Bob Dylan 2001.07.13 in Stirling

From: "Michael Gibb" MGibbie@bobdylan.fslife.co.uk
To: webmaster@expectingrain.com
Subject: stirling review. bob dylan
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 02:28:05 +0100

what a bloody gig.

he got better and better.

tho he had a face like a slapped arese all night.

he seems to have fallen out with larry campbell and i think hes
not got long left in bobs band.

there was a divide. garnier, sexton and kemper agaisnts
cammpbell who was left on his own.

bob was superb this evening.

a solo on just like a woman was very good.

superb infact.

the bands own soundcheck was interesting though. i heard born in
time. then bob showed up for a few numbers.

this is where it got good.

bob showed up around 5:30 pm outside the venue and just mingled
with the crowd. i thought it was great however i completely
missed him at first. he wa standing behind me and i walked back
to the queue. then i walked back and bob was approaching the
stairs to the castle. i was a few feet away and everyone shouted
and he looked behind. he looked healthy. dreesed in black coat,
black leather panbts and a black cowboy hat.

he drifting up the stairs with his bozos.

he did a mini soundchyeck and then knicked off again.

meanwhile we're all waiting to get in the venue.

when we got in me and me dad went staruight to the front. got
cosy and waited until at least 8:20pm or something before we
actually saw bob.

its my 2nd show and possibly the bets ive saw him. newcastle
alst yera was a highlight but this was  constanmt. he nebver
smiled much all night, he seemed tense, he seemed to go through
thye motions. often stopping playing guitar completetly until he
found his way.

his guitar work was however splendid. there was some badn
tentions however. it has been noted at previous concerts. he
scowled at least once toward garnier and charlie. but seemed to
ignore old larry completelely.

larry looked distant but lightened up during the band intro
because we all screamed for him.

i think larry will be leaving the band.

anyways the performance iin some ways was transcendant.

his phrazing and singin was good. the vocals were clear, however
i was standing 6 rows from the front very close to bob. his
oscar up on his amp. i dont think larry or charlie got a solo
all night and from where i was their guitar volumes were low.
bob took all the solos this night. he plyed most of them well.
most of them fantastic and most just for the sake of it. he did
show however that his slo work has improved and he knows a few
scales. but he played loud turning up his amp and stopping charlie
from letting loose. i never noticed a single solo from charlie
unitl a bit in watchtower. its a shame. so bob did all the
soloing.

ok in order:

1.  Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie (acoustic)

pretty good runthrough, bob looked like thunder but.

2.  To Ramona (acoustic) (Larry on mandolin and Bob on harp)

bob and the band started this one hatily and before larry had a
chance to strap on the madolin or whatever it is. a great
delicate harp solo. we got a lot of harp fomr bob tponight. he
often looked as if he didnt know wot to do and he'd either play
a god, greta or average solo. or he'd walk off and get a harp or
he'd just stand and not play for a few seconds.

3.  Mr. Tambourine Man (acoustic) pretty good i cant remeber
much. theres a new arrangement i heard the same on ashville.

4.  Maggie's Farm (Bob on harp)

very good a nice bob solo pretty gopod.

5.  Tell Me That It Isn't True (Larry on pedal steel)

a nice addition bob played the riff form the album himself which
was special and i think he made up a vers eon this im not sure.

6.  Just Like A Woman (Larry on pedal steel)

bloody climax. great solo, great singing great version. he
really did this justice.

7.  Gotta Serve Somebody (Bob on harp)

a nice suprise, a nice made up verse a greta solo. a few smiles
and nobbled form the nees.

8.  I Shall Be Released (acoustic) 

great i love the harmonies.

9.  Visions Of Johanna (acoustic) 

another dream come true sang well with hinting at the rain.
conmsidering we got drenched.

10.  Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (acoustic) (Bob on harp)

a very quiet version. the guiars were low except bobs. sang very
well and sweet, a great crowd pleaser.

11.  Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Larry
on acoustic guitar)

pretty good again.

