1994 SETLISTS AND CONCERT REVIEWS
=================================
Compiled by Ben Taylor, 1994, 1995
(b.p.taylor@ncl.ac.uk)
Last changed: 20 March 1995

This file is free of copyright and may be distributed in whole or in part. I would like to thank the many people who posted setlists and reviews to rec.music.dylan. Out of respect for those contributions I ask that you do not charge any fee for distribution or receipt of this document. Thank you.

Unless otherwise specified, all concert reviews are from postings to the usenet newsgroup rec.music.dylan. I have done some minor editing, for example to remove comments not relevant to this file, but the actual content has not been altered. Any comments, corrections, extra reviews, missing setlists, etc. are very welcome (please!), however minor they may be.


THE BAND:
=========
Bob Dylan      (electric and acoustic guitar, harmonica)
John Jackson   (electric and acoustic guitar, banjo)
Bucky Baxter   (pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar, electric and acoustic
                slide guitar, dobro, electric mandolin)
Tony Garnier   (bass)
Winston Watson (drums)


LIST OF DATES:
==============
-   - Concert has been played and have the setlist
/   - Partial/unconfirmed setlist
*   - Concert has been played but still need the setlist
?   - Yet to be confirmed or don't have enough info.
C   - Confirmed but not yet played
+   - Have comments on the show
S   - Have details/setlist/comments on soundcheck/rehearsal.

FEBRUARY
5  February 1994 -+ Sun Plaza Hall, Sendai, Japan
7  February 1994 -+ Bunka Taikukan, Yokohama, Japan
8  February 1994 -+ Nippon Budokan, Kundanshita, Tokyo, Japan
9  February 1994 -+ Nippon Budokan, Kundanshita, Tokyo, Japan
11 February 1994 -+ Century Hall, Nagoya, Japan
12 February 1994 -+ Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka-fu, Japan
14 February 1994 -+ Kyushu Konsei Nenkin Kaikan, Fukuoka, Japan [this is
                    the official place name. However, the concert actually
                    took place in Kokura on the island of Kyushu, some
                    miles away from Fukuoka]
15 February 1994 -+ Kyushu Konsei Nenkin Kaikan, Fukuoka, Japan [this is
                    the official place name. However, the concert actually
                    took place in Kokura on the island of Kyushu, some
                    miles away from Fukuoka]
16 February 1994 -+ Kosei Nenkin Kaikan, Hiroshima, Japan
18 February 1994 -+ Shi-bunka Centre, Urawa, Japan
20 February 1994 -+ NHK Hall, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan
22 February 1994 /+ Putra World Trade Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
24 February 1994 -+ Indoor Stadium, Kallang, Republic Of Singapore
26 February 1994 -+ Hong Kong Coliseum, Victoria, Hong Kong [or 25th Feb?]

MARCH
23 March 1994 -+ Rhythm, Country and Blues, Universal Amphitheater, Los
                 Angeles, California

APRIL
5  April 1994 -+ Sangamon State University, Springfield, Illinois
6  April 1994 -+ Adler Theatre, Davenport, Iowa
7  April 1994 -+ CY Stephens Auditorium, Ames, Iowa
9  April 1994 -  Leid Centre, University Of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
10 April 1994 -+ Fox Theatre, Grand Blvd, St. Louis, Missouri
12 April 1994 -+ Coronado Theatre, Rockford, Illinois
13 April 1994 -+ Civic Centre Theater, Peoria, Illinois
15 April 1994 -  Brown County Arena, Green Bay, Wisconsin
16 April 1994 -+ Valparaiso University Athletic Recreation Center,
                 Valparaiso, Indiana
17 April 1994 -+ Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
18 April 1994 -+ Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
20 April 1994 -+ Assembly Hall, University Of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois
22 April 1994 -+ Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
23 April 1994 -+ Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
24 April 1994 -+ Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, Minnesota
26 April 1994 -+ Municipal Auditorium, Sioux City, Iowa
27 April 1994 -+ Lied Center For Performing Arts, University of Nebraska,
                 Lincoln, Nebraska
28 April 1994 -  Topeka Performing Arts Center, Kansas [or 29 April?]
30 April 1994 -  Hammond Hall, Springfield, Missouri

MAY
1  May 1994 -  Jesse Hall, Columbia, Missouri
3  May 1994 -+ Evansville, Indiana
5  May 1994 -+ Viking Hall, Bristol, Tennessee
6  May 1994 -  Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, South Carolina
7  May 1994 -+ Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
8  May 1994 -+ The Beale Street Music Festival, Tom Lee Park, Memphis,
               Tennessee
20 May 1994 -+ "Great Music Experience" Festival, Todaiji Temple, Nara,
               Japan.
21 May 1994 -+ "Great Music Experience" Festival, Todaiji Temple, Nara,
               Japan.
22 May 1994 -+ "Great Music Experience" Festival, Todaiji Temple, Nara,
               Japan.

JULY
3  July 1994 -+ La Fete de la Fraternite (Music festival), Parc
                Departemental du Bourget, Paris, France
4  July 1994 -+ Palais Des Sports, Besancom, France
5  July 1994 -+ Theatre Antibes Fourviere, Lyons, France
7  July 1994 -+ San Remo, Italy
8  July 1994 -+ Sonoria '94 (music festival), Milan, Italy
9  July 1994 -+ Music festival, Balingen (60km south-west of Stuttgart),
                Germany
10 July 1994S-+ Tanzbrunnen (=bank of the river - Rhinepark?), Kšln (also 
                known as: Cologne), Germany. A Dylan-only concert.
12 July 1994 -+ Jazz Festival, Stravinsky Hall, Montreux, Switzerland
14 July 1994 -+ S.F.Z., Graz, Austria.
15 July 1994 -+ Hohe Warte, Vienna Jazz Festival, Vienna, Austria
16 July 1994 -+ Sportovni Hala, Prague, Czechoslovakia
17 July 1994 -+ Zeebreeze, Katovice [Krakov], Poland
19 July 1994 -+ Congress Hall, Warsaw, Poland
21 July 1994 -+ Freilichtbuhne am Elbufer [Banks of the Elbe], Dresden,
                Germany
23 July 1994S-+ Freillichtbuhne Peissnitz, Halle, Germany
24 July 1994 -+ Schloss Friedenstein, Gothe (near Erfurt), Germany
25 July 1994 -+ Ostseehalle, Kiel, Germany

AUGUST
10 August 1994 -+ State Theater, Portland, Maine
11 August 1994S-+ Big Birch Concert Pavillion, Patterson, New York
12 August 1994S-+ Stratton Mountain, Stratton (near Manchester), Vermont
14 August 1994 -+ Woodstock Festival (25th Anniversary), Woodstock, New
                  York
16 August 1994s-+ Artpark, Lewiston, New York
17 August 1994 -+ Hershey's Park, Hershey, Pennsylvania (near Harrisburg)
19 August 1994 -+ I.C. Light Amphitheater (Tent), Station Square,
                  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
20 August 1994 -+ Nautica Stage, Cleveland, Ohio
21 August 1994S-+ Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio
23 August 1994S-+ Palace Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky
24 August 1994 -+ Morris Civic Auditorium, South Bend, Indiana
26 August 1994 -+ Star Plaza Theater, Merrillville, Indiana
27 August 1994 -+ Kalamazoo, Michigan
28 August 1994 -  Kalamazoo, Michigan
29 August 1994 -+ Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan

OCTOBER
1  October 1994 -+ Ben Light Gymnasium, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York
2  October 1994 -+ LeFrak Gymnasium, Amherst College, Amherst,
                   Massachusetts
4  October 1994 -+ State Theater, Portland, Maine
5  October 1994 -+ State Theater, Portland, Maine
7  October 1994 -+ Orpheum, Boston, Maine
8  October 1994 -+ Orpheum, Boston, Maine
9  October 1994S-+ Orpheum, Boston, Maine
11 October 1994 -+ Flynn Theater, Burlington, Vermont
12 October 1994 -+ Performing Arts Centre, Providence, Rhode Island, New
                   York
14 October 1994 -+ Palace Theatre, Albany, New York
15 October 1994 -+ Eisenhower Hall Theatre, West Point Military Academy,
                   New York
16 October 1994 -+ The Palace Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut
17 October 1994 -+ Madison Square Gardens, New York City, New York (guest
                   appearance at a Grateful Dead concert)
18 October 1994S-+ Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
19 October 1994 -+ Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
20 October 1994S-+ Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
22 October 1994 -+ Rochester Auditorium Center, Rochester, New York
23 October 1994 -+ Landmark Theater, Syracuse, New York
25 October 1994 -  Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
26 October 1994 -  Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland
27 October 1994 -+ Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia
28 October 1994 -+ Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia
30 October 1994 -+ Warner Theater, Washington, DC
31 October 1994 -+ Warner Theater, Washington, DC

NOVEMBER
1  November 1994 -+ Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, Virginia
2  November 1994 -+ Civic Center Auditorium, Roanoke, Virginia
4  November 1994 /+ The Georgia Mountain Center, Gainsville, Georgia
5  November 1994 -+ Tennessee Theater, Knoxville, Tennessee
6  November 1994 -+ Thomas Wolf Auditorium, Ashville, North Carolina
8  November 1994S-+ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
9  November 1994 -+ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
10 November 1994 -+ Oman Arena, Jackson, Tennessee
12 November 1994 -+ House of Blues, New Orleans
13 November 1994 -+ House of Blues, New Orleans
16 November 1994 -  Unplugged Rehearsals, Sony Music Studios, New York
                    City, New York
17 November 1994 -+ First Unplugged session, Sony Music Studios, New York
                    City, New York
18 November 1994 -+ Second Unplugged session, Sony Music Studios, New York
                    City, New York

===========================================================================

SETLISTS
========

5 February 1994 - Sun Plaza Hall, Sendai, Japan
===============================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Tomorrow Night [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

CD Bootleg: Jokerman And Queen Mary (no lable) [Phill Townsend: "the mix is
            heavily biased towards the drums and all other instrumentation
            muted and poorly separated. The vocals are clear but
            'distanced'."]

Comment 1:
Sendai Sunplaza has about 2000 seats. Being Dylan's first visit to the rural north-east of Japan he just about sold out. A few tickets were still available just before the showtime.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2779, Isis #54)


Comment 2:
Vocal:8,  Guitar:6, Harmonica:8,  Backing:8, Atmosphere:8

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


7 February 1994 - Bunka Taikukan, Yokohama, Japan
=================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Tomorrow Night
Boots Of Spanish Leather
Mr Tambourine Man
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
God Knows
I And I
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe

CD Bootleg: "Welcome Back" (no label) [Phill Townsend: "recording
            characteristics...lean towards the drums and away from the
            guitars but the vocals are much more upfront...."]

Comment 1:
The Yokohama Bunka Taikukan has 5250 seats and did not sell out. "Bunka" means "cultural" and "Taikukan" means "gymnasium." Yokohama is the harbour city of Tokyo and is found in the prefecture of Kanagawa. The rehearsal/soundcheck was prolonged here, causing the doors to be open quite late.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2779, Isis #54)


Comment 2:
Vocal:8,  Guitar:6, Harmonica:9,  Backing:8, Atmosphere:8

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


8 February 1994 - Nippon Budokan, Kundanshita, Tokyo, Japan
===========================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
Born In Time
Tomorrow Night [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
Budokan seats 10,000 people and is principally a sports venue. "Budo" is a general term covering "sports" such as judo, kendo and karate, while "kan" means "hall." The venue was 95% sold out, a higher level of attendance than in 1986. There was an advertisement in the newspaper on the day of the show saying Dylan would sing "Just Like A Woman" at the concert and that tickets would be available at the venue at 4pm.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2779, Isis #54)


Comment 2:
Vocal:9,  Guitar:7, Harmonica:9,  Backing:8, Atmosphere:8

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


9 February 1994 - Nippon Budokan, Kundanshita, Tokyo, Japan
===========================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady lay
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
Tomorrow Night {AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Series Of Dreams
I And I
Maggie's Farm

Man In A Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

CD Bootleg: "Positively 4th Street" (no label) [Phill Townsend: "Sound
            characteristics are a bit muffled at times, though Dylan
            himself is often singing very mutedly and when the vocals do
            break through they are very distinct."]

Comment 1:
This show started ten minutes later than the 8 February concert (also in Tokyo), had one song fewer but still ended at the same time.

Budokan seats 10,000 people and is principally a sports venue. "Budo" is a general term covering "sports" such as judo, kendo and karate, while "kan" means "hall."

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2769, Isis #54)


Comment 2:
Vocal:9,  Guitar:7, Harmonica:9,  Backing:9, Atmosphere:9

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


11 February 1994 - Century Hall, Nagoya, Japan
==============================================
Jokerman
You're A Big Girl Now
All Along The Watchtower
Shooting Star
Tangled Up In Blue
Disease Of Conceit [Cue sheet: Disease/4th Street/Red Sky/Not Supposed To
                   Care]
Tomorrow Night [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man {AB]
To Ramona [AB]
Series Of Dreams
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I? [Cue sheet: Mr. Jones/What Good Am I]
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Note: the cue sheet mentions a song "No Supposed To Care". This is "I'm Not Supposed To Care" by Gordon Lightfoot.

