Expecting Rain

Hi

Im going to see Dylan next March here in Portugal. I 'd like to know what to expect. Im into Dylan for 30 years but I dont enjoy/dont know his work since Modern Times. Im a big fun of his shows in the year 2000 and around it.
In the internet I found this:
"On a good day, he sounds like a chain-smoking bluesman celebrating his 100th birthday. On a bad day, he sounds like a bullfrog gargling broken glass." (Link:https://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-hogan/bob-dylan-in-concert_b_3654022.html).
So Im not expecting much from the vocals... but its the first time Im going to see him!

I 'd like to know your opinion.

Thanks

Hi!

While Bob did sound a bit like a chain smoking bull frog around the late 00s and early 10s, there's been a bit of a revival in Bob's voice in recent years, with shows being a little quieter, allowing Bob to sing more.

The shows do have a lot of Sinatra covers, but many who don't like his Sinatra albums often say the songs work better in the context of the live shows, which can be very atmospheric.

A lot of the show features material from Tempest, released in 2012. If you like the early 00s shows then you should give that album a listen - it's often compared to Love & Theft.

There's also a good number of 60s and 70s material these days - Tangled Up In Blue, Highway 61 Revisited, Desolation Row, Ballad of a Thin Man, among others.


You can listen to a recent show here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPiQpajYeGg


If I were you, I'd be looking forward to it! Bobs shows are always best experience in person!

If you'll forgive the apparent contradiction, expect not to see him...

Expect nothing. I did that for Kris Kristofferson. Loved the show
Actually didnit for Bob the first time I saw him. 100+ concerts later...

I think people who have seen less shows enjoy the shows more.

I won’t get into trying to figure that psychology out.

But I saw Bob this fall and for me it was magical but not quite as magical as fall 2016.

I think the show is good. What to expect? If you want the song list just check out boblinks.com. It will be at least 85% accurate for the spring. The music is good. Bob sings well in his today-voice. Much better than 2010-2013.

Don’t listen to Huff Po or other media outlet.

This is solid advice. ‘Expect’ nothing and what you experience will not have any burden to overcome.

but that's for the other forum :s the one thats about angry patrons who demand always ther money back lol: this is some place to keep up with
homeward brooks froze up.. forgive me, im new here, but should I be scared? nah, just cant understand why people expect a particular piano angle? As if he owed anything, cant see him but other than that

the topic i wanted to bring up , the now i fergit whatbut the ice cold city winter mbedded deep like no mutual tongue before several discovered .(practicing at poetry )transitions from one incomplete dream to the other filledinspirationcomes on the one hand with
my main thought about the set now , if you like the different stamp of any new arrangemnet , the glorious spirit of some reckless incomplete salvation subdued full of things that have never been until until the real warmth of jazz came a bangin .over the top, agree 5x or any more sinatra release s fin such a short amount of time maybe hard to keep up with, that is: unless the accomplishment is this music we re gettin right through stripped down aged old heart grasping jazz frets new for bob singin sincere heartfelt hard lyrics tastes timbres tones all delivered only in the musical sphere riding the up n down swooping melody through , a timeless moment WHERE memory IS dealt young through SEVERAL years comprised fast, mingled lonely experience s, age or accolades make no differences to what one comprehends .as a very young person i heed that best advice above to not expect anything to stay the same...except for the set i recken
besides that haste of jangle n junk, interested to see how it all progresses fromsilence to brightly illuminated chirps though at first just a half filled longing. truly a great task of bob to bring the sounds of heaven down to earth .well, that and to deliver them whole soul played together with the band til finally the full physical expression of the perfect song arrives. '
people can just about get under any old torch song , lit up loyal facade propped upright, til full fromfall til joyful old torch songs get torn away softly,
only to at long last let the jazz rise and all and mingle together like light and footsteps singing

Open-mindedness & having zero expectations is totally the key.
Dropping expectations as standard procedure is not to be taken lightly.
It ain’t as easy as it sounds.
For example, when you hear us complain about Bob, it’s usually due to
our own expectations not being met.

I have never gone to any gig thinking 'I want to hear this song or I won't be happy', or 'it had better be like THIS or I won't be happy'... I have always gone to gigs thinking 'huh, let's see what they're going to do tonight'.... I'm always more interested in listening to what the artist wants to do at that moment. For example, the first time I saw Prince was in 1995 in London, when he went by O(+> . He refused to play any old songs, only played his new stuff. The friends I went with were annoyed or disappointed that he didn't play Purple Rain or whatever, but I was like 'but LISTEN to that band, they're amazing! And the songs are kicking arse!' ....

So, anyway, as others have said, expectations are the key to disappointment in some ways. And that's not an apologist stance. I've been to around 20 Dylan shows... some have been decent, some have been amazing. He's never been awful (to me)... I've always gone along thinking 'right, let's see what tonight dishes up'.... and I've usually had a good time. Even if there's a song and/or performance you don't think works that well, wait five minutes and the next song will probably impress you... unless you're like the Welsh guy I overheard walking out of Hammersmith Apollo in 2003 (the 'Romance In Durango' show, an incredible show) loudly proclaiming 'F*$kin' rubbish! Where was Hurricane? Haha...

in short, go along, enjoy the vibe, and see what Dylan dishes up that night. You're bound to have a lot of fun.

