As seen in the film “This is Spinal Tap,” the rock band reunion has become a cliché. After years of not speaking to each other, band members reunite to recapture the magic, make amends, collect on cash or a variety of other reasons.Depending on the band, reunions can either be a fan’s biggest dream or biggest disappointment. Rarely do bands recapture the sound that made them famous in the first place, whether because of old age, drugs or the loss of an original member.After Paul Simon invited old songwriting partner Art Garfunkel on stage last month at the Beacon Theatre, a stunned crowd was treated to three Simon and Garfunkel classics: “Old Friends,” “The Boxer” and “The Sounds of Silence.”Much like the Rolling Stones and the Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel have performed several supposedly “final farewell” tours over the years, including the famous (and free) 1981 Concert in Central Park, which attracted more than 500,000 people.From 2003-2004, the duo played their hits on the Old Friends Tour and grossed more than $120 million in the process.With numbers like that, it’s obvious  people are willing to pay big to see the songwriting pair.So why don’t they stay reunited?Even back at the height of their success in the mid ’60s, there was a rift forming between the two, usually over songwriting.Arguments started over who got a song on the album (usually it was Simon), who would sing the song and how the song was structured.After the recording of their final album, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” in 1970, the pair split and went on to form solo careers. Simon’s career flourished while Garfunkel’s career was remembered for being the second half of Simon and Garfunkel.During the recording of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” band tensions were high. The Simon-penned title track was sung solo by Garfunkel, and ironically reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.”Bridge Over Troubled Water” won several Grammys, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for its title track. This only furthered the resentment between the two, as Paul Simon was annoyed at being relegated to a backing position for his own song.The folk duo has made several public performances together since then, but a full-fledged reunion has never and probably will never happen.Unlike their peers the Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel still sound as good as they did 40 years ago. Amazingly, both of their voices are still intact, despite them both approaching 70.It is rare for a group of such high popularity to ever live up to fan’s expectations, but Simon and Garfunkel’s beautiful folk songs have stood the test of time.Songs like “Homeward Bound” and “The Boxer” are timeless pieces of music that don’t really fit in the psychedelic, rock-oriented sound of the 1960s.Two childhood friends from Queens who shared a love of the Everly Brothers probably couldn’t have imagined they would influence a whole generation with their soundtrack for the film “The Graduate.”Will Simon and Garfunkel put aside their differences and do a worldwide classic hits tour? Probably not.But fans worldwide are salivating at the possibility.Here’s hoping they make a stop at our quiet little state.- – – -Contact Blake LeJeune at [email protected]