Comment 1:
The Century Hall was built only a few years ago, has very good acoustics and seats about 3,000 people. Tickets were not sold out. The crowd were on their feet from the first song.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2769, Isis #54)


Comment 2:
Vocal:8,  Guitar:7, Harmonica:8,  Backing:8, Atmosphere:9

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


12 February 1994 - Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka, Japan
==============================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
Ring Them Bells
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Tomorrow Night [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Series Of Dreams
I And I
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
Jon Casper is 'phoning me with set lists and reports from now on so, obviously, I'll post them. Homer is retiring with all guns blazing! John says that Dylan was in great voice: he particularly liked

If Not For You - "very nice"
Tomorrow Night- "very strong"
Series Of Dreams- "powerful, almost non-melodic, driving"

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


Comment 2:
Osaka-jo stands next to Osaka Castle ("jo" means "castle"). The venue was 97% sold out.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2769, Isis #54)


Comment 3:
Vocal:7,  Guitar:9, Harmonica:7,  Backing:9, Atmosphere:7

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


14 February 1994 - Kyushu Konsei Nenkin Kaikan, Fukuoka, Japan
==============================================================
Jokerman
Shelter From The Storm
All Along The Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby, Tonight
Tomorrow Night [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows
I And I
Maggie's Farm

Man In The Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

CD Bootleg: Japan 1994 (no label)

Comment 1:
On the Homer warmline soon after the show finished!  Comments = crowd very attentive during songs, very enthusiastic when songs started - particularly the newer songs. This was held at a proper concert hall (as opposed to a sports arena.) Stand out tracks: I&I, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Tomorrow Night, Man In A Long Black Coat.

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


Comment 2:
Even in Japan it was thought that this and the next concert would be in Fukuoka. In fact, they took place in Kokura, about 40 miles away but still on the island of Kyushu. It is believed Dylan stayed at the Hotel New Tagawa in Hakata.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2769, Isis #54)


Comment 3:
Vocal:9,  Guitar:8, Harmonica:8,  Backing:8, Atmosphere:9

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


15 February 1994 - Kyushu Konsei Nenkin Kaikan, Fukuoka, Japan
==============================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Remember You
Tomorrow Night [AB]
Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll [AB]
Boots Of Spanish Leather [AB]
Series Of Dreams
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm

I Shall Be Released
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
Even in Japan it was thought that this and the previous concert would be in Fukuoka. In fact, they took place in Kokura, about 40 miles away but still on the island of Kyushu. It is believed Dylan stayed at the Hotel New Tagawa in Hakata.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2769, Isis #54)


Comment 2:
Vocal:10, Guitar:8, Harmonica:9,  Backing:9, Atmosphere:10

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


16 February 1994 - Kosei Nenkin Kaikan, Hiroshima, Japan
========================================================
Jokerman
Shelter From The Storm
All Along The Watchtower
She Belongs To Me
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Tomorrow Night [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Series Of Dreams
I And I
Maggie's Farm

Man In The Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

CD Bootleg: Masters Of War (no label)
            Through A Glass Darkly (Razors Edge) [Phill Townsend: "sound
            characteristics...[are] a lot fuller, warmer and less
            'digital'."

Comment 1:
Dylan arrived in Hiroshima's ANA Hotel just after 2.30pm on 16 February 1994, leaving for the concert just after 5.30pm by car. The next day he came down to the lobby with his son and daughter around noon, returning an hour later when he talked with fans for a few minutes, signing autographs and being given gifts. The concert included "Masters Of War" for obvious reasons.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2769, Isis #54)


Comment 2:
Vocal:7,  Guitar:7, Harmonica:8,  Backing:8, Atmosphere:9

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


18 February 1994 - Shi-bunka Centre, Urawa, Japan
=================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Tomorrow Night [AB]
The Times They Are A-Changin' [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Everything Is Broken
I And I
Maggie's Farm

Man In The Long Back Coat
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]


CD Bootleg: "Bob Dylan, Japan 1994" - 2CD [Five songs from this concert are
            used as filler for the 14 February 1994 concert: Everything Is
            Broken, Lay Lady Lay, Born In Time, Under A Red Sky and The
            Times They Are A-Changin'.]


Comment 1:
Born In Time - "really nice"
Under The Red Sky - "very good"

Shi-bunka Centre is a purpose built 1500 seater music hall, a cultural centre in a Tokyo suburb. 

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


Comment 2:
The venue had somewhere between 1500 and 2000 seats and was a cultural centre built just a few years ago especially for concerts. Quite a lot of tickets were still available at the door at showtime.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2769, Isis #54)


Comment 3:
Vocal:10, Guitar:8, Harmonica:9,  Backing:8, Atmosphere:10

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


20 February 1994 - NHK Hall, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan
===================================================
Jokerman
You're A Big Girl Now
All Along The Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Tomorrow Night [AB]
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Series Of Dreams
I And I
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
Blowin' In The Wind [AB]

Comment 1:
Again it was a sell out. Bob was back in better voice. He lost the words to Tangled...but gave very strong performances of Don't Think Twice, Series of Dreams, What Good Am I? and Blowin' (which featured a great harmonica break.)

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


Comment 2:
Vocal:10, Guitar:8, Harmonica:10, Backing:9, Atmosphere:10

- Gold Wax (issue 26 of a Japanese magazine)


22 February 1994 - Putra World Trade Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
===================================================================
Jokerman
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Shelter From The Storm
Tangled Up In Blue
Gates Of Eden
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Maggie's Farm

[2 encores, including:]
It Ain't Me, Babe


Comment:
A newspaper report on the Kuala Lumpur show (New Straits Times, 26 February 1994) includes the following song titles [listed above].

As well as being an enthusiastic report, the journalist seems to be quite knowledgeable. There is a photo taken at the show. The text refers to "the Putra World Trade Centre's Dewan Merdeka", as though the latter was the name of the hall within the Centre, where the concert actually took place.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2831, Isis #55)


24 February 1994 - Indoor Stadium, Kallang, Republic Of Singapore
=================================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Tomorrow Night [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Series of Dreams
I And I
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
Bob was in good form, although he looked a little jaded at the beginning. He started on time, in fact 5 minutes earlier than announced and played for approx. 90 minutes. The sound got better and better as the engineers got the hang of the stadium's unusual acoustics. Overall his voice was good, better than in Berkeley, 1990, if I can recall. By the time he got to Watchtower the band was pretty terrific and drew great crowd response. The audience also warmed to a tender acoustic version of Tambourine Man.

- jek kj (kianjin@ncb.gov.sg)


Comment 2:
The original report of the Singapore show came out aroundabout 10 January 1994, when the date was not certain - either 23 or 24 February was first mentioned. The support band was called Heritage, who were clearly thrilled to be on the bill but played a short, largely uninspired set of derivative instrumentals. There was no programme, but there was a T-shirt. it listed the Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur dates on the left breast area in small print, with a map of Asia on the back and the title, BOB DYLAN ASIAN TOUR '94. These shirts were available in two colours - blue with white lettering and black with gold lettering. It is believed the local record company produced posters for shops, with a selecteion of record sleeves and the words, BOB DYLAN - THE LEGEND IN CONCERT. Finally, local TV followed with a couple of half-hour video programmes. They showed all the 1992 Tribute Bash songs that involved Dylan, "Blowin' In The Wind" from Bangla Desh, "Blood In My Eyes", "Emotionally Yours", "When The Night Comes Falling", "Tight Connection" and "Series Of Dreams".

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2824, Isis #55)


26 February 1994 - Hong Kong Coliseum, Victoria, Hong Kong
==========================================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
The Man In Me
Tomorrow Night [AB]
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows
I And I
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]
Blowin' In The Wind [AB]

Comment:
Apparently Chris Patton was in the front row.

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


23 March 1994 - Rhythm, Country and Blues, Universal Amphitheater Los
                Angeles, California
=====================================================================
Tomorrow Night [with Trisha Yearwood]

Comment 1:
Dylan appearance at C R&B show: I just heard that Dylan opened the Country Rhythm & Blues show held Wednesday night at the Universal Amphitheater. Did 5 or 6 songs. No previous indication that he would appear. I'll post any new info that appears.

- Arnie Stodolsky (CSMSAXS@MVS.OAC.UCLA.EDU)


Comment 2:
Los Angeles Times (LT) - FRIDAY March 25, 1994
By: BILL HIGGINS
Edition: Home Edition   Section: View   Page: 4  Pt. E  Col. 1
Story Type: Column
Word Count: 388

The Scene: Rhythm, Country & Blues, a benefit concert at the Universal Amphitheater with a tented party afterward. The show springs from a similarly named fusion album that joins country and R&B singers in duets. "To me, R&B and country are just different versions of American soul music," said MCA Music chairman Al Teller, who conceived the idea. "This is the wellspring of some of the great music of the world."

Who Was There: Songwriter Bob Neuwirth described the audience as, "ropers, dopers and people who start work at 2 a.m." They didn't get invited to the party. From the show came Patti LaBelle, Ronnie Milsap, the Staple Singers, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood, the Pointer Sisters, Marty Stuart and Sam Moore. Among the 1,000 guests were Bonnie Raitt, Byron Allen, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Charlie Sexton and MCA Music execs Richard Palmese, Bruce Hinton, Kathy Nelson and Tony Brown, who said the show made him realize, "R&B was built on rhythm and songs, while rap and hip-hop is built on attitude."

Subject of Discussion: Bob Dylan's performance. Even by Dylan standards this was one weird outing. Paired with Trisha Yearwood, he sang in a key all his own. She pretty much just watched. "There was no rapport," said Sam Moore, of the legendary R&B duo Sam and Dave. "He didn't reach out to Trisha, and I don't think he reached out to the audience. What was he there for? That's what I'd like to know." Dress Mode: An awesome cultural gumbo that included serious cowboy hats, slick black suits, tight black dresses and suede fringe jackets. One woman described the mix as "major blues chick, country, Nashville finery and the L.A. version of all of the above."

Chow: A fear-no-cholesterol buffet from La Cuisine of fried chicken, chili, collard greens and ham hocks and macaroni and cheese.

Money Matters: Concert tickets were sold to the public for $18 and $32.

Those who bought benefit tickets paid $100, $250 and $500. Proceeds will be split between the Country Music Foundation, a cultural research organization, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, which is housed in the Smithsonian Institution, and preserves R&B music and culture.

Quoted: "The reason they work together, country and rhythm and blues, is they're both people music," said Ronnie Milsap. "They both tell simple stories of everyday folks."


Comment 3:
"Rhythm, Country and Blues" was multi-artist extravanganza. Dylan dueted with Tricia Yearwood who had difficulty keeping in touch with Dylan's wayward timing. There was a comment about this from Sam Moore of Sam & Dave. There was a post-event part(y?), too. Trisha Yearwood is a country singer and was one of the presenters at ths year's Grammies.

The whole event was taped for future TV broadcast, possible on US cable. There was "TV pacing" - that is, a lot of gaps bewteen artists, sometimes quite lengthy.

There were no previous rumours about Dylan's involvement. The tickets said there would be a start at 8pm which was correct, except that it was a 45 minute set by Ted Hawkins who, after the ups and downs of his sojourn in the UK, is not a Geffen artist.

The show propoer started at 8.50pm. After a lengthy break at 10.05pm a voice annoucned, "Ladies and gentlemen, Trisha Yearwood and Bob Dylan." They sang "Tomorrow Night," backed by the houseband for the evening (an 8-piece put together by Don Was, who was on bass, and with Benmont Tench on keyboards). 

With the lack of prior rumour one has to ask what preparation went into this. It wa a broadly downbeat performance and the audience was -quote- "not delirious" - unquote. My correspondent described is as perhaps the second worst performance of the night. Robert Hilburn, two days later in the "L.A. Times," thought their performance was detached; Sam Moore stated that there was no rapport between Dylan and Yearwood.

Dylan was dressed largely in black, with an open nexk shirt over a T-shirt. He played acoustic guitar. Overall though, Dylan's appearance was none too flatetering, given the many name artists were delivering their best-known songs for this charity event.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2804 and #2808, Isis #54)


5 April 1994 - Sangamon State University, Springfield, Illinois
===============================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Tomorrow Night [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
I And I 
Maggie's farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Duration: 90 mins

Comment 1:
Dylan's voice sounded a little hoarse, but altogether a very tight show.

- Ugo Piomelli (ugo@eng.umd.edu)


Comment 2:
Dylan was said to be in good voice, focused on his singing...the crowd was attentive & mellow...

- Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)


6 April 1994 - Adler Theatre, Davenport, Iowa
=============================================
Jokerman
You're A Big Girl Now
All Along The watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Lady Came From Baltimore [(Tim Hardin)] [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Girl From The North Country [AB]
Series Of Dreams
Man In The Long Black Coat
Maggie's farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Duration: 115 mins

Comment 1:
Slow start on first two songs. Took off during Watchtower. Overall the show was excellent. I'd rank it slightly below the shows immediately prior to the "supper club" dates. The *big* highlight is obvious and was fabulous. 4th Street, Baby Blue, and Lenny Bruce were also exceptional. 

If anyone can fill me in on the mystery song I would appreciate it. The theme seemed to be that the central character was some sort of thief/knave type who fell in love with a lady from Baltimore(??). I couldn't make all of this one out although Dylan was in better than average voice throughout the show.

- John T. Rose (rose@colt.cc.iastate.edu)


Comment 2:
A more exuberant crowd & 10 different songs than the night before! Wow.

- Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)


7 April 1994 - CY Stephens Auditorium, Ames, Iowa
=================================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]  [Cue sheet: Little Moses]
Boots Of Spanish Leather [AB]
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll [AB]  [Cue sheet: Mr Tambourine Man]
God Knows
In The Garden
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Duration: almost 100 mins

Comment 1:
Dylan had a four-man backing band, a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and a steel-guitar (or whatever they're called) player.  On the songs marked with an "[AB]", it was an acoustic, 'unplugged'-type performance with the entire band: The guitarists played acoustic guitars, the bassist played an upright acoustic bass, the drummer played his usual drums (I think, or maybe he didn't play at all, I don't remember, I was mainly looking at Dylan) and the steel-guitar player played a mandolin (I think). 

I was a little disappointed and thought the performance was sort of uninspired. I don't always expect great things from Dylan, any more, but I thought he could have played a few more songs, at least, and maybe a few more idiosyncratic choices.  He played pretty long versions of his songs and they all seemed to have pretty long endings for some reason (although the ending to "It Ain't Me Babe" was good).  I thought the highlights were "God Knows" (maybe since he hasn't played it a million times before) and a sort of souped-up rocking version of "Tangled Up in Blue".  He did a different arrangement than usual of "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", also, but I'm not sure how to describe it.  He was dressed in black.

- Paul Reiners (reiners@iastate.edu)


Comment 2:
My simple review is that the show was incredible. If you haven't made plans to see him on this tour.... Do! I saw him last two years ago at C.Y. and that show does not compare. He did about five acoustic numbers. The final encore plus those in the "Hattie Carroll" part. "I'll be your Baby Tonight" was done in a country-style that we loved. Two thumbs!

- Timothy Rinkleff (chaos@iastate.edu)


Comment 3:
Well, well, that was indeed a blast. Our man has not lost it. Bob was in incredible voice last night. It has been a long time since I have heard him sing so consistently good through a whole concert.

As far as singing and phrasing goes the acoustic set still seems to fit his voice best nowadays. The acoustic set was absolutely breathtaking last night. The whole thing did start with a very good rendition of Jokerman and the following If Not for You seemed a little shaky. But then things really kicked off in a wonderful version of Simple Twist of Fate. Possible the best live version I have heard of that song. This was followed by a good rockin version Tangled... and I'll Be Your Baby Tonight to conclude the first electric set (Baby Tonight was the only song I didn't really like in this show). Oh, I left out Watchtower before Simple Twist.. Well Watchtower is Watchtower, a crowd that I sometimes feel is a little boring. I heard it so many times now, but at least there was some interesting new phrasing this time.

Then came the high point of the show the whole acoustic set. Opened by a wonderful Mama You Been on My Mind (cue sheet said Little Moses as acoustic opener). Boots of Spanish Leather followed in another perfect rendition and then Hattie Carroll (one of my all time favourites). There was a fairly long break with a 'meeting' by the drums before this last acoustic song and apparently Bob decided a change here in the last minute as the cue sheet read Tambourine Man. I was happy about that change. 

The last electric set was one song longer than the two previous nights and after the first God Knows (great version) we were treated with a couple of other interesting changes with In the Garden and She Belongs To Me. Both worked very well. Even Maggie's Farm was good as the closer. Encores was What Good Am I? and It Ain't Me Babe.

The extra song in the last electric set stretched the show length to almost 100 minutes complete with the extended endings and harmonica solos. This was great.

I have not heard Dylan so confident in his singing for a long long time. And in so good voice. Another plus is that the times of the major changes in set lists from night to night seem to have returned. Half of the songs were different from the previous night in Davenport and half of that show again was different from Springfield.

- Ditlev S. Larsen (ditlev@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU)


Comment 4:
The same style was used on the acoustic songs.  No chords, all fast note progressions, then step out acoustic leads by Bob, with JJ strumming chords. This style was evident in part in Forever Young, on Letterman, but in that song he was playing chords through the vocal sections, and then did the lead, during which the camera cut to the drummer and steel guitar player, so we couldn't see a lot of it.  He also faced away from the crowd at the concert during some of the leads, but then turned around after he got it going.  He's not precise in that he cuts into the lead as a real sharp guitarist would. Instead, he works into it, and I think this is mostly when he was turned away, then when he got it right he faced the audience and cranked it up.  Another wrinke was that the guitar itself had different sounds during the leads, so it seems as if he was using electronic filters to change the sound.

In my opinion this concert was WAY beyond any of the eight others I've seen, mostly over the past 6 years or so.  Whereas in most concerts Bob will hit a highlight that totally blows me away for one or two songs, or parts of songs, he often has just been out there going through the motions.  This one was sustained excellence from start to finish; singing, harmonica, guitar, and the songs, of course.  Bob seemed, to me, to be very proud of himself.

- Alan M Myers (ammyers@iastate.edu)


9 April 1994 - Leid Centre, University Of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
==================================================================
Jokerman
Queen Jane Approximately
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mama, You been On My Mind
Gates Of Eden
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
God Knows
I And I
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm
Man In The Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me, Babe


10 April 1994 - Fox Theatre, Grand Blvd, St. Louis, Missouri
============================================================
Jokerman
You're A Big Girl Now
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Mr Tambourine Man
To Ramona
God Knows
Man In The Long Black Coat
Lenny Bruce
Maggie's Farm
 
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, babe

Comment 1:
Dylan in GREAT voice. Very strong, very passionate. Dressed in black, stripes on the sides of the slacks. White embroidered V neck.

No opening act, just a local comedian (Dennis Miller wannabe). Show started strong with Jokerman. Words were clear and powerful. No duds this night, but the best performances (IMHO) were Jokerman, Just Like A Woman, Tangled Up In Blue, entire acoustic set but especially To Ramona, God Knows, Lenny Bruce, It Ain't Me Babe. I appreciated the selection of Watching The River Flow (perhaps a nod to the Mississippi?).

As said above the vocals were quite strong, and the harmonica playing was equally expressive -- we had pretty good seats and could see Dylan well through the trusty binoculars. The man was really trying tonight. Belting out the songs, concentrating on his leads and harmonica solos.

This has to be the best Dylan performance I've seen since the Tower Theatre in Upper Darby, PA, 'round bout the time Oh Mercy came out.

- Jim Esch (Jim.Esch@launchpad.unc.edu)


Comment 2:
All-in-all, a disappointment, really. As you can see on the setlist, it varied little from the other shows. It started out good, with a nice, totally re-worked Jokerman, but then remained pretty lame until about Watching the River Flow. Mama You Been On My Mind & To Ramona were really nice, but in between them was a very cursory Tambourine Man. I guess I should try to be more specific, so here are the problems with the show:

As usual, every song was re-worked somewhat, and the arrangements for most of the songs were pretty bad. Nearly every song was too long (just _one_ 3 minute tune would have been nice), and nearly every song featured a harmonica solo, which I consider one of the weaker points in Dylan's talent. There's 3 words that come to mind here: Dylan Comes Alive.
 
Of course, being a Dylan fan I could find some nice things about the show: his voice was really pretty nice for the most of the evening: Even It Ain't Me babe was pretty coherent.

And his guitar playing skills have really improved of late; however, his guitar solos were very truncated, I guess to make room for the harmonica solos. But what he did do with his guitar was very nice, very fluid.
 
I'm glad I went, but at the same time, it would have been just fine had I stayed home. It was my 5th Dylan show ever, and I've seen better and much worse. There's nothing wretched about this tour, but there's certainly nothing brilliant about it either, which is unfairly what fans like myself begin to crave after so much blather (I think All Along the Watchtower counts as blather, he's done it every time I've seen him, and not once did he put any energy into it. Of course, I'm just the type of listener who doesn't reach any epiphany hearing that song, like every other fan seemed to be doing last night.)
 
So, I wont being seeing this tour again, and if you cant see it, don't worry, you've seen it before.

- Robert Downing (C596892@mizzou1.missouri.edu)


12 April 1994 - Coronado Theatre, Rockford, Illinois
=====================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Series Of Dreams
I And I
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Duration: approx. 105 mins
Band introduction: beginning of "Maggie's Farm"

Comment 1:
A very solid, if uninspired, show. Dylan really is in excellent voice on this tour, so if you've haven't seen him before & live in the vicinity of an upcoming gig, I'd recommend going!

No opening act. The show started at 8 sharp - many of us still scurrying for our seats after the long drive - I was pleasantly surprised to find that row AA was actually the front row on the side, so I was about 20 feet from Dylan and right in front of John Jackson. Bob was wearing a black suit with a black & white polka-dot shirt, no hat. John Jackson & Tony Garnier were both wearing hats & should have lent a hat to Bucky Baxter, who appears to have recently shaved his head...

Jokerman did not disappoint as an opener, this is a strong, straightforward version - not too adventurous, but all the lyrics are decipherable... The band is even tighter than Japan & last summer's tour with Santana. Dylan played lead guitar on the first two numbers. Lay Lady Lay was sung in the 'opera' voice, all extended notes & came on like a drunkard to a Mexican prostitute - that late-night burst of loneliness where the party's over & he's got blood in his eyes for you babe - the language is all wrong but the game is so old the words don't matter anyway.

A high-school age girl toward the front started waving her hands in the air to get Bob's attention - he raised his eyebrows briefly before automatically snapping the harmonica brace up to his mouth - it was such an unconscious action that he had the harmonica in his mouth before he realized that he wanted it there - an amusing double-take.

Watchtower slipped back to automatic pilot after the opening lines. Positively 4th Street was given a very gentle treatment, very melodic in spite of the infamous put-down lyrics...

Tangled Up in Blue started out strong - Winston Watson & John Jackson are having a lot of fun with the new change-up rhythm on this - but Dylan's voice weakened in the second verse.  As a result, he blasted through the rest of the song on lungpower alone, which wasn't as interesting. By the coda it was mostly crash-and-thud, though Winston was pretty amusing, flailing away & sending bits of broken drumstick flying across the stage.  The man must go through a dozen sets of drumsticks each night - I'd hate to see the rims on his drums!

Watching the River Flow was much better & very tight, straight Johnny Cash amphetamine shuffle, growled to nice effect by Bob. I still am amazed at how tight this band is, particularly since Garnier & Jackson were both in the sloppy '91 lineup - I think Winston Watson's steady drive has made the difference (as have the years that Garnier & Jackson have spent playing watch-Bob's-fingers...)

The acoustic set was very weak. Mama You Been on My Mind sounded tired and Dylan flubbed the second verse. Gates of Eden was better, but still no breakthrough. Don't Think Twice got the biggest crowd response of the evening, but Dylan lapsed into his two-notes-only howl which added power but no passion to the rendition.

Series of Dreams picked things up again - the band plays nothing but rhythm, Jackson messing around with a few effects, but nothing prominent, and Dylan did some of his best & worst singing during this song - best in that he was obviously putting more feeling into the song, but worst in that he seemed to be singing in an entirely different key than what the band was playing...  Most of the audience didn't recognize the song at all.

The second 'apocalypse' slot was filled with I & I - a few tight, strong arrangement, not spectacular but one of the nicer moments of the show It Takes a Lot to Laugh was the only (minor) surprise in the setlist, and was definitely the highlight of the evening,  a solid, bluesy howl.

Maggie's Farm it it's current incarnation continues to impress - for the first time in the evening, Baxter & Garnier were smiling, and John Jackson was flashing his cheshire-cat grin and doing some fancy fingerwork that, given the tight arrangements of the current band, added to the song rather than muddying it. Dylan was still stoic, though he did a few obligatory guitar-player contortions before wrapping it all up.

At close range, John Jackson's Les Paul is really a beautiful guitar, he obviously does his best to keep it in mint condition.

What Good Am I and It Ain't Me Babe were pretty mechanical & didn't add much punctuation to the end of the show - the audience clearly wanted another encore & John Jackson hesitated a moment with a smile on his face, but the ever-grim Dylan silently motioned him off-stage before taking a stiff bow...

Overall, I'd say this was more of a night for the band than for Dylan - he didn't really seem to want to push them any harder than they were already playing.

At the beginning of Maggie's Farm, Dylan announced: "Part of the proceeds tonight are going to the disabled children's park and playground." Then he introduced the band members.

[In another posting:]

Remember I told ya that Dylan announced on stage before Maggie's Farm that "Part of tonight's proceeds are going to the disabled children's park & playground" in Rockford?  The following is from the 'Arts Plus' section of the Sunday April 23rd Chicago Tribune:

=
GOOD NEWS: When singer BOB DYLAN was in Rockford for a concert, he read a story in the local paper about the Page Park School for handicapped kids having trouble raising money for a playground. A few days later, the school received a Fed Ex envelope containing a note from Dylan and a check for $20,000.
=

The blurb was accompanied with a close-up of Dylan from the Commandeur des Arts ceremony in Paris, 1990.  

- Adam K. Powers (akp1@midway.uchicago.edu)


Comment 2:
Great show.  Small theatre.  I had good seats so I could see everything. Bob seemed very into the show.  The drummer was insane.  He broke several pairs of sticks.  Jokerman, Tangled up in Blue and It takes a lot to laugh were my highlights.  Good throughout though.  Bob said that we were the best crowd so far or something.  I am glad I went and am looking forward to the riviera shows.

