NEW YORK — Paul Simon performed a rousing set and accepted an award from New York University in his first public appearance since he and wife Edie Brickell were arrested on disorderly conduct charges.

The 72-year-old performed more than a dozen songs Wednesday night at the Beacon Theatre in New York, where he was honored at the 2014 NYU Steinhardt Vision Award Gala. He played guitar and sang hits such as “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” “Late In the Evening” and “You Can Call Me Al.”

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Grammy Award-winning musician Paul Simon was honored Wednesday night at the 2014 NYU Steinhardt Vision Award Gala. The Associated Press

Simon and 48-year-old Brickell became physical with each other during an argument inside a cottage on their New Canaan, Connecticut, property on April 26. Brickell told police Simon shoved her and she slapped him.

Brickell didn’t attend Wednesday’s event, which raised $1.1 million for scholarships. “After my fee of a million is deducted, that’s $100,000,” Simon said to laughs.

He was energetic and danced onstage, and the crowd stood dancing with him on songs like “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” during the 75-minute set. He closed his set with “American Tune” and “Graceland.”

Simon was honored for his humanitarian work and accomplished music career, which includes 12 Grammy Awards and two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and as part of Simon & Garfunkel, among other accolades.

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