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 were sold outside the hall. Tickets were the most beautiful I saw since a few years. Thanks a lot the the organizers for there care to prepare this show

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


17 July 1994 - Zeebreeze, Katovice [Krakov], Poland
===================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower 
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Shelter From The Storm
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Masters Of War
Blowin' In The Wind [or is this "The Times They Are A-Changin'", as reported by Heinrich Gerkepott?]

Comment 1:
Torrential rain held up the start. Looked doubtful if show would go ahead. Dylan arrived to rapturous cheers & proceeded to play:

The lights went out during the first verse, Dylan played it thropugh to the end. The rain still poured down. He had to leave the stage. The lights never came back on, the rain never ceased, the show was abandoned at this
point.....

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


Comment 2:
After 8 hours and very little sleep that night we arrived at Krakov intime to get tickets and rooms for the night. Everything was OK so far. Ticket prices were very low (18 DM = 11-12 US$).

When we arrived at the stadium we were shocked the first time: no beer!!! means we had nothing cold to drink against our thirst after that long travel, only sugary Coca Cola and Fanta. And the sausages ... (our first food after breakfast, offered by the second sponsor Marlboro) more than terrible, shame on them!! 

But nothing against what should follow.

When the support act nearly finished the rain started, after one second we were absolutely wet, after the next second even the underwear was wet.

Long break after the support act, and clothes dried a bit. Water had to be moved from the roof of the stage. During this time they did not sell any more tickets because it was not sure that the show would start ('Hearsay' from friends who arrived at this time)

Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower (rain started but not heavy so remained in front 
  row)
I Don't Believe You (rain was as heavy as before show, so I left my 
  position and listened to the next songs from inside a tunnel)
Tangled Up In Blue
Shelter From The Storm
Love Minus Zero (I could not hear this song in the tunnel so i left looking 
  for another place where i could the songs at least)
Masters Of War
  (I left the stadium)
The Times They Are A-Changin' (my friends told me the rest)
  (Andrew, you'll have to correct your listings)
 
Some guys came on stage and made a speech in Polnish. Bob bowed to the audience and left the stage. they said something that he will return next year.

I could not ever imagine that I'd leave a Bob Dylan show before he finished!

In the rain we caught a cold, so we decided to miss Warszawa.

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


19 July 1994 - Congress Hall, Warsaw, Poland
============================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Mama, You've Been On My Mind
Masters Of War
Love Minus Zero
God Knows
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm

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

Comment 1:
Not as good as previous shows.

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


Comment 2:
One of the best concert of the tour. The concert was sold out. The hall was the best of Warschau, only seats. Bob's voice was very clear and soft. Robert and his band played all songs very exact with short ends and In The Garden was one of the best song in this show (much better than in the opening show in Paris). Bob enjoyed this evening like the evening in Prag. At the end he played also an extra song Blowing In The Wind, and left the stage with the victory sign.

- Lothar Seybold (lseybold@urz-mail.urz.uni-heidelberg.de)


21 July 1994 - Freilichtbuhne am Elbufer [Banks of the Elbe], Dresden,
               Germany
=======================================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
Every Grain Of Sand
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mr. Tambourine Man
Masters Of War
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
God Knows
Joey
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment 1:
Dylan in fine form, enjoying himself hugely. Best German show so far - though God Knows not as good as in Koeln. Tambourine Man was a particularly effective & affecting slow version. Dylan particularly enjoyed Joey. 

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


Comment 2:
Nice venue, outdoor a few meters away from the river Elbe.

Much press coverage before and after the show. 2 of the 3 newspapers wrote 12000 people but I think the 3rd paper was right: 6000.

Maybe he did Watching The River Flow because he was only 15-20 meters away from the Elbe.

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


23 July 1994 - Freillichtbuhne Peissnitz, Halle, Germany
========================================================
Soundcheck:
Long Black Veil [rehearsed by the band and sung by John Jackson]

Concert setlist:
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Love Minus Zero/No Limit [AB]
God Knows
I Shall Be Released [Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues alternative on selist]
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man [Highway 61 Revisited alternative on selist]
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Duration: 105 mins
Band introduction: during "Maggie's Farm"
Venue: Small open air theatre, some seats

Comment 1:
The band's set list was somewhat juicier and this didn't help the return to "normality" - barring song 6 - from Dresden's list which I thought sounded superb.

[PS Just to let you know I've not been at a show since Koeln, I'm merely transcribing from the 'phone line.]

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


Comment 2:
On the original set list it was written 'Highway 61' instead of 'I shall be  released'. It was a good atmosphere in Halle and Dylan seemed to enjoy the concert.

He introduced the band during 'Maggie's farm' but as usual he did not speak to the audience and considering the set list, there was nothing more to say.

- Torsten Fenske (fenske@namu01.gwdg.de)


24 July 1994 - Schloss Friedenstein, Gothe (near Erfurt), Germany
=================================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
One Too Many Mornings [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Love Minus Zero/No Limit [AB]
Cat's In The Well
Knocking on Heaven's Door
Maggie's Farm
Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35
It ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Venue: In the garden of a castle.

Comment 1:
A very fine concert in the park of the castle `Schlo_ Friedenstein'. For all who don't know, Gotha is a small town in the south-west of the former GDR, about 30km west of Erfurt. The castle is on a hill, the highest point in Gotha and it seems unproportionally huge. So is the park. Well, we had nice weather and Dylan was in the mood :-]

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


Comment 2:
Beautiful venue, looking to the stage you had on your left an old museum, on the right some large trees on s nice sea. First rock concert that ever took place there. kind of a sunday afternoon picnic athmosphere.

The sharpest security I've ever seen. Now I know where all the STASI people have gone. Thanks to Marek Lieberberg for this STASI group. The security did even shout all the time during the acoustic songs. Hope somebody responsible for this reads this posting.

Positively 4th Street (a friend turned around and said "Boring to death
  tonight" and then started
One Too Many Mornings (very fine version)
Knockin' On Heaven's Door (much better than in 1993)

A very fine show.

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


25 July 1994 - Ostseehalle, Kiel, Germany
=========================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
Disease Of Conceit
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Love Minus Zero/No Limit [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
Man In The Long Black Coat [Lenny Bruce alternative on planned setlist]
Maggie's farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
Girl From The North Country [AB]

Duration: 105 or 120 mins?
Venue: Indoor, 7,000 capacity.

Comment 1:
The only thing resembling a surprise here is Girl From The North Country; I am not aware that they have played that recently. But the show was good, 105 minutes. As a rule, very articulate singing. As is often the case, to me the acoustic numbers stood out, especially Baby Blue and Girl...

[...] Surely, they put a lot of energy into Highway 61.

- Lars Doevling Andersen (lda@iesd.auc.dk)


Comment 2:
I have just arrived home after a 12 hour drive without any sleep after the show (900 km + 2 ferries), and before I go to sleep I would just like to second Lars' opinions. 

The first appearance of Disease of Conceit during the European tour is perhaps also a surprise!

The sound was great with a perfect balance between vocals and instruments, so that Bob could be heard perfectly and you could hear that his voice sounds better than it has for many years.

[...] I regret that I did not go to more than this show on the european tour. It seems that most of the shows were very good, and if you saw all 17 shows you would get to hear at least 50 different songs! (I have not seen any setlists from Graz or Prague yet, so I don't know the exact number.)

- Sven Erick Alm (sea@bellatrix.tdb.uu.se)


Comment 3:
Best Dylan show I've seen so far (starting with his 1978 appearance in Germany)! He seemed to be in good shape and enjoying the show. Even the first songs, which used to be a bit 'difficult' for both, Dylan and his audience ;-), this time were excellent. And: Dylan was SINGING his songs, not just mumbling down the verses! (Sometimes I felt like listening to the 'Hard Rain' album...)

- Thies Meyer (tm@informatik.uni-kiel.d400.de)


Comment 4:
Not so many people, maybe 3000

It's All Over Now Baby Blue (maybe the finest version of this song I ever
  heard and maybe the highlight of this tour)
Masters Of War (a woman climed on stage was brought away by security)

What a great final of this tour. 

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


10 August 1994 - State Theater, Portland, Maine
===============================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
I Shall Be Released
Maggie's Farm

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

Duration: approx. 105 mins.

Comment 1:
[Written before the concert took place]
This theater was recently renovated and is beautiful. Renovations to the balcony are still in progress. The balcony work is expected to be completed two weeks before the Dylan show and will add another 700 to 800 seats. For now, the balcony seats are not being sold because it isn't certain whether the work will be finished.

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)

Comment 2:
Dylan was enunciating well with standout guitar picking and harmonica solos. An above average performance with an all too standard song selection. Great audience response, though.

- Jon B Casper (casper@world.std.com)


Comment 3:
Report says a good, tight show.

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


Comment 4:
Here's something that may be of interest. In a warm-up to Woodstock Dylan played the State theatre in Portland, ME which consisted of a sold-out crowd of 1,500. I didn't make it (tickets sold out FAST) but the Portland Press Herald gave the concert rave reviews. He played with a 4 peice band and played songs from his entire career. The concert lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes.

- Scott Tirrell (STIRRE31@MAINE.MAINE.EDU)


Comment 5:
I have only seen one other show, but Bob was in rare form tonite, IMHO. I loved every minute. The solos were long, but so well done I didn't mind, Don't think twice and Masters of War being probably my favorites. Maybe it was because I was so lucky to get tickets, or the company I was with, but I loved it so much. Two thumbs up.

- Tom Hart (thart@wpi.edu)


11 August 1994 - Big Birch Concert Pavillion, Patterson, New York
=================================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Masters Of War
Boots Of Spanish Leather
God Knows
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment 1:
A great venue. The best vocal performance in years (he sung his heart out). A woman jumped on stage and danced (Bob looked shocked but laughed, he seemed to get more relaxed after this). Just a great show (I was in 10th row). Everyone stood the ENTIRE show. Security allowed everyone to approach the stage.

- Mike Geller (mjg@moss.emsp.att.com)


Comment 2:
"With her fog, her amphetamine, and her blue eyes"

That's how Dylan sang the line in "Just Like a Woman" at the Patterson show.  Has anyone heard the "blue eyes" before?

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)


Comment 3:
I saw Dylan the other night in Patterson NY and although the show was not bad it just seemed too mechanical. You had the impression that you could wake him up in the middle of the night, lead him to a microphone and he could go through the moves.

- George Rothe (georger@ost.com)


Comment 4:
[...] I did hear an instrumental version of West LA Fadeaway during the soundcheck this summer at Patterson NY (Big BIrch)..still maybe the best dylan show Ive seen...

- Michael Skliar (TFSG53A@prodigy.com)


12 August 1994 - Stratton Mountain, Stratton (near Manchester), Vermont
=======================================================================
Soundcheck (without Dylan) included: Desolation Row, Like A Rolling Stone and Tomorrow Night.

Concert setlist:
Jokerman
The Man In Me
All Along The Watchtower
Positively 4th Street
Tangled Up In Blue
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Lot To Cry
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows 
Man In The Long Black Coat
Maggie's Farm

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

Duration: 100 mins.

Comment 1:
Good show. Very enthusiastic crowd. Dylan's guitar playing quite good, harmonica playing not so good (and he seemed unhappy about it).

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)


Comment 2:
Quick! Check your atlas. Go to the page for Vermont and try to find Stratton (no fair consulting the index!)  Anyway, Bob played Stratton on August 12, 1994, at Stratton Mountain. The mountain is a ski area in winter, but in the summer they erect this huge tent, and the bands play under the tent. You can sit under the tent, or outside the tent under the grass. My seat was in the fifth row, right side. Great view of Bob.

Opening act was Cellophane, although only the guitarist and bass player showed up! They still played some really good stuff! Then... the lights went out. 4 or 5 shady figures could be seen coming up on the stage.... "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Would you please welcome, Columbia recording artist, Bob Dylan!" And the crowd goes nuts!

There was probably around three thousand people in atendance, only about 700 or so fit under the tent.  The last time I saw Bob was under a tent.  Must be something about Bob, me, and tents!  Bob was wearing a black silk shirt, untucked, with white stripes on it and like a silk kercheif tied around his neck.  The man looks great for being 53 years old.  Black pants, with a single stripe of rhinestones going down it.

1) Jokerman.  Excellent version, very strong singing.  The band is very competetent, and seems to be the same band Bob was using when I saw him in '92.

2) The Man in Me.  Nice song. Well done.

3) All Along the Watchtower.  Really revs up the crowd.  I am sadly, bored with this tune.  Bob has better songs in his catalogue to play than this one.

4) Positively 4th Street.  Last time I saw Bob he played this song, and you never get tired of this one.  If you ever had any doubt this is a bitter song, Bob proved it tonight.  He spit out the words "You gotta lotta nerve"  and "You just wanna be on the side that's winnin'".  Bob and his guitarist start dueling on guitars, striking similar poses, and getting real close to each other during the duels.  They even do a synched guitar pose walk from the back to the front of the stage.

5) Bob and the band start to play Simple Twist of Fate.  Everyone is happy, and Bob moves to the microphone and starts to sing Tangled Up in Blue.  The guitarist looks shocked, the bassist stops for a beat, even Bob stops for a second, looks at them and laughs.  Off they go into Tangled. Very nice version, although I miss the wordchanges Bob brought in from 78 to 84.  I wonder why he's back to just doing the original version now...?

6) It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes A Train to Cry.  Totally unexpected, and incredibly well done!  Very bluesy, very electrified.  More songs like this instead of another Watchtower, or ;sigh; Maggie.

7) Mr. Tambourine Man.  The band goes accoustic.  Strong singing.

8) Masters of War.  If this largely young crowd thought Bob was just a boogoe band (which they did in the early part), they listened attentively as Bob enunciated the words more clearly than he has in awhile.  Very moving. Acoustic.

9) It's All Over Now Baby Blue.  Different phrasing made the song unknown to the person next to me.  I provided assistance.  Acoustic.

10) God Knows.  Electric.  Very well done.  Halfway through the song, about 300 people leave their seats and move to the front of the stage.  Bob steps back a little, but otherwise no reaction.

11) Man in the Long Black Coat.  Another treat.  Bob mugs with the people in the front of the stage as he does some overblown guitar solo posing.

12) Maggie's Farm.  Totally expected (by me at least).  The lights dimmed between each song, and after Man..., Bob says something to the bassist, who nods and off they go.  The problem.... the guitarist audibly shouts to the bassist, "what's the song?"  who shouts back "maggie".

As the song winds down, Bob, in typical 50 MPH Bobspeak, says "Thankyouverymuchyou'vebeenawonderfulaudience.  Iwannaintroducethebandtoyou." And proceeds to introduce the band (or was he providing road directions on how to get out of Stratton?). Bob bows, leaves.  Crowd screams, hollers, etc.  Bob comes back.

13) Rainy Day Women #12 & #35.  The crowd goes nuts, and Bob lets the crowd shout the "Everybody Must Get Stoned" line once.  Bob starts pointing at the crowd, and even grins once.

14) It Ain't Me Babe.  To paraphrase someone's review of an earlier show, "Oh, but it is Bob".  Acoustic.  Bob really enunciates the words, painfully, and seems to really have some feeling.  A few wet eyes in the crowd.  Bob extends the song, while his guitarist looks quizically at him, trying to figure when he'll end the song.

It's over!  Great show, well worth the ride (what the heck, Vermont is beautiful anyway!).

- Doug Poulin (poulin@ctron.com)


14 August 1994 - Woodstock Festival (25th Anniversary), Woodstock, New
                 York.
======================================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
God Knows
I Shall Be Released
Highway 61 Revisited

Rainy Day Woman #12 & #35
It Ain't Me Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
From http://metaverse.com/woodstock/countdown/pages.html I clipped this:

DAY 3 : SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SCHEDULES ANNOUNCED
Tentative performance schedules for Woodstock '94 on Saturday and Sunday are as follows:
 
Saturday. August 14: 
North Stage: Joe Cocker, Blind Melon, Cypress Hill, Rollins Band, Melissa Etheridge, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Aerosmith South Stage: The Cranberries, Zucchero, Youssou N'Dour, The Band, Primus, Salt-N-Pepa 

Sunday. August 15: 
North Stage: Sisters of Glory (featuring Thelma Houston, CeCe Peniston, Phoebe Snow, Mavis Staples and Lois Walden), Arrested Development, Allman Brothers, Traffic, Spin Doctors, Porno for Pyros, BOB DYLAN, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Peter Gabriel.

South Stage: W.O.M.A.D. (featuring Xalem, The Justin Trio, Geoffry Oryema and Hassan Hakmoun), Green Day, Neville Brothers, Paul Rodgers' "Rock + Blues Review," Santana, Jimmy ClifFs Reggae Jam (featuring Rita Marley, Diana King, Worl-A-Girl, Toots and Eek-A-Mouse)

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


Comment 2:
Now that it's behind us, let the debate begin!

I tried to watch Bob's show on the PPV Woodstock as objectively as possible and avoid the "This man is God!" attitude that at the time convinced me his Live Aid set was great.  And with my unbiased eyes and ears, ;-) I still have to say that Bob certainly exceeded my expectations. Of course one can argue that instead of taking advantage of the chance to showcase some unusual and tremendous material, he played the same handful of common (but still tremendous) tunes.While those of us who keep up with every sound Bob makes might find this set redundant, people who are familiar with Bob mainly through FM radio would recognize most of these songs and relate to them in concert.  And I think this describes the majority of the crowd at Woodstock.  If he had walked on stage with an acoustic guitar and opened with "Up To Me" I'm sure I would still be in too much of a daze to type.  But many of the crowd would have stared blankly.

What struck me about the crowd was that at times they were nearly silent, but it was a captivated silence.  They had been silent earlier in the weekend during Blind Melon's set featuring some big-time Jim Morrison wannabe antics from Shannon Hoon.  But that looked from their appearance like apathy, not interest.  During Bob's set, they seemed fixed on what he was playing and saying.  He had a lot more impact with the passion of "Masters of War" than Porno for Pyros had with their "mime-simulating-throat slashing while Perry Farrell acts out choking the guitarist" routine.

I, for one, was very happy for Bob and for myself since I got to see the PPV.  I was watching with my in-laws and their next-door neighbors, all in their late forties.  At one point I caught my mother-in-law, who for some reason tried to conceal her enthusiasm, watching Bob's set in another room where she could dance in private.  She was happily embarrassed.  Then my father-in-law burst into the room mid-set and sarcastically yelled, "Alright, Dylan!"  He remained silent after I asked him if he had ever arrived late for mass and charged in yelling, "Alright, Jesus!" ;-)

-  Mark Hausman (mhausman@warren.med.harvard.edu)


Comment 3:
...I'm happy to report that Dylan did not disappoint and was in fine form. He seemed to get an enthusiastic response from the crowd of 300,000 Gen X'rs and probably surprised not a few of them expecting something mellow and perhaps dated.

Tight throughout, with a few moments where things *could* have fallen apart if not for the alert band now very attuned to Dylan's habit of winging it, and with some of the best phrasing he's done in a long time, Dylan put on a powerful show while at the same time doing nothing more than his usual touring show, although slightly abbreviated. Clearly, Woodstock was just another concert for him and nothing particularly special, but still it was obvious that he was determined to do his very best.

"Jokerman" was a little shaky compared to some other recent versions I've heard, but still it turns out to be the best opener he's done since "Subterranean Homesick Blues" back in 1988. "Just Like a Woman" gave Bob a chance to display his unique phrasing and he did quite a good job on this one, which has never been a favorite of mine to hear live. "All Along the Watchtower" was a little slower than usual and phrased VERY differently than usual. I thought it was excellent, and so apparently did the audience. At one point during the instrumental break one of the guitarists (Jackson?) kicked on the wah-wah pedal, ala Jimi Hendrix! Then came the powerful slow blues of "It Takes a Lot To Laugh", and the vocal performance just kept getting better and better. One of the highlights of the show.