- Jeremy Baldwin (XLA0JAB%LUCCPUA.BITNET@uicvm.uic.edu)


13 April 1994 - Civic Centre Theater, Peoria, Illinois
======================================================
Jokerman
You're A Big Girl Now
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Lady Came From Baltimore [(Tim Hardin)] [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows
Tears Of Rage
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
While I was unable to get an accurate setlist, my father gave me several in depth comments about the April 13 show in Peoria, IL.  Here they are in no particular order.....

-Tremendous.
-He seem to not be entertaining the audience so much as he was entertaining
 himself.
-It was like watching a symphony....He was putting new life and new sounds
 into songs I'd heard so many times before.
-He was totally into his music....completely enjoying himself.
-The band complimented him nicely, without overpowering him.  He was
 definitely the center of the whole show, as well it should be.
-The drummer was having a blast, breaking drumsticks all over the place.
-Harmonica and guitar playing was incredible.

and on, and on, and on.  I couldn't believe he was telling me these things.  I've been to 4 or 5 shows with him and he always had only lukewarm reactions to the shows.  In his eyes, Dylan is truely displaying his genius.  After talking with him for a few minutes, my faith has been renewed!

A few other miscellaneous comments....
-the theater was half to three-fourths full.
-there were quite a few young people (high school to early college) there
-he said nothing besides introducing the band.

- Josh Gulley (jmg1@hydra.unm.edu)


Comment 2:
The Tears of Rage at the Peoria show really surprised me.  I had never heard a tape of him performing it so it made it stand out in my mind.  The band members seemed to think it was something special as well because there was a lot of grinning going on during the song.  I enjoyed the entire show especially the Simple Twist of Fate and She Belongs to Me.  The Tears of Rage was an abbreviated version of one found in Lyrics with I believe the 3rd and 4th verses combined.  His voice was very passionate as he sang it.  I enjoyed the setlist better in St. Louis but both shows were great.

- John Andrew Wombacher (jwombach@silver.ucs.indiana.edu)


15 April 1994 - Brown County Arena, Green Bay, Wisconsin
========================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady lay
All Along The watchtower
Your A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows
I'll Remember You
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, babe [AB]

Duration: approx. 105 mins
Band introduction: after "She Belongs To Me"


16 April 1994 - Valparaiso University Athletic Recreation Center,
                Valparaiso, Indiana
=================================================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
I Shall Be Released
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Mama, You Been on My Mind [AB]
Masters of War [AB]
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
God Knows
Joey
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Man in the Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me Babe [AB]

Duration: approx. 110 mins

Comment:
Very nice show, though a little inconsistent. The concert was in the basketball gym, so the sound was a little muddier than in the theaters & Bucky Baxter was buried in the mix, but Dylan's vocals came through loud and clear.  John Jackson and Winston Watson were hanging around in the audience before the show, relatively unrecognized (unfortunately, Winston went backstage before I could ask him how many pairs of drumsticks he needs to get through a good show :)  Very enthusiastic college crowd, many Deadheads - security fell apart during I'll Be Your Baby Tonight and many people spent the remainder of the concert dancing at the front of the stage.

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight was really the only weak performance of the evening (though Bob did crack a big yawn at the beginning of Watchtower...)  Highlights were If Not for You (fun with the lyrics -  "Babe, I'd lay awake all night/ wouldn't have an appetite"), the acoustic Masters of War (same as Hiroshima?) God Knows, Joey (not my favorite song, but Bob had a blast singing it - first time since Juan-les-Pins 12 July 1992) and a smouldering Man in the Long Black Coat.

Bob also had fun introducing the band members: John Jackson is once again "J.J."  Winston Watson was introduced as "from Little Rock, Arkansas," Winston mouthed "Little Rock?" in surprise while John Jackson laughed.  Tony Garnier was introduced as just having got a job with the Rolling Stones, "tonight's his last gig..." He also said something about Bucky Baxter, but I couldn't make it out. Sorry for the short review - I'm zonked.  On to Chicago!

[And in another posting:]

Forgot to mention - there was a soundcheck, and Bob was present for at least part of it.  I wandered by a backstage door at about 6:45 while the security guards were preparing for the show, and I'm pretty sure that the snippet of song I heard was "Disease of Conceit." he didn't play it during the Valpo. set, though, maybe tonight...

- Adam K. Powers (akp1@midway.uchicago.edu)


17 April 1994 - Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
==================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
To Ramona [AB]
God Knows
In The Garden
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Duration: just under 120 mins

Comment 1:
Another good but inconsistent show - the song selection seems to be very formatted, and sometimes the mood of the evening doesn't quite suit that format.  Such was the case tonight; the opening electric set was solid but no surprises - Jokerman was a little weaker than usual, but Tangled Up in Blue more than made up for it. Positively 4th Street was a little closer to the 'nasty' side, not as gentle as it was in Rockford, that's for sure!  Tangled Up in Blue really thumped along nicely - Dylan started to strain a bit as the band picked up steam toward the end of the song, but that couldn't overwhelm the precision with which he growled the opening verses, chewing on the words with a bit of fresh venom...  Under the Red Sky slowed things down a bit, a very tender arrangement, tho' I think I prefer Watching the River Flow in this slot.  Still, it provided a nice transition into the acoustic set.

Mama You Been on My Mind was solid, tho' still a bit automatic. Masters of War was once again stunning - this is really a riveting arrangement that puts the electric 1991 version to shame, very sobering.  To Ramona was the high point of the evening, surgingly melodic, lots of well-sung extended notes...

God Knows was strong, although the band sped up considerably at the transition to the 'loud' portion of the song.  Up until now, the concert had been building nicely, peaking at Ramona & God Knows was a nice plateau - but In the Garden was a mess.  Dylan didn't really seem to know where to take the show at this point - I & I would have been a bit clunky that night also, maybe Man in the Long Black Coat would have worked well - but the show really fizzled with In the Garden.  I usually like this song, but Bob just started playing the chords (in an odd key) while telling the band what he wanted - unfortunately, he started them at the wrong tempo & the whole song was rushed and sloppy, Dylan singing just to keep up.  This rendition just seemed to get a shrug from the audience, "Oh, Bob's just playing hard-to-get again..."  She Belongs to Me and Maggie's Farm did bounce back nicely, but the momentum was lost IMO.  Dylan again introduced Winston "from Little Rock" and said that Tony was getting a job with the Rolling Stones "tonight's his last gig."

Thin Man was solid, certainly better than the '91 arrangement but I still don't really care for this guitar-chord-crunch version. It Ain't Me Babe was sweet - made me wish that he'd see fit to extend the acoustic set on nights that the acoustic songs do sound the best... Oh, well - just my opinions & these are all quite good shows! I'd say that Valparaiso is my favorite so far, though I really wish I had been in Peoria for Tears of Rage!!! Back to work...

- Adam K. Powers (akp1@midway.uchicago.edu)


Comment 2:
The Monday, April 18, Chicago Tribune features a review of the first Chicago show by Greg Kot, complete with an awful full-color photo of Dylan at the Riviera (Dylan looks extremely pained in their photograph).

Here's the review (hold yer breath ;) - comments in [] are mine... 

Kurt Cobain wasn't the first rocker to cough up the "spokesman-for-a-generation" prescription like a furball, only the latest.

On Sunday at the Riviera, Bob Dylan opened his assault on demagoguery with a rousing "Jokerman" and finished it off nearly two hours later with "It Ain't Me Babe."

The last, written 30 years ago, sounded like a gentle reproach, in contrast to the snarling opener.  In between, Dylan dove into his songbook with renewed fervor, backed by a four-piece band that eagerly walked a tightrope with the leader on virtually every song.

Dylan dispenses with formula and expectation every time he plays, sometimes with disastrous consequences.  But this night, Dylan's sometimes radical reinterpretations of his classics and his foraging through a handful of obscurities was masterful.

Without a speck of regard for nostalgia, Dylan raced ahead of the band on "All Along the Watchtower," words tripping over themselves, then bore down on the line, "Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth/None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."

Yet on the potentially even more bilious "Positively 4th Street," Dylan almost crooned the melody.  In the most famous line, "You don't know what a drag it is to see you," [sic] Dylan substituted the word "pain" for "drag," and the song lost its sneer and took on a sense of loss and regret.

"Tangled Up in Blue" became a faster, bluesier shuffle, a road song about two lives crisscrossing the country.  Dylan rushed the vocal as if trying to break the song in half, then wouldn't let it go.  As it wound down, he uncorked a bracing guitar solo that brought the melody surging back.

Throughout the set, but particularly on a bristling "Maggie's Farm," the guitars of Dylan and John Jackson surged into the breach after each verse, then receded, like stallions bucking at their stalls.  Bucky Baxter's pedal steel added richness to the likes of "Lay Lady Lady," "In the Garden" and "She Belongs to Me."

Drummer Winston Watson and bassist Tony Garnier kept the ship sailing steady in the face of almost impossible odds, as Dylan fractured the tempos, threw in harmonica solos on the fly and toyed with endings, sometimes cuing the band with a nod, sometimes not.

He's made a career of thrusting his idiosyncrasies in the audience's face: nasle whine, shambling harp playing, elliptical rhymes.  His voice sounded shot a few years ago, but on this night it roared.  On an acoustic "Masters of War" it seemed ageless.

And so did the songs.  Judging by the number of youthful faces in the audience, Dylan's music speaks to more than one generation. 

[methinks Mr. Kot needs a good thump on the head for the Cobain reference...]

- Adam K. Powers (akp1@midway.uchicago.edu)


Comment 3:
The Chicago the 17th concert had a powerful acoustic set with Masters as the highlight.  Each concert has had such a variety of songs played that a real sense of excitement surrounds the tour. I can't wait for Champaine, Fort Wayne and Evansville.  I've gone to seven shows previously to this tour and these shows have blown the others out of the water for me.  I don't know if this feeling comes from the size and sound quality of these venues, or the fact I have never had seats this good before, or just that Dylan and the band are sing and playing better.

- John Andrew Wombacher (jwombach@silver.ucs.indiana.edu)


18 April 1994 - Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
==================================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Shelter From The Storm
Mama You Been On My Mind [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows
Man In The Long Black Coat
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe

Duration: approx. 115 mins

Comment:
Excellent show!
With the exception of the acoustic set, I'd say this was this better of the two Chicago shows.  This concert had a much darker feel to it - a complete turnabout from Valparaiso.  At the Valpo. show, the crowd was upbeat & dancing around and the band was having a great time, even the ever-gruff Bob himself was hamming it up a bit on "Joey" - but tonight the crowd was drunken & surly, and Bob appeared morose.  Nevertheless, of the eleven shows I've seen, this was the best I've heard him sing, if not the best performance!

The show started out with no surprises - Jokerman was again solid & professional, more emphasis on clarity than emotion.  If Not for You was sweet, but nothing like what was to come.  Dylan looked uncomfortable during Watchtower - this was the sort of crowd that howled after *every* line, every harmonica solo, etc... The guy next to me was one of those wonderful people who likes to show off his ability to whistle at 120 dB. I think the band was a bit intimidated by the crowd - John Jackson wasn't grinning as much and Bob spent much of the first few numbers facing the drum kit (Winston looked a little down himself at the opener).

Simple Twist of Fate was the breakthrough - Bob silenced the crowd with a very melodic, heartbreaking rendition, absolutely incredible singing, I swear he looked like he was going to break down and cry after the "...blind man at the gate..." phrase - he did look genuinely moved himself. Tangled Up in Blue was also strong, but not as touching - Dylan twisted the meter of his lyrics back on itself...  Shelter from the Storm bounced along nicely, loosening things up a bit (though it was still hardly upbeat) Dylan's sense of timing was immaculate on this one.

The acoustic set reached a nice plateau, not as impressive as the first Chicago show, but still strong, Gates of Eden tinged with regret.

God Knows saw Dylan's timing at its best - Winston was grinning at the way Bob delivered "..rise above the darkest hour of any circumstance..." before the rest of the band kicked in.  Long Black Coat and I'll Remember You were the knockout blow of the evening, both controlled but surging performances, Dylan singing his heart out.  On both songs, the real euphoric moment was just as he rolled into the bridge with a subtle but primal roar... Whereas Long Black Coat in Valparaiso simmered like a pepperpot soup, this version was more aggressive & yet more contemplative at the same time. I'll Remember You was tinged with bitterness - not squishy nostalgia at all but remembrance through the marks branded on the soul by one who came so close but now is gone - "It was you who cut right through, it was you who understood..."

After that, Maggie's Farm was anticlimactic.  No fancy band intros tonight, just the chugging guitar & then off the stage.  What Good Am I and It Ain't Me Babe were both solid but broke no new ground, instead trailing off into the unusually warm Chicago spring evening...

Incidentally, these two shows started a little before 7:30 - with no opening act, that means the concerts were over at half-past-nine!  There was one weird incident in the audience - a very intoxicated, very large bleached-blonde woman in her mid-fifties came plowing through the crowd toward the stage, knocking people over & obviously intending to climb on stage if she got there - luckily the large man in front of me caught her off-balance and knocked her to the floor where security grabbed her & led her out kicking and yelling...

- Adam K. Powers (akp1@midway.uchicago.edu)


20 April 1994 - Assembly Hall, University Of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois
==========================================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Disease Of Conceit
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Masters Of War
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
God Knows
I And I
Maggies Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment:
The show had Arrested Development as an opening act beginning at 7:30 and they played for an hour.  Not really my kind of music but not too painful. Dylan came on at 9:05 which is a late start for this tour.  I am not sure but maybe the late start is why he only played 14 songs.  I had a feeling at the time that maybe he just lost track of how many songs he had played but who knows.