12.  Not Dark Yet

absoloutely amazing a geray version nice guitar work form
charlie, nice effects. bob nailed it. although becauses its a
toom song there needs to be a bit more atmostphere. 

13. Drifter's Escape (Bob on harp)

a great rendition rocked the house./ but im never keen on it.
its too much like maggies farm and wicked messenger adnm so
forth.

14.  Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Larry on slide guiter)

actually pretty good. got the crowd singing.

(1st encore) 

15.  Things Have Changed

approached by bob in a typical bob way. he used ot care but
things have chnaged he nailed it.

16.  Like A Rolling Stone

great agiain. but its resorted to a waltz. 

17.  Girl Of The North Country (acoustic) 

great so good. perfect atmosphere crowd loved it. bob sang it great. 

18.  All Along The Watchtower (Larry on steel guitar) 

i love this new version. repetition of the last line is great. i
headr a bit of charlies nice guitar work. i love the little
effects he brings out with his effects pad and so on.

19.  Knockin' On Heaven's Door
(acoustic) (Charlie on electric guitar)

 i love the enw version in the key of E and very well done. love
 the harmonies a pleasant rendition.

20.  Highway 61 Revisited as normal. but swell. 

21.  Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic) 

absoloutely
fantastic. well sung great harmonies.

(2nd encore) 

22.  Cat's In The Well

and of course good night my love may the lord have mercy on us
all.

wot a gig. up and down but superb anyway.

bob was concentrated and looked ill at ease. his quitar
technician was playing tricks all night before bob came on he's
a funny guy.

i feel it for larry they need to get this abdn fall out forted.


it got better my sister caused a traffic jam by driving down a
one way road as she explored stirling while we stood at the
venue. she stopped a large white limo at 7:30 from getting into
the no access raod at the back of the castle. later to tell us i
nearly killed bob "im sure it was him" she said.

well a weird night for me. i wonder who'll give a more round
view of the whole thing.

Thanks Trev Gibb writing at this moment from aviemore scotland
soon to return back to newcastle at 8:30 this morning.

thanks




Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Stirling Review
From: PeterRice peterrice@aol.com
Date: 14 Jul 2001 13:13:17 GMT

Bob Dylan - Stirling Castle 13th July 2001.

We last had Bob and the boys in Scotland less than a year ago.
This was an outdoor show for 7000 people in the Car Park of
Stirling Castle. We've had cold and rain for most of the last
two weeks, so there were lots of Hard Rain references in the
build up (no he didn't play it) but it was dry for the show and
started bucketing down right at the end. How does he do it ?

No support act, good clear sound. Different stage set up from
last year. Charlie Sexton on Bob's right, Larry Campbell on the
left, David Kemper set up close to Charlie, Tony Garnier lurking
behind Bob.

Start up with Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie. Followed by To Ramona and
Tambourine Man. Kind of a slow start. On Ramona, Dylan's vocal
just didn't make it. I've been listening to this song a lot
recently, mostly the great 1965 Hollywood Bowl version, but
tonight, he just didn't sound engaged in the song, until he
played a lovely harmonica at the end. Tambourine Man also
sounded like a bit of a throwaway with some fumbled lyrics. I
think we got three "windy beaches" in the Smoke Rings verse.

It was all feeling a bit flat, but took off into the first
electric set. You might think you've heard Maggie's Farm enough,
but this was a fine version, much of which was down to how well
this band plays blues. Dylan started to get his phrasing back.
Then a real treat, Tell Me That It Isn't True. The way Bob sang
"All of these awful things that I have heard, I don't want to
believe them, All I want is your word." was just great. I'd
always though this was such a funny old-timey phrase. Then Just
Like A Woman, sung beautifully, as it was in Glasgow a few
months before. Dylan played lead guitar lines right through the
verses along with his vocal. Fine stuff. Gotta Serve Somebody
next, again the band hit a good groove and Bob improvised
lyrics. Usual themes of betrayal and infidelity, rhymed "king
sized bed" with "You may look like the living dead."