The acoustic portion began with a fine "Don't Think Twice" followed by an amazing "Masters of War", performed in Eddie Vedder style, using the same arrangement as that of the BobFest tribute concert. The audience was held captive and not a sound could be heard other than Bob and the band. "Baby Blue" was next, and a most unusual arrangement too. With the bowed bass and slow tempo, the song took on a sad and mournful character. Again, the audience was held.

Returning to electric guitar with "God Knows", there was a slight stumble throughout the song but not particularly noticable amid the clash and clatter of electric guitars and drums. Another highlight of the set was "I Shall Be Released". Bob sang the hell out of this one and the guitar break with all three players soloing at the same time was pretty spectacular as it wound up to a frenzy and the crashed down into the final verse. Bob played lots of lead guitar throughout the set, and he seems to have improved somewhat. Finally a medium temp, slide guitar laden "Highway 61 Revisited" closed out the main portion of the show and the audience demanded an encore. They came back out to play "Rainy Day Women" followed by the obligatory, and perfect finale "It Ain't Me Babe". The entire show a triumph, and Bob may have made some new fans!

Some surprise omissions: "Times They Are A-Changin'", "Hard Rain", "Blowin' In the Wind", "Tangled Up In Blue". Songs I would have loved to have heard: "Man In the Long Black Coat", "I and I", "Memphis Blues Again", "Like a Rolling Stone"... Ah well, still a fine show.

- John Howells (howells@netcom.com)


Comment 4:
Dylan was in good form.  He didn't match up to NIN's [Nine Inch Nails'] level, but this isn't 1966.  As John Howells has posted, Dylan seemed determined to establish this as just another gig on the current tour.  The set-list didn't wary a whole lot from the one's preceding it; Dylan didn't have anything more to say to this audience than he does any other these days; the band was the same, no special appearances (I'll bet dozens of the artists on site would have jumped at the chance to guest for a song with Bob; and wouldn't it have been lovely if Garth Hudson had ambled onto stage, if only to play the squeeze-box for a song! But Dylan wasn't going to let anything give the impression that this was a bigger event than,say, last Friday's show in Vermont). Even Dylan's fine performance seems to have been simply an extension of how he's been performing of late, judging from recent reports to r.m.d.

I thought Dylan's set was a triumph of performance over a regrettably -- though hardly surprisingly -- unimaginative set list.

As soon as I heard the intro to "Jokerman" (1st song), I knew the chances were slim that Dylan would veer from the set-lists established earlier this Spring.  But "Jokerman" *is* a fine opener for a show.  It rocks, it's reasonably familiar (closest thing to a hit single he's had in 20 years; the video at least crops up every now and then, unlike all the other videos he's made which tend to get a couple of airings and then disappear); it's less than 25 years old!

Dylan's performance of "All Along The Watchtower" (3rd) got me wondering if he wasn't tweaking the audience a bit. Thanks to the Hendrix cover, I'd imagine that, to most of the crowd, this was the most familiar song Dylan played all evening.  But his trick of singing the song's lines in pairs as if they were one ("Allalongthewatchtowerprinceskepttheview", instead of "All a-long the watch-tow-er, (half-beat) Prin-ces kept the view") and singing the line-pairs quite fast, seems like it might have been an attempt to defeat what the audience was expecting to hear at the beginning of each familiar line.  At least, throw off the rhythm of their anticipation.  For most of the other songs, Dylan seemed quite content to draw out the phrasings and stretch the syllables as long as they could go.

The big surprise to me in the set was "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" (4th).  I didn't remember seeing this in any of the recent set-lists (but I've since read Doug Poulin's report that it was previewed at the Stratton, VT show the day before.)  Did a great job.

The next biggest surprise to me was how wonderful I thought "Don't Think Twice" (5th) sounded.  I thought I was sick of this song, but Dylan's performance pulled me in like it was brand new!

I also liked hearing "God Knows", for the fact it's a contemporary composition if nothing else, but he sang it with great feeling, too!

All in all, a first-rate job.  I don't think Dylan converted anyone in the audience who wasn't already a fan (his voice was too drawl-ly to be seductive to the neophyte or skeptic, I think), but to his fans, he delivered shopworn goods (the song selection) in as pretty a package as anyone could hope for.

- Ross Whitwam (REW4@psuvm.psu.edu)


Comment 5:
#1: Bob looked fantastic.  Skinny as 1986. Not too many smiles, though - I don't think he had much fun with this one.  He might  have been a bit bewildered by the breasts & bodysurfing.  I swear he did look great.

#2: His voice sounded pretty bad.  I hope this is not the "fine voice" that I keep hearing about in the recent shows.  Supper club voice was far better IMHO [...]. No one could understand him without a working knowledge of the songs. Ironic that criticism of his singing was once partly because of his super-articulation.  The clearest vocals were (predictably) in the acoustic set.

#3:  My family thought the band sounded great.  I wondered why the band insists on playing 2-3 solos at once.  J.J. will be soloing, and Bob will be doing the same.   Makes things kinda muddy.  I noticed that the endings were not quite as long as they usually are (for which I was grateful).  The Allman Brothers were far better IMHO.

#4:  The set list was about what I expected, though I wonder if Blowing in the Wind was omitted out of sheer spite :-).  Rainy Day was an obvious crowd pleaser (wonder how many thousands headed for another joint).  Blowing....would have been nice, particularly since I didn't care much for the arrangement of "It Ain't Me, Babe".

#5:  The highlights for me were "Takes A Lot..." and "Masters of War".  I wish he would've done the line in "God Knows" where he drags out "any *circumstaaaaance*".

#6:  I don't think his image will be improved at all as far as his singing goes.  Maybe part of the problem is the way they bury his voice in the mix.  

#7:  I think he was trying, though again not having much fun. His IMHO mid-life crisis and bout with alcohol (1987-92) has done much dehydration damage to his vocal cords, and on Bob the crack doesn't sound so good (though I like Tom Waits etc.).  It's good sometimes, but he sings as though he doesn't want it to crack... when it does (esp. on first lines of songs) it sounds pretty bad I think.  This I realize is highly debatable.

#8:  In three words, solid but uninspired.  

I'll post more if/when thoughts come.  Sorry for being negative, but I walked away from the set pretty down.  I'm glad that there are positive posters to balance me out.  

- Mike Bodner (bodner@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca)


Comment 6:
I thought this was a very fine performance and a very well-received one. The lyrics were enunciated quite clearly most of the time. [...] I usually have a hard time understanding him - here, every word was clear. And the crowd went nuts when Winston came flailing in. I was quite worried that this would be another Live Aid debacle. The long delay before his set (was he really stuck in traffic? It appeared to me that he insisted on starting at 8 P.M. and playing for exactly one hour, excluding encores) would surely heighten the restlessness of a crowd who was much more interested in the next act, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The applause grew louder with each song he performed. The staging was very effective, particularly the lowly lit acoustic band performance. The crowd was so attentive and quiet during these songs.

He did appear quite serious, although I thought I saw him smile a little towards the end. He struggled with his harmonica holder all night as it seemed to get in his way. He appeared quite perturbed when he began his solo on ITALTL, ITATTC and had to stop and pull the harmonica out of the holder and flip it over to get in the right key.

Thank God he had a band that had been playing with him a while. You could see Tony Garnier(sp?) intently watching Bob's hands to see what to do next. Tony was grinning widely in one of the later songs. Winston seemed to be having the time of his life , and the visual impact of his pounding style heightened the enjoyment of the rockers. Bob is the King. Long live Bob!
 
- Ken Pennington (HFIN011@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu)


Comment 7:
By the way, the opening act for the shows before Woodstock was two guys (both playing electric guitar, one singing) from a group called Cellophane. They were not members of Dylan's band, as someone who posted had been told.  

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)


Comment 8:
To begin with, Andrew Muir was absolutely right - Bob could not have been bewildered by the breasts.  I suppose that I was projecting my own bairn-like innocence onto Mr. Dylan.  

Well, I saw it a second time ... and this time I didn't carry the burden of having my family watch with me and remind me that he doesn't articulate too well these days.  I think that this helped me to enjoy it more - for some reason/feeling I always feel that I'm on trial as much as Bob when non-invalids watch with me.  [ok - Bob's not on trial - you know what I mean you darn nitpickers].

A slight clarification - I think that the cause of people's difficulty with Dylanese is his tendancy to neglect the ending consonants of words.  "Wintertime is comin, the windows are fill with fraw" etc.  Some of this may be attributable to his tendancy to move away from the microphone as he finishes a phrase.

Bob's voice didn't sound too bad.  It's too bad that he is so careful with it - I would have liked to hear him wail some of the high notes in "Masters of War", hear him *growl* the "growl" in "Watchtower".  Too bad for me anyway, because I love to hear him sing full out, broken or not.  He avoided any risky high notes, like the ones in "Queen Jane" and "Jackaroe" at the Supper Club shows. Sounded this time like he was playing it safe, which I guess is understandable.

[Allow me to say that I like the first day, second show versions of the aforemented Supper Club songs far better, simply because I like the sound of his voice better.  I also think that the Ames '91 electric "Across the Borderline" kicks Seville's derriere.  Not that anyone cares, I know - I'm bored again :-) ]

I thought that he did a good job with the harmonica at Bobstock. Listen to "Real Live" & I think you'll see that he has improved a great deal lately.  [While I'm at it, my favorite harmonica solo ever is "Tambourine Man" from Colston Hall, Bristol, 1966 - a waterfall of harmonica glory].

There were some lines in "Baby Blue" at Bobstock that were heartbreaking.  "Don't Think Twice" came across quite well too I thought- nice to see he's not afraid of singing the lower octave anymore.  He seems to like those higher octaves, and when he can't reach them, heck, he'll just sing flat.  When I was at Minneapolis in '92 he did a lower octave "Boots" and it was splendiferous.  [the high point of all my Dylan shows was him singing "A Hard Rain's.." on 9/2/92 - beat the heck out of the mediocre "Visions" that I was lucky enough to see on the next night].

I guess that the twim solos has a nice effect sometimes.  Johnny Winter did that on his first album - "I'm Yours and I'm Hers" - and it sounds great.  (I used to like him a lot - don't bother me).  I maintain that the Allman Brothers Band were better in terms of band performance, mais chacun son gout. (maybe "on gout" - don't want to offend anyone).  Naturally, of course, and objectively by order of Her Majesty the Queen of Spades, Bob was the best act there.

- Mike Bodner (bodner@uwpg02.uwinnipeg.ca)


Comment 9:
Who knew that sometime between "Lay Lady Lay" and Woodstock '94 BOB DYLAN had become a foreign dignitary?  But he must have, because we're told that the minute he arrived at Woodstock about 100 Woodstock security people were added to Dylan's own security and that the road leading to the stage was cleared for him.  When he left, once again everything was cleared for him so that he could get on his bus and split.

- The New York Post (Tuesday 20 August 1994)


Comment 10:
[In reply to a statement on rec.music.dylan that Dylan was brought to the concert by helicopter because of traffic problems:]

Sorry - but your reliable source was wrong -  Dylan was stuck in traffic, but he arrived in his tour bus, which pulled up to the back of the stage, he went on and went back to his tour bus. No hellicopter. Both the band bus and his bus arrived together. He wasn't supposed to go until 7:30, but the acts were running fast, so they were hoping to get him on at 7:00 instead. He was about a 1/2 hour late according to his original schedule. I saw this all personally. -- Sonni

- Sonni D. Lap (sonlap@pipeline.com)


16 August 1994 - Artpark, Lewiston, New York
============================================
Soundcheck:
To Be Alone With You [vocals: John Jackson]
To Be Alone With You [vocals: John Jackson]
To Be Alone With You [vocals: John Jackson]
It's all over now, baby blue
Girl of the north country (fragment)
Sittin' on Top of the World???  (instrumental)
Desolation Row??? ( could have been, right after Baby blue )

Concert setlist:
Jokerman
If Not For You
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
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Masters Of War
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Caroll
God Knows
Man In The Long Black Coat
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
Girl From The North Country

Comment 1:
Harmonica problems all throughout the show.  He better get another harmonica holder.  Sloppy Tangled up in blue. The rest of the show i thought was perfect.

- [name?] (h1heravi@vaxc.stevens-tech.edu)


Comment 2:
I found it hard to believe it had been almost 21 months since I last saw Zimmy (Eastman Theatre, 10/12/92); I had missed the Santana/Dylan show due to work last year, as I had planned to do the Syracuse show with jens.  The other attraction to Tuesday night was Artpark Theatre itself, located just off the Niagara Falls border; a beautiful park and intimate amphitheatre with a maximum of 4100 capacity (including lawn).  I hadn't realized it until then, but the last show I caught was four years prior; a phenomenal performance by Jack DeJohnette, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, and Dave Holland. Given the beautiful, intimate settling, it wasn't hard to talk me into attending.

Perhaps my level of expectations was to the point that I was caught off-guard.  I hadn't been particurlarly impressed with Dylan's current band at that Eastman show, as there were numerous dragging areas in the instrumental department.  Maybe I hadn't gotten used to post-GE Smith Dylan, but who knows?!

Despite the show only clocking in at 1:40, the Bob Dylan I caught at Artpark was a focused man with purpose.  I left Artpark with the same type of inner warmth I had back on 10/30/89 when Dylan along with GE & company kicked butt in an Ithaca College gymnasium.

Of course, "Jokerman" was the expected opener (I kept up with various setlists here and the Well's dylan conference), and the reggae rhythms crossed itself with a hard-rock punch supplied by energetic drummer Winston Watson.  What was immediately noticeable was Dylan's presence, singing with an almost-restrained edge, and aggressively playing numerous idiosynchric leads.  Visually, the man in the long black suit dug into the music, often dipping into jerky knee-bends when playing with guitarist John Jackson.  "If Not For You" contained a Neil Young-ish grungy tone, but the version was made transcendent by a truly provacative Dylan harmonica solo, exploring the instrument with the vitality of a man twenty years younger, with far more authority than I anticipated.  I couldn't help but smile; a great moment was captured!

"All Along The Watchtower" was played in similar key and function to the Grateful Dead, but with a sparse edge.  Zimmy consistently phrased two lines together as one, and let the band howl with the wind. I was jazzed at the choice of "I Don't Believe You", one of my prime Dylan favorites (right alongside Baby Blue), and Zimmy and crew made it both sound like the anthem it deserves to be and the poignant earnestness of the original version. Wait a minute?! What's going on? I can understand what he's singing ... *singing*?!

"Tangled Up In Blue" featured a rambling, country-ish shuffle, and Dylan caught himself after skipping the third verse.  Another rambling harmonica solo played perfect counterpoint to Jackson, whose stinging guitar played a more assertive role in the ensemble playing.  "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" was a honky-tonk country stomper, accented by Bucky Baxter's pedal steel, and some cool phrases by Zimmy.

Although Dylan will *always* have critics at some point, when it comes to acoustic music for sheer aural intensity, there is none more preferable to these ears.  There is a side of me that really prefers Dylan solo, but the acoustic format used by the band (Jackson on acoustic guitar, Tony Garnier on upright bass, Baxter on mandolin or dobro) is first-class.  On the way to the show, my friend Roxanne and I were listening to Dylan's 10/31/64 show and the botched duet with Joan Baez on "Mama, You've Been On My Mind."  So, it was a surprise when the song props up to start the acoustic segment, and damned if Zimmy gave it his all -- I cannot remember a Dylan show where I understood Dylan's singing approximately *90* percent of the time!

I had heard that "Masters Of War" was a hit at GreedStock, and I'm here to write that Tuesday night's version was A-plus! Imagine the D-minor feel of "Loser" augmenting a dark, brooding delivery; Dylan's baratone sung with care and (gasp!) restraint. "The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll" was another winner, with a concentrated delivery by the Zimster on both vocal and yet another "let it all hang out" harmonica solo where even the wheezes mattered.

"God Knows" has been a standard for the tour, and it's now obvious why, as the ballad turned itself into a rocker, offering a gritty guitar duel between Jackson and Dylan.  Jackson would work on precise, bluesy leads, while Dylan would respond in aggressive clusters that added punch.  What was even scarier was that most of his leads were making *sense*; no, he'll never be Carlos Santana or John McLaughlin on guitar, but this was one guy who refused to allow his band to carry him.

"The Man In The Long Black Coat" was another way cool entry, with Jackson's fuzz-tone guitar taking priority in instrumental passages that reminded me of a speghetti western soundtrack crossed with Jimi Hendrix.  Again, Dylan's vocals were carefully measured, with a storyteller's tug-you-at-the-core emotion accented with assured confidence.

"Maggie's Farm," which closed the set, was another gnarly jam as expected, but Dylan was actually being *professional*, complete with the "Thank you, we had a great time tonight" routine and band introductions during the jams.  By this time, a segment of the casual fortysomething crowd resorted to running across the stage, but with no incidents.  When the set ended, Dylan was given two bouquets, even gave a kiss to a female fan who approached onstage, and gave handshakes to two other stage wanderers.

The encores kicked, with a hard-rocking, powerful "Ballad Of a Thin Man".  Like a handful of other songs, the capping "Girl From The North Country" was a night-maker, with Dylan singing his way with confidence and...grace?! The final harmonica solo clearly signified that for all his quirks, Dylan is an individual who won't go down until *he's* ready to.

- John J. Wood (jojw@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)


Comment 3:
Excellent, excellent show! The show took place at Artpark, with indoor seating for about 2500 people and a big lawn for a couple thousand more. The show WAS sold out, the audience a mixture of every type of people imaginable. ( Including mimes, who, thankfully didn't bother anyone when the show started.) The show was up to the reportedly high standards of the rest of the tour. Jokerman was as strong as the Woodstock version, a little bit better was Jackson added more nice fills than on previous versions. If Not for you was slow and sung wonderfully, everyone really enjoyed this one. ( Song after song built on the other so the crowd got more and more into the show. ) All along the watchtower surprised everyone around me with the "new" theremustbesomekindofwayoutofhere..saidthejokertothethief phrasing. Still, you could understand the singing, so it made for a nice change.

I don't believe you was almost hard-rockin', one of the better versions of it, with Bob really going all out on the guitar playing. ( Legs bent, leaning into the guitar, occasionally his back to the crowd, in fact Tony Garnier had his back to the crowd as much as Bob did. ) The dual soloing of Bob and Jackson was in effect most of the show which I enjoyed and everyone else did.

Tangled up in blue was shortened with the " I lived with them on Montague St. " verse sung as the 3rd verse! I've never heard it done like that before, but it was an amazing version with Bob singing melodically throughout. ( He didn't shout at all, well, maybe a little, but all in all he sang the whole night, using his full range, like on I'll be your baby...singing the first chorus in his deepest register on "I'll...........beyour..........baby tonight." Nice. On the last one he sang IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'lllLLLLLLLL beyourbabytonight! Great great stuff. Mama you been on my mind was a treat, with bucky baxter coming to stand next to garnier, so the four guitariasts looked like they were playing for the grand ole opry. A very pretty version.

Masters of War:people again applauded the "All the money you made won't buy back your soul" and "I'll stand over your grave and make sure you are dead..." Really struck a chord, as did Hattie Carol, sung with clenched teeth, this night it seemed a natural progression after " Masters." It made perfect sense with the feeling in the air. God Knows was rockin' ,and Long Black Coat was it's spooky self yet again. Maggie's Farm? Another rocker, Bob singing his heart out. The band really smoked 'em. They left the stage for about three minutes with the place going crazy, they came out and Thin Man was as always a fine performance, words spit out as Bob was really sweating, hair stuck to his forehead, etc. Nice lighting on this one, as they had four lights on each side of the band going diagonally out and the smoke from the night rolling through them, really giving almost an otherwordly appearance for Mr. Jones.