The show started rather slugish compared to previous dates with a weak Jokerman and a marginal Lay Lady Lay.  Watchtower was up to it's high standards but the surprise of the night was Disease of Conceit. It was a great version with Dylan articulating well.  The song really gave me that fire and brimstone feeling Bob is so good at delivering. Watching The River Flow needs more work in my opinion, I enjoyed the phrasing and emphasis at the St. Louis show better.

The acoustic set was great. The tenderness of Momma You Been On My Mind was my personal favorite.  I wonder how much the Eddy Vedder version of Masters of War influenced Dylan's decision to bring it back acoustic and singing it with such intensity.  God Knows was excellent and the best of the 3 previous shows I have seen (4/10, 4/13, 4/17)..  I and I was good but I wish he would articulate the song better. Maggies Farm was a shock in the #12 position and it seemed a little automatic. The encore was quite good, similar to the performances at the other shows.

- John Wombacher (jwombach@silver.ucs.indiana.edu)


22 April 1994 - Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
======================================================
Jokerman
Man in Me
All Along The Watchtower
Just like a Women
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Gates Of Eden
Mr Tambourine Man
God Knows
In The Garden
She Belongs To Me
Maggies Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
The Times They Are A-Changin'

Comment:
The show lasted just under 2 hours and was excellent.  On my drive to the show I thought to myself, I would really love him to play Man In Me, my trip was worth it for that song alone.  The concert had very few weak points, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight had some problems at times with garbled lyrics but the arrangement was very good.  Momma You Been On My Mind did not stand out as much to me as at other concerts maybe because the people around me were talking a lot! The acoustics of the place were not that good but Dylan's performance made that disappear.  In The Garden was great and I didn't notice the problem with it that Adam pointed out with the Chicago 17th version.  Gates of Eden stood out in the acoustic set.  The change to the encore was welcome and it was a moving Times They Are A-Changing.  Dylan really seems to be enjoying himself.  The attention and care he is putting in the vocals mixed with the tight but highly expressive band is giving these shows a real feeling of giving and celebration.

- John Andrew Wombacher (jwombach@silver.ucs.indiana.edu)


23 April 1994 - Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
=======================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Mama, You Been on My Mind  [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows
Man In The Long Black Coat
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Duration: approx. 110 mins

Comment:
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power) - 1st time since 11 Nov 1992 Clearwater

An uneven show - Dylan's voice was a bit hoarse & he wandered off-key a number of times, but when he was paying attention, it showed!

The Jokerman/Senor one-two combination looks better in print than it actually sounded, unfortunately.  Of the five shows I've seen, this was the least interesting Jokerman.  Dylan nailed a few choice lines, but the bulk of the lyrics just seemed to dribble through the microphone, obviously not quite awake yet.  (not surprising - for a veteran performer like Dylan it often takes a few songs before he gains enough momentum to think ahead of what he's singing...)  Senor seemed to come completely out of the blue - Dylan abbreviated the song to three verses & seemed to have trouble with some of the lyrics.  It was a sloppy rendition, more of a curio than a revelation, but it got the ball rolling.  The emphasis of the song was on the bridge, which he sang: "The last thing I remember before I stopped to kneel was a trainload of fools bogged down in a magnetic field The gypsy with a broken hand and a flashing ring said 'Son, this ain't a dream no more, it's the real thing!'" He sang that twice, omitting the "marching band in that vacant lot" part altogether.

Watchtower was actually an early highlight, benefiting from the wakeup-call of Senor; a strong hard-rock rendition that gradually picked up stem and slammed into the slowed-down ending nicely. Born in Time was very sweetly sung, the first time tonight that Dylan didn't sound hoarse & also the first harmonica this evening (previous nights he'd been playing harmonica on virtually every song).  Emphasis on the slightly changed line: "I held you close and got what I deserved" - Dylan likes these songs of bitter regret...  

Tangled Up in Blue was mechanical, one of the dangers of playing the same song every night.  Probably Dylan's worst singing of the evening, he drifted off-key quite a bit & sounded strained.  Not a washout by any means though - he still got a good response from the crowd.  I Don't Believe You picked up where Born in Time left off, very bittersweet.  John Jackson played around with the wah-wah pedal on this one.

Mama You Been on My Mind was OK, nothing special, I guess I've just heard it too many times in a row now ;).  Masters of War was moving, but Dylan sounded really hoarse here & had to strain to keep his melody on target. Baby blue was the highlight of the show for me, Dylan's voice weaving in and out of the rhythm, almost whispering at times, very subtle and effective.

God Knows and Long Black Coat kept the ball rolling nicely, Dylan really likes to sing God Knows & usually puts extra effort into it, and Long Black Coat is a great song that seems to hold up to rough treatment (one of those songs that kept the '91 shows at least interesting).  Tonight's version of Long Black Coat didn't impress me as much as Valpo. or Chicago, but was still a highlight of the show.  Unfortunately, She Belongs to Me lost steam, Dylan's singing deteriorating further & Maggie's Farm didn't hold up to the high standard from the rest of the tour to date...  Thin man was no great shakes either, but It Ain't me Babe proved to be an ever-reliable closer for the evening.  

Crowd was enthusiastic but laid-back - they had a hard time deciding whether to sit or stand during the show, so we spent a lot of time bobbing up and down from our seats at beginnings & endings of songs.  Maybe my review is a bit biased by my seats - I was under the balcony, so the sound was a bit muffled & these were my worst seats on this tour. Nice theater, tho', seats maybe 3500?  I couldn't really tell how big the balcony was since I was under it...

All in all, I'd say that Valparaiso & the second Chicago gig were my favorites of the five shows I saw on this tour, and this is definitely an above-average tour, certainly on par with '93!

- Adam K. Powers (akp1@midway.uchicago.edu)


24 April 1994 - Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, Minnesota
=======================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Disease Of Conceit
Tangled Up In Blue
I Shall Be Released
Mama You Been On My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
To Ramona [AB]
God Knows
I And I
I Believe In You
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment 1:
I Believe In You - first time on this tour as far as I remember. Well, the Rochester show was last night. Overall it was not nearly as good as Ames though Bob pulled up a couple of surprises. Here is a set list. I'll post some more elaborate comments later today (hopefully)

[In another posting:]

Ok, here are the promised more elaborate comments on the Rochester show. I said that it was not nearly as good as the Ames show on April 7. This is true, but then again that show ranks up in the top three (maybe even #1) of my 13 Dylan concerts so far. Rochester was a good show, and it is almost unfair to compare it to that super show two weeks earlier. I was thinking already on my way down there that it could not possibly be as good as last time.

This was confirmed already in the opening song, Jokerman, which did not seem as powerful and Bob did not seem as confident in his singing as two weeks before. The good thing about the show was that 8 songs were different from Ames, however, the seven that were the same were probably all a couple of notches under. Comparing these seven: As I said Jokerman seem less powerful and Bobs voice more hoarse this night. Watchtower seemed more rushed than Ames, but still the big crowd-pleaser. Tangled again seemed rushed compared to its Ames counterpart and the singing were not nearly as clear - a little more mumbled, still ok, though.

Only one song was the same in the acoustic set. Mama You Been...It was one of the real highlights in Ames. So intense and focused and incredible singing. Ames was the first time he performed it on this tour, and maybe that was why it was so focused. The Rochester version was a disappointment. The lyrics were only half as clear and the singing was not even close to being as melodic as in Ames. He has performed this pretty consistently as acoustic opener since, so maybe it is getting to much of a routine already and maybe it is time to rest it again. So nice and soft in Ames, but louder and less melodic now. The rest of the acoustic set were highlights though. The best live performance of Masters of War that I have heard in a long time. A phrasing and singing pretty similar to the Ames Mama You Been..., To Ramona was really nice and Bob's singing was clear and confident.

God Knows was opening the second electric set as in Ames, but again it seemed more rushed. Maggies Farm, another crowd pleaser and It Ain't Me Babe were probably as good as the Ames versions. Not much difference there anyway. Actually, Maggies Farm has been a pleasant surprise for me on this tour so far. I used to be so tired of hearing this song in concert, but it seems to me that it has been brought to life again.

Well, apart from the last two acoustic songs I still need to comment on the other six songs that were different from Ames. Of course, the simple fact that Senor was pulled out of the bag made this second song of the show one of the highlights and definitely one of the best vocal performances of the show. Disease of Conceit is not among my Oh Mercy favorites, but it was nice and clearly sung and I kinda liked the downplayed soft electric arrangement of this song. The last song of the first electric set were another minor surprise and another of this shows highlights. I Shall Be Released was were melodic and Bob seemed very focused and determined to deliver the lyrics perfectly. It was very well received by the crowd.

In the second electric set I & I followed God Knows. This one has never been among my favorites either (I know I may in a minority here) and this arrangement (which several have acclaimed) did not change things. Again a little to rushed - I don't know - personal taste I guess. And I was hoping for Series of Dreams in this slot. I Believe in You was another nice, if minor, surprise in the second electric set. I've always liked this song and last time I heard it in concert was, as far as I remember, in Gothenburg 92 and it was a real treat then. This time around, however, it seemed a little less 'coherent' - not as much feel to it. Still, it was nice to hear.

Ballad Of A Thin Man as the first encore actually worked pretty good to me and together with It Ain't Me Babe it saw that the show ended on a positive note. But the highlights this night were without doubt Senor, I Shall Be Released, Masters of War, and To Ramona. These were the only four songs that could live up to the consistency and confidence in singing that Bob showed in Ames on the April 7. One thing I noticed though was that Bob and Ganier did not turn their back to the audience as much as they did in Ames. The usual band introduction and bow was there too, of course.

Well, that's it for me for this tour. I'm going home to Denmark during the Summer - please how about a few European dates.........

- Ditlev S. Larsen (ditlev@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU)


Comment 2:
Ames must have been incredible, because I thought this was a solid show. [NB: a reaction to the above review]

We were at the back of the main floor about 60 feet away from Bob. The sound was muddy at times, especially during the acoustic songs in which the bass seemed a bit overwhelming. The only weak performances were Jokerman, Tangled Up in Blue and Mama You Been on My Mind.

Senor got bluesy treatment. Watchtower burned the house down. It really rocked, bringing the show to an early climax. After this song, the band paused as the lights went down and huddled briefly. Disease, a strong and well sung performance, surprised me as a followup. Tangled seemed flat, but I Shall Be Released was well done.

The acoustic set begin with a muddy Mama, but Masters sounded better. To Ramona had a country/mariachi sound. Very nice.

The rest of the show was tight. I managed to make my way to the front of the stage during I & I and I Believe in You. The sound there was much better and Dylan's voice came through more clearly. So my poor impressions of certain songs may have been more the effect of acoustics than anything else. Dylan was wearing a black shirt with white polka dots, a black collarless jacket with satin sleeves, black pants with white braiding down each leg and black boots. He was clean shaven and looked intent. 

I can now die a happy man, having finally seen Bob up close and in good form. ;-) Now if I could only get front row seats to a Rolling Stones concert...

- Steve Fletty (steve@dusty.unet.umn.edu)


26 April 1994 - Municipal Auditorium, Sioux City, Iowa
======================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
You're A Big Girl Now
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
Joey
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Duration: approx. 115 mins

Comment:
A most impressive show!  While Jokerman didn't seem to have quite the same punch as in Ames (maybe it just wasn't as memorable for me as hearing it the first time), Senor got an impassioned workout.  The excitement carried over to the songs that are often toss-offs, like Watchtower and Maggie's Farm. Masters of War was delivered with more intensity than was shown in some entire shows a few years back.

There were a few valleys to help you appreciate the peaks-- Bob's vocals in You're a Big Girl Now seemed devoid of melody, and the instrumental breaks in Joey cut off at the knees the power that was built by the vocals. But all in all, an excellent show in a great tour.

(Now, to beat up my friend who wouldn't let me borrow his DAT for the show... )

- Larry (larrys5182@aol.com)


27 April 1994 - Lied Center For Performing Arts, University of Nebraska,
                Lincoln, Nebraska
========================================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Every Grain Of Sand
Tangled Up In Blue
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Masters Of War
Boots Of Spanish Leather
God Knows
I And I
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment 1:
Approx. 2,900 seats capacity - all but 200-300 sold.

Truly some great moments and some moments of "coasting." The sound was good at the start of the concert and then got really good as the evening progressed.

While Dylan's guitar playing was just so-so, his singing was inspired, as he stood in that tilted back, one leg cocked back, kind of stand. Toward the end he seemed to loosen up and relax more, smiling and joking with the band.

The band was great. Despite comments to the contrary, the source of these comments insisted the drummer is a great drummer, and the steel guitar player deserves special recognition.

Over-all, a well above-average performance.

Highlight and special note to those for whom "explicative deleted" has a special meaning this week:

During "Masters of War" the audience broke into thunderous applause on two important lines. The lines were: "All the money you made won't buy back your soul. . ." and the closing lines: "I'll stand over your grave to make sure that you're dead. . ." At the same precise instant, 1,500 miles to the west, Richard M. Nixon was being lowered into the ground.

