Charlie Puth Surprised His Madison Square Garden Crowd With an 84-Year-Old Guest Nobody Saw Coming
Charlie Puth's tour stop at New York's Madison Square Garden was not only filled with hits of his own, but by guests that he brought out on stage with him.
"Each person I'm gonna bring up tonight has influenced me musically," Puth said, according to Rolling Stone, on Friday night. And while surprise appearances were made by Busta Rhymes, Kirk Franklin, andJimmy Fallon, who all performed with Puth, perhaps the biggest shock was when folk legend Art Garfunkel appeared on stage.
Joining the "We Don't Talk Anymore" singer, the two performed Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 hit "The Boxer," delighting the sold-out crowd, according to footage posted by Rolling Stone.
Garfunkel's guitarist Tab Laven also joined the duo for the performance.
At one point during the song, per Rolling Stone, when Garfunkel sang the song's third verse on his own, Puth affectionately said, "I'm your student."
"The reason why I'm here right now is because of the music that you've written," Puth also said in fan footage shared to social media.
Garfunkel, an eight-time Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, chatted with the crowd before he started singing and explained, "Different songs have different life spans, but 'The Boxer' stays well-loved."
He also referenced his songs "The Only Living Boy in New York" and "Feeling Groovy," as tracks that have had "life spans" that come and go.
The appearance was also significant as it marked Garfunkel's return to Madison Square Garden in 17 years, having last performed there with Paul Simon for the 25th anniversary of the Rock Hall of Fame in 2009, according to the duo's official website.
Related: Charlie Puth Welcomes First Baby With a Musical Name-See the Sweet Photos!
Fallon for his part sang Toto's "Africa" with Puth while Busta Rhymes rapped his impressive verse from his 2011 song with Chris Brown, "Look At Me Now," and also performed "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See." With gospel singer Franklin, the two sang his songs "I Smile" and his version of "Lean on Me."
The morning before the concert, the 34-year-old singer performed on the Today show. Chatting with the show's hosts he teased that "we're bringing out some artists I have always really wanted to work with."
Puth's Madison Square Garden show is part of his worldwide tour, "Whatever's Clever! World Tour," that will soon head to Germany, France, and Scotland. As for Garfunkel, the appearance also teases what's ahead as he will continue his tour across North America this summer, with dates including stops in San Antonio, Detroit and Las Vegas.
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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 10:15 AM.