Girl from the north country was a sweet, soft version, extended notes some times, his voice filled with regret. ( Two guys ran across the stage, John Jackson did a triple take, but Bob kept playing his harmonica, so then a woman ran across, still no reaction. After the song Bob picked up a bouquet of flowers and waved them around, pointing at the audience, and then shanking hands with yet another girl who ran onstage. ( No one was allowed to stand but four, five, six people got on stage? Weird wild stuff. ) This was the best Bob show I've seen, crouched down attacking the guitar, playing his harmonica like I haven't seen much ( Or heard on tapes, listen to the Woodstock :"JUst like a woman" and the harmonica solos were as good, if not better than that. ) No opening act, Bob and the band came on right at 8:00 pm. Five out of five stars!

The sound check, which was in the enclosed part of the ampitheatre, ( which opens right before the show, but the speakers outside were on so you could here JAckson singing) included:

To Be ALone With You   ( 3 times, Jackson DOES have a nice deep country voice!)
It's all over now, baby blue
Girl of the north country ( fragment)
Sittin' on Top of the World???  ( instrumental, sure sounded like it! )
Desolation Row??? ( could have been, right after Baby blue )
and a long instrumental jam that sounded like "Tough Enough" by the
fabulous thunderbirds. ( He has played ZZ top ,so it's a possibility! )

- Conrad Baines (v120q4v4@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu)


Comment 4:
It was a good, tight show.  The theater was a shell, with lawn seating above.  It was sold out inside, with an audience that ranged from high school students to people even I would call old. Bob received a standing ovation when he took the stage.  He wore a black tuxedo-like outfit, with a row of white dots on the side of the pants legs.  He was hatless--is that all his own hair?-- unlike most of the band.

Those of you who have been following the recent shows will probably think that this one is pretty much like the others.  But I haven't heard Bob since 10/11/92, with roughly the same band--except for a second drummer then.  The band is much tighter now, Bob put a lot more into his singing--often articulate and seemingly enjoying it, and he took a lot more guitar solos-- without getting stepped on by John Jackson whenever he did.

There was really quite a range of Bob's treatment of the songs. Watchtower was sung in the way John Howell's has recently commented on--each couplet sung as one line.  In TUIB Bob seemed to spit out the lines.  That was followed by I'll Be Your Baby, Tonight, in which Bob drew out the lines and extended the vowels. I hope that someone else can identify the first acoustic song. The next, Masters of War, had the audience in a spell--except for what must have been some Eddie Vedder fans, who shouted out some of the lines.  The most revelatory for me was Man in the Long Black Coat, of which I've never heard a (tape of a) live performance.  While not recreating the spooky feel of _Oh Mercy_, the song was nevertheless haunting.  The cricket part was taken by a low bass rumbling, and Bucky Baxter's dobro added a nicetouch.  There were quite a few harmonica solos throughout the show, but I found them harder to get into.

Bob introduced the band during the extended ending of Maggie's Farm.  A young woman jumped on the stage, presented him with a bouquet of flowers, and managed to give him a kiss.  A second woman jumped on the stage and laid down another bouquet in front of him (as though it were an offering).  When Bob left after the encore, he took the trouble to retrieve one of the bouquets, and shook hands with a few fans before the stage hands took control.

- Ed Wierenga (edwd@troi.cc.rochester.edu)


17 August 1994 - Hershey's Park, Pennsylvania
=============================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Mama You've Been on My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Love Minus Zero/No Limit [AB]
God Knows
I Believe In You
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Comment:
weeeeaver@aol.com wrote: "I realize that the rain probably eliminated any good possibility of this...".

Does this explain the suprise closer, Hard Rain, for this show?

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


19 August 1994 - I.C. Light Amphitheater (Tent), Station Square,
                 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
================================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
Positively Fourth Street
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Love Minus Zero/No Limit [AB]
Cat's In The Well
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Comment 1:
Full moon was out. Started show around 8:20. During Positively Fourth Street, he stressed "what a drag it is to see youuuuuu." To the crowd? We will see.
 
The crowd rushed toward the stage after the acoustic set. Cat's in the well was a little strained as a result.  Then came "In the Garden" when a subway/trolley driver stopped mid-stream above the crowd.  This induced Bob to play an extra guitar solo to the waving crowd on the train.  After "Maggies Farm" came a heartfelt "O.K. everyone, thanks a lot" before he introduced the band.  By this point, a few women had rushed the stage and bopped along with the performers.  This provoked a "double high-five" from Bob.
 
All hell broke loose for the encore when, during "Ballad of a Thin Man," as many as nine women were on the stage.  As much as he seemed to enjoy the cacophony, he visibly held back from directing the line "there oughta be' a law against you comin' around."  He hugged two of them before they were whisked off the stage.  Two girls remained during "Hard Rain" and they closed the show.
 
The mixing was clear enough to enjoy the vocals and the band was tight.  Fun show for all.

- Harry Angstrom (angstrom@delphi.com)


Comment 2:
Last night, my younger brother and I went down to the I.C. Light Ampitheatre here in Pittsburgh to hear Bob play. Based upon what we had been hearing about the quality of his shows during the last few weeks (namely: that they have been outstanding !), we arrived at Station Square with the "premonition" that it would be a great show.  However, no amount of prognostication or prediction could have revealed to us beforehand just what a truly magnificent experience we would be in for.

Simply put, the show was one of the absolute BEST Dylan performances that we have been privileged to be a part of. This was my 6th time at a Dylan show (my first concert was in 1989), and it was - in my opinion - THE finest show that I have heard. My younger brother Kevan is even more of a "Dylan veteran" (this being his 9th Dylan concert), and he tells me that the only Dylan shows he has seen that rivalled this one were the shows with Tom Petty (back in '86) and some of the shows at the beginning of the Never-Ending Tour (in '88). Nonetheless, Kevan still feels the show which transfixed us last night was the all-time best in recent memory.

How do you find the words to describe Dylan's preformance last night ? Rivetting. Passionate. Inspired. Breath-taking. It is hard to find the right words to describe just how "on" and ALIVE Dylan was yesterday evening, but those come close. Here is how the reviewer from this morning's Pittsburgh Post Gazette put it:

"Resurgent is a word that should only be used with extreme caution, but in the case of Bob Dylan's set at I.C. Light Amphitheatre last night, resurrection is actually the first word that comes to mind. Quite simply, Bob Dylan - yes ! *that* Bob Dylan - put on the absolutely greatest show of his career as far as this critic is concerned ... There was something in this show that I've never seen in a Dylan performance - passion, integrity, responsibility ! Dylan is finally taking possession of his songs again, for crying out loud, and SINGING WITH CONVICTION ! ... It was the closest I'd ever to come to weeping in public.  Bob Dylan is back from the dead. And I had front row seats."

The reviewer (Tony Norman) hit the nail on the head when he spoke of Dylan "singing with conviction". There was such a strong sense of conviction in just about everything that Dylan sang last night -- it was simply incredible ! His voice was clear, articulate, forceful. It bowled us both over.

My personal favorite from the evening was "Tangled up in Blue". Dylan's "phrasing" of the lines - the way that he accented ceratin words and sentences in *just* the right way - made the song just as original and fresh as when it was first released in '74. Dylan had ABSOLUTE COMMAND of the song, and he wielded that command superbly to create a stunning, magical rendition of the song.

In truth, there were so many "magical" moments from the concert last night that it is difficult to do justice them all. Dylan's command of his repertoire was clearly evident. As he shifted from the brooding power of "Senor" to the melancholy & bitter "Positively 4th Street" to the quiet anger and vengeance of "Masters of War" to the troubadour wizardry of "Mr. Tambourine Man", Dylan was the Master fully in control of everything.  Not to be outdone, though, Dylan wound down the evening with - among others - the raucous, gospel fervor of "In the Garden" and astonishing, world-weary "Hard Rain's A Gonna' Fall". 

All throughout the final few songs, especially "Ballad of a Thin Man", several dancers from the audience swayed and moved all about Dylan, but he did not lose concentration or miss a single beat. As I said above, Dylan was the master fully in control of his element. All hail the King !!!

- Kirk & Kevan Yenerall (ky0h+@andrew.cmu.edu)


Comment 3:
This is the first time that I've seen Dylan, so I cannot compare it to any of his other tours.  The comments about recent concerts apply:  same outfit, good band, lots of musical interaction, lots of fun.

Random Notes:

The concert site was not the best.  It is part of a parking lot under a trolley bridge. It is separated from the edge of the river bank by two train tracks, and trains came through every half hour or so during the show.  They were audible only during the acoustic set.  At one point the trolley stopped for about five minutes, opened its doors, and the people gathered to hear the show (from about fifty or sixty feet in the air).  Being by the river, the gnat were out in force. I'm glad that he didn't come through in the spring. (Maybe the bugs reminded him of home)

The second song was slower, with the line "Senor, senor(?)" repeated throughout.

He used the two lines in one phrasing for Watchtower, but it seemed like a way to play it without getting bored, rather than for any special effect.

On Positively Fourth Street, he dropped his voice at the end of each line, rather than raising it.  Sometimes it sounded too detached, and sometimes it sounded even more biting than the studio version;  bitter, but not wounded.

Tangled Up In Blue was faster than on Blood On the Tracks. He started out in the third person, then switched to the first person about halfway through.  He did seem to get all of the verses, though.

I thought that Watching the River Flow was the best song of the night.  It was about double time from the studio version, except for the last four or five bars.  It built on the momentum of Blue (maybe it was inspired by the Mon river behind the stage?).

Masters of War got audience yells in the expected places.

Hard Rain contained the line "I saw ?? and guns in the hands of young children" (Is this in the original?)

All in all, one of the best shows of the summer.

(Time:  from about 8:20 until 10:10 or so)

- Bob Krawczak (krawz@cs.pitt.edu)


Comment 4:
August 19, 1994.  Friday evening in Pittsburgh.  Warm night, full moon rising.
 
We walk along the big Monongahela River, past the train tracks to a makeshift theater.  People are milling around, all ages, some drinking beer, some just talking.  A laid-back, but celebratory, ambience prevails.
 
We find our wooden folding chairs in a row behind some short wooden posts and a small maple tree.  Above us, the Pittsburgh Rapid Transit (the "T") roars by every 15 minutes or so.
 
I've been a Dylan fan for nigh on 30 years. . .but I've never laid eyes on him before.  I like where we're sitting--in the "Druid" section.
 
When the first lyrical notes of *Jokerman* cascade through the air, it's as if the audience is the river itself--a wave of pure love passes through us.  Some are borne along on this wave, swept magnetically toward the stage.
 
I'm down on my knees, suddenly, on the grassy earth, unable to stand.  But I do--I must--I stand and I dance to the beauty of the night, the music, the band, Dylan and his band.
 
"Senor. . . ."  I can't believe it!  This is my favorite Dylan song and he is doing it here, in my hometown, in Pittsburgh. He's connecting.  Everybody seems to understand the song, if not mentally, then viscerally.  "Seems I've been down this road before. . .is there any truth in that, Senor?"
 
This is not a normal concert.  This is a Full Moon Sabbath, a Mass, a Happening.
 
There's a country-pickin' number--tight and tasty.  "Hoooooooo-eeeee!"  By the time Dylan launches into *Tangled Up in Blue*, the freight trains were rollin' by. . .only a few yards from him, in back of the stage--a moving backdrop between the band and the dark river.
 
He sucked and blew on that harp in rhythm with the trains, hitting that mystical-twisted-train-whistle-note over and over and holding it for so long that my partner was prompted to comment, "Enough, Bob!  We don't want you to keel over!"
 
We watched the River flow, and the music took us flowing with it. The sound of that train-whistle was the sound of freedom.
 
*Mr. Tambourine Man* launched our gypsy souls into the night sky, drifting alongside the pale round Moon.  Were we all singing along, or was that the voices of the River Faeries, slipping out of the water, sensuously sliding closer and closer. . .
 
*Masters of War* didn't need no electricity; it contained its own, sizzling and spattering the darkness with self-made light.
 
*Love Minus Zero (No Limit)* was a lesson in love, from Dylan, from his Band, from all the spirits (visible and otherwise) gathered there, charmed for a moment from their restless wanderings.
 
Then. . . well, I woke up to some smokin' rock n' roll!  "When He Rose from the Dead did they belieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve?"  The band was rockin' and the people were dancin' and the "T" stopped above us, poised on its track, mesmerized by the miracle.  It was a moment of true Pittsburgh bliss.
 
Dylan and the people were one.  "Crown him!" I heard somebody say, with a wonderful laugh in their voice.  For this was one king we would NOT crucify!  When the priestesses jumped up on stage, he knew and WE knew what they were celebrating.
 
He was showing us how to take up our power.  The nine priestesses were the Moon's blessing.  He would not refuse it.
 
He's got his band now.  There's no reason not to sing and dance together for the sheer joy of it, for the glory of the Divine-Within.  We don't need no stinking authorities.  We've got the Night, the Lord and the Lady, and the freedom whistle of a southbound train.
 
- Marguerita (U0A75@wvnvm.wvnet.edu)


Comment 5:
BOB DYLAN SPRINGS BACK TO LIFE
 
Resurgent is a word that should only be used with extreme caution, but in the case of Bob Dylan's set at I.C. Light Amphitheatre last night, resurrection is actually the first word that comes to mind.

Quite simply, Bob Dylan -- yes!  THAT Bob Dylan -- put on the absolutely greatest show of his career as far as this critic is concerned.

And that's speaking from someone who saw him from the first row, where even the beads of sweat under his nose could be seen dancing in the brilliant light of the quartet of phenomenal musicians that surrounded him.

I could go down the list of songs, which is similar to the set list he performed at Woodstock '94 last weekend, but what would be the point of that.

There was something in this show I've never seen in a Dylan performance -- passion, integrity, RESPONSIBILITY!  Dylan is finally taking possession of his songs again, for crying out loud, and SINGING WITH CONVICTION!!!

Exhibit A:  a rare performance of his "Street Legal" masterpiece "Senor," complete with hypnotic lyrics you can hear and relate to:  "The last thing I remember before I stripped and kneeled/ was a plane load of fools/going down in a big magnetic field." Awesome.

Exhibit B:  an absolutely killer acoustic set that included immaculate versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Masters of War," and "Love Minus Zero (No Limit)."  Dylan hasn't performed these songs with any kind of vigor since 1966.  It was an absolute epiphany!

Seriously, trolley drivers were stopping on the bridge with cars full of passengers -- listening to the unmistakable sound of the return of Bob Dylan, rising up from the ashes of mediocrity like a phoenix!

Exhibit C:  Dylan performed his moving meditation on the passion of Jesus "In the Garden" and turned what was already a fairly rowdy audience into an ecstatic mob at an open air revival meeting: "Did they know He was the Son of God/did they know He was the Lord."

Maybe the sold out audience didn't know that He was the Lord, but they were pretty sure that Bob Dylan came close.

After that, all hell broke loose as women bumrushed the stage with the sort of adulation that even Nirvana never tolerated.

During "Maggie's Farm," "Ballad of a Thin Man," and the absolutely scorching "Hard Rain," the stage filled with every manner of sensuous babes from the audience, bumping and grinding with Dylan.

But instead of scowling and calling down lightning upon them, he allowed them to kiss and hold and cuddle him even though HE'S THE GREATEST SINGER/SONGWRITER OF OUR TIMES.

It was the closest I'd ever come to weeping in public. Bob Dylan is back from the dead.  And I had front row seats.

- Tony Norman (Staff Writer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 20 August 1994)


Comment 6:
*Dylan doesn't need dancing girls*

I agree with Tony Norman that Bob Dylan was in excellent form at the I.C. Light Amphitheatere (Aug. 20). But I have to disagree with the comments about the women who were unknowingly lucky enough to get on stage with one of the greatest minds (lyrically) of any generation.

The women on stage seemed to have had no idea whom they were fondling.  They acted as though this were a Bon Jovi or Montley Crue concert at which groupies are idealized as cool.  Cheapness is not part of the Bob Dylan scene. They just stood and shook themselves in front of the crowd as if we had paid $25 to see a bunch of loose women.  They seemed to feel that they were better than Bob and therefore could stand in front of him and be in his way.  I think that most or all of them didn't even know "Ballad of a Thin Man" and never will.

I am sure some people are thinking, "Who is this conservative old hag and what does she care?"  Well, keep in mind I am a 16-year-old liberal who used to think that Bob Dylan was an intellectual god.  Now I'll be embarrassed to say that I went to see him because of the fear of someone saying, "Were you one of the 'sensuous babes from the audience, bumping and grinding with Dylan'?"

- Amy Rustic (Letter to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 26 August 1994)


20 August 1994 - Nautica Stage, Cleveland, Ohio
===============================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Lenny Bruce
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Mama, You Been on my Mind [AB]
Masters of War [AB]
To Ramona [AB]
God Knows
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm
Everything Is Broken
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
Couldn't maintain the high energy from Friday night's Pittsburgh show -- which must have been one in a million.

- Harry Angstrom (angstrom@delphi.com)


Comment 2:
[See Tim Lundgren's (tlundgre@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) review of the 21 August 1994 for a comparison between these two concerts]


21 August 1994 - Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio
================================================
Soundcheck consisted of John Jackson singing "Tears Of Rage", bits of "Everything Is Broken" and the band working on various endings for various songs.

Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mama, You've Been On My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Love Minus Zero/No Limit [AB]
God Knows
In the Garden
Maggies Farm

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

Comment 1:
Dylan Dusting himself off for new flight.

Last night, Dylan and his four-piece band performed as close to a transcendent concert in the Celeste Center as you're likely to hear _ever_, closing the Ohio State Fair with a defiiant roar rather than the whimper of a dated, bored icon.

Dylan was his enigmatic self throughout the concert.  He spoke only after an hour and 45 minutes and then only to ask the crowd of roughly 6,000 if it had enjoyed itself and to introduce, albeit in indecipherable Dylanese, his bandmates.

He kicked off the concert with a rousing version of Jokerman, changing the melody, altering the tempo and infusing it with the blues.  Only when his lead guitarist soloed could one distinguish the original melody.  Only when Dylan sang, clearly, the lines "Michelangelo indeed carved out your features," could one tell for sure it was Jokerman.

But that was all right.  Whereas in recent years one had the feeling that Dylan was rushing through songes to get off the stage faster, the speed and rock 'n' roll din only added to each song's urgency.  He obviously wanted to rock.

And whereas he treated his chestnuts unkindly in the recent past, obliterating them with malice aforethought, last night's reinventions were patently reverential, the glorious acting out of Dylan's contentions that "nostalgia is death."

His singing on Tangled Up in Blue, for instance, was flat, his phrasing remarkably quick.  He turned the folk song (sic) into a rock 'n' roller by working it uptempe and loud.  But, significantly, he lingered over the last words of the chorus: 'tangled up in bluuuuuuuuwooooohoooooo."  The effect was thrilling, as was his concert.

If Dylan's not careful, it was the kind of concert legends are made of.

- Bill Eichenberger (Columbus Dispatch, Ohio, Pop Music Critic)


Comment 2:
I liked the Cleveland show [20 August 1994] a bit better than the Columbus show -- it seemed to have more energy to me, but Jim Brown tells me he liked the Columbus concert better.  It seemed to me that Dylan didn't really get (to the extent that he ever does) with the crowd until somewhere in the acoustic set in Columbus.  Not that he seemed apathetic -- his delivery seemed moody and more directed to himself than to the audience.  When suddenly opened up in "God Knows" the crowd (rather restrained and mostly seated up 'til then) rushed the stage.  After that Dylan began looking at the audience more and singing as if to them.  After the show people I talked to were impressed by his blazing rock n roll versions of "God Knows" and "Maggie's."  The latter was so good that I found myself liking what is one of my least favorite songs to hear live.