Special thanks to David Boye for this report.

- (boyea@queen.lsc.vsc.edu)


Comment 2:
Those of you who missed Bob's show in Lincoln last night can only hope that he repeats the intensity and control that underlined his performance.  I had only heard of the show he gave last time he came through Lincoln so my expectations were almost none.  To my surprise Dylan seemed every bit the statesman I had hoped he would become.

While watching him go through song after song I got the distinct feeling that each was being monitored by him; every note and lick.  It is obvious that he is reworking and further developing his style and tunes but I had no idea that I would be attending an abstraced showing of music.  The original riffs are few and far between in a lot of the standard stuff (tangled up in blue for instance).  I guess what I am saying is I felt that that show was a product of/and a continuation of Dylan's evolution and understanding of music.

As was stated earlier on the "net" I believe Bob is having fun with his performances and his music.  It certainly showed last night and I hope that you all waiting in the wings for him to roll through can see it as well.  I am left with the understanding that music and performance again has a spot in Bobs agenda--and I could not be happier..

Just something that's been on ma' mind...

- William A. Dimon (wad6297@nebrwesleyan.edu)


Comment 3:
This was my first and only Dylan show this tour, so my reference points are what I have read in r.m.d and his 1992 show in Omaha.  Every song had a long instrumental ending portion to it.  After a couple of songs, the crowd figured this out and held back the applause and cheers until a point when the song was truely ending.  I enjoyed these longer endings, they gave a sense of uncertainty and encouraged me to keep on listening closely even though the song appeared to be almost finished.

I think the mandolin and pedal steel added some nice texture to the music. Highlights for me were Masters of War, Boots of Spanish Leather and a much rearranged What Good Am I?. The lyrical phrasing, rush through a line up to a few words before the end of the line and then sing the final two or so words slower, during Tangled Up In Blue was interesting. Dylan introduced the band during Maggie's Farm.

I'm glad Dylan includes smaller cities and venues in his tours. 

- Roger Renken (rrenken@unlinfo.unl.edu)


28 April 1994 - Topeka Performing Arts Center, Kansas
=====================================================
Jokerman 
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Masters Of War
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Mr. Tambourine Man
Silvio
I And I
Tears Of Rage
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe


30 April 1994 -  Hammond Hall, Springfield, Missouri
====================================================
Jokerman 
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Every Grain Of Sand
Tangled Up In Blue
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Masters Of War
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Mr. Tambourine Man
Highway 61
I And I
Shelter From The Storm
Maggie's Farm
What Good Am I?
Man In The Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me, Babe


1 May 1994 - Jesse Hall, Columbia, Missouri
===========================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Simple Twist Of Fate
Masters Of War [AB]
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
Shooting Star
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll [AB]


3 May 1994 - Evansville, Indiana
================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Every Grain Of Sand
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Masters Of War
Mama, You Been On My Mind
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Duration: approx. 110 mins

Comment:
The venue was changed to the indoor arena but I can't remember the name. The show started about 15 min. late, most likely because of the change of venue [changed because of rain]. Dylan was in excellent voice and started the show very strong.  Senior was the high point of the show for me, since it was the first time I had heard this performed live.  Dylan's articulation was very good during the entire concert giving even Watching The River Flow an intensity that I have felt it has been lacking.  Essentially this was another great concert! The only flaw I had with it was a repeated verse in Tangled Up In Blue (by the way, he forgot the tie the laces of my shoes verse in Peoria).  My jaw droped when God Knows was replaced by hwy 61.  It was a strong version and I got a look at the set list and this was planned.  In The Garden is one of my favorites and it is at the softly spoken parts that I feel Dylan is really giving to the audience, not only in this song but the tour in general.  Hattie Carroll(?), and Every Grain Of Sand were also first times for me so they made a great impression on me.  Every Grain was a nice slow almost spoken word quality to it and Hattie Carroll was given a great performance.  The acoustic set was solid but not a outstanding Momma You Been On My Mind yet still good.  In terms of jams the She Belongs to Me was wonderful with great harmonica.  The encore was very good I was just hoping for one of the variations but no luck.

- jwombach@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (John Andrew Wombacher)


5 May 1994 - Viking Hall, Bristol, Tennessee
============================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
I Shall Be Released
Masters of War [AB]
Mama You've Been On My Mind [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Band introduction: after "I'll Remember You"

Comment:
Sound Check - John Jackson sings "It takes a lot to laugh, it takes a train to cry" with the band. They must have done a few other songs but I was away. Dylan joins the band for the sound check but doesn't sing.

After the show, i asked for the official set list - didn't get it but had a good look at it, and this is what was planned:

Jokerman 
Senor
Just Like A Woman
Big Girl/ Released
Tangled up In Blue
I don't Believe You/ Born In Time

A/C SET
=======
Masters of War
Mama You've Been on My Mind
Tambourine Man/ It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

2nd Electric Set
================
Highway 61 Revisited
In The garden
Shelter From The Storm/I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

Encore
=======
Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me Babe

[In another posting:]

Bristol, May 5th : "The dividing line ran through the center of the town," and it really does - they have a line on one of the roads that gives the two States in contention their fare share of the town.

While driving into Bristol at 5:00 p.m., with a girl who was going to see Dylan - her hero - for the first time and with a guy who had had exactly two six packs of beer and was snuggled up in the back seat, we found in front of us a huge bus, with no windows and a painting of an eagle soaring over the mountains on the back, and sure enough it turned out to be Dylan's band and the crew heading towards the Viking Hall! Dylan came in his black bus around 6:00 p.m. (saw that enter the back stage area too), the sound check had already started. I met Heike C. Strand, who had come for her second leg of the tour from California! She was nervous as hell 'cos she didn't have good tickets, but if you follow Dylan like she does and wear a startling black hat with a big rose on it you can break crevices into the inner circle, and somehow she managed to get a front row seat.

The crowd was disappointingly thin. The show started at exactly 8:00 p.m., and Bob was greeted to cheering and claps as thunderous as could be possible, given the number of people at hand. Bob belted out an almost mechanical "Jokerman," but it was the first time for me that I was hearing Jokerman being performed live so it was exciting. It was clear from the moment that he opened his mouth that his voice is in real good shape, and also that today there will be no mumbling. "Senor" was up second and I loved it! His phrasing was real good. It was obvious that Bob wasn't in a state of inebriation - just to help people who haven't seen him after '91 - and he was trying to reach high notes, and very successfully. His enunciation was clear and so was his pronunciation.

While we are on the topic of his pronunciation I would like to second, I think, Jules' earlier statement that many a times people blame him for muttering and mumbling words when it is actually a case of beautiful reworking of the songs and their phrasing. And till this moment in the concert I could make out that lots of people were not with him.

Next was the usual "Watchtower," with its searing rythm and beat, an instant crowd pleaser, almost everybody recognized this one, but I would place this performance below the last one that I had seen, 09/08/93 at Wolftrap, Vienna. It was exactly the same arrangement but with less committment and energy as input. In fact, I would place it below Senor just before it. However, it got the crowd on its feet, and Dylan a standing ovation.

Next was an interesting "Just like a Woman," I pretty much liked the vocals and the melody on this one and Bob was actively into it. The ending of the song was really long and overdrawn - Wintson Watson (the drummer) almost stopped some ten times! The band was actually fuming by now, Jackson was persistently inovative with his lead and Winston Watson was busy flying pieces of drum sticks all over the place.

"Tangled Up In Blue" followed and was given a consistently good performance, no changes in lyrics though and the 13th century poet verse was, as usual, deleted. "I Shall Be Released" could very possibly be called the suprise of the show 'cos i don't think that it was played at #6 during the previous shows. It was also a highlight of the show, a very well sung version, really powerful vocals and subtle arrangements. This song isn't one of my favorites, the lyrics seem to be having what is required but somehow I never enjoyed the performances, so for me it was as if it had acheived its potential during this show.

The opener of the acoustic set was "Masters of War" and for me this song, along with the previous one, were the highlights of the show. A really moving version, the soft, spooky feel given to it by the music was what was required to carry Bob's voice and the lyrics, soaring up and delivering the punch right where it mattered. A real gem!

"Mama you've been on my mind," was nice and what seemed to be important was that Bob was still doing a great job with vocals. If it is mechanical then, IMO, its even better because it means that that is the lower limit to which his performance can stoop nowadays, and THAT to me is surely encouraging.

"Baby Blue," a favorite of mine was a kind of disappointment. Nothing really special about it.

During all the acoustic songs the bass was way up. It was almost close to reverberating. I guess, it is the difficulty of having an electric sound check and then playing acoustic - for Electric set one has to have the bass mixed up so that it doesn't get totally lost behind the drums and the lead guitar.

The second Electric set began with a rather feeble "Highway 61." This was the nadir of the show. But still - vocals were clear, band was tight and high notes were being touched without the voice cracking up. During this song the crowd rushed towards the stage and I was of course one among the crowd. From close up - I was 5 feet from Dylan - I could see his teeth clenching and the words being spit out and the howls coming from deep within - the man is putting a lot of effort in his performances. He was wearing a black striped suit, with a red tie and black shirt....no hat and no sun glasses.

Being so close to the stage has its own disadvantages and one of them is that r.m.d is deprived of any views and reviews on the songs which was sung after I homed in on the stage. From that close I couldn't hear much of the music. The only constructive thing that I tried - without an iota of success - was to shout myself hoarse in trying to urge Bob to play "Isis." The significance of it all never dawned on Mr. Dylan, or maybe it was another one of his acts of perversities - seeing a young kid, with tears rolling down his eyes as an attempt to shout at decibel levels humanly impossible! Tony Garnier gave me a sympathetic smile once in a while but that was about it. Bob did smile once during, methinks, "I'll Remember You." In the Garden was before that and it looked (not, "sounded":-)) to me as a powerful rendition. "IRY" was followed by "Thin Man" and the show closed with the perennial show closer.

Overall, an excellent show. My only complaint - no suprises, and I am sore, so is my throat, for not getting to hear Isis on this most opportune of moment.

- Sorabh Saxena (ssaxena@plato.engr.umbc.edu)


6 May 1994 - Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, South Carolina
=============================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Masters Of War [AB]
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
Queen Jane Approximately
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]


7 May 1994 -  Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
=========================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Disease Of Conceit
Tangled Up In Blue
Simple Twist Of Fate
Masters Of War [AB]
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
Its All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
I'll Be Your Baby, Tonight
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment:
I talked to a guy who had been at the Chattanooga show the night before [the Beale Street Music Festival] and he said it was excellent. Set list was very similar but he did not have all the details.

- Gary Parker (parkergv@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu)


8 May 1994 - The Beale Street Music Festival, Tom Lee Park, Memphis,
             Tennessee
====================================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
I Shall Be Released
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Masters Of War [AB]
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Duration: 100 mins

Comment 1:
BEALE STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL

The Beale Street Music Festival is one of Memphis In May's four major weekend events. The event is held in the nightclubs in the Beale Street Historic District and in Tom Lee Park, the downtown river bluff "where Beale Street meets the Mississippi. The Festival, which celebrates Memphis' rich musical heritage, presents over eighty blues, rock and jazz artists in twelve nightclubs and on three river park stages, Daily capacity for the event is limited to 22,500.  Admission to the event is $12.00 advance/$15.00 day of event for Friday and Saturday, and $10.00 advance/$12.00 day or event for Sunday.  Multiple discounts are offered.

Highlights:

May 7th   King's X                     (4:10-5:00PM Tom Lee Stage)
May 8th   Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies   (3:30-4:30PM River Stage)
May 8th   The Mother Station           (3:35-4:20PM Tom Lee Stage)

Other bands performing throughout the weekend:  Black Crowes, James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Weir/Wasserman, Bob Dylan.

Memphis In May is America's largest month-long Celebration of International Culture.  Each year the Festival "honors" a foreign country and programs arts, entertainment, educational and cultural events celebrating the selected country.  The Festival Presents approximately 100 activities and events attracting over 800,000 people. In 1994, Memphis In May will honor Cote d Ivoire, West Africa.  Memphis In May is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1977.

- Short Haul (buffalo@panix.com)


Comment 2:
Overall, a decent show, though not particularly outstanding.  The first electric set was a bit rote. John Jackson played all the lead bits, I believe. After Jokerman and Senor, Bob began cramming all the phrases into the first half of the measure, creating a very rushed through feeling. I wouldn't mind if he retired TUIB for a while, or at least this arrangement. It was the half country with a rock-a-billy hook thrown in; really detracts from the story, IMHO. Be nice to see it in the acoustic set, maybe. Last night I was hoping to hear Every Grain of Sand. Oh well.

Acoustic set definitely the highlight. Bob became much more involved and attentive to his playing and singing. He played all the leads lines (as they were). The acoustic "Masters Of War" is a real treat after hearing it rocked out for so long now. The "money can't buy back your soul" and "stand over you grave" lines got generous approval by the crowd. A transcendent Baby Blue! He did all but the second verse, I think. I would give anything to hear this one over again in a nicer venue. I am sure it would have been incredibly moving; maybe the best version I have heard him do since Newport 65.

Sadly, the whole night was hampered by a rowdy and talkative crowd. (There was a large contingent of America's youth there to hear Beck, who played before Dylan, and they were moshing and smoking dope like I hadn't seen since my high school days in the 70's! Most stayed to see Bob and were into it, even moshing a bit during the driving In the Garden, but they were a bit annoying with their recurrent chant "everybody must get stoned" between numbers. Ah well, perhaps time will tell them that Bob is singing about more than big doobies and tabs of acid.)