Back to the acoustics next. I Shall be Released. Larry and
Charlie sang fine harmonies on this. Bob sang "they tell me"
rather than "they say" I think. Seemed to change the sense of
the song a bit, made the singer sound a bit more sceptical.
Lovely version. Then a very fine Visions Of Johanna. Sometimes
he does a version of a familiar song that makes you think about
it from scratch and this was one of those. Seemed to be played a
bit faster than recently. Then Don't Think Twice, which people
seemed very pleased to hear, relishing the put downs. Why are
people so mean? Just the way it is I suppose. Played a really
triumphant harmonica solo at the end. His playing was great
again on Stuck Inside Of Mobile as was the band. Again a groove
based version, some times I find this song a bit stop-start, but
this version just flowed.

Beautiful Not Dark Yet, which I hear he's not been playing so
much lately. Charlie Sexton played superbly throughout this.
Then into a ripping Drifter's Escape, similar to last year's
arrangement and finish off with Rainy Day Women, Larry playing
the horn parts on pedal steel. Everyone singing along, Bob's
phrasing throwing them off, does he do it on purpose? Probably,
that's why we love him.

Into the encores, Things Have Changed with Bob playing a funny
guitar figure which didn't quite fit. Like A Rolling Stone as
per usual, then a highlight, a version of Girl Of The North
Country, with Dylan sounding absolutely inside the song. All
Along The Watchtower with Larry on pedal steel and a repeat of
verse one at the end.

The Harmonies were great again on Knockin' On Heaven's Door. The
recorded version of this is so perfect, it's one of the few
songs that I think has rarely sounded better live, but this was
very good indeed, true to the sentiment of the song, I think.
The was some local significance to this. Some local musicians
had put out a charity version of this, with altered words
permitted by Bob after a school massacre in Dunblane, 5 miles up
the road from Stirling, a few years back. Usual good cause,
terrible record dilemma. In a previous tour (1995, I think)
there had been a press campaign to get Bob to do Heaven's Door
with the locals joining him on stage. Never likely to happen,
and of course it didn't. Anyway, I'm sure he is unaware of this,
and was just singing a great song as best he can on the night,
which is what we need him to do.

Storming Highway 61 and anthemic Blowing In the Wind, again,
lovely harmonies from Charlie and Larry. Last song has a funky
rockabilly intro, and it's cats In The Well, which he played in
Aberdeen in September. Great groove again, suits Charlie's
playing really well, a little bow, and we're home happy and
Bob's off to Kilkenny.

Overall, I think Bob's in consistently good form over the past
4-5 years. Perhaps there's not the thrill of it all going
horribly wrong anymore, but we shouldn't take that, or him, for
granted. I hope he has made the new album with his touring band.
It seems like they can play anything and keep it rootsy, which
is when I think Bob is at his best, sticking close to Blues and
Country. Aren't we lucky he's still doing it like he does?

Peter



Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Stirling review (rather long)
From: Matt Reading matt@grassmerecottenham.com
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 23:48:09 +0100

Following the good, but not great gig in Liverpool, Stirling
last night showed a sparkling return to tip-top form for Dylan.
Having seen 3 shows this tour, and heard tapes from shows
throughout the year, I had developed the view that Dylan was not
on song this year as much as the tail end of last. Despite the
more interesting setlists and change in structure, it seemed to
me that Dylan's voice had further deteriorated and, worse, that
the last couple of weeks he hasn't exactly been enjoying himself
up there. Stirling last night threw all that out the window, and
the difference in performance quality between Stirling and
Liverpool was startling.