If you've been a fan for thirty years just seeing the artist in person should be a 'must'. Whether you like the Sinatra stuff or not, on a good night he can still be magical and if you're going to see him perform classics like Highway 61, Blowin In The Wind, Desolation Row and Tangled Up In Blue as well as Summer Days and Honest With Me for the first time - what's not to look forward to? Just a shame there's no GA at the Lisbon venue, it does make a difference standing near the front of stage with like minded fans. I yearn for another show like Southampton 2015! That spoilt me rotten!

Uh if you pay 525-570 for a ticket, I’m sure you’d want to see the show, no? You pay to see a concert and Bob Dylan. You buy the highest priced ticket off Ticketmaster. Then you see 12 minutes of the show. What do you mean he owes us nothing? Yeah, he doesn’t have to come over after the show and sign anything. He doesn’t have to meet us. He doesn’t have to even look in our direction. He can sing what he wants and not what I want to hear. However, if I paid to see him, I want to see him. End of story. Yes. He owes me that because I paid for it. Who knowingly pays for a top dollar seat at a concert to not see the performer? That’s stupid. If you’re buying a front row package it’s bc you’re paying to see the performer.

To the OP
If you buy a front row package, don’t get center. Get the side sections. Either front row left or front row right. You’ll have no issue seeing him. I bought 4 vip front rows to 4 different shows. 2 center, 1 left, 1 right.
Center shows I saw him only during 4 three minute songs. The other center seat was at a venue with a low stage. I saw half of that show. The ppl next to me and behind me in 2nd row had the same issues.
My front row left and right seats were fantastic. Had a blast at those. It makes a difference when you can see what you bought

Don't buy $500 VIP front row packages. Get your front row seats like the real fans - spend hours in Ticketmaster queues, spend hours in real queues, buy, sell and trade until you get the perfect ticket. There's always a way to get front row tickets. Paying exorbitant prices for them is the easy way out.

Last year, I got a front row seat for $150 from Ticketmaster. I think I was sitting next to the leftmost guy that bought the $500 version.

This year, I clicked into Ticketmaster the second the sale went live and got 12th row. It was a good seat too, and only $85. I think more of the front seats are VIP than they were before.

Uh you do know they sell out in Boston and nyc before the prices drop. Right? Good luck getting one there for a non VIP Ticketmaster price. Regardless, your point is moot. Would you pay 200 bucks to see 12 minutes of a show? I wouldn’t.

And really, who cares how I got my seat. And how does buying the VIP seats mean I’m not a real fan. Strange mentality really.

Gee I met Bob 4 times. Have you? Must mean you’re not a real fan. Give me a break. Same logic. Ridiculous

I think you’re right. Sometimes the far right and far left aren’t vip. Now they all were. Good luck grabbing one in a prime area... NYC were sold out in minutes, Boston 2 days. Albany a couple of days. There are certain areas that don’t sell like these places. Unfortunately I don’t live near them.

I think I’m pretty good at scoring a good seat. I’ve seen Bob well over a hundred times. Maybe 10 of those were not front row.

There's always a way. Just ask the folks who see 80 shows a year without spending a dime. Caving into Ticketmaster and their VIP packages is giving them carte blanche to fuck us over - and worse, it betrays the very soul of rock n roll. Live music is not about getting a perfect view, or perfect sound. It's about the total chaos of the instant of creation. I've been down at the front in situations where I can't breathe, where I'm covered in someone else's sweat, where I'm dodging cigarette buts and projectile shoes. If your view is obstructed by Bob's piano, you're in the exact right place. You're fucking there. You're a part of the moment. I remember a show in Cork where I was at the rail and all I could see for the piano songs was Bob's white cowboy boot bobbing up and down. It's one of my favourite memories of any Bob shows. It was such a perfect, yet abstract, distillation of Bob's art - like Ginsberg's quote about Bob's breath turning into a singular column - as it bobbed and twisted to Early Roman Kings. Bob's not there to make you feel comfortable or give you want you want, he's there to share a moment, no matter how imperfect.

that’s what you like. I don’t. I like a good view. People who see 80+ Shows a year are not in 80 front row seats a year. Sorry. I know ppl who go on every tour. They do pay some VIP prices. That’s a fact. It all depends on area.
Anyway, I’m short. Someone stands in front of me, I can’t see over their shoulder. I never ask ppl to sit either. It’s a concert.
Anyway, if TM isn’t charging the big bucks, the scalpers are grabbing them and charging the big bucks for the front.

Also, if you like watching someone’s feet throughout a show, that’s great. I’d rather stay home and not pay for that. (Any amount of money is too much for that view)

So if you think rock n roll is not having a perfect seat or view, great. That’s your thing. It’s not mine. And that’s...okay

You are right from your side and I am right from mine!

No hard feelings meant!

(and to be fair, for that sort of money, I'd expect ticketmaster to at least let me know it was restricted view beforehand)

You should at least listen to Tempest before you go.

agreed. I get ppl hate the VIP crap. You’re just forced to buy them in this part of the country if you want front row bc they are all gone in minutes. Providence sold out in 5 minutes last summer. So did Wallingford ct. I wish I could get away with waiting and buying them cheaper. Some areas you can...here you can’t if that’s where you want to sit... but I get how it screws ppl over. It’s a total rip off. And you’re right. Couple it with not seeing and man it pisses ppl off. Nyc tix were 570 each. I almost sold mine after Albany and Boston. Glad I didn’t bc where I was situated was awesome and I saw everything. Thank goodness. Lol

Absolutely about we should have been told the view was restricted. Lots of ppl I know had problems seeing, some as far back as 7th row. Crazy... had no issue seeing Mavis though at any venue. She is a delight that woman. Gosh I love her!

Happy holidays