged show that Great Neck Arts Center Executive Director Regina Gil said was attended by about 120 invited guests, started off well, with the audience giving an emotional ovation to Garfunkel as he began his set, according to an audience member who requested anonymity.
But when Garfunkel noticed Kaiman using his smart phone in his front row seat, the evening’s tone soured, said the audience member.
“You couldn’t have had a better seat in the house,” said the audience member. “He takes out his phone and did what appears to be answering an e-mail. He could have been twittering. Nobody knows.”
Garfunkel did not take kindly to the distraction, according to the attendee.
“[Garfunkel] starts pointedly staring at the offender,” the audience member said. “[Kaiman] looked up, realized what was happening and apologized.”
The incident did not end there, said the source.
Garfunkel verbally confronted Kaiman, and Kaiman responded by joking “I thought you were a professional and you could handle it,” according to the source.
Kaiman’s comment was light hearted but did not sit well with Garfunkel, the audience member recalled.
“With that, Garfunkel stands up, clearly upset and says ‘I think I need a rest now,’” said the source.
He and his guitarist left the stage, subjecting the audience to the sounds of 15 minutes of silence before returning and making nice with the apologetic supervisor.
“[Garfunkel] shook hands with Kaiman and said ‘Okay, now we can be friends,’” said the audience member.
“Art Garfunkel was brilliant and gracious, and his music sounds better without a buzzing cellphone,” said Kaiman in a statement.
Garfunkel’s walk-off drew the eye of David Letterman – the late-night funnyman read out his “Top Ten Things Overheard At The Art Garfunkel Concert” on Monday night’s show, which included the zinger “Gotta call you back, Garfunkel looks pissed.”
Kaiman’s wayward cell phone was not the only incident that night. The New York Post reported that another attendee was wheeled out on a stretcher.
Despite the distractions, an adoring crowd showered Garfunkel with applause, and one man became overwhelmed and began to cry at the beginning of Garfunkel’s set, said the source.
Gil said the show was arranged after a member of Garfunkel’s team attended a performance at the arts center’s acoustic cafe and was impressed by the sound quality.
“The privilege of having Art Garfunkel in our arts center was enormous,” Gil said.
And though Garfunkel’s show was invitation only, there may be other notable concerts on the horizon.
Gil said other “iconic” performers had gotten wind of the venue and had expressed interest in playing acoustic sets there – though hopefully with all phones set to silent.