We set off on the drive from Liverpool to Stirling at about
10am, having picked up our passenger for the day  - Irishman
Brendan who remarked as soon as he laid eyes on Ed and I that we
looked like students. Hmm. Anyway, he had a fab CD collection,
and over the superb soundtrack to 'Oh Brother Where Art Thou',
we discussed last night's show and all things Dylan. The general
feeling was that Liverpool had been pretty good, but certainly
not up to scratch when compared to last year's UK tour. We felt
that Bob's voice has steadily deteriorated, and that it wasn't
helping that he seemingly wasn't very happy. His attitude to
Larry, in particular, over the last few shows seemed to point to
a band change on the horizon. The 3 shows I had seen this tour
(Gothenberg, Helsingborg and Liverpool) had left me rather
satiated in terms of setlists, having seen many of my favourite
songs live for the first time..I was looking forward to
Stirling, but at the same time was feeling a little
apprehensive.

The drive up was lovely, certainly compared to the drive to
Liverpool from Cambridge the day before. The weather caused some
concern, being more suited to February than July. Brendan bought
Ed and I a slap up lunch at a service station, and we made it to
Stirling by about 3pm. Having met my girlfriend from the train
station and had a pint to keep us going, we headed on up to the
castle, where a fairly large queue had developed already.
Clearly we weren't going to be right at the front, but we were
pretty happy anyway. I only mention all this queueing malarkey
because, maybe an hour before we went in, Ed noticed a commotion
near the front of the queue. Apparently, Bob had been out,
signing autographs! He ducked away before I could get there, but
a little while later he popped out again to cross the street and
walk up the hill to the venue. He was wearing his stage clothes
and that stetson that he looks so cool in. Perhaps this meant he
was in a better mood than previously?

They let us in half an hour later than they said they would due
to an extra long soundcheck, and after a short sprint we got to
our places, about 7 people back from the front, with a great
view. The gig, rather than being in a castle, was in the
castle's car park. Slightly less romantic, but you could see the
mountains, shrouded in mist and cloud to the side of the stage.
Surely he would play Highlands in this setting? Before showtime
we were treated to quite a downpour, but spirits in the crowd
were still high by the time Dylan came on stage.

Right, I'm sure you're wondering when I'm actually gonna get
round to the gig! Dylan came out looking pretty good, and the
band launched into 'Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie'. It wasn't anything
too special, but it was well played and sung. Bob really stopped
me in my tracks with 'To Ramona'. It had been good the previous
night in Liverpool, but this was something else. Bob's voice was
clearly back to it's best, softly singing (REALLY singing)this
tender song. He was in a good mood, with the occaisional smile
or wink, and he really got inside this song. A glorious lilting
harp solo finished the song off wonderfully. The familiar chords
to 'Mr Tambourine Man' began. I was worrie he would 'sing' it
like he has the last few months, ie extracting the tune and
massacreing this wonderful melody. My fears were allayed when
Bob began. This was beyond fantastic, Dylan's voice lilting over
those glorious acoustic guitars. It was amazing to hear this,
one of my favourite songs being - to me - reborn. There was one
(minor) lyric flub, but it couldn't detract from what was for me
a wonderful performance.

My main concern now was whether Bob would be able to keep this
phenomenally high standard up for much longer. The other gigs
I'd been to the last couple of weeks had had 2 or 3 really
amazing highlights per gig - Hollis Brown, Boots and I Want You
in Gothenberg, Dignity and I Threw It All Away in Helsingborg,
for example - with the rest either good or average. 'Maggie's
Farm' opened the electric set with a great countryish shuffle,
Bob's voice that velvet sneer as he belted out the lyrics, the
band throwing licks all around his vocals. The harp solo he
finished the song off with was glorious, Bob blowing that poor
harp as hard as he could. The country mood deepened with 'Tell
Me That It Isn't True', and Bob's voice actually seemed to be
getting better! He was clearly gaining in confidence and his
range was audibly improving, really letting go on some of the
lines, echoing the vulnerability in the lyrics, and Larry's
pedal steel providing the perfect backdrop. When I thought it
couldn't get any better, the intro to Just Like A Woman came
floating over, and the performance was maybe about 15 million
times better than the previous night's reading of this song. It
was a tour de force as Dylan stayed true to the original melody,
but stretching the phrasing here and there, getting right inside
the song itself, rather than just playing about with the melody
as he had in Liverpool. Towards the end he got as excited as I
was...'you make love, yeah you make LOOOOOOOOVVVVVEEE just like
a woman!'. It was perhaps the highlight of highlights. Even
Dylan's guitar solo was, well,bloody good. Indeed, Dylan's
guitar playing was pretty good most of the night apart from when
he just seemed to get bored with the intrument. Then we were
surprised with a 4th electric song, 'Gotta Serve Somebody'. I'm
not too keen on this as a song, finding it hard to reconcile the
sentiments with my own beliefs, but it was impossible not to get
caught up as Dylan barked the lyrics, ad libbing some extras and
the band generally letting go. Great stuff, with Dylan's vocals
really holding up on the rockier songs, something that had been
lacking at previous shows.