Both Ohio concerts were better than any Dylan concert I've seen previously -- including the 8/31/93 show in Michigan that won favorable reviews here and elsewhere.  There was an interesting variety to the setlists from one night to the next -- "To Ramona" and "Under the Red Sky"  at Cleveland, and "Man in the Long Black Coat," "In the Garden," and "Ballad of a Thin Man" at the Fair.  In "Thin Man" I noticed that the lines that he usually sings as "There ought to be a law against you coming around/ Next time at least please telephone" or words to that effect (to my regret, I always liked the "you should be made to wear earphones" bit) became "Next time please wear some earphones."  Perhaps more interestingly it occurred to me in retrospect that Dylan had sung Tangled Up in Blue at Cleveland in the first person ("Early one morning the sun was shining/ I was laying in bed") whereas the next night he sung it for the first half of the song in the second ("he was lying in bed") and then switched to the first ("she it a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe").  Seems he still can't make up his mind how he likes it. "Lay Lady Lay" struck me as unexceptional on the 20th, but on the 21st it seemed like he was refusing to sing it in complete harmony with the key they were playing it in.  I don't have the musical background to explain it well, but it seemed to me as if he were singing it in a minor key and refusing to resolve it by returning to the major.  It gave to the song a feel of poignant longing.

All in all -- two great shows.

- Tim Lundgren (tlundgre@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)


Comment 3:
I managed to find myself inside the Celeste Center yesterday for the sound check which included:

1. John Jackson singing "Tears of Rage"
2. Bits of "Everything is Broken"
3. The band working out various endings for various songs.
4. The sound man complaining about the acoustics of the builiding & the
     house PA, which they were forced to use.
5. Garnier trying to figure out whether or not he should start to play    
     concerts on a new Fender Jazz Bass.

Bob was not present for the check.

- Tom (johnz45897@aol.com)


Comment 4:
Wow!  This was a great show!  No real surprises in terms of the setlist, but Mr. Dylan is full of energy, and the backing band is TIGHT, with the exception of the rhythm guitarist who seems to be having a bit of trouble with Bob's spur of the moment spin offs into wierdness.  

Particular highlights included:  

Simple Twist of Fate--he altered the phrasing to excellent effect.  In the past I've seen Dylan alter phrasing, but it was usually 50/50 as to whether it helped or hurt the song. In all cases during this shows, phrasing changes really set the songs on fire and gave them new life.

Masters of War:  He started into the song with the whole stage bathed in crimson light.  Very quiet, almost chanting.  The audience grew very quiet. It was chilling.

God Knows:  One lone soul walked up to the stage.  When no one moved him, a small trickle and finally a flood of people rushed the stage, (including my owen self).  Dylan seemed energized by the whole thing, and made an apparent effort to "connect" with the herd, making lots of sustained eye contact, mugging it up, acting like a rock star with a smirk on his face. It was like a dream come true to me...I've never been that close!  At one point, following God Knows, he quietly said thank-you, though not over the microphone. 

It's awesome to see a diverse crowd getting excited about Bob.  It seems that it's exciting to him as well.  He looks like he's having a great time.  The new arrangments are fresh, and most of all, they work!  I've been to Dylan shows where we had to have a roundtable discussion just to figure out what it was he'd played.  

A show to remember....:-):-)

To any of the dancers out there--was that fun, or what?!

- Gary Palmer (gpalmer@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)


Comment 5:
I haven't seen all the recent set lists, but this seems consistent with the ones I have seen.  I've seen Dylan in '74, '78, '80, '86, '88, '89, '91, and '92.  This was one of the three or four best. It's hard to pick because they all have their high points.  But I found this a very powerful and moving show. It seems to me that Dylan has rediscovered how truly great these songs are and is allowing himself to give them their due.  I loved most of the arrangements, especially of TUIB, but what made the concert special was the general quality of the music--the rhythm section, the guitar work, the singing, and harmonica playing--all done with a passion and sensitivity appropriate to each song.  Highlights for me, besides TUIB (the absolute best arrangement since the album version, IMHO), were the entire acoustic set and the three electric numbers which followed, which built an emotional crescendo that peaked when the young members of the crowd rushed to the front and the entire crowd spent the rest of the night on its feet.  Unfortunately, the encore lost some of that power and intensity.  But I left feeling good about the work Dylan is doing.  It was especially refreshing to me because I took my two teenage sons and two of their friends with me.  And they all seemed to have the same reaction to the music that I, the dusty old Dylan fanatic, had.  Sorry I don't have time for a more detailed review.  Suffice it to say, it was a good night.

- Mike Roos (roosme@ucrwcu.rwc.uc.edu )


Comment 5:
I drove down near the northwest corner of the fairgrounds & parked on a quiet street.  (drove by a little yard sale on the way, bought an old Moondog LP for a quarter (the first one).  I don't recommend Moondog unless maybe you're into really old-fashioned classical music.) Got out and walked down 18th ave.  Some suspicious looking guy with something wrapped in a blue towel walks my way.  Then he asks me "Are you from Columbus."  I say "no, i'm from Athens."  Then he pauses a bit and says "I'm trying to take my kid to Grant Hospital and our car got stuck in an intersection and i'm looking for a gas station.  You got a gas can?"  Well, i didn't exactly trust him, so i told him the truth:  "no, sorry, got no gas can."  Then I walked on my way and he walked on his way.

I walked in the northwest gate, handed in my ticket and got my hand stamped.  walked a bit further down & there was the big long row of food vendors and above me was the skyway carrying people around (sort of a ski lift transplanted to the fairgrounds).  walked up to a radio station tent & asked where the Celeste center was.  Turned out i wasn't too far away -- it was a big ugly dark grey building across from the sheep pens.   So i went down there past the cotton candy and the shop displays and handed in my ticket and was let in.

My ticket was good for a plastic and metal chair down on the floor, off to the right.  It looked like a bad angle but turned out to be OK.  There was a state trooper walking up and down the aisle, sort of looking at what people were smoking (not allowed)/eating (allowed)/drinking (depends)/plugging in (guess).  It was exactly 6:00 PM, time to start.  Instead some stage hands were checking the tunings on some of the guitars.  After a few minutes, the 1994 Ohio State Fair Queen comes out and introduces the 1995 Ohio State Fair Queen and tells us what a great show we're gonna see and what a great fair the next one will be.  Then they go offstage and the guitar tuning resumes.  I look around the crowd.  I think the capacity here is about 10,000.  I overhear a remark that makes me think the show sold out -- it was pretty full at any rate.  The crowd was definitely not your average yuppie crowd.  There were a few of them, but there seemed like a lot of typical state fair goers -- farmers and rural folks -- were also there.

Finally they finished tuning the guitars, and someone came out and introduced "Please welcome Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan" (hey, that could be the title of a book or something:  "Bob Dylan:  Columbia recording artist").  And out walked Bob and everyone cheered and they started "Jokerman", which i recognized on the first line.  Sartorial report:  Dylan was wearing a kind of black suit with thin yellow stripes down the pants legs.  No hat.

"Lay Lady Lay" had a long instrumental intro, a rather different arrangement, and a harmonica solo that brought cheers.

For "All Along the Watchtower" Bob tried singing two lines in the space of one, e.g. "theremustbesomewayouttaheresaidthejokertothethief", which i guess he's been doing lately, and of course it was the nubmer 3 song and of course he did the extended end with the last few bars slowed way down.  I was later to get a bit bored with the slow-down endings for what seemed like every song, but the crowd always liked them (i guess that's why he does them).  One thing i did note was that in all the soloing (which was generally pretty interesting), the dobro added a lot of texture -- seems it gets used almost as a drone on which the rest of the noise can float.  A really neat effect, two dueling guitars and a dobro.  The bassist (Tony Garnier?) spent most of his time (when playing electric) facing the drummer (Winston Watson, i think).

"Simple Twist of Fate" was good, featuring more outright singing than the previous numbers.  His voice was in good shape, though not spectacular.  Had a little difficulty with the harmonica holder that was to recur, as if he had to pull the harmonica into place, then tighten a wing nut or something to hold it in place.  Then when he pushed the harmonica down it would get loose again.  You'd think he would come up with a spring loaded model that could be preadjusted to snap into place when he needed it (but then i'm no authority on the subject of harmonica holders, but i did think about it then).  Anyway, the song was very nice.

"Tangled Up In Blue" rocked OK.

"Man In the Long Black Coat" was excellent.  Guess how spooky that dobro sounded now as the wailing wind.  It was different in several ways -- in arrangement, in production, in immediacy -- i.e. different in ways both intentional and not, which seems to be the point at these shows.

Then "Mama You've Been On My Mind" started the acoustic band set on a nice upbeat note.

"Masters of War" was slowed down to more or less the speed on the Freewheelin' album.  This was the highlight of the show, where the crowd stopped sheering and started listening.  With the band, the music had an extra sinister power as Dylan hunched up to the mike spat out the words.

Then "Love-0/No Limit" was also done acoustic, but slowed way way down and with the riff sort of done slow and heavy at the end of the first line of each verse instead of all the way through.  This was really different and interesting.

"God Knows" started out just Bob and John Jackson on the electric guitars for about two verses, then the drum and bass kicked in and the stage rush started.  I had to stand up to see the stage, which i could do between a few shoulders a couple rows in front of me.  The shorter people next to me, two rather reserved Indian couples on a double date (I think), sort of looked at each other debating what to do.  After a minute of deliberation they ran out into the aisle and joined the crowd, apparently liberated by their decision.  So everyone was standing by the stage and kind of jumping up and down and generally looking like the kind of crowd most video directors would love to pay for (Hey, Bob, why not shoot a live video?  Maybe for this song.)  The crowd was really into it and I think the band fed off it, too.  

Then there was "In the Garden", which calmed down a lot of people that didn't recognize it, but the crowd was into it by the end, which set up "Maggie's Farm".

Bob waved his right hand out to his side and the band took it down to the drums and bass, then Bob mumbled something and introduced the band, then everyone played a few more bars and that was the end.

He came back for one encore, a nice and well-recieved version of "Ballad of a Thin Man" and then an acoustic band version of "It Ain't Me, Babe".

Total time was about an hour of a half.  I think the crowd was really into it, so it was a good show.  Yeah, OK, except for 4 songs the whole set was stuff written 20 years ago, but it wasn't has-been music by any means.  The Celeste center wasn't the best building to see a show with -- the treble notes tended to get overamplified and resonate, making the sound kind of tinny, but what to you expect in a government building designed for prize cattle auctions?

A few somewhat clueless newpaper reporters were chiding Bob for choosing to do the state fair (they obviously didn't have friends in Minnesota).  Jim Phillips in the Athens News (a weekly) said that the last time he saw an act at the fair was Olivia Newton-John in her country days, which made sense for the fair, but Bob didn't exactly fit the fair atmosphere of cows and corn dogs.  But the punch line of that editorial was that he was going to see Bob anyway.  (No, i didn't see a review in the monday's issue of the paper).

The writer for Columbus Alive (another weekly), wrote:  "Weren't we all amazed when we learned that _Bob Dylan_ -- _the_ Bob Dylan -- was on the Ohio State Fair concert line-up?  Wasn't there a collective 'wha'?' heard escaping the lips of Columbusites?  Well, odd as may be, the man who made the soundtrack for the '60s will be playing amid the odors of corn dogs and horse manure.  His nasal twang will ring out over the Ferris wheel and back to the monster zucchini.  Enjoy the show and tell your children (or your parents, for that matter) that you saw Dylan at the FAIR!"  That pretty well sums up local expectations.  It was accompanied by a picture of Bob wearing a straw cowboy hat and western shirt, with somewhat enigmatic hint of a smile on his face.

- Andrew Russ (endwar@hbar.phys.psu.edu)


23 August 1994 - Palace Theatre, Louisville, Kentucky
=====================================================
Soundcheck [John Jackson vocals, Dylan not present]:
Just Like A Woman
When I Paint My Masterpiece
(Various fragments of songs)
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Incomplete)
[Approx. 10 minute break, then continued...]
Shooting Star
Shelter From The Storm

Setlist:
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Queen Jane Approximately
Tangled Up In Blue
Disease Of Conceit
Mama, You've Been On My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Cat's In The Well
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

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

Comment 1:
The August 23 Louisville Concert was held in the amazing Palace Theatre, a lavishly restored movie "palace" of the 30's, complete with "renaissance" sculpture and a smoke machine.  The hall, which holds perhaps 1500 people was filled with a wildly mixed audience of all ages.  Nor did any particular cohort predominate.  There seemed to be as many kids as there were forty-somethings.

The show started just after eight and ended at ten.  No opening act.  Bob wore his Cisco Kid suit: all black, with white or silver piping on the legs and pockets.  (Since I was almost 30 rows back, I couldn't make out all the details. From where I sat he looked like a cross between Gene Wilder and K.D. Lang, or maybe Carole Burnett.  The sound was good and the audience was receptive, though somewhat restless for much of the show.

The band was tight, especially on the harder-edged electric numbers.  As in many other recent shows, there was plenty of dual leading, though Bob played almost exclusively lead.  He is not, perhaps, a great electric guitarist, but his playing is emotional and more than adequate.  On the acoustic numbers, the bass player switched to stand-up base, the steel player switched to mandolin, and the guitarists to acoustic guitars.  No drums.  I found myself wishing for the old solo acoustic set instead of this ersatz bluegrass lineup.  Truth be told, the band was not nearly as impressive or talented on the acoustic numbers.  There are plenty of string bands within 200 miles of Louisville that can play rings around this lineup.  But most of the numbers were electric, and the band was just fine on those.  The overall sound was totally guitar-driven.  Bob didn't even play his harp until the end of the fourth song!  I missed the texture that a keyboard player could have provided on some of the songs, though the crowd seemed to be satisfied with the alternation between country-flavored slow numbers and ZZ Top sounding boogie blues that was the main fare.  Virtually all of the songs featured long, drawn-out, protracted, extended endings. Eventually, I thought the device became tiresome, and would gladly have exchanged a few minutes off the end of all the numbers they did play for the inclusion of a few additional songs.

Bob was in superb voice tonight, though his enunciation occasionally left something to be desired.  Those that didn't already know all the words to all the songs must have clueless for long periods.  Still, his singing was inspired and, on the slower songs, quite moving.

Set list:       

1) Jokerman.
A beautiful vocal performance, with a lovely instrumental coda. This song works much better as an opener than I would have thought.

2) Senor.       
A highlight of the concert!  Again, a beautiful, plaintive vocal.  The arrangement was very clever and effective.  The song seems well on the way to becoming another concert "staple" for Bob.  Maybe we'll have a chance to become as sick of this great song as some of us have of certain other, much-played great numbers.  Anyway, here was a case where the new version opens up the song and makes much more sense of it.                

3) All Along the Watchtower.
Others have commented at length on the radical new phrasing Bob is using on this tour.  I works well enough and, at the very least, allows Bob to reclaim his own song from Jimi Hendrix.  An improvement on the overblown "arena rock" version play from 1975 on.      

4) Queen Jane Approximately.    
Another stand-out performance of a great song.  Gorgeous vocals.  Bob seemed to emphasize the lines "when you're tired of yourself and all of your creations" in a manner that suggested that it wasn't just Queen Jane he was talking about.  A few new (at least to me) lyrical twists as well.  E.g.: "and you wish your *situation* would be more drastic."  In its new arrangement, this is an incredibly long song, but not the least bit boring.             

5) Tangled Up in Blue.  
This song took some strange musical directions toward the end -- around the "truck driver's wives" portion -- sounding daringly discordant for a few measures at least.  I've never heard Bob do anything quite like this before. The pleasantly jarring harmonics, however, didn't last long, so maybe it was just some sort of mistake.      

6) The Disease of Conceit.      
I have never particularly liked this "finger pointing" song, but tonight's version was quite attractive and gave new -- kinder, sadder -- meaning to the song.

7) Mama, You Been On My Mind.   
The first song of the acoustic set.  Very jaunty, bluegrass arrangement of this song.  OK, but the new setting did not do much for the song itself.

8) Masters of War.      
Acoustic.  Red Lights.  Very dramatic.  An excellent and fresh-sounding performance of this old war-horse.   This one got a big response from the crowd, many of whom staying their feet from this point on.

9) Don't think Twice.
This, the last number of the short acoustic set, was another crowd pleaser, done with the same arrangement (and virtually the same tune as well) as the earlier version of "Mama, You Been On My Mind."         

10) Cat's in the Well.  
The nadir of the concert.  Not surprisingly, the band could do nothing to save this throw-away song and Dylan did not seem very interested in the lyrics either (what, after all, is there to be interested in this case?).  It was done as a sort of mid-tempo boogie blues burner.  I kept thinking how much I would have preferred to hear "It Takes to Train to Laugh" or "From a Buick Six" in this same slot!  Sometimes a song that seems trifling on an album can show its true strength in the concert version.  Not in this case, however.  Everyone but the front row dancers seemed glad when this one was over.  (And I had the distinct feeling that the vast majority of the audience had no idea what song they had just heard either.)

[This review misses out "I'll Remember You" which was performed here. On this point Dan Breazeal later comments: " Right you are!  I think I must have neglected to jot down this title, which was one of the highlights of the entire concert, precisely because it was so good!  I was too enchanted by the performance -- again, that voice! -- to make any notes during this portion. (In contrast, I have copious notes on 'Cats In the Well'! My apologies for the omission."]

11) Maggie's Farm.      
Yet another dance-oriented arrangement, but far more effective than on the previous song.  In fact, this turned out to be one of the tastiest and most effective versions of this song that I have ever heard.  It helped that Bob did not resort to screaming or shouting.  His vocal was as restrained as his guitar leads were unrestrained.  (All in all, he really seemed to be concentrating on his playing tonight.)  At the end of this song, Bob introduced the members of the band, but his words of introduction were absolutely unintelligible.

12) [first encore] Ballad of a Thin Man.        
Very "Hendrixy" arrangement, right down to the wah-wah peddle on the guitar lead.  A smoking version, however, that got a good portion of the crowd down to the front and filling the aisles.  (I especially missed the keyboards on this one, I have to confess, and found the endless guitar heroics a bit wearing.)    

13) [second encore]  It Ain't Me.       
Back to the acoustic line up for this finale.  "Someone who will close his heart"  Are these lines in the earlier version of this song?  Anyway, it was an effective -- and pointed -- way for Bob and the boys to say good-bye.

As the audience cheered, Bob accepted a bottle of water or something from someone in the audience pressed up against the stage.  He seemed satisfied with a good night's work.  As indeed he had every right to be.

By the way, the T-shirt and Souvenir vendor (step right up, get your $20 Highway 61 baseball cap!) was doing a very brisk business.  There were long lines of people begging them to take their money.  No Flesh Colored Christs That Glow In The Dark, unfortunately.

Final verdict:  A very good show, though perhaps not a great one.  It certainly was not the kind of transcendent concert experience that some have reported from the recent shows in Pittsburgh and Columbus.  Still, it was a solid performance of (mostly) strong songs.  Unquestionaly, the most memorable aspect of this concert was Dylan's terrific singing.

- Dan Breazeal (BREAZEAL@UKCC.UKY.EDU)


Comment 2:
The earlier review of last nite's show at the Palace Theatre, a great venue, left out "I'll Remember You," which was played in between Cats and Maggies.

A very good show, although not as good as the May Evansville show, but certainly better than any other 90s shows, particularly all the previous Louisville fiascoes.

- Philip G Laemmle (cl137020@homer.louisville.edu)


Comment 3:
---Soundcheck (B.D. not present, J.J. on vocals as usual)---
Just Like A Woman
When I Paint My Masterpiece
(Various fragments of songs)
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (Incomplete)
---Ca: 10 minutes break, then continued s.c.---
Shooting Star (sounded pretty good w/ J.J.'s deep and dark voice)
Shelter From The Storm

--

Probably the best D. concert I've attended (4 since '91). The Palace Theater is a beautiful venue, recently restored in a slightly oriental style. The auditorium was built to give you the feeling that the concert really was taking place outside. The roof was very well disguised by using different shades of blue. Here and there one could even see a star glimmering in the unstable kind of light that they tend to have. I cannot think of a better place to see D. in concert. The theater had seats for approximately 3000 people. I'm not sure whether or not it was sold out (2 hours before the concert they still had balcony seating left). Before the show Bucky Baxter entered the stage to, I assume, check out his instruments. When he was done with that he met with a couple from the audience. Seemed to me like he knew them, gave the girl a hug and shook hands with the guy.

