This evening, we were treated to a terrific combination of a concert and a lesson in late 20th-century musical history. The pattern of the performance was quickly revealed by the first two songs.

"The Sound of Silence" eased us into the comfortable and familiar musical territory of the past. "He was My Brother" reminded us of the cultural and political turbulence of the 1960s, the background for the music.

Over the course of the next two hours, we would revisit those times and those kinds of tunes, again and again. What fun!

A video screen and a four-piece band backed up "Paul Simon" (Jonah Bobo) and "Art Garfunkel" (Brendan Jacob Smith). These two actor-musicians were not stand-ins or full portrayers per se, although they did indeed resemble their real-life characters. Jonah stood up straight as he played the guitar, just as Paul did. Brendan leaned back and sang with his fingertips in his pockets, just as Artie did. Even the clothing they wore was similar to what we were used to seeing of the pair, at different points in their careers.

When they sang the songs, they sounded much like the originals. Together, the two men told the story of the famous duo by speaking about them in the third person and by singing the songs along the way.

We were whisked back to the 1950s and '60s. Archival footage appeared on the screen as we learned the backstory of the two men. How they met in school. How they formed a duo called Tom & Jerry and released the song, "Hey Schoolgirl" (which many of us heard for the first time, here). How they later came around to calling themselves Simon & Garfunkel.

Then we moved through all of the albums, and all of the hit songs. And who could forget about The Graduate? Eventually, of course, the duo broke up, and Paul and Artie went their separate ways ... only to come back for a grand reunion for the Central Park concert of 1981. The last third of the evening covered their subsequent, individual accomplishments.

This was a well-planned and wonderful musical production.

All totaled, we heard more than two dozen songs. The mix of hits and deeper album cuts made for a satisfying evening for both casual and devoted fans. Everyone probably heard something that they either had not heard before, or that they had not heard in a good, long while. For example, "Leaves That are Green" and "Richard Cory" are not the kinds of songs that you hear every day. And yet, here they were. Naturally, we had ample opportunities to sing and/or to clap along.

This show was so well done that I don't want to ruin the experience for anyone else, so I won't name the rest of the songs we heard tonight. I will say, that of the 14 songs that appear on the Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits album, only one song was not included in the evening, and that was "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)." I'll let you predict which of their two greatest hits were saved for the encore.

Jonah and Brendan were backed up by a four-piece band, with Marc Encabo on keyboards, Josh Vasquez on lead guitar, Jay Hemphill on bass and Billy Harrington on drums. Each member was given a chance to shine, to present a solo and to show their expertise at least once during the evening. Everyone gave their all. I can't imagine that the music could have been improved upon, in any way.

This show is so demanding that it tours with TWO pairs of Simon & Garfunkels. I think we were lucky enough to catch the version featuring Jonah Bobo and Brendan Jacob Smith. Ironically, their lives and experiences mirror that of their real-life characters. Jonah and Brendan met in school, have been friends ever since, and have been singing these songs together for many years. The fact that they can now offer them in a formal performance and get paid for it is mere gravy. For the record: Elliot Lazar (Paul) and Max Pinson (Art) make up the other duo.

If The Simon & Garfunkel Story comes close to you, and you date your early life from hearing and singing along with these songs, then you should make every effort to see the show. You will visit with old friends, yet you will be sure to learn something new about them. You will be transported back in time. And the music will be amazing and memorable. I get chills whenever I think about this show again.