'I Shall Be Released' was something of a surprise next, but was
certainly well done. It made me think they might do something
funny with the encores....  Next came the second 'Visions Of
Johanna' in 2 nights. Ed thought that Liverpool was better, but
I would disagree. In Stirling, Dylan was a man on a mission,
setting out to nail probably his greatest song, and enunciating
the lyrics so perfectly and with such precision you were
completely absorbed in the performance. Not for a moment did you
think 'oh, it's not as good as in 66'. Ed tends to applaud what
he sees as particularly well sung lines or pieces of phrasing,
having read that Dylan appreciates this. He did this last night
although it was rather superfluous - every single word was bang
on (I think there was one minor lyric mumble in Visions, but
hey). Could this possibly continue? Bob and band, having wound
up 'Visions' with a gorgeous playout, relaxed into a quiet,
achingly regretful 'Don't Think Twice'. The way he sung one of
my absolute favourite lines - 'I gave her my heart, but she
wanted my soul' was masterful, and the extended harp solo at the
end was absolutely bang on, Bob skippig all over the stage and
conducting the band with the neck of his guitar, building the
song to a crescendo.

'Stuck Inside Of Mobile' has been played a lot recently, and
although this was nothing special it was well played and gave us
what would prove to be a well-timed breather from the emotional
intensity. I was slightly deflated, as I thought that would be
the last 'interesting' song choice, and was all set for
Drifters/Messenger etc. and then the encores. Bob had no such
ideas. After a little huddle around the drum riser, those
atmospheric opening bars of 'Not Dark Yet' came soaring over the
crowd, just as it was beginning to get dark. As usual, Bob
nailed the vocal, occasionally getting excited and pulling
something extra special out of the bag. A set with 'Visions Of
Johanna' and 'Not Dark Yet', I think my favourite two Dylan
songs had to be amazing, and Bob made it so. All the
opportunities for the one song conspicuous by it's absence,
Highlands, seemed to have gone, but I shouted out the title
anyway for the hell of it, and again in the encores. It didn't
happen, but never mind.

Next was a killer version of 'Drifter's Escape', much better
than Gothenberg with some fantastic playing from everyone in the
band, along with the usual harp solo from Bob. It may not have
been much better than normal, but it certainly seemed it after
what had come before. Then the main set finally (!!) ended after
14 songs with 'Rainy Day Women', which I must say I prefer here
than at the end where it's always a bit of an anti-climax. It
was a good-humoured version, with some funny ad-libs from Bob
and a spliff being thrown on stage.

There isn't a whole lot to say about the encores, although that
hardly does them justice as all were suerbly played and sung,
although Bob couldn't quite scale the vocal heights of earlier
in the show. Well, not all teh time, anyway. 'Things Have
Changed' had that perfect mix of resignation and paranoia,
'Rolling Stone' was a great singalong and 'Girl Of The North
Country' was just gorgeous. The way Bob sang 'See for me if her
hair is hanging long' has to be heard to be believed.
'Watchtower' rocked like a bastard - very cool, and 'Knockin' On
Heaven's Door' was simply sublime, much better than Liverpool.
The guys nailed the harmonies, Bob nailed the vocal, Charlie
nailed that fantastic guitar solo. 'Highway 61' was a lot of
fun, as was 'Blowin' In The Wind', and 'Cat's In The Well'
finished it off in fantastic style, much much better than 'Rainy
Day Women'.

So, after a mammoth 22 songs, we all filed out. It was an
amazing gig - certainly the best I've seen, beating the second
Portsmouth shoe last autumn and Gothenberg. It was just so
consistent. One of the hallmarks of Dylan 2001 style has been
the inconsistency of the shows. One or two great performances a
show, then lots of good-to-middling stuff. This show was
different. He showcased his best songs in the best way possible
- what more could you ask for? Right after 'Blowin In The Wind',
he gave the crowd a thumbs-up, and that seemed to sum it up.
Absolute killer versions of Ramona, MrTMan, Just Like A Woman,
Tell Me That It ISn't True, Visions, Don't Think Twice, Not Dark
Yet, Girl Of The North Country and Knockin', along with the
great high-energy rock-out songs made for a fantastic gig.  Well
done Bob, now let's have that new album!

Matt (m.reading@ucl.ac.uk)



From: "Michael.Toal"  Michael.Toal@btinternet.com
To:  webmaster@expectingrain.com
Subject: A Very Hard Rain in the gateway to the Highlands - Stirling Review 13th July 2001
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 22:11:15 +0100


On a night like this, we were so glad He came along in the mood
He was in. I've decided to abandon professionalism and
objectivity, and write this review just as someone who went
along in anticipation of seeing a possible great show.The past
year personally has been pretty well standout for me, in many
senses, and Bob has played a direct part on many occasions, but
I promise no gushiness. Besides, since last seeing Bob on 17th
Sept last year, the acknowledged finest show on the UK tour, I'd
seen The Who five times, plus Neil Young and even Limp Bizkit
(God bless the Children). How would The Master shape up ? Some
early reports had expressed minor concerns, some alleged average
shows in the US and Europe. But this wouldn't happen in
Scotland, Bob just does not playÊaverage shows in Scotland

But before the review, some little background: Stirling Castle
in situated in the crossroads of Scotland, site of the legendary
historical battle where the smaller forces of King Robert the
Bruce defeated and humiliated the much larger forces of the most
hated man in Europe, King Edward II of England, for reference go
watch "Braveheart"). On the Castle esplanade (car park with a
slope) high up above the central plain, within sight of the
William Wallace Monument, we have Our Hero, to whom a car
sticker refers as "Bob Dylan:Voice For Every Generation". A
fitting setting, heroes and history. The only down sides to this
outdoor, wind swept location is the wind and rain, which can
blow away any atmosphere, min crowd noise, and keep you soaked
for hours. Bet no-one told Bob about that, or that he was
playing in traditionally Scotland's wettest two weeks of the
year, the famous "Glasgow Fair Fortnight", what used to be the
annual tradesmen holiday time. So tonight it was wet, very wet,
and the appalling crowd control did not help.ÊClimb up one steep
road to the Castle, get sent back down the other side to come
back up the same way. And all in the rain. Why ?

With the crowd becoming increasingly restless and vocal, due to
the long queues and poor stewarding, Bob hit the stage running
at 8:18pm, and left it later at 10:38pm. Sensing the that the
audience wanted a good tim after all the rain, He was straight
down to business, and what a show we got. For the thousand (and
I mean thousands) of younger kids in attendance (and not with
elder relatives either, it was thru their own choice) and many
long time Bobfans, we were treated to one of the IMHO all-time
great set lists. Best ever ? Yes, I believe so, and not a
Tangled in sight. From the opener "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie" to
the closer "Cat's In The Well", there wasn't a weak song or
performance all night (I'd said earlier that when I saw the
Liverpool setlist that I  thought I'd lost out on hearing some
eprsonal faves, but no, Bob played 'em. Does he read our News
Groups then ? Maybe). No doubt some people who attend a high
number of shows during the European tour will nit pick about the
occasional bum note (one ALL night) and some word changes (who
cares?), but this show is there to be enjoyed, to breathe it in,
to sing and dance (we did) and to let it make you want to go to
more starting the next night in whatever country.

Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie (acoustic), traditional opener, nice
warm-up, followed by a lovelyÊTo Ramona (acoustic) with Larry on
mandolin and Bob on harp. This bit was a laugh, as Bob stopped
playing guitar and walked backstage to get the harp. Cue
numerous worried looks from fans thinking the weather was
affecting the show. Mr Tambourine Man (acoustic) was next up,
and the groove was firmly established, with an early outing down
atÊMaggie's Farm (Bob on harp). A lovely change of pace for 
Tell Me That It Isn't True (with Larry on pedal steel), a real
late night number, going straight intoÊJust Like A Woman (Larry
stays onÊpedal steel), and hot on the heels a surprise in my
mind, butÊone which was most welcome, namelyÊGotta Serve
Somebody (with Bob on harp). Bob's harp playing was excellent
all night, and any time he reaches for it there comes the big
cheer. I swear there are times when he does it just for fun.
Another change ofÊpace for a poignantÊ(acoustic) I Shall Be
Released,Êthe biggest singalong of the night so far.Ê

If thisÊwasn't already great enough, now we haveÊVisions Of
Johanna (acoustic, and even more acoustic bass from Tony - how
come he gets do few mentions compared to Larry) and my night was
almost complete, and trying to get to Heaven for Bobfans became
much , much closer when out comes Don't Think Twice, with Bob on
harp. My, His Bobness is on top form tonight, this is not just
another night on the NET, and it is so far ahead of what I've
been reading about other shows since April.ÊWe're Stuck Inside
Of Mobile next, back to electric, and then back down forÊNot
Dark Yet. Best version I think I've everÊheard, it should have
been a huge hit, and it was crying our for inclusion on another
soundtrack somewhere. As we headÊfor the end of part one, Bob
closes with a strong double, Drifter's Escape (Bob on harp)Êand
those very appropriate Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (with Larry on
slide guitar). We thought that at some point we would get either
Rainy Day Women or HardÊRain to celebrate the weather.

If part oneÊwas storming (spot the irony), then part two was
even better. Straight back into top gear again with Things Have
Changed (what, not even "And now I'd like to play my Oscar
winner...?), then the next biggest singalong forÊLike A Rolling
Stone the now standard "Guess-Which-Lyric-Tonight ?" as Bob
begins the arrangement which could give us either Boots of
Spanish Leather/It Ain't Me Babe/ Girl from The North Country:
and the winner is Girl Of The North Country (acoustic) which we
in Scotland likeÊto claim as our won (well, we are in the north
and we do have lots of lovely Girls...). Then it was on to a
charging version ofÊAll Along The Watchtower (Larry on steel
guitar) which was a particular favourite of the younger Bobfans,
with much dancing and shaking of hips, especially from my own
wife. This was followed by a sad version of  Knockin' On
Heaven's Door (acoustic). One Scottish newspaper had conjectured
ifÊBob would play this, so close to the site of the horrible
Dunblane MassacreÊ(18 small children, 5-7 years old, gunned
downÊin school. It was recorded but other children as a charity
song ), so it was a hard song to listen to in those
circumstances, but hey, music has to be upsetting at some point,
or else it's just entertainment, and Bob is not just about
entertainment.

Supercharged Highway 61 Revisited powers into the night, a
cracking number, and finally the biggest singalong of the
evening, having lost not one bit of it's power, a
wonderfulÊBlowin' In The Wind, Bob on acoustic, bits of rain
here and there, but seemingly waiting for Bob to finish before
pouring down on us. Back off again, keep us waitingÊbriefly for
Cat's In The Well, a few smiles, a bow or two, and he's
away.ÊBack onto the NET, next stop Kilkenny. I wish I was going
there. One show isn't enough any more,Êbut then it never was.
Come back real soon Bob, and please, release some official live
material form your Scottish shows, because they really kick up a
storm.
 
Michael