The show ran a little late and D. + band didn't enter the stage until 8:15 (Show was scheduled to start at 8:00). As usual in these days the opener was JOKERMAN. I didn't quite get a grasp of this one, people were still walking around in the dark trying to find their seats. Rather distracting. The following song, SENOR (TALES OF YANKEE POWER), showed D. to be in really good shape. I have to say though, that his voice did not sound quite as great as it did in Memphis (May '94). The phrasing is still very, very good, but it seems to me like he tend to shout instead of sing a little bit more thasn he did in Memphis. ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER took over after SENOR and for the first time people in the audience were dancing, most of the audience did sit down until we were getting close to the end of the show. D. used pretty much the same arr. for ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER as he did in Memphis. But it seemed to me that he didn't squeeze the words together quite as much, it was rather "theremustbesomnewayoutofheresaid the joker to the thief". Rushing through the first part of the phrase and then slowing down to end it with some beautiful phrasing. We were then treated with a pretty good version of QUEEN JANE APPROXIMATELY. It didn't, IMHO, quite reach the same quality as in The Supper Club. D. Seemed to be holding back a little bit. He didn't let go quite as much. Since I've been 'following' D. that last couple of years I knew, as well as most of y'all, that the next song would be TANGLED UP IN BLUE. Well, I didn't have that high expectations on the song but was I in for a surprise! This was definately the most powerful version of the song that I've heard live. It was bursting in the seems with energy. Dylan really sang his heart out on this one, omitting only the verse "She was working in a topless place, and I stopped in for a beer....". Although we had heard some harmonica playing earlier in the evening this was when he really proved what a great harmonica player he is. During the long harmonica solo towards the end of the song, the drummer, W.W., went wild. You could actually see pieces of the drumsticks flying through the air. And when one of the sicks flew out of his hand during his frenetic drumming he hit the cymbal with his hand instead, before grabbing a new drumstick. Dylan and the band was really putting ALL their energy into this one. To calm down and catch the braeath D. continued with a slow DISEASE OF CONCEIT. A perfect follower to TANGLED UP IN BLUE, all you had to do was just sit down, relax, and enjoy it.
Then we entered the acoustic set. D. started things with MAMA, YOU BEEN ON MY MIND in a phrasing that was very similar to the one used on ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER. Excellent version with beautiful singing, it seems to me that D. is concentrating a lot more on his singing during the acoustic songs, even though he really can take off on one of the electric ones too. The highlight of the acoustic set was definitely a mesmerizing version of MASTERS OF WAR. Experiencing this song live is a real treat. [...] The way that D. sings this song, and the repeated music, makes it almost hypnotic and things are well into the last acoustic song before you really wake up. Last night D. ended the acoustic set with DON'T THINK TWICE, IT'S ALL RIGHT, which surprisingly got the strongest audience response thus far. Pretty good version, although I had rather heard It's All Over Now, Baby Blue. 

The second electric set began with an auto-pilot version of CAT'S IN THE WELL (I've never quite liked that song). Then came the biggest surprise of the evening: I'LL REMEMBER YOU. Excellent version. Things are now starting to get a little bit blurry in my memory, people were now beginning to approach the stage and I couldn't decide whether to join up with them or to remain in my seat (which wasn't that bad). Well into the last regular song, MAGGIE'S FARM, we (me and my girlfriend) decided to move on down after all and I sure don't regret doin' that now! I've never been that close to the man before and it was fascinating to stand there and watch his facial expressions. Really adds another dimension to the songs. BTW, D. was wearing the regular pants and a black jacket. He really looks a lot better now than he did a couple of years ago. After the usual intro of the band he ended the song, took some bows and left the stage.

The encores took off with a standard version of BALLAD OF A THIN MAN and the whole thing ended with an acoustic IT AIN'T ME, BABE. Very good as closer. Really makes you walk out of the theater with a feeling of completeness. Some very good singing on this one, although not quite as good as at The Fleadh Fest. D. was singing a little bit too strongly and too fast, IMHO, should've been a bit softer. Oh, well. All in all an excellent show! Oh, almost forgot something...after the last song D. leaned forward and grabbed a bottle of something that was presented to him by a member of the audience, I doubt that he ever drank anything from it though. Also, during IT AIN'T ME, BABE, Tony Garnier leaned forward and picked up a sign saying "A Wise Man" (I think) from the floor (thrown there by an audience member) and put it behind him. I doubt that he planned to keep the sign, probably just wanted to get it out of the way.

Dylan seemed to be in a pretty good mood last night, smiling every now and then, and only occasionally did he turn his back towards the crowd. T.G. on the other hand did not face the crowd until TANGLED UP IN BLUE! Seemed like he was looking at some papers (or the drummer) back there.

- Andreas Richard Gustafsson (argust00@nx33.mik.uky.edu)


Comment 4:
Song list:

Jokerman
Senor
Watchtower
Queen Jane
Tangled
Disease/4TH Street (alternate, not played)
Tambourine
Masters
Gates (alt., not played)/Boots/Hattie Carrol (alt., not played)
Hiway (alt., not played)/Broken (alt., not played)/God Knows
Cat's In The Well
I&I (alt., not played)/I'll Remember You
Maggies
Mr Jones/What Good Am I (alt., not played)
Hard Rain (says Hard Rain on list, but I believe it was Ain't Me Babe)

[From another posting to rec.music.dylan:]

Jokerman
Senor
Watchtower
Queen Jane
Tangled
Disease/4TH Street
Tambourine
Masters
Gates/Boots/Hattie Carrol
Hiway/Broken/God Knows
Cat's In The Well
I&I/I'll Remember You
Maggies
Mr Jones/What Good Am I
Hard Rain
              
This is from the stage list not the actual performed songs

- Sonia & Kieth Gilliam (BOBFANS@ix.netcom.com)


Comment 5:
As his fans know by now, there are two kinds of Bob Dylan shows: the ones where he makes an effort at singing and the ones where he incoherently and vacantly mumbles and drones. Only the most devout fans will defend the latter kind.

But Tuesday night's Dylan show at the Palace Theatre begged the question: Are contemporary Dylan shows - even on a good night - worth a box of air?

Dylan is rightfully regarded as one of pop music's most important and influential songwriters. But even at top form, he sings in a nasally, indistinct voice, and he seems to revel in twisting and compressing phrases to where only some lyrics are understandable. For fans who know the words to "Queen Jane Approximatley," "Ballad Of A Thin Man" and "Senor," a Dylan show is nothing less than the word made flesh. To the uninitiated, it may be much ado about nothing.

Tuesday night, his hummin' band gave a twangy, country-blues to all the songs in the two-hour performance. The band was clearly top-notch, from the ferocious drummer to the guitar/bandleader whose job seemed to be reining in every song's messy, indeterminate ending.

Dylan had his voice turned on. His guitar, on the other hand, seemed oddly under-mixed in the concert's sound. He was serving as the rhythm guitarist, but most of his playing sure sounded like lead lines. Like his voice, Dylan has shown in the past (and on record) that his guitar playing is engaging for all its quirkiness. One can only imagine what a solo concert would sound like, with Dylan left to his own device.

So again, the question: Is Dylan on a good night worth paying $23.50?

The melodies in his songs, so familiar to several generations, got monstrous applause as soon as they were recognized. His first harmonica solo of the night nearly brought the house down, despite its repetition and simplicity.

Eventually, most everyone will give in to it. You cannot separate the mystique from the man, and the two together are forceful enough to make visiting this legend well worth all the trouble.

"Tangled Up In Blue," though it flew by like a fleeting case of subterranean homesick blues, shot sparks with every line. "Masters Of War," one of the most angry and potent anti-war songs ever recorded, stung anew with the band changed over to acoustic instruments. "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" rocked with a healthy pulse, and Dylan practically hissed with venom during "Disease Of Conceit."

A hard-hitting, vibrant "Maggie's Farm" and the show-ending "It Ain't Me, Babe" rocked from the start.

Yes, even on a good night, Dylan is a ticket worth buying.

- Bob Bahr (The Courier-Journal, Music Review)


24 August 1994 - Morris Civic Auditorium, South Bend, Indiana
=============================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Every Grain Of Sand
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Boots Of Spanish Leather [AB]
God Knows
I And I
Maggie's Farm
What Good am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment:
The concert started at about 8:12 and was average length for recent Dylan shows.  Another very good concert.

- Mike Willour (MIKE.WILLOUR@f12.n236.z1.fidonet.org)


26 August 1994 - Star Plaza Theater, Merrillville, Indiana
==========================================================
Jokerman
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
All Along The Watchtower
Tears Of Rage
Tangled Up In Blue
Shelter From The Storm
Desolation Row [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
One Too Many Mornings [AB]
God Knows
She Belongs to Me
Maggie's Farm

[or is it: She Belongs To Me/God Knows...?]

Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe

Duration: 120 mins.
Venue: about 3,000 in attendance (approx. 3,500 capacity).

Original songlist:
Jokerman
Tom Thumb/Shooting Star/Just Like A Woman
Watchtower
Big Girl/Tears of Rage
Tangled
Shelter/4TH Street
Tambourine/Mama/Desolation(c) [AB]
Masters [AB]
One Too Many/Desolation [AB]
Broken/God Knows
Rolling Stone/Long Black Coat
Shelter
Maggies
Mr Jones/What Good Am I
Ain't Me Babe

Comment 1:
14 songs, 120 minutes, about 3000 in attendance (~3500 capacity)

A rough-edged but truly, truly inspired perfromance - This was my 13th Dylan concert and by far the best! I felt as if I had seen five or six different performers in one evening... Here's a meager attempt at putting words to the experience:

After five good shows in April and recent reviews of very good, professional, but somewhat uninspired setlists & shows, I wondered before the show if it was really worth seeing Dylan all these times - after all, I was missing Johnny Cash by seeing this concert, but since I had the tickets I felt obligated by some sort of loyalty to go.  I expected a routine show with no surprises, worth the effort I suppose but not much more.

Boy was I wrong - this was probably the best concert I've ever seen, by anyone (though not without its flaws - Watchtower and Tangled Up in Blue need a rest, Bob).

Back in April, Jokerman was vitriol, lyrics howled & spat out in disgust - but now Dylan crooned it mournfully, looking out at the world gone wrong and shedding a tear, "Oh Jokerman, you don't show any response..." Dylan's singing tonight was all over the map & really going for drama, varying from a deep hoarse whisper to an almost unworldly howl. His voice isn't as strong as it was in spring, but he knows how to use it!!!

Jokerman was good, but Tom Thumb's Blues was transcendent - superbly dramatic singing, Dylan transformed into an old man on his back porch on a hot summer night, bottle in hand, bragging about his youthful exploits and how many times his heart's been busted and how he came to be this way to anyone who'll listen or care...  The big one got away, it's always the same story with a few new embellishments, but there's something enthralling about hearing it 'cause everytime it brings out the twinkle deep in those eyes...

The slowed-down Watchtower came next, very turgid & lots of messy guitar duels between Dylan & Jackson.  A good version, hard for me to get too enthused about it tho'.

Tears of Rage!  This sounded like a cross between "What Can I Do for You" and "Brownsville Girl."  Heart and soul put into love then lost to betrayal, the narrator left to crawl across the desert looking for salvation. The most 'cinematic' song of the evening, I guess.  Dylan re-wrote the last verse - "We pointed out the way to leave and scratched your name in sand/ You just thought it was nothing more than a place for you to stand/ Now I want you to know... [dummy lyrics] ...that it broke my heart/ [more dummy lyrics]/ ...my heart as if it was a purse/ Oh, what kind of love is this that goes from bad to worse?!?"

Tangled Up in Blue was the low point of the evening, Dylan regrouping & singing in a rushed monotone.  "The quick version" as Sid put it.  More messy guitar solos, in the obligatory crowd-pleaser...

I just can't get over the arrangement to Shelter from the Storm - very bouncy & jaunty, like upbeat Marvin Gaye - can you imagine Dylan crooning "Let's Get it On" - now I can!  The arrangement is actually almost identical to the Supper Club version of Tight Connection (Has Anybody Seen My Love)! Cool but bizarre, a nice change of pace.  Like I said, I kept thinking of "Let's Get it On"...

After that first set I figured things couldn't get much better, but I was wrong again :-).  Fabulous version of Desolation Row, best of the three version I've seen, delivered in a deep growling whisper, at times reminding me of Gordon Lightfoot.  Very nice, very tight playing, and the first time I recall hearing the "At midnight all the agents..." verse live.

Masters of War just gets better and better - this is definitely the best 'regular' song in the setlist.  Riveting, driving performance bolstered by Garnier's bass, and by the way it ain't Eddie Vedder that Dylan's imitating, it's the pale gaunt ghost of Hank Williams that appeared tongiht singing "Kaw-Liga", the wooden indian standing alone in the desolation of war-profiteering's scorched earth.

One Too Many Mornings was truly shattering & along with Tom Thumb would blow most of the officially released live Dylan out of the water. Beautiful, pained singing, perfectly executed melodrama of someone waking up at 5 AM in a panic, looking over to find his lover gone & feeling the pain pierce him, only to realize in those waking moments that she's been gone for years, it just seems like yesterday.  The coffee is cold and the air reeks of stale tobacco as he looks in the mirror and wonders who he really sees... But the instrumental coda turned everything around - looking out to see the sunrise & feeling renewed & suddenly ready to face the day outside...

Many people rushed the stage at the close of the acoustic set - Dylan & Co. then plowed into the most powerful version of "God Knows" that I've heard - suddenly we switched from the stretched out syllables of the acoustic set to full-bore gospel/rock, circa 1979 - Dylan took no quarter during this one, pummeling the words into the microphone & searing the audience with the one-foot-in-the-fire vision, emphasis on "God knows it could snap apart right now just like putting scissor to a string!"  The combination of the lyrics, the sheer driving force of the band, and the sudden presence of dozens of people at the foot of the stage intimidated a few people into leaving - it definitely was a complete change in direction, but not an unexpected one.  I think we got a small taste of what it felt like at the Fox-Warfield in 1979...

She Belongs to Me didn't break any new ground - Dylan had obviously pushed his voice a bit in the last song & played it safer here, but also delivered his best guitar solo of the evening during this one. Maggie's loped along to the finish, not as impressive as the April versions, but a good rocker to close the main set & even a few grins from Dylan during the band intros.

I figured that was about it for the evening, but Dylan had one last trick up his sleeve - Like a Rolling Stone, in a country-western vein! It sounds bizarre, and my first impression was one of amazement - the song was given a very mid-tempo pace, with the steel guitar carrying the "How does it feel" riff, and Dylan crooning the lyrics!  But this was no spineless Isle of Wight version - he gave us just the right mixture of melody and reproach to work under the skin & remind everyone (Dylan included) to watch out...  This was really amazing, the flip-side of 1966 - Dylan didn't intend to harangue anyone in particular tonight, but by *not* lashing out, we all felt drawn in closer to the song, singing along with the "How does it feel" joyously & then feeling the sting of the song at that close range, very effective since we couldn't just brush it off like "Thin Man" or "Positively 4th Street" - it was no clever putdown of someone else that we could laugh about, it was directed at all of us... I've never been so happy to hear Like a Rolling Stone before...

It Ain't Me Babe retreated into the shadows, teasing us all - he knew he'd given us something special tonight, but you can only take so much. Very good singing, chiding & teasing us in good humor with "no, no, no, it ain't me, babe..."  "I'm not the one you want, babe" and a woman a few rows behind me shouts "Yes you are!!!" (Heike, I think maybe you were there in spirit).  Very fitting close to a magnificent performance...

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


Comment 2:
I've seen Dylan a total of three times this year in St. Louis, Memphis, and now Merriville. Merriville was by far the best concert. Bob didn't rush through the songs and he held out the long notes. The band was powerful as usual. The lead guitar on "Jokerman" really followed the original tune on Infidels. There were many surprising songs in his set, "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", "Tears of Rage"."Shelter From the Storm", "Desolation Row","One Too Many Mornings", and "Like a Rolling Stone". He didn't play any of these in St. Louis or Memphis. The crowd didn't recognize "Tears of Rage" at first. It is a long song and Dylan played it slow, strong, and he had a great harmonica solo in the middle. I know that the crowd enjoyed the song even if they didn't know it. It was "truckdriver's wifes" in "Tangled up in Blue". I thought Dylan really rocked in "Shelter from the Storm". He would sing a stanza then step back and play lead. Then was the start of the accoustic songs. To my surprise he started with "Desolation Row". IMHO it was the best song of the night. The crowd was totally silent. No one would even dare get up to get a drink and those coming back stopped dead in their tracks and watched and listened in awe. The rest of the band played softly and let Dylan take control of the lead guitar. It was beautiful. The crowd was so mesmorized that it took about two seconds after the song was over till people started clapping, yelling and standing. Next was "Masters of War". I think Dylan and the band wanted to concentrate on guitar in this song, because like in "Shelter from the Storm" Dylan would sing and then step back and play with the band. The ushers let the crowd rush the stage on "God Knows". At first I was about six rows back then I worked my way to about three rows in front of the stage. I was pretty much right in front of Dylan and had a good view (standing on the very tips of my toes). It was very hot. You could see sweat coming off of Dylan's hair, nose, and chin. After "Maggie's Farm" he introduced the band, bowed, and left the stage. Of course he came back for an encore. By the first notes of "Like a rolling stone" the crowd knew the song or thought they did. I heard a few people wisper "I think it's 'Like a Rolling Stone' ". Their thoughts were confirmed when Dylan started singing. He sang loud and clear and smiled a couple times. "It Ain't Me Babe" was the final song of the night. Dylan sang soft and sweet. The crowed joined in on the chorus. He bowed a couple times and then was gone. If this is the last concert I see this year, Merriville is a great one to go out on.

- Traci (traceface@aol.com)


Comment 3:
I saw a couple of reports on this newsgroup about Dylan at Merrillville, and I was wondering if I'd been to a different show altogether.

What I heard was the music played so loud it almost drowned out Dylan's voice.  This is not a generational complaint about "the music is too loud, turn it down"-- I'm talking about the balance between instruments and voice, and I'm comparing this balance at Woodstock (I caught only the last three songs---it was superb) with that at Merrillville.  For example, he sang 'It ain't me, babe' both times, but quite a difference.

Dylan's voice was able to assert itself occasionally---presumably he can't really tell how the music has been mixed---but often it sounded like one of the million rock bands where deafening music is intended to cover up the deficiencies of the lead singer.  (In this case, that can't have been the intent.)

Also, the never-ending guitar is fun for a while, but ultimately it got to be a bit tedious.  Dylan has reinvented himself a number of times, often spectacularly, but if this time his plan is to reinvent himself as a great guitar player, he's in for some tough competition from people living and dead.

- Pulak Dutta (p-dutta@nwu.edu)


Comment 4:
I thought the sound at the Star Plaza was excellant. I was sitting on the right side three or four rows back and could hear Bobs vocals clearly. The Band sounded great too. ... Any sound problems experienced in Merrillville were probaly due to seat position. In theory the sound should be best at or near the soundboard for that is where it is mixed from.

- Sonia Gilliam (BOBFANS@ix.netcom.com)


Comment 5:
The entire show was excellent. (Except Maggies Farm, as usual.) His new band was great.  Was a little disappointed that he did not do any thing acoustic without his band.  I agree with what was said in an earlier post that He should give it 100% percent and if he falls flat on his face, who cares?  We aren't going to think less of him.  Easy thing to say when your not the one on stage.
        
[There was an] obnoxious drunk who kept yelling "Alright, Bobby D!" or "Play "Everybody must get stoned".  Glad I was not sitting close to him!!

- Christopher Paul Lorenz (clorenz@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu)


27 August 1994 - Kalamazoo, Michigan
====================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Shelter From The Storm
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
Man In The Long Black Coat
Maggie's Farm
What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Planned setlist:
Jokerman
Back Pages/If Not For You
Watchtower
4Th Street/Simple Twist
Tangled
Back Pages/I Don't Believe You/Every Grain of Sand
Mama/Gates [AB]
Masters [AB]
Love Minus/Gates/Mama [AB]
God Knows/Broken
Lenny Bruce/Garden/I&I
Maggies
Hiway/Mr.Jones/Broken
Ain't Me Babe

Comment 1:
Kalamazoo 1 was nearly a replay of the FOX, Detroit 1990. We didn't get carried out, local security was great! The problem was the audience. They wouldn't get off their asses except in an attempt to trounce me, Sonia or Christine, (hat like Heika, flower in the head). Nobody got hurt. Bobs people had to take Sonia and I backstage before the "encores" to protect us from an angry mob of Kalamazoolians. After the show some creep with his wife and kids tried to jump me from  behind, Sonia called out to me in the knick of time and the police were close by. A member of the crew put us on their bus while the V man (you know who the V man is) and police handled this disfunctional family. Kalamazoo 2 was no problem JJ posted signs along the front of the stage, just under the stage floor saying "After the the accoustic set it's allright to stand up", "People will stand in front of you".

- Sonia Gilliam (BOBFANS@ix.netcom.com)


Comment 2:
In Kalamazoo, MI in August there were tickets sold for the shows that ended up being $43...according to what I've heard--Bob did not want anyone to pay that much for a ticket and instructed the promotor to issue $8 refunds to those who paid dor those first 12 rows.  There were little envelopes with $8 waiting at the box office & a friend of mine got his $8 back from Bob. :-)

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


28 August 1994 - Kalamazoo, Michigan
====================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
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]
Love Minus Zero-No Limit [AB]
God Knows
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]


29 August 1994 - Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Michigan
=======================================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
Positively Fourth Street
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Mama You've Been On My Mind [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
One Too Many Mornings [AB]
God Knows
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe

Planned setlist:
Jokerman
Senior/If Not For You
Watchtower
4Th Street
Tangled
Silvio/I Want You
@Tambourine
@Masters
@One Too Many Mornings
I Want You/God Knows/Broken
Garden/I&I
Maggies
Rainy Day/Mr. Jones
Ain't Me Babe

Comment 1:
This was the third show in this leg of the tour that I've seen (Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit).  It was a bit different in tone from the others, I thought.

First, there was the fight that broke out during Jokerman.  Two guys almost in front of me started pushing each other and fair security broke them up.  As they were being led away from each other the State Police came running up (4 or 5 of them) and started indiscriminately grabbing and shoving people.  One of them grabbed an guy who was standing nearby  watching the show and pulled his arms behind his back.  Then fair security told the cop he had the wrong guy and he let him go.  The poor fellow was looking around like, what just happened to me?  The police finally got the right two from the security guards and continued leading them away.  Security in general was much heavier than the other 2 shows.

I was in about the 8th row, center, so I could see Bob quite well. He seemed more disengaged from the audience than he had been at the other shows. The lines from "Seeing the Real You at Last" where he says "I'm hungry and I'm irritable/ and I'm tired of your bag of tricks" pretty well sums up what his attitude appeared to be.  When you think that he sung "Positively 4th St," Ballad of a Thin Man," "One Too Many Morning" and "It Ain't Me Babe" -- all of which are songs that are in one way or another saying "you just don't get it" you'll get the idea of his general tone.  In the closing line of 4th St. "...you'd know what a _drag_ it is to see you" he leaned heavily on "drag," as if to emphasize his disgust.  The odd thing was that the crowd was really enthusiastic -- more so than the Ohio shows -- so I would have thought Bob would be energized by their excitement.  Instead he seemed, well, disgusted.  

The 2 exceptions to the general disengagement both occurred late in the show.  During "God Knows" someone to the right of the stage held up a sign that said "Return to Jesus."  After the song Dylan did a quick huddle with the band and swung into "In the Garden."  I wondered if the choice was a response to the sign.  Then there was Maggie's Farm.  It's one of my least favorite live songs -- but this performance redeemed it.  Dylan was obviously into it -- alternately grinning and snarling out the words.  By the end of the song everyone in the band was grinning.  It was better than either of the other 2 shows by far.  Then came "Thin Man" and "It AIn't Me" and Dylan pulled back from the audience again.

Overall, the performances were powerful, and he sang with real feeling.  But the feeling wasn't happiness at being there.  It was something more like discontent and irritation.

[In another posting:]

And as if that wasn't long enough, I have 2 things to add. At the Michigan show we noticed that the Fender amps had black tape over the Fender nameplate.  Why is this?  Does Dylan advertise for another brand or something?

- Tim Lundgren (tlundgre@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)


Comment 2:
Upon recently assuming his new title, your agent suddenly vanishes into the long highways of America for 2 weeks of motels, relatives, in-laws, old high school friends from the class of '64, fast food stops and thick congested arteries of cubed-out trucks into the night.  The van is cramped with bags & sacks & boxes & games & maps & cartridge tapes & a guitar & my wife & 2 teenage boys.  We cross the country in a blaze of various favorites.  The boys play Pink Floyd & Tears for Fears & the soundtrack to Jurassic Park.  My wife has lots of Bruce Springstreet.  And i have some Miles Davis ... oh yeah - and LOTS of Bob Dylan as i contemplate what lies ahead for the 29th of August.

Apparently all the conditions are right and indeed, for the first time in my life, i will finally get to see the man, now 53 years old.  There have always been so many things that have, at one time or another, blocked my view.

The trip proceeds uneventfully as planned and we spend the brunt of it in the upper peninsula of Michigan with the kid's grandparents.  i have access to an empty garage-barn where i can strap on my Martin, load up my harmonica holder and belt out Tambourine Man at the top of my lungs without fear of annoying anyone.  In a few days my fingers are back in old form and the 29th is now just around the corner.

The night before i cant sleep & watch dumb TV to 2 a.m.  Then in the morning we leave the U.P., crossing the Mackinac Bridge and grinding it out down to more relatives at 4:30, where, according to plan, they get out & say goodbye to me & i continue on alone into the wilds of Detroit and I-696.  (They all dont like him....)  i find the state fairgrounds easily enough and fork over the $5.00 parking fee.  i lock up the van, now devoid of guitar, etc.  Its all too easy.

It really is only $7.00 general admission and i walk in.  The band shell is easy to find.  i walk right in.  Its about 5:30 and i must find Chris Chapman, according to the revised plan from the long distance phone call.  i find a seat right up front maybe 5 rows back.  These front seats are filling fast. i have on my khaki pants, OVER THE HILL black t-shirt and am indeed wearing my totally ridiculous San Diego Zoo Safari hat, which makes me very conspicuous despite being 5'3".  There are not very many people, total, so Chris shouldnt have much trouble identifying me.  He isnt there yet.  i make acquaintances with my immediate neighbors.  A guy on stage is pushing raffle tickets.  You have to be 18 or over.  We all look at each other and agree that that wont be a problem.  We speculate on what he'll sound like/look like.  We trade stories. The time creeps up to 6:00 and i realize that i havent eaten since the BK Broiler at noonish.  Furthermore, i am not hungry.  i wont need to move again until afterwards.  Jackson, Garnier & Baxter are doing soundchecks every once in a while and it is obvious that my old ears will be assaulted.  2 hours....

Chris Chapman finds me and we actually meet in the flesh.  He has 2 friends along and they are back and to my left about 50 feet.  We agree to meet after. More stories & time creep by.  My adrenalin level is now getting noticeably more bothersome.  32 years of waiting is now about to end.  The raffle guy comes on with updates on how much the winner will win.  They eventually close off the raffle.  Some blond kid draws the winner and now its 7:46.  The weather is perfect.  The suns sets and shadows have now crawled all the way past the lights.  The crowd is feeling good.  Various collectors have also now completed their sound/lightinglevel checks and are now discreetly reading books.  The raffle man repeats the no-cameras-no-video-no-nothing warning and security is now obvious.  i continue to turn back and look out through the crowd with my stupid safari hat for a face i know.  Everyone looks so familiar, but of course i recognize no one else.  i was hoping to see an old friend from Detroit, 1972.

8 o'clock arrives and the stage is empty.  People are now settling down in earnest.  Somewhere about 8:03 the band comes out onto the stage and the PA announces "Ladies & Gentlemen - a big welcome for Columbia recording artist, Bob Dylan!", quickly buried under a standing ovation.  Dylan has come out with the band in no special way.  Jackson acknowledges the crowd with a grin and a wave, but other than that they are all business as they take their positions. Dylan is wearing his black jacket with white pin striping, something like a black ruffle/bow tie thing on a white shirt, black pants with white over-sized baseball stitching down the sides & black boots.  There is no hat and no dark glasses, natch.  He is clean shaven but his face is heavily lined.  He looks old!  His nose seems more prominent than ever.  When he glances out at us it is as if he is merely verifying our presence.  He is all down to serious business as they launch into a controlled loud opening, drowning the applause.  At first i cant make out the words, but soon hear the snakes in both fists.  Then it is clear and easy.  He delivers Jokerman.  i am hoping my data intake channels are wide enough, but fear they arent!  Seconds into it i announce the title to the others beside me, superfluously.  i watch his face.  i watch the band. Then the whole song storms through me like buffalos and when its over i weakly join the applause.

Then i easily recognize If Not For You.  As loud as they are, somehow this song isnt crushed.  Much later Chris told me that he did each verse separately in its own way, sort of holding them out to us from different angles.  On the last one i notice he gets quite emotional, dangerously close to cracking on "I'd be lost if not for you".  i thought it was better than the New Morning version.  But what do i know....

All Along The Watchtower is the predictable high-energy blast.  He doubles up the couplets again and then often takes the last syllable across the whole 2nd half of the music line.  Ok.  Interesting, but an experiment.  Somewhere in here i realize how much power he has been singing with.  "howl" hits me with hurricane force.  When they finally get to the now familiar slow-down coda, i realize that i am lucky & have a great show in hand.  But i still have no idea.

As i hear the next opening line, framed in much different music, i gasp audibly "...ohmigod - its Positively 4th Street...."  Again, i feel a lack of data assimilation capability.  During this, i find my mind imagining that he is singing about *us* as he delivers the lines accurately, clearly and so alive. This gets in my way, like those optical illusion staircases.  towards the end, after long trades of solos, they fall into the slow-down mode.  i realize that he hasnt sung the last verse and begin to think he's going to leave it off (its probably his most acidic verse ever and with the Illusion Staircase maybe he just didnt feel that bad about us).  But no!  He then does the last verse in the slow-down mode - what an effect!  The Illusion goes away.  i want to pinch myself & squeal, so i'll know that its for real...etc.  i think it was somewhere in here that he had Silvio/I Want You in the set list i saw later.  Hey, either of those would have been fine.  But Pos.4th.St......   :-)

In any case, with the now familiar new sound behind him, he now launched into a 3rd-person version of Tangled Up In Blue:"..._he_ was layin' in bed..."  i listen close for Alternate Lyrics.  It's "dark sad night" very clearly.  i'm even watching his lips.  It's the italian poet from the 13th century, but did he do the laces of his shoes?  ARGHH! Cant Remember!!  But wow does he stretch out "up in BLUUUUUUUUE" and there is No Doubt that this man can sing!  He does the last verse in 1st person, with "I gotta get back to _them_ somehow".  And its "truck driver's wives".  This probably then will match a previous version.

i should say about his harmonica playing before you all start wondering.  All along the crowd has been enthusiastic and cheering when he flips up the holder. The holder works fine today.  But i think the crowd reaction was more out of respect for the legend rather than the deed.  i have always found his recorded harmonica far better than his live harmonica.  oh well.  Here, it is the same back'n'forth experimentation he's does for decades.  There *were* some nice spots for me, but mostly it was tonal breath control.  :-(  it doesnt matter.

There are some songs i've never heard before.  i may have seen the lyrics, but that isnt going to help.  This was the case with the next song, Under The Red Sky, which nonetheless i was able to identify and inform my temporary friends. A very nice song.  Makes me want to hear the recording, although i'm probably not going to like that as much  :-).  This ended the first electric set.  If i have failed to mention some aspect of these 6 songs, its because i dont have enough room here, because i cant remember yet, because there was too much stuff to absorb, and, most of all, because i am not qualified.  The band is good.

There wasnt any time to rest, except for Winston Watson, who now gets a chance to reset his dreadlocks.  The acoustic set begins.  Its another smack to my forehead as i recognize "Mama, You've Been On My Mind" emerging out of some very folky picking by the 2 guitar players.  This is a big throwback for me. i have both the baez and collins versions of this.  i had never heard dylan do it before....  Even with the instruments all wired in very loud, this setup was a welcome relief to my old time-ruined ears.  Then they turned the stage lighting all red and did Masters Of War.  Very nicely.  He still hopes that they die.  The crowd loved it.  I'm just sittin baskin in it.  So then after that he does the very first Dylan song i ever learned how to play, One Too Many Mornings.  Wow.  Chris Chapman tells me later that this was his top moment.  i was unable to tell him mine.  Maybe its because i was so pressed up into the ceiling that a discussion of where the ceiling bulged up the most left me with a loss for word.  The acoustic set was over all too soon.

well, Chris was hoping he would play God Knows - and that's how he opened the 2nd electric set.  This and the next song and UTRS were the 3 songs out of the 14 that i have never heard before.  Again i felt a lack of bus width.  It was at this time that the crowd rushed up to the front and waved their hands in the air.  The little group of us old-timers stayed where we were.  With all of the pandemonium of people running up to the front and sideways, there were many Safe moments for those with cameras.  In addition, the soft breeze was blowing from the back of the crowd up to the stage and through the band.  You could see this tremendous blueish haze wafting up to the main microphone.  i had already gotten a whiff from slightly before, so i knew what it was.  Perhaps there was enough to get a contact?  No.  But very familiar.  ah yes.  :-)

In The Garden was very hard to follow.  i couldnt figure out the chord structure very dissonant.  The emotional level was so strong.  Although the subject material here strays away from the Dylan i like, i was still absorbed. i was hoping Chris was having a good time, because i knew that he liked this material.   Later i heard that of the many concerts he's seen that this was the best....  maybe.   One thing i will say is that it was good that i got a chance to hear this stuff.  i would never have done it on my own.  especially by this group.  His voice continued to amaze me.

Maggie's Farm, the regular finale, normally would not have ranked up there in my own list as the one i'd want - BUT wow what a rendition!  Really into it he was...  so funny and snarling and just plain great.  and the way he added "oh, no..."  shaking his head after the last "I aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more."  Excellent stuff.  Then he introduced the band as the final instrumentals played.  huge ovations  we never stopped  we kept on and on and on  until  yes they're back as expected....

Ballad Of A Thin Man actually could have been better but it didnt matter and anyway he was definitely into the "Mr. Jones" part.  Everything was exactly the words.  Except...he left out the 2nd verse "You hand in your ticket...." It didnt matter.  i have always wanted to see him play piano and this tune would have been perfect for this (along with "Dear Landlord" and "I'll Keep It With Mine", for starters).  But it didnt matter.  On the bridge on the record there are these 2 words that stick out like ears on some Picasso painting:

   You have many contacts
   Among the lumberjacks
   To get _YOU_
   Facts
   When someone attacks
   Your imagination.
   But nobody has any respect -
   Anyway they already expect _YOU_
   To all give a check to
   Tax-deductable charity organizations....

....so i was ready to look for that, but it didnt happen.  It didnt matter. You can get the gist here.  It didnt matter.

At the end, in the last verse i hear "but before you come you should first call on the telephone."  rather than being made wear all kinds of telephones or whatever....

And then its "It Aint Me, Babe" acoustic style.  And wow, what a deliverance. The sense of humor, the vitriol, everything - this reporter, aware that this will be the end, finds himself totally focused on the main microphone user as the audience is going nuts.  i liked the way he tosses off the nugget "_IT_ aint me babe", a shrugging sort of re-emphasis in a different syllable....

The show is over.  It is 9:49 or so.  The crowd is settling down.  The brief friendships begin to drift their separate ways.  We all feel so good.  i stop one of the lucky few stage rushers with a setlist and just look at it.  i cant remember anything.  i am numb.  my ears are blown away.  Even 4 days later, my right ear is still ringing.  It doesnt matter.

i think to myself that i should look for Chris.  But i cant find him.  Oh well. i wander out of the band shell area and off to the grassy side outside stunned. EVEN NOW i still dont know what happened to me.  i should get something to eat. but not now.  One last look for Chapman...nope...i should go.  Here is a whole state fair and i have zero interest in doing anything else with it...natch.

i walk back to the van.  its still there.  i load in Tambourine Man and wonder if i should poison my ear memory so quickly, but instead the "weariness amazes me" line is very comforting.  i hear this song in yet again another light... hey, i've been up all night and heard this before...but not quite like this.

i find my way out of the parking lot and back to 696 and head west to Ann Arbor on a 5-lane crowded expressway with trucks who Were Not There.  i get into Ann Arbor at 11:20 and find a phone.  i call my high school buddy and - yes- get a place to crash.  Crash, crash?  they put me up.  i try to sleep.  i cant.  i lie in this strange bed and my mind is going a million places at once.  i cant sleep.  i think that i should make some notes.  i get my notebook.  finally, at 2 am again, i turn out the lights.  and promptly wake up at 7:40, still not hungry.  i get coffee.  eventually i get a hold of Chris Chapman and we compare notes.  so good to be able to do that.  i have a dinner with in-laws back over beyond Detroit.  i visit Herb David and buy 2 sets of guitar strings.  a very dear friend of mine.  i tell him about it.  by the time i finish visiting everyone in Ann Arbor and head east i am a Zombie......and certainly will never be the same again.  without Dylan loud on the tape player in the van i am certainly a dead man.  i get to the dinner and eat, but its mechanical...

there is more, but it doesnt matter....

-nate, still waiting to crash real bad

- Nate Smith (nates@ll.mit.edu)


Comment 3:
It was my great pleasure to see the great Zimmerman at the Michigan State Fair on August 29th for seven bucks...and all the corn dogs I could eat!

He had a four piece band (guitar, steel guitar, bass and drums), which was really quite good.

His hair was dyed quite dark and styled much like the "Highway 61" cover.  He played fourteen songs (even came back for an encore)..

    The play list was as follows:

          "Joker Man"
          "If Not For You"
          "All Along the Watchtower" (really rocked, as well as Hendrix's)
          "Positively 4rth Street" (threw it away)
          "Tangled Up In Blue"
          "Under the Red Sky"
          "Mama, You've Been on My Mind" (acoustic)
                  (he was playing electric guitar for the most part)
          "Masters of War" (real good, got lots of cheers)
          "One Too Many Mornings"
          * a tune I wasn't familiar with, a line in it was "God knows
                everything..."
          "Ballad of A Thin Man" (he threw this away too--can't hear it
                myself without Al Kooper's organ)
          "It Aint Me Babe"  (another crowd pleaser, of course)

I've loved the hell out of this guy for thirty years---this is the first time I saw him. It was a kick.  His voice was real rough, and while I realize he's probably fairly sick of some of these songs, I didn't appreciate him constantly changing the phrasings which we have all become familiar with.

He insisted on playing leads and was very cautious, along with making mistakes.  Harmonica playing pretty weak, too.
    
But I loved it.  Hell, Dylan and corndogs, what a combination.

"What's a nice legend like you doing in a place like the Michigan State Fair?"  Who knows?  It was fun though...

- Thomas A. Axtell (jaded@garnet.msen.com)


1 October 1994 - Ben Light Gymnasium, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York
======================================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Tangled Up In Blue
I'll Be You Baby Tonight
Mama You've Been On My Mind [AC]
Masters Of War [AC]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AC]
God Knows

Most Like You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
It Aint Me, Babe [AC]

Comment 1:
hey we saw dylan tonight at ithaca college in ithaca, ny

i am a big dylan studio fan but i'll have to saw the show was well, kind of mediocre, maybe it was outright lousy

i don't mean to post this as flamebait or anything, but his *band* is SO bad!!! the acoustic portion of the show was really nice but the cheesy rock numbers were nauseating the drummer has gotta go and why do all of these great songs have the same stupid cheese pop ending? (cymbal crash here, snare beat here) maggie's farm and it ain't me babe were totally unrecognizable

i donno, but it would be nice to hear some of the words he's so famous for

i hope that at some of his shows, bob plays some good folk and maybe some of his amazing songs from albums like Desire...

okay, its my favorite album, bias admitted...

- Sarah Lefton and Brian (sgl1@cornell.edu)


Comment 2:
During [It Ain't Me, Babe] song a young girl from the audiance decided to join D the band on stage and show off her dancing skills which turned out to be pretty good.  Amazingly security let her continue to dance during which she collided with Jackson (lead guitar) and his hat fell off.  Bob hadn't really taken a notice to the girl until this point and seemed pretty amused. Near the end of the song a male friend of the girls jumped on stage and when the song was over they embraced Dylan.  Not to be outdone a second girl ran across the stage and gave bob a big kiss just before he left.

All in all I felt the show was excellent, IMHO.  As usual the band was extremely tight and the drummer was pounding out a pulsing rhythm to songs like watchtower, etc.  Generally not to much filler at the close of the songs but a few were cut short (Master's of War.)  The band seemed to be having a good time and the audiance as well.  So much so Bob actually was smiling rather than the occasional grimace and his harmonica playing was additionally lively.

- Christopher M. Perry (cmperry@mailbox.syr.edu)


Comment 3:
Artpark wasn't no fluke -- Zimmy gave another strong, authorative performance where he hit a high percentage.  "Senor" received an interesting reworking, and "Tangled" had more kick than the Artpark version.  The acoustic portions were again high quality (and both "repeats" were again excellent, followed by a powerful "Don't Think Twice") and "It Ain't Me Babe" featured a couple of audience  folk dancing stage left, then hugging Zimmy after the show; and the version performed was worth the trip alone, with stinging vocals and an all-out harmonica assault.  My friend Roxanne may have said it best, "I think Dylan's actually trying to be *good*!"

"I And I", which I hadn't esperienced live, was given the Neil Young & Crazy Horse grunge treatment, with driven solos and power chords emphasizing its chorus.  "God Knows" was given the master blaster workout as well, but right now, I'd *love* to see an all-acoustic Dylan show with this lineup.  Once again, the band was with him every step of the way, especially the *cool* garage band treatment of "Most Likely" and the introspective "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You."

The one main flaw of this show was that it wasn't at Artpark. For one, the college-student dominated crowd were more interested in talking than *listening* (during "God Knows", one obnoxious student kept asking me if Dylan would play "Hurricane" to the point to the point I was beyond annoyed).  Security was weird to figure out:  There were flashlight-yielding cops in your face whenever a *lighter* was lit, yet when the two students ambled on stage during the encore, nothing was done about it (if that had been me running security, they would have been taken offstage immediately!). Clearly, the Ben Light Gym atmosphere wasn't like 5 years ago, where everything was reasonable and laid back; at least it didn't affect the music, and that's what mattered.

- John J. Wood (jojw@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)

Comment 4:
GREAT SHOW! My favorites were Master's of war, Mama you've been on my mind, I and I, and Most likely you go.  A couple got on the stage during It ain't me babe and danced through the song, which was very Distracting. Bob Gave them both a HUG.  Sweet 'ol uncle BOB.....

- Hooman (h1heravi@vaxc.stevens-tech.edu)


Comment 5:
Well, it was my fourth time seeing mr. dylan, and I must say that it was the best show to date. I loved it. At times, he really seemed to be having a good time up there. Highlights for me were "Tangled Up in Blue" (my favorite BD song) and "Masters of War" (one of my favorites). I wasn't let down this time around like I was the last time that I saw him. I was also surprised by the securities lack of consistency (as John Wood pointed out).

I wonder in proximity to the stage ( and the sound quality further away) has an effect on whether or not I enjoy the show. On Saturday night, I was ten feet in front of a speaker to stage right. I could hear (and understand) everything Bob sang, whereas last year in Syracuse I was a lot further away and I couldn't even understand a word.  

I can't wait to see Dylan again.

- Silas "chip" Martin (scm1@cornell.edu)


2 October 1994 - LeFrak Gymnasium, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts
==========================================================================
Planned setlist (with original abbreviations):
jokerman
like a woman/peggy-o
watchtower
i don't believe/simple twist
tangled
4th street
tambourine
masters
mama
god knows
i believe/i&i/teardrops/released/in the garden
maggie's
mr.jones
ain't me babe

Concert setlist:
Jokerman
Pretty Peggy-O
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Mama, You've Been On My Mind [AB]
God Knows
I Believe In You
Maggie's Farm

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

Duration: approx. 110 mins.

Comment 1:
My first show...I though it was quite good.

- James Wood (jlwood@unix.amherst.edu)


Comment 2:
Amherst - that picturesque New England college town nestled on the west side of the Mighty Quabbin Reservoir that feeds Boston 80-odd miles away with its drinking water - Amherst populated by More Than One College, flooded with so many old feelings of student life - the town i now have selected for Yet Another Dylan Concert.  This time i try to bring a friend but that falls through in flames and now i must file this simple report with no Corroborating Witness....

Black pants with no white striping anywhere, black jacket with double line of white along edges of wide lapels and cuffs, bottom. Small-checkered white/darkblue shirt, no tie or anything like that. No hat.  Didnt look as cleanshaven as he did in Detroit, Aug.29th, but that may have been the lighting.  Shirt may have been black&white, but it didnt look like it.

The crowd rushed up to the stage barriers immediately as they set into Jokerman.  Looked distant, business like.  The sound quality in the LeFrak gym was better than i expected, but still not as good as the State Fair in Detroit.  It was considerably less of an assault on my old ears and i have no lingering aftereffects.

The crowd in front never sat down, so the rest of us in the 2nd-8th rows were craning our necks alot.  i was in the 4th row, an identical viewpoint as the one i had in Detroit.

Jokerman - left out 3rd & 5th verse.  Good stuff again.

Pretty Peggy-O  - sorry, i identified it ok, but dont ask for lyric variants [...]

Watchtower - he forgot to double up those lines at times, did some 1 1/2, and remembered to double most.  John Jackson finds the Jimi sound in places, but they have their own way of rocking out on this.

I Dont Believe You - easy guitar riff made this reporter identify this before he sang.  Bob must really like to do this number.  The end-phrasing of lines like "watery and wet" didnt jell but the refrainwas good.  A lot of expression.  He acted up a bit.  :-)  Sarcastic sadness.  Kinda loses it in places.  The experimental harmonica again.

Tangled Up In Blue - third person version again.  "Dark sad night with the feelin' it was best".  Did Ax-just-fell-Delacroix verse 3rd, skipped topless place verse, then did the burner on the stove verse AFTER the Montague Street verse.  Last verse definitely was "I got to get to THEM somehow" again, like in Detroit.  harmonica experiment was better....

Positively 4th Street - same way as others in this 94 season.  Did last verse in the slowdown, end-of-song mode again.  Nice.  i liked the Garnier thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump steady line underneath.

Tambourine Man - what a surprise for me!  i liked this alot.  there was a guy next to me who was loud with "GO BOBBY!" cheers and we all gave him the stare.  despite him, i may go with this as my favorite.  but the 3rd verse was left off  :-(.  this really came across as the mystical invocation of his muse that its supposed to be.  he did not try harmonica. bucky baxter had a strap-on steel guitar for this and he gave it a nice mexican flavor.  well, to this ear.....

Masters Of War - they really have this down well.  Very nice.  bucky finds his mandolin in time (unlike in Detroit, where he lost 3/4 of a verse looking for it).  Red lighting appropriate again.

Mama, You Been On My Mind - John & Bob pick it!  Crowd loved it.

God Nose - left out 6th & 7th & 9th verses.  did 5th verse 4th.  combined 1st line of 8th with last 3 of 4th and did that 5th as the last.  music was soft, quiet for 1st 3 verses, then explodes for remainder.  powerful.

I Believe In You - the song Sinead was supposed to do at MSG.  first time for me.  very heartfelt.  cant be to detailed here, sorry.  did think of the "I Dont Believe You - I Believe In You" title irony.  :-)

Maggie's Farm - another fine delivery with lots of emotion.  ended last line with "aint gonna work on maggie's farm no more - oh nooooo..."

introduced band with no special descriptions.  crowd was on its feet until they came back for the so-called encore portion.

i was hoping for "Most Likely You'll Go You Way..." as in Ithaca the night before, but then i also wanted to hear "Senor" and "I and I"....

Ballad Of A Thin Man - this came off better than my impression of it in Detroit.  2nd verse had "You slip into the side door and go watch the geek" - so Jones didnt need the ticket this time :-).  3rd verse was the swordswallower verse.  then the bridge "...and [somebody/everybody?] expects you to sign over your check to tax-deductable ....  charity organizationsYou been with professor..." run together like that.

It Aint Me, Babe - was performed the best.  harmonica worked really well. great ending, crowd loved it.  they applauded as if they could get more by working at it hard enough, but no - he was gone after the final bows and waves.  he never said anything out to us.  there were times when he talked to the band during the instrumental breaks, but no clue what.

near the end of the regular set you could see the sweat pouring off his face and the air was pretty stuffy.  he looked very tired in places and lost his voice many moments.  all-in-all i didnt think it measured up to the Michigan State Fair concert, but that still leaves plenty of room me to say it was very good.

my friend never showed and i had to eat the cost of his ticket.  oh well, after the 7 buck State Fair bargain, i guess i must be even.

-  Nate Smith (nates@ll.mit.edu)


Comment 3:
Bob was in GREAT form at AC! His singing was the BEST in YEARS and his harp playing INCREDIBLE! 

Highlights of the show for me:

-an absolutely ripping version of God Knows
-a vibrant Masters of War
-Mama you've Been On My Mind (could'nt believe he did this!)
-an impassioned I Believe In You

I'll post the set list later when I have more time.

- Joseph M. Scamardella (jmscamar@titan.ucs.umass.edu)


4 October 1994 - State Theater, Portland, Maine
===============================================
Jokerman
Pretty Peggy-O
All Along The Watchtower
Every Grain Of Sand
Tangled Up In Blue
God Knows
Mr. Tambourine man [AB]
Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
Masters Of War
Mama You Been On My Mind
Joey
Maggies Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Aint Me, Babe

Comment 1:
I went to the State theatre last night in Portland, and here's a brief comment- I won't post a setlist because i didn't write it down but in comparison to Ithaca list he played Joey, Every Grain of sand and Mr. Tambourine man as opposed to Senor, Don't think twice and I and I. It's odd that the setlist varies so little (oh yeah he played Ballad of a thin man too!)

This was a great show! First of all the sound which was only slightly muddy at first was cleaned up by the third verse of jokerman. The arrangements of the songs are great! Watchtower was interestingly rearranged as was Jokerman and Joey- same song but very rocking. The highlights for me were God Knows which could qualify for a track on Dylan Live, it was GIGANTIC! The acoustic set was very strong- Mr. Tambourine Man! Bob was not talkative, and he babbled band introductions (I wish he wouldn't do that) but his singing voice was great and the now standard dual lead guitar breaks were simply amazing (esp. when the steel player came on for additional fill). It's truly refreshing to these ears to hear freeform rock soloing in the context of these songs in this fasion. Since it was Dylan, in the first place, who influenced me to pick up guitar, I am amazed amused and inspired by this performance. 

- Benjamin Kline Lowengard (ben@media.mit.edu)


Comment 2:
All in all a good show in a great 1600 person clublike venue which served delicious micro brews right to my seat.  I had a great thrill when leaving the show.  I was hurrying to my car down an alley when a big guy came up and told me to stop right where I was and not to move a muscle.  10 seconds later the master passed one foot in front of me!  I have been hoping to meet him all of my life and here he was close enough to whisper in my ear.  Of course I couldn't think of anything to say so I just told him that N.H. loves him.  Kind of stupid, but not bad for the spur of the moment when meeting one's lifelong hero.  I did better when I met him after the next night!  See 10/5/94 review on next post.

- Jakflash (jakflash@aol.com)


Comment 3:
Dylan was dead on, however, the best vocally that I have seen him, minimal swallowing of words, great phrasing, the band rocked, much tighter than Great Woods last year (Don't know if that's saying much ;-) ) I'm ecstatic, and will tell you more later, before I leave for tonight's show!

[In another posting:]

I'm in sort of a hurry, as I have to go to the next show, but I want to write something about the show now so I don't have to write two review tomorrow (O.K.  so I'm gloating, I haven't seen him in a year...)

Jokerman rocked pretty decently, it being the first time I had heard it (I assume I'll get my second tonight ;-) ) excellent opening song choice, immediately surprised at how much better Dylan sounds vocally than in 93, how much tighter the band has gotten, the acoustics in the State are amazing, one of the best places to see a show, IMHO... He had a pretty good grip on the lyrics, didn't trip over them like I thought he might (Of course he's had practice all year).

Peggy-O was awesome! Better than the UCONN version (10/24/92) where I last saw this song... when he said "Your cities I will burn" his voice just soared upwards at the end of the phrase and the crowd went nuts... Of course, even some of the fogies who have 4 Dylan albums (Freewheelin' through "Bringing"... no offense to the older readers of r.m.d., I'm speaking of a different type  of person ;-) ) didn't know what the song was, but hey, it doesn't really sound like the version from '61...

Watchtower was cool, like usual, nothing revolutionary, kind of similar to Woodstock II, doubletime vocals for the first two  lines of each verse, then slows it down for the last two, except in the second verse, where he forgot to do it doubletime... the band has this song down, of course... so it is a definite crowdpleaser...

Every Grain of Sand was awe-inspiring!!! I couldn't believe he played it. Was he performing it this summer? I thought it was JLAW at first, but about 30 seconds into the intro I turned to my friend with an incredulous look (it was his first Dylan show and he was suitably amazed ;-) ) because I certainly didn't think I would hear this one! Powerful vocally, John went out of tune and went to the side of the stage to fool with his guitar, leaving Bob to handle duties alone... he looked over briefly but continued with the song and was quite compelling, if I do say so myself... Dylan played lead on pretty much every song, alternating with John whenever he felt like it. A couple of twin guitar solos, which was kind of neat...

Tangled rocked, omitted 4th verse, almost completely third person, so I assume (since he did it this way at Amherst, from what I hear) this is how he's been and will continue to do it. I swear I thought he sang "...down the road, rolling up another joint" but I could be wrong... wishful thinking, I've always wanted to hear that... ;-) Great vocally, I thought better than 10/13/90 but that's probably sacrilege...

Most Likely... straight forward, rocked out (Dylan looks like Keith Richards on stage, his little rock poses are almost cute, and much better than watching him stare at the floor the whole time) "My Kisses...not like his" part repeated in two seperate verses, can't remember if that's how it was on BoB... Cool, lost a little steam for me in the instrumental section...

Tambourine Man, Masters, Mama were all great, I like the instrumentation and the fact that Baxter comes out front (unlike last year when I saw him) although his dobro (? was it a dobro ?) could have been turned up a little more, although the mandolin during "Masters" was cool... would like to hear him solo more in that song... "Mama" was very cool, Dylan very vocally assured.

I'm never excited to hear "God Knows" but he always does such a good job with it... similar to Woodstock II, with Dylan starting it off pretty much solo, and the band heading full force in about 2 minutes into the tune... Dylan was rockin' and rollin' and tapping those leather boots...

Joey was great because it was such a surprise (Am I correct in thinking this is the first one since "Toad's" or am I not thinking right?)although it was amusing because he went from "called them amatuers" into the verse "spent ten years in Attica" so we weren't treated to the full thing, but it was a treat and the band sounded right on....

Maggie's actually didn't bore me (I went to the bathroom during Great Woods, but I really had to go ;-) ) like it has, I was so swept up in the thing that I didn't sneer or sigh, I just went along with it, and they did it well. He did the OOOOOHHHH at the end of the last verse, in the closing jam, introed the band and what they played (Tony finally turned around during Maggie's) said a little "Thank You, Ev'rybody", bowed and left.

Came back in about a minute, big surprise ;-) and played a jammin' "Thin Man" and an acoustic with band "It Ain't Me, Babe". Again, can't say I was shocked, but it sounded sooooooooo good! Wonder why he plays all acoustic sections with the band now? Comfort maybe. Or the fact that they're so damn tight. The harmonica outro on "It Ain't Me" was stellar! He sounded much better than he has in the past (7/22/89 OOB wheezing through "Blowin'" for example).....

So, all in all, great show, great sound, great memory, off I go to Portland again... be back with a full report tomorrow!

- Adam White (AWHITE31@MAINE.MAINE.EDU)


5 October 1994 - State Theater, Portland, Maine
===============================================
Jokerman
Tears Of Rage
All Along The Watchtower
Tangled Up In Blue
You're A Big Girl Now
Man In The Long Black Coat
Ballad Of Hollis Brown [AB]
One Too Many Mornings [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm

What Good Am I?
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]
Blowin' In The Wind [AB]

Comment 1:
All Along the Watchtower (OK, but compared with what was to come, this
                          one seemeed relatively uninspired)

Don't Think Twice It's allright  (Acoustic w/ stand up bass, performed by
the Bob Dylan Bluegrass Band.  The clear winner of the best live tune this
writer has ever heard performed.  The somewhat sedate crowd was
electrified from here on in !)
Highway 61 (more excellence)
Blowin' In the Wind  (Bob collaborated with the band for this one and
clearly wanted to reward the now inspired crowd with a timeless classic)

The second set of this show was as much fun as I've had in quite some time.  Bob was, for him gregarious to the crowd taking many bows and waving to the crowd.  Rumor has it that when he played this venue in August, he stopped between songs at one point to tell his manager to book more shows at this place, hence his triumphant return two months later.

Anyways those who've read the previous nights review will recall that I met the master face to face at the stage door exit.  Well, of course I made a beeline to where Dylan would be right after the show, and this time I actually conversed with him.  I was still raving about Don't Think Twice and I told him that it was beautiful (no response) and as he was walking away I pleaded with him saying "Bob could you at least give a wave to me?" then, are you ready for this?  the master looked up at me from under the towel he was wearing over his head, made deliberate eye contact with me from about four feet, waved his hand at me and gave me a big grin.  I'm no teeny bopper, I'm 32 but I felt like one and still do when I think about it!  I guess that I must be a loser at life to feel this way but it was a special moment for me that I probably won't forget for awhile.

- Jakflash (jakflash@aol.com)


Comment 2:
Not as consistent as Tues., but the highs were amazing, all told another fabulous show.

Dylan was in an amazing mood, he applauded the audience and played the extra tune. Before almost every song, there was a brief conference, I assume they were discussing what to play... Killer show, I'll review it later...

[In another posting:]

As I said earlier, the show got off to a slower start, scaring me at first (I was with another friend who hadn't seen him since '89, so I wanted him to hear what I had heard Tuesday)... Jokerman picked up a few minutes in, but not as good as the previous night,  IMHO...

I *certainly* wasn't expecting "Tears of Rage", and didn't know what it was until he started singing.. the chorus was divine in parts, but still seemed tentative... Great to hear it, though... They kicked in with "Watchtower" and it was better than Tues. Smoking guitar and Watson was bashing those sticks, as usual...He didn't double up the lines in the first verse, but did so through the rest of the song. Nice jam.

Into "Tangled", which rocked, pretty similar to the previous night, still great to hear it (although I would love an acoustic version akin to "Real Live") Once again, no topless place verse, and completely third person save for "lit a burner on the stove"... I suppose he hasn't made that third person since there is a me/century rhyme, but I can think of a suitable third person line, so I can't see why Dylan doesn't do it...

The harmonica at the beginning of "You're a Big Girl" was a little off, but by the end of it is was awesome! Great song, and I hadn't heard it since '89, and it was much better last night. Great handle on the lyrics, and enunciated well.

"Man in the Long Black Coat" was unbelievable!! Slow, sexy, scary, great guitar work, great vocally... the "There are no mistakes in life" section was tremendous, one of my favorite Dylan lines anyway... The acoustic section was tremendous. I expected the exact same tunes from the previous night, with maybe one different, but I got three, and my friend and I were ecstatic. "Hollis Brown" was dead-on vocally, menacing, with the words at the end of the verses held out well ("seven new people borrrrrrnnn nnnnn"). This song should never be played electric again, IMHO. It embarrases  the versions I've heard of it from past years.

"One Too Many Mornings" was prefaced by a little interband conversation... he seems to tell Garnier before the other members of the band when there's a change in plans... Garnier and Jackson played the intro for a minute or two while Dylan was off in the shadows (the lights are great this tour, at least from what I've seen) and I thought it was "Dark Eyes" for about 15 seconds until he said "Down the street the dogs are barking", so it was a dirty tease (damn Dylan for writing songs in the same key ;-) ;-) ) but he made up for it with a beautiful version...

"Don't Think Twice" was outstanding. I never get tired of hearing this song... When he sang "I ain't saying you treated me unkind" he sounded like he was lecturing the subject of the song, or rather patronizing her... it was kind of funny (actually Dylan was funny throughout the evening, his rock poses send me into hysterical laughter sometimes, but it's friendly laughter, sort of like when Jerry Garcia wears shorts ;-) ) The harp in "Don't Think Twice" was about the best of the show, and the sound was sooooo good. Ah.

I'm ready to hear "God Knows" again, and seeing if they can convince me yet again, but No!! Bob and company hit that chord and he says "God said to Abraham..." and I was actually psyched. A few times he would lean his head back and say "Yes, I think it can be very easily donnnnnnnne" and I saw a flash of that Rolling Thunder gypsy, he was all ghostly and white in the lights, sneering, snarling... after the "easily done" "where you want this killin' done" etc. lines... they would play another couple of measures before "bleachers in the sun...HWY 61" came in... kind of cool...

"Maggie's Farm" rocked, longer jam, I think, garbled intro of band members (I didn't even hear him intro Jackson, but my friend says he did...) thanks to the crowd, who were nuts, smiles, applauds the audience (*never* seen that before, several bows, ambles off stage to a thunderous standing ovation...

Comes back out, I'm waiting to hear "Thin Man", I get "What Good am I?" which was great, "silently diiiiiieeee" I love that. "It Ain't Me, Babe" was even better than the previous night, great harmonica, extended jam, he didn't want to leave, people are going crazy as the song ends (I believe the band thought it was over, but Dylan came back to the mike and kept playing before he did his little swing the guitar, take two steps back to cue the end chords...) and HE DOESN'T LEAVE!! I am in shock. Praying for "Dark Eyes", "Abandoned Love", I see a little smoke waft from backstage and think of Heike and her astral body (I am spending way too much time on the net ;-) ) the band almost rushes over to Dylan, conferring, he says something (I assume he said "Blowin in the Wind" ;-) ) and they launch into it, stunning rendition, not even in the top 30 of what I want to hear ideally, but damn if it wasn't beautiful... Of course the crowd is eating it up... The song finishes (Oh yeah, Dylan also said "God Bless You" at the end of the first set) and he bows a few more times, leaves the stage to a crazy ovation, screams, hoots, hollers, stamps they leave the lights down for another three or four minutes and just for a second or two I thought he might come back, but no, he was gone, giving us a great treat with that third tune, and me with another fabulous memory... The only stinker was "In The Garden"... Uninspired, sounded kind of out of tune, bad vocals. Should have left that out, but who cares. The high points of the show were orgasmic.

He was wearing pretty much the same thing as the previous night, so was Garnier (unless he has identical 30's gangser suits), everyone else was dressed a tad different, well Baxter was in a blue suit with no hat. Security was non-existant. These last two shows have been the first I've been to with no one screeching out songs (although I was tempted to when he got ready for that third encore tune...)

- Adam White (AWHITE31@MAINE.MAINE.EDU)


7 October 1994 - Orpheum, Boston, Maine
=======================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
Under The Red Sky [cue sheet: "Simple Twist Of Fate" as alternate]
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
God Knows [cue sheet: "Man In The Long Black Coat" as alternate]
I And I [cue sheet: " Most Likely You Go Your Way" as alternate]
Maggie's Farm

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

Duration: approx. 110 mins.

Comment 1:
Very good show, especially "Just Like a Woman" and the last 6 songs. Time: about 110 minutes.  There was no opening act, so get to these shows on time!

Cue sheet had "Simple Twist of Fate" as an alternate for song 4, "Man in the Long Black Coat" for song 10, "Most Likely You Go Your Way" for 11.

I met several people from the net, who saw my black "r.m.d" cap, including Adam White, whom I hope will post one of his great reviews.

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)


Comment 2:
Dylan seemed to be on edge, distracted at times, angry at others, frustrated and this resulted in a rockin' show, I thought. Some may disagree. He howled a few times and it was almost frightening. He held up a rose to the audience at the end (given to him by a woman) and after the encore, gestured in a way to the audience suggesting that they shouldn't be clapping so loud....

- Adam White (AWHITE31@MAINE.MAINE.EDU)


Comment 3:
I thought the show was ROCKIN and LOUD (I was in 30th row and my eardrums nearly burst).  Highlights were clearly I and I and, IMHO, Thin Man, which I thought was fantastic.  My girlfriend said it best, "Bob is like a fine wine...."  Can't agree more. Bring on tonight!

Doswnsides: perhaps it was just a tad TOO loud; the total fool who jumped up on stage at the end of Thin Man, charged Dylan (literally) and gave him a high five (Surprisingly, Dylan held out his hand so the fool could slap it, but he didn't seem too happy, and I don't blame him); the obnoxious guy sitting next to me who kept doing his siren impersonation in my ear all night long (wOoo wOoo wOoo wOoo, got the idea?)

- David A. Mendeloff (dmendel@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)


Comment 4:
Alternates on the setlist (that I can remember): Shelter from the storm/Simple twist of fate, were alternates to Under the red sky. Man in the long black coat was an alternate to I & I. (One or two other songs had alternates)

Excellent show! Bob put a lot into his vocals. His voice was rougher than I expected given the recent postings about the preceeding shows. Easily the best show I've seen. Mr. Tambourine man featured very delicate singing. More detailed review later...

Excellent reviews in the Saturday Boston Globe, and the Sunday Lowell Sun (Though the Sun said that 'Don't think twice" was played... Maybe it was played Saturday).

- Bill Burns (burns@zk3.dec.com)


Comment 5:
"Dylan raises goosebumps"

Hear ye, hear ye. What that *really* Bob Dylan taking a bow? Was that really a sold-out crowd giving him one standing ovation after another? Yes, we kid you now. It was goosebump time at the Orpheum last night. Dylan's career has been a roller coaster even to diehard fans, but last night he rolled to his finest, friskiest Boston show in years.

"I didn't expect it would be this *heavy*," said Gary Cherone of the band Extreme. He was among a number of Boston rock celebrities - including an awed Peter Wolf - who were swept away by Dylan's triumphant, slam-bang performance.

In some past visits, Dylan looked as if he had crawled out of a crypt. But he seemed fresh and focused last night, fronting a four-piece band that pushed him hard. It was an important show - the first of three at the Orpheum (tickets remain just for tomorrow night) - and he treated it that way with a committed, high-energy performance that was a true revelation.

Many observers have talked about a Dylan renaissance since his well-received show at Woodstock '94, but he was better last night. At Woodstock, he was uneven, but finished strong. Last night he soared consistently. He opened with the same two songs he did at Woodstock: "Jokerman" and "Just Like a Woman" (though there was no moshing during the latter this time!). Then he really took off with "All Along the Watchtower," with special emphasis on the snarling line, "There are many here among us who think life is but a joke." Most people think Jimi Hendrix did a better version of that song, but they might have to revise that opinion after hearing Dylan rip through it at the Orpheum.

Dylan pulled back briefly for the more recent "Under the Red Sky," then launched an awesome stretch of one classic after another: "Tangled Up in Blue" (an electric, garage-rock version with lap slid guitar from Bucky Baxter), "Positively 4th Street" (a kiss-off song non pareil), "Mr. Tambourine Man" (an all-acoustic version with upright bass from Tony Garnier) and a stirring "Masters of War."

Dylan had butchered that song on the Grammy awards a few years ago with incomprehensible lyrics, but he redeemed himself this time. The song attacks rich old men who send the young to die on the battlefield. As the crowd roared, Dylan charismatically snapped off these central lines, which still ring in the ears of those who vigorously opposed the Vietnam War: "All the money you made will never buy back your soul ... I'll stand o'er your grave 'til I'm sure that you're dead."

Dylan wasn't through. He and guitartist John Jackson, both dressed in elegant black Western wear as though they'd just left a poker game in 1850, rocked though "God Knows" and "I and I" (from the "Infidels album). They finished with a liberating romp through "Maggie's Farm," which the Grateful Dead had done so amazingly at their first Boston Garden show last week.

Dylan's encores also raised goosebumps. He tore through "Ballad of a Thin Man" (with dreadlocked drummer Winston Watson stoking the beat) and a slightly modified, but exhalted "It Ain't Me, babe," capped by a mouth harp solo that was the final, rejuvenating touch before Dylan disappeared during yet another standing ovation. He again didn't say a word to the crowd, but who cares as long as he keeps playing like this.

- Steve Morse, Globe staff, "The Boston Globe" (Saturday, 8 October 1994)


Comment 6:
"Dylan and company in fine form at Orpheum".

[Note: the review claims that "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" was played, it was not. It was played on Saturday the 8th, but "Mr. Tambourine Man" wasn't played that night. Perhaps the review attended two shows and got mixed up confusion, or just made a mistake.]

BOSTON - If anything, a Bob Dylan concert is always an adventure.

Will he sing his hits, or will he trot out those perplexing - as one critic aptly describe them - "what the hell was that?" songs.

Will his voice soar, or make it sound like you're listening to Clint Eastwood trying to sing.

Will he even face the audience (he's been known not to)?

Well, I'm happy to report, based on Friday night's sparkling show, that if you're lucky enough to have tickets to tonight's show, then don't think twice, it'll be alright.

Obviously still on a professional high from his excellent spot on the Mudstock '94 bill back in August, Dylan delighted a crowd made up of college kids, aging boomers, CPSs and leftover Deadheads, with a smashing 100-minute show that featured mostly his big hits, sung reasonably like the recordings.

Never really acknowledging the crowd (though he uncharacteristically plucked a rose from a front row fan's hands), Dylan appeared to be in top form right off the bat, as he beautifully delivered "Just Like a Woman," before segueing into a crunching "All Along the Watchtower," as crack guitarist John Jackson peeled off one blistering lick after another.

A good portion of the show's success could be credited to Dylan's brilliant entourage, which also included bassist Tony Garnier, steel guitarist Bucky Baxter, and manic drummer Winston Watson, who must have splintered two dozen drumsticks in the couse of a hardworking evening.

Dylan and the band worked together wonderfully, especially powerful versions of "Tangled Up in Blue" and a smokin' "Positively 4th Street," which earned him the first of several standing ovations.

A highlight of the evening was the way Dylan deftly alternated between highcharged electric accompaniment and simply gorgeous acoustic numbers, like the walloping one-two punch he delivered with superb renditions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright."

After a scorching "Maggie's Farm," which prompted a kind of mini-mosh pit off to the side underneath the balcony, Dylan rounded out the evening with some excellent harmonica work on a singalong of "It Ain't Me Babe," which had the sold-out crowd chipping in with the "No, No, No" chorus.

I'm not sure, but I think the 30-year veteran almost ... smiled.

Nah.

- Steve White, Sun Correspondent, "Lowell Sun" (Sunday, 9 October 1994)


Comment 7:
I have seen Bob once 3 of the last 4 years. Last shows were 9/12/94 Great Woods, Mansfield Ma and Holman Stadium Nashua N.H, 7/6/91. So they are my only frame of reference. (I can't compare it to the Rolling Thunder review in New Haven from 1975, my only other time, but that was sooo long ago...).

This was the best show by far that I have seen. The most noticeable thing was the effort Bob put into singing. Compressing, twisting, extending words and phrases in new ways. First place also goes to the harmonica, again much effort made here, with likewise, excellent results. Someone posted 'experimental harmonica' about some recent shows. I don't know what that means. Great harmonica is all I can say. The one thing that seemed less than what I expected was the quality of Bob's voice. The reviews of recent shows had me expecting I don't know what. His voice was good, and he used it very well, but don't expect (name your favorite album)'s voice. A few places he didn't quite reach what he was aiming for, but no complaints here. The band was excellent in both the acoustic and electric areas. Bob played a fair amount of lead guitar. While I am very jealous of some of the songs played recently at other shows I really enjoyed this show.

Jokerman - In place of "woooo Jokerman" it's "Ahhh Jokerman" Bob seemed into it from the get go. A few years ago it seemed to take a song or two to get warmed up. Not this year. The arrangement and vocals were pretty faithful to the recording.

Just like a woman - A real special moment. Tremendous vocals. Unique phrasing. You could really feel this song. Nice pedal steel fills in where the organ would be. First harmonica solo. Chills. Incredible.

Watchtower - Very rocking version. Some lyrics fast, others very deliberate, some nice long extensions of words... Really wails on 'growl' and 'howl'.

Under the red sky - real nice. Pretty faithful to the original. This song flowed like water lazily floating down a river. Pedal steel fit in real nice. I know lots of folks don't care for this song. I think it is really beautiful. Bob really lets go on 'Everything is gonna be new', 'diamond as big as your shoe'. Harmonica playing after the last verse was a real treat, very bluesy. Did I say real nice...

Tangled up in blue - This knocked me for a loop at first. Wasn't at all sure I cared for the early 'rushed' verses. Gradually it grew on me. Musically kind of a rockin-bluesy arrangement. Some of the phrasing was so rapid it was like a rock skipping across a pond. Did he really squeeze in all those words? The punch line, was delivered with varying twists. At least on real long bluuuuuuuue. Another great harmonica ending... If I don't like the rapid treatment all that much, the rest offsets it.

Positively 4th street - Slow arrangement. Excellent singing. Some lyrics sped up, many extended. Seemed like the sped up lyrics, was to allow more time to extend others. There was a lot of delicacy in the singing. Bob really put forth a lot of effort to sing these lyrics. A really nice version of this song.

Mr Tambourine man - Very delicate singing. Very incredible singing. 'ready for to faaaaddddeeee'. Wish the audience was a bit quieter for this one.

Masters of War - Erie/ominous rendition. Remined me a bit of the version done at the 30th Anniversary concert by Eddie Veeder (sp?) of Pearl Jam. This is a song that I was not looking forward to hear. Kinda heard it enough. This version made it brand new again for me. Real nice guitar treatment, kind of a halting style during the main parts, some real nice changes during the song. Vocal was haunting. Perfect for this song. Hat's off. Someone get a video of this and show it on the next grammy show.... ;-)

Mama you've been on my mind - Bouncy, arrangement, with a nice country style guitar feel. Real nice harmonica again....

God knows - I think this got pretty much the same treatment as last year. Starts out kinda quiet, then really starts to cook. Great singing again.

I & I - Slow blues treatment. Had a real haunting feel like Masters of War. It was clear that the streets walked down were dark and that the walker had to keep an eye over his shoulder.... Bob must be getting in a halloween mood....

Maggie's farm - A really upbeat rocking version. Another song that I would have bumped in favor of something else going in, but not coming out. (Ok, I'd still bump it for some of those songs played on other nights, but I really like this one.)

Ballad of a thin man - Nothing to really note here. Good rendition. Nice job on 'tax deductible....'.

It ain't me babe - The "no no no" was compressed, like a polite person at a party saying "no,no,no, don't put yourself out". Real nice version. Excellent guitar work and vocals. Tremendous harmonica again, somewhat reminiscent of the version on 'real live'. A real highlight. Funny item is the crowd lightly singing along a bit, with the standard 'No no no', then Bob jumps in the middle with the fast 'No, no, no'. One other note on the harmonica is that I think Bob faked out the band a bit. At the end of a chorus Bob and Jackson would do a (I don't know what it's really called) rapid synchronized strumming, that they do in some acoustic songs. Anyway the harmonica solo seemed to be ending and one of them played the 'strum'. It was clear that they both didn't unless one lost amplification. I was really too far back to see. Anyway, Bob keeps going on the harmonica for a while. Seems like one of those moments you read about where musicians claim he is hard to follow.

Only bad part was that it was over all too soon....

- Bill Burns (burns@ohms.zk3.dec.com)


8 October 1994 - Orpheum, Boston, Maine
=======================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Queen Jane Approximately [cue sheet alternative: "Simple Twist Of Fate"]
Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB] [segued into the next song]
Knockin' On Heaven's Door [AB -> Electric] [not on cue sheet]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man [cue sheet alternative: "Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35"]
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
Wow. Another stellar performance.  The highlights: a wailing Senor; Hattie Carrol; and, far and away, Don't Think Twice-->Heaven's Door -- simply THE highlight.  Dylan didn't miss a beat, just went right into Heaven's Door. After after the second verse, electric bass and  drums kicked in real loud and the tempo picked up; eventually the acoustic guitars were switched for electric.  Dylan just wipped off the acoustic and started walking around in circles a few times like he was lost or looking for something -- the crowd went nuts.  Then finally he picked up his electric guitar.  Fantastic! 

Downsides: The woman sitting directly behind me who was so thrilled that Dylan was playing Hattie Carrol, she proceeded to tell her friend sitting on her right about the origins of the song (really), and then when she was done to tell her other friend sitting on her left (I swear). Then after about two minutes when she had finished with the story telling, she started singing along really loudly.  I shot her the look a couple of times but no luck.  I mean, I don't get it, she likes the song so much that she'd rather hear herself sing it than the man himself?  Can someone clue me in please?

- David A. Mendeloff (dmendel@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)


Comment 2:
This was a show to remember, just outstanding. Dylan was into it from the start. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" was not on the cue sheet and was a surprise to everyone, including the band. The cue sheet alternates were "Simple Twist of Fate" for song 4 and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" for the first encore.

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)


Comment 3:
I think space aliens have taken away the old Bob and left a new and improved version.  where did that "Tangled" come from? It's my favorite song, and that by far is the best version I've heard.  Both Hattie Carroll and Masters were sung with absolute conviction, as if he were signing (please excuse my typing) them for the very first time, althought Masters had a more ominous sound last night.  Knockin' was amazing.  It started as the last song in the acoustic set, with the bass player on an upright.  But then the drummer came back, and one by one, ending with Bob, they switched to electric.  Truly amazing.

- John M. Radosta (jradosta@k12.ucs.umass.edu)


Comment 4:
If Dylan is coming to a town near you, buy a ticket. You might just see the best show of your life. I've been going to rock shows for 25 years and seen all the big ones. I've seen Dylan five or six times beginning with his "comeback" tour with the Band in the early 70s. His show Saturday night in Boston was at the top of the heap. Anyone who looks at setlists and finds them tiresome hasn't been to a show recently. These are obviously songs that mean a great deal to him, and he's infusing them with a passion that makes them transcendant. Perhaps what's most shocking is that his famously (infamously) reconstructed melodies are actually *better* than the originals in many cases. (example: "Most Likely" has a new and beautiful softness to it that makes it more powerful than ever).

The last few times I've seen Dylan, I've left with a sadness that it was all over. He was sleepwalking, or simply unable to pull it off. The quintesential examples of this were "Masters" at the Grammies and "Rolling Stone" on Letterman. When I saw him slag through the Grammies bejowled and incoherent, I nearly wept. It just wasn't happening for the man, and there was no sense that he was ever coming back. But boy is he back. I'll tell you what's eerie--backlit with that frizzy hair, black suit and boots, striking that angular pose with electric strat, you can again see shades of mid-60s tours with the Band, "Blonde on Blonde" and Don't Look Back. Unbelieveable--especially when what's wailing out of the speakