Red Mosquito

Don't expect Dylan to give any of himself.

Yeah, I'm getting that.

I saw him 2 or 3 times and he seemed bored .
He changed the melody to almost every song he sang so much that I could only recognize them by the lyrics.

Sounds like a great thing to pay 500 bucks for.

We had great seats, front row to the side, level with the stage. If I had a tennis ball with me I could have hit Bob with it easy enough.

He sat behind the piano all night, sometimes his keys added oomph to the song, but occasionally he appeared to be playing an altogether different song to the rest of the band. Band are tight enough (drummer is a beast) but it must be a hard thing to try and follow Bob around a setlist I'd say.

He played "It Ain't Me Babe" early on which was a highlight for me, as were "Love Sick", "Don't Think Twice", "Thunder on the Mountain" and he finished the main set with a cool version of "You Gotta Serve Somebody".

He did however manage to turn one of the most beautiful songs in his catalogue into a flat, boring dirge. Seriously - he turned "Tangled Up in Blue" into a piss-break song.

All in all it was a good but not great night. As expected no band introductions, no words for the audience at all, but plenty of Bob. Struggling to justify the $200 bucks per ticket I paid, but then again if that's the last time I ever see him (and I suspect it will be) then I'm glad I went. He still puts on an OK show for a 77 year old.

Sounds about right. All of it.

$200? Yow.

That review seems pretty reasonable. He's been messing with arrangements for decades, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I used to follow his setlists and bootlegs religiously, but faded away around 2005-06 (I am still a nutjob fan, I just stopped keeping up with the new shows) due to the inconsistency.

Kevin Davis wrote:$200? Yow.

That review seems pretty reasonable. He's been messing with arrangements for decades, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I used to follow his setlists and bootlegs religiously, but faded away around 2005-06 (I am still a nutjob fan, I just stopped keeping up with the new shows) due to the inconsistency.

I was the same between 97 and probably 2010. Even the better shows have geriatric wanderings.

I miss Larry Campbell but I'm glad Charlie Sexton is back.

I stopped liking him live once he started playing those awful circus keys. Saw some great shows 1994-2003

Yeah, that was what tipped the scales for me too. What a dreadful sound. Thankfully he ditched it after a few years.

Let’s see how this goes.

Have fun fella.

LetMeSleep wrote:Let’s see how this goes.

Hope it's a blast!

I went into this concert being less of an anorak than any other show I've seen of his (possibly with the exception of 92). The Bob on keys show I've seen twice in 07 and 09 and the recent standards albums haven't done much for. Actually, Tempest didn't do much either although there are a couple of tracks that have hit over the last week.

This was also a solo show for me. My wife couldn't think of much worse. There was no support and apparently no sound check. Things Have Changed and It Ain't Me Babe sounded horrendous. The four on the floor kick didn't help matters. My troubles with George Recile, Stu Kimball and Donnie Herron have remained, their styles leaning away from what attracted me so heavily in the 90's band's blues stylings. Highway 61 worked and the FoH brought it all together. Simple Twist Of Fate was gorgeous, When I Paint My Masterpiece was fun and Make Me Feel My Love (never a favourite) was absolutely nailed. Of the Tempest tracks, all but DWhistle were great. Soon After Midnight and Make Me Feel Your Love share a similar sonic spot that is perfect for Bob right now. As are Early Roman Kings and Ballad Of A Thin Man, barking blues with stabbing piano .

Don't Think Twice was the surprise highlight of the night. An initial solo piano and vox version morphed into full band. His vocals were spot on and the dynamics of the harmonica and band building were jaw dropping.

Overall I'm damn glad I went. It was exactly as expected yet strangely better and worse at times. Best of all, I was home in bed within 15 minutes of the show ending before getting up at 4am for work.


Things Have Changed
It Ain't Me, Babe
Highway 61 Revisited
Simple Twist of Fate
Duquesne Whistle
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Honest With Me
Tryin' to Get to Heaven
Make You Feel My Love
Pay in Blood
Tangled Up in Blue
Early Roman Kings
Desolation Row
Love Sick
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Thunder on the Mountain
Soon After Midnight
Gotta Serve Somebody

Encore:
Blowin' in the Wind
Ballad of a Thin Man

Sounds about right. His shows for years have been a buffet of failed experiments, WTF rearrangements, a few songs that show why he's still the fuckin' man, and a few that occupy neither extreme but happen to fall right in the sweet spot of what happens to be working for him at the moment. If you have some idea what you're in for and have some admiration for the guy's desire to keep shaking things up at 77 (?), it's usually a fun time. Glad you went, LMS.

LetMeSleep wrote:Don't Think Twice was the surprise highlight of the night. An initial solo piano and vox version morphed into full band. His vocals were spot on and the dynamics of the harmonica and band building were jaw dropping.

This sounds absolutely fantastic.

oasisfan35 wrote:

LetMeSleep wrote:Don't Think Twice was the surprise highlight of the night. An initial solo piano and vox version morphed into full band. His vocals were spot on and the dynamics of the harmonica and band building were jaw dropping.

This sounds absolutely fantastic.

define "spot on"

Strat wrote:

oasisfan35 wrote:

LetMeSleep wrote:Don't Think Twice was the surprise highlight of the night. An initial solo piano and vox version morphed into full band. His vocals were spot on and the dynamics of the harmonica and band building were jaw dropping.

This sounds absolutely fantastic.

define "spot on"

Tingle in the pants.

Impressive.

Last time i saw Robert Dylan was on that Americana Tour with MMJ and Wilco. I left before the set ended but i did enjoy kind of lounging in the back of the venue on the grass whilst listening to him vocally grind his way through the set.

I should check out some recent videos of the performances.