The second electric set was much better, with In the Garden being the highlight. Bob doodled a few leads here and there, occasionally playing off John's lead. Bob said "thanks everybody" and intro'd the band as Maggie's Farm was cranking up and at the end and took a bow. He took two bows after the encore and stood looking out over the crowd for a bit, or maybe he was looking over at the mighty Miss.

He was wearing his black pinstripe jacket with a black shirt and, I do believe, a blue silk tie!

Joan Baez played a very nice set earlier in the day, though we missed the first half because they changed the schedule.  She did play Forever Young. There were several calls for Joan during Bob's set, but, alas, it was not to be. :-(

- Gary Parker (parkergv@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu)


Comment 3:
Well, the Memphis show was pretty hot. However, as Gary stated, the crowd did not contain a lot of Dylan fans, just casual listeners & youngn's lookin for a good time.

Crowd aside, Bob was in excellent voice on Sunday. Jokerman was good opener, but Senor was the early highlight. This is one of my personal favorites & the first time I've heard it live. The rest of the first electric set was good, but rather predictable. I personally enjoyed the uptempo country type TUIB, but yeah Gary, it would've been better acoustic, plus it seems as though Bob has settled back to the original lyrics from BOTT, oh well...

The acoustic stuff was great, & the bassist occassionally played with a bow, adding an errie feel to the songs. (Most apparent on Baby Blue, which was nice, and slow, and pretty).

Highway 61 was smoking hot. I LOVE Mr. Johnson's guitar playing & his stage presence. He enjoys himself & is a nice contrast to Bob's hard looks. Overall, I really think that Bob has a fantastic band this time (since 91 I guess) & I look forward to hearing some recorded work with them.

The damn crowd was pretty rowdy, & a high school type kid next to me even threw something at Bob that landed right between the 2 monitors in front of him. I also recall seeing at least one cup been hurled at the stage as well as some article of clothing being thrown at the guitarist (this didn't seem to bother him, in fact he just smiled a little bit more!).

- Tom Zubal (johnz45897@aol.com)


Comment 4:
Baby Blue WAS phenomenal...I was really blown away after hoping for perhaps a variance in this 3rd acoustic position after hearing it in that slot the last 2 or 3 shows...but found that he brought it to life all over again...slowed the pace and really put his voice out there. This may be due to the fact that it was the last show for awhile and he was beginning to feel the sense of...freedom after this extensive leg of touring...I know that even after going through the absolute mayhen during "Beck" at which time several of my friends bailed after standing there since 1pm...it was the worst crowd experience that I have had in a very very long time.  But during Bob...it was fine...we were no longer struggling for survival and I think that he smiled more than any of the 11 shows that I saw...he was really grinning during the instrumentals.

I went to far too many shows with too much activity & travelling to have kept up on any sort of reviewing but for me, Fort Wayne, IN... Bristol, TN, Valparaiso, IN & Memphis (in it's own way) were highlights. Well, Chicago was great also.  It's hard for me to keep in touch with all of the various elements when I'm in the front row...it becomes a lot more about the experience of interaction & the shared energy... 

- Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)


20 May 1994 - "Great Music Experience" Festival, Todaiji Temple, Nara,
              Japan
======================================================================
Known to have been rehearsed [this date or 21 May 1994?]:
The Times They Are A-Changin'

Concert setlist:
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
I Shall Be Released
Ring Them Bells

I Shall Be Released

Band: Backed by the house band with Ray Cooper, Jim Keltner (on drums) and The New Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (arranged by Micheal Kamen).

Comment:
On "I Shall Be Released" Dylan traded verses with Joni Mitchell.

Ry Cooder joined Dylan for one song, possibly on "Ring Them Bells".

The last song was a reprise with (virtually) the whole company taking part. Dylan was present but with guitar, barely contributing at all to the singing.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2847 and #2850, Isis #55)


21 May 1994 - "Great Music Experience" Festival, Todaiji Temple, Nara,
              Japan
======================================================================
Known to have been rehearsed [this date or 20 May 1994?]:
The Times They Are A-Changin'

Concert setlist:
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
I Shall Be Released
Ring Them Bells

I Shall Be Released

Band: Backed by the house band with Ray Cooper, Jim Keltner (on drums) and The New Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (arranged by Micheal Kamen).

Comment:
The last song was a reprise with (virtually) the whole company taking part. Dylan was present but with guitar, barely contributing at all to the singing.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2850, Isis #55)


22 May 1994 - "Great Music Experience" Festival, Todaiji Temple, Nara,
              Japan
======================================================================
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
I Shall Be Released
Ring Them Bells

I Shall Be Released [Everyone, Bob Dylan vocal only]

Broadcast: All but the last song were broadcast live on television and on Swedish radio. BBC 2 TV, England, broadcast the programme on 30 May 1994.
What about the finale? Which night was that from?

Band: Backed by the house band with Ray Cooper, Jim Keltner (on drums) and The New Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (arranged by Micheal Kamen). Everybody participated on the last, including Joni Mitchell, INXS, Jon Bon Jovi, lots of acts from Japan, with Dylan providing vocals only.

Comment 1:
Norwegian Newspaper Dagbladet, Oslo, wrote this on Saturday March 
26, 1994, and I translated into English:

-- Musical Experiment with Dylan --

May 22nd in Japan will see a very special and exiting musical experiment. Performing together will be Bob Dylan, INXS, Joni Mitcchell, a traditional Japanese orchestra, a 150 Buddhist monk choir, a symphony orchestra, The Chieftains, Ry Cooder, Wayne Shorter, ten Japanese drummers, Japanese jazz and rock musicians, and Roger Taylor from Queen.

This gang will put together their music in a Buddhist temple in something called "The Great Music Experience". The concert is part two of a total of seven to be held in the years to come.

- Karl Erik Andersen (karlerik@benoni.nbr.no)


Comment 2:
I didn't see anyone mention this (from a local Dutch paper, April 22, 1994): on May 22 Bob Dylan will appear in Japan, where a 'big international event' will take place called The Great Music Experience. There will be world wide TV coverage. The Experience is the first out of seven concerts to be held until the year 2000 - every year there will be one near a so called 'world heritage monuments' (a list made up by the UNESCO, the UN-organization that participates in the organization because they want to underline the importance of the so called 'Decade for Cultural Development'). The first time it will be the Todaiji Temple near Nara (Japan). The line up will be: Bob Dylan, Jon Bon Bovi, Inxs, Joni Mitchell, Ry Cooder, Roger Taylor, Wayne Shorter and The Chieftains. Also there will be performances by a Japanese Buddhist monk choir, a Gaguku orchestra and local rock stars (Yoshika, Hotei, Shokichi Kina and Koji Tamaki). The bands will be backed by a symphony orchestra, conducted by Michael Kamen. Producers: Producers Tribute (UK), which also produced Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' in Berlin (1989), The Nelson Mandela Tribute and Guitar Legends (Sevilla, where Bob also appeared). The final concert will be in the year 2000 in Beijing, in the former Emperor's Palace ('the forbidden city'). Other shows will take place in Mexico (Teotihuacan pyramides), Egypt (near the pyramides of Cairo), Cuba (Havanna), Iran (!, Persepolis) and India (Taj Mahal).

- Wim Vuijk (vuyk@let.rug.nl)


Comment 3:
Concert will be broadcast on BBC2 (date unknown). Featured artists include Bob Dylan, INXS, Jon Bon Jovi, Joni Mitchell and The Chieftans, alongside a host of Japanese stars.

- Craig Jamieson (RCJ@ula.cam.ac.uk)


Comment 4:
Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Jon Bon Jovi lead a crew of pop musicians heading for Japan to share a stage with a choir of 150 Buddhist monks and 10 masters of traditional Japanese drumming.  Late-May concert from a Buddhist temple in Nara will see Western stars rearrange some of their top hits with what Bon Jovi calls "a slight twist toward the country we're in.

- Blade-Citizen (north San Diego county daily) - Entertainment preview section


Comment 5:
Great Music Experience (Bank Holiday Monday, 30 May 1994, BBC2, 17:30-19:30)

Bob Dylan, Jon Bon Jovi, INXS, Joni Mitchell, Ry Cooder, Roger Taylor and  the Chieftains are among the western artists involved in the first Great Music Experience, working in collaboration with top Japanese musicians and
choirs.

Seven annual events, mounted by UNESCO on a vast global scale, will take us into the next millenium, and the inaugural event is being celebrated on Monday. Each year a number of international stars will have the opportunity to work with musicians from a particular culture: the first concert takes place in front of the eighth-century Buddhist Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan.

According to producer Debbie Geller, "The production will feature moments of sheer magic - such as drummers appearing through trap doors, walls of fire and performances on glass in front of the Buddha."

- Radio Times (UK)

Comment 6:
Bob sang three songs backed by the house band with the omnipresent Mr Keltner on drums and The New Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

A VERY impressive performance!! I haven't heard sing like this in years. This was the last of three performances (last of three identical concerts) they were well rehearsed, and the songs were nicely arranged for the big symphony orchestra. The whole thing is a joy to listen to. It was broadcast live by Swedish radio, but not on TV.

The concert ended, as all these events do, with a grand finale with everybody on stage, including Joni Mitchell, INXS, Jon Bon Jovi, lots of acts from Japan and they did I Shall Be Released, which was a bit surprising, considering Bob had already done it. Bob sang backup vocal only.

I hope they will release this stuff!

- Olof Bjorner (obr@hsn.sll.se)


Comment 7:
My first thought was: is he like this in 94? [...] A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall was introduced in Norwegian as Hard Rain, it seems from other postings here that this mistake was not by the Norwegian voice but from arrangers. Moreover, the I shall be released encore was introduced as a Kamen composition for the occasion.

Perhaps the great singing came from the microphone being so high, so that Bob had to stand more upright, voice-friendly?

- Vegard Balgaard Havdal (vbh@alkymi.unit.no)


Comment 8:
The last song was a reprise with (virtually) the whole company taking part. Dylan was present with guitar, sharing vocals with Joni Mitchell.

- Ian Woodward (The Wicked Messenger #2850, Isis #55)


3 July 1994 - La Fete de la Fraternite (Music festival), Parc
              Departemental du Bourget, Paris, France
=============================================================
To Be Alone With You
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Tangled Up In Blue
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Masters Of War
Mama, You've Been On My Mind
Highway 61 Revisited 
In The Garden 
Maggie's farm

["small break and some talk at the back of the stage!" - Daniel Martin (dmartin@univ-rennes1.fr)]

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me Babe

Duration: approx. 85 mins

Comment 1:
Dylan furious with John Jackson, apparently.

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


Comment 2:
The show lasted some 85mn before an estimated 100.000 during the '48 h de la Fraternite' concerts held in Le Bourget (north of Paris).

Bob seemed quite unsatisfied (to say the least) by his backing musicians (specially the lead guitarist, though Bob WAS the lead guitarist), grimacing a lot, stopping playing in middle of songs, kind of kicking this guitarist off the stage ...

Right from where I stood, 10 meters in front of him I could see him a few times his eyes staring up at the sky in a God-what-have-done-to-you manner!

The concert was not really great, though Bob's voice sounded far more better than on shows in Japan. There was a wonderful performance of Masters of War and funny quick versions of All Along The Watchtower and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right. But It Ain't Me Babe ended up as a really mess....

- Daniel Martin (dmartin@univ-rennes1.fr)


Comment 3:
Don't Think Twice: nobody except Dylan knew which song he started, the band members where looking at each other trying to find out which tunes to play.

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


4 July 1994 - Palais Des Sports, Besancon, France
=================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Under The Red Sky
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby, Tonight
Lady Came From Baltimore [(Tim Hardin)]
Masters Of War
Mama, You've been On My Mind
God Knows
Tears Of Rage
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm
What Good Am I? 
It Ain't Me, Babe

Duration: 100 mins

Comment 1:
Dylan played lead guitar all night. Reportedly a "great" show.

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net) [posting to rmd dated 4 July and said to be "Tonight's Set List - Partial"]


Comment 2:
It was up to 50 degree Celsius in the hall. I was fascinated about this 53-year-old man. A great show under these circumstances, one of the best I've ever seen. Very concentrated singing, jokes with the audience, but did not say a word (not even introduced the band).

"Lay Lady Lay": with short + wrong? harmonica solo.
"All Along The Watchtower": slower version than he did the tours before.
"The Lady Came From Baltimore": only not so good part of the show: I assume he wanted to sing more verses, but the the audience finished the sing by too early applause.
"Tears Of Rage": it's Independence Day.

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


5 July 1994 - Theatre Antibes Fourviere, Lyons, France
======================================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now 
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Love Minus Zero, No Limit [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Boots Of Spanish Leather [AB]
God Knows
I'll Remember You
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm
Man In The Long Black Coat
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Duration: 100 mins

Comment:
An old Roman amphitheatre, the most beautiful venue for a show I've ever seen.

"Love Minus Zero / No Limit": absolutely unrehearsed!, again the band did not recognize the song Bucky Baxter started with mandoline, soon went back to his steel guitar, and after a few seconds switched to dobro?
"Masters Of War": again very impressing, much emotions.

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


7 July 1994 - San Remo, Italy
=============================
Jokerman
The Man In Me
All Along The Watchtower 
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
Love Minus Zero / No Limit
Masters Of War
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Highway 61 Revisited
Shelter From The Storm
I Believe In You
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment:
(I only saw the Koeln show, so this is "hearsay")
A very small venue, 1500 people.

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


8 July 1994 - Sonoria '94 (music festival), Milan, Italy
========================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Love Minus Zero / No Limit
Masters Of War 
Boots Of Spanish Leather
God Knows 
Shelter From The Storm
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Format of festival: 3 day festival with Tom Petty, Van Morrison and Roger McGuinn, amongst others.

Comment:
(I only saw the Koeln show, so this is "hearsay")
Milano was a venue for 40,000 people. I don't know how many people were at this festival. But when Bob Dylan performed, there were only 2.000 left. Even during his show many young guys left the festival.

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


9 July 1994 - Music festival, Balingen (60km south-west of Stuttgart),
              Germany
======================================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
I Shall Be Released
Love Minus Zero / No Limit [AC]
Masters Of War [AC]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AC]
God Knows
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AC]

Duration: 100 mins
Format of festival: 2 days

Comment 1:
(I only saw the Koeln show, so this is "hearsay")
Many problems with the sound during the first songs. Worst show so far.

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


Comment 2:
Well, he seemed happy enough & I like I Shall Be Released & Ballad Of A Thin Man. But it was OK, nothing special.

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


Comment 3:
Short Concert Information:
When: 9.7.1994
Where: Balingen, 60km south of Stuttgart (Germany)
Type: 2-Day Open-Air
Visitors: difficult to say but around 10000
Price: 58 DM for one day
      100 DM for both days
Time Played: 100 min.

Dylan didn't say one word to the crowd but he introduced the band.
But at least for me it wasn't understandable

- Harald Neubauer (hdneubau@cip.e-technik.uni-erlangen.de)


Comment 3:
Despite of the concert being a mere oldie-show I liked it very much. Compared to the '87 show (Frankfurt, Germany) I've seen it was a quantum leap and it was an improvement in terms of singing over the '91 Bad Mergentheim show, while the later featured quite a few new songs. This time his singing was so clear and distinguished, I couldn't believe it. To prevent misunderstandings: He didn't sing polished as he did on Nashville Skyline (which I don't like), his voice was as raspy as ever, but you could understand the words. In '91 he did an acoustic song that was new to me and I hardly understood anything, though my English is quite good. This time his voice was in far better shape and he also seemed to want the audience to understand his singing.

But the most important about this concert to me was that he really seemed to enjoy the show. He played guitar solos and  swayed back and forth while playing the guitar. He even introduced his band and bowed to the audience after he finally left the stage!!

The show lasted approximately 100 minutes, with the songs being rather long, sometimes a bit too long for me. The improvisations sometimes seemed to lead nowhere, so less would have been more here. The songs were played in very much the same way as during the last Hammersmith-Odeon shows (I don't remember the exact title of the bootleg-CD, since I'm at the university now, but I will look it up if someone's interested. But his singing did more then make up for the sometimes over-long improvisations. 

The only flaw was the lack of more recent material, but maybe that was because he had to adress a mixed audience, parts of which had come to the festival because of other bands who were playing there.

- Dirk Tannhaeuser (dktannha@faui62.informatik.uni-erlangen.de)


10 July 1994 - Tanzbrunnen (=bank of the river - Rhinepark?), Kšln (also 
               known as: Cologne), Germany. A Dylan-only concert.
========================================================================
Soundcheck:
Shooting Star [vocal: John Jackson ?]
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Lot To Cry [vocal: John Jackson ?]
Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 (instrumental)
I Want You (instrumental)
Jokerman (instrumental)
Black Muddy River (instrumental)

Comment:
I Want You: they played a quick and a slow part of this.
Jokerman: partial.
Black Muddy River: only the opening, if at all.

- Karl-Heinz Meurer (jokerman@andrej.informatik.rwth-aachen.de)

Concert setlist:
Jokerman
The Man In Me
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Love Minus Zero / No Limit [AC]
Masters Of War [AC]
Boots Of Spanish Leather [AC]
God Knows
I Believe In You
Maggie's Farm

Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35
It Ain't Me, Babe [AC]

Band introduced: beginning of "Maggie's Farm".
Duration: 100 mins

Comment 1:
"Love Minus Zero / No Limit": a highlight, much better than the unrehearsed version in Lyon.

A good show, but nothing special. He made a good work, but I don't think he had much fun.

I hope to see more changes in the setlist the next shows!

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


Comment 2:
[Re: Heinrich Gerkepott's in "Comment 1":] I think you are a bit tough on him. MASTERS OF WAR and GOD KNOWS (especially) were wonderful, I thought. Also it was good to see him enjoying the 2nd electric set so much. The Germans, perhaps, had other things on their mind?!? :-) 

- Andrew Muir (andrewm@zimmy.win-uk.net)


Comment 3:
Open air venue. Best Dylan concert I've ever seen!

- Marco Leist (leist@sol.cs.uni-sb.de)


Comment 4:
I would have liked if had played some songs from WGW or GAIBTY though I didn't expect it since I saw the setlists from the concerts in France. When we were waiting we could already hear the soundcheck of Rainy Day Woman and I was pleased when he played it in the encore. All acoustic songs were really great, and my favourite song Love Minus Zero was played in the best version I ever heard!

- Andreas Meyer (wobisch@desy.de)


Comment 5:
The Koln venue was great as far as the stage position & it is always unique to stand 8 feet from Bob in broad daylight.  "Man in Me" was excellent...I am trying to share whatever thoughts flow from my mind...I was extremely pleased to see my friend Ray Webster there & to meet Heinrich Gerkepott...the comaraderie amongst us when touring is always special! "Love Minus Zero" was heartfelt & "I Believe in You" in Koln was a treat for me.  The songs mirrored the recent midwest tour...but as always Bob is able to translate new feeling & individual flavor to the performances as time moves on.

- Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)


12 July 1994 - Jazz Festival, Stravinsky Hall, Montreux, Switzerland
====================================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

Love Minus Zero / No Limit
Masters Of War
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

God Knows
Shooting Star
Maggies Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment:
Great show. Good sound. The highlights were: Tangled up in blue (very strong), the acoustic set with Love minus zero (beautiful) and Masters of war (excellent). Dylan seemed to enjoy the concert and was very concentrated during the acoustic set.

- Christoph Laeng (LAENG@ioc.unibe.ch)


--

14 July 1994 - S.F.Z., Graz, Austria
====================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
Every Grain Of Sand
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Mama You Been On My Mind
Masters Of War
Love Minus Zero / No Limit
God Knows
I And I
Maggie's Farm
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment:
Schwarzl Freizeitzentrum, outdoor, ca 3000-4000 people (like all further estimates might be completely wrong), 2 support acts, a local band and Hans Theesing (NL) and a friend on Tuba, very good blues music including a nice version of I Can't Be satisfied

One of the highlights for me, great versions of 'Every Grain Of Sand' and 'I And I'.

- Heinrich Gerkepott (gerkepott@espel.picker.de)


15 July 1994 - Hohe Warte, Vienna Jazz Festival, Vienna, Austria
================================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow [AC]
Mama, You're On My Mind [AC]
Masters Of War [AC]
Love Minus Zero / No Limit [AC]
God Knows
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AC]

Comment:
The old man is still very much alive :-] Especially the acoustic sets were overwhelming. Indeed he was SOO good that I'm going to see him again next Sunday in Gotha (Germany).

- Andreas Manessinger (Andreas.Manessinger@imrryr.adv.magwien.gv.at)


16 July 1994 - Sportovni Hala, Prague, Czechoslovakia
=====================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Love Minus Zero / No Limit
Masters Of War
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
God Knows
I Shall Be Released
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe
Blowin' In The Wind

Comment 1:
Here are some other tips for those of you coming for the Prague concert, July 16 (see my previous posting 10 ago for details). I thank everybody who cared to mail a note of appreciation for my last info.

Cheap accommodation:
Student hostels (university dorms open for public during summer): No student cards needed though!

Kolej Sinkule    
address:     Zikova 13
             160 00 Praha 6 - Dejvice
Getting there: Underground station 'Dejvicka' (line A)
               follow the signs (100m)
Price:       double room:  230,- Kc per night (approx 13DM)
Quality:     surprisingly good (see the price - no rats! ;-) )
             common utilities
             very quiet neighbourhood, close to center, park your car 
             outside or at one of the payed&guarded lots nearby.

Koleje Strahov
a huge complex of university dorms-pick one of the blocks and just check in
address:    Strahov 
            a hill near the center, opposite a large stadium 
             (the Rolling Stones in 1992)
            no street names needed (might not even exist :-( )
Getting there: from nearby underground station 'Dejvicka'
            take bus 217;
            get to 'Malovanka' (trams no 8 from underground 'Hradcanska',
            or 22 from underground 'Malostranska') and change to a bus 
            there (a stop below the hill)  or walk up the hill (10 minutes)
Price:      don't know exactly, same range as above, maybe less
Quality:    Not too qood, you get a little double-bed cell,  
            common facilities (again see the price before complaining)

Expensive accommodation:
ask the cab driver at the airport

Other tips & tricks
One ride on any public transport means is 6,- Kc, not valid after changing. Tickets available at newsstands or from machines, sometimes from the staff at the exit of the station. At some stations tourist tickets are available, but usually don't pay off (50,- for 1 day) unless you hate walking.
All distances in the center are walkable.

Car drivers: Use one of the guarded lots (e.g. at 'Palachovo namesti'), oposite the Diplomat Hotel near Dejvicke namesti, at 'Letenska Plan' etc. Cars do get robbed||stolen (as anywhere else). Audi is the Most Wanted make.

Follow the signs on the way to the center. The main route from Germany Cheb, Pilsen, Praha) - the autobahn- will bring you to the center safely. Avoid entering the historical center (along the river) - traffic is heavy most of the time, no parking in the street.

Dylan related news: opening band will be a local folk music group (name still kept secret). BD videos and the 30 anniversary show are being shown on a large screen at the main 'Vaclavske' square starting today. Some tickets are still available from  the agents.

See you at the concert.

Paja

- Pavel Dvorak (dvorakp@feld.cvut.cz)


Comment 2:
According to the Reuters newswire, Dylan was greeted in the Czech Republic by Vaclav Havel.  Reuters estimated the concert attendance at 15,000 and said that Dylan played three encores, the last being "Blowin' in the Wind."

- Adam K. Powers (akp1@midway.uchicago.edu)


Comment 3:
Bob gives Havel one of his guitar and book of his lyrics. Rumours also said that Mr. Dylan waiting several days with his agreement for that chat.

Before Dylan's concert in Prag one TV station claimed that they had promised TV interview with Dylan. This claim was based on Prague organizer promises. I guess that not necessary said when interview was done ;-)

- Karel Coufal (coufal@fme.vutbr.cz)


Comment 4:
BOB DYLAN MEETS HAVEL, DAZZLES CZECH AUDIENCE

PRAGUE, July 17 (Reuter) - Czech President Vaclav Havel added to his list of meetings with visiting entertainers this weekend when American folk and rock legend Bob Dylan made his first concert appearance in Prague.

Others to be greeted by Havel since the overthrow of communism here in in 1989 are the British Rolling Stones group and American singer Paul Simon.

Dylan, 53, and Havel, 57, met backstage on Saturday before the American singer captivated an ecstatic crowd of 15,000 for 100 minutes at an ice hockey arena in the Czech capital. No details of what was described as a private chat appeared in a statement issued by Havel's office.

Clouds of cigarette and marijuana billowed in the air of the arena, where heat-wave-driven temperatures edged towards 40 degrees centigrade (about 100 fahrenheit).

The 15 songs Dylan performed included the 1960s' hits "Maggie's Farm," "It Ain't Me Babe," "Love Minus Zero" and "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" as well as "Tangled Up In Blue" and "The Simple Twist of Fate" from the 1970s.

He finished a three-song encore with the folk anthem "Blowin' In the Wind," his first hit 32 years ago.

Dylan is on a European tour that has already taken him to France and Austria. His next stops will be Poland and Germany.

- Reuter [RTw  07/17 0826]


Comment 5:
I have recently returned from my Europe trip...I went to Balingen, Koln & unexpectedly...impulsively to Prague.  All three shows were a pleasure... Koln & Prague being higher energy...& Prague inspired Bob especially. I managed to be front & center at each show...which in any case makes me very happy!  I assume the set lists are already posted here & that you all know that Bob continued his encore to play "Blowin' in the Wind"...seemingly to the surprise of the band.  He then after leaving the stage returned again swiftly...rather than in his usual swagger with the victory sign and deep bows in place of the standard nod of the head.  He was definitely pleased with the show & the audience was overwhelmed.  It was about 100 degrees and I think that everyone was drenched, but it did not matter...we were living another wonderful moment in history.

- Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)


Comment 6:
A good show so far [when It Ain't Me, Babe had finished] but now: The band already made a step back, some people already turned away, but another chord followed, Bob Dylan started to play "Blowin In The Wind" and after short communication the band joined.
After the song they left the stage but Bob returned once again with the victory sign.

An hour or so after the show we saw Vaclav Havel leave the venue.

Very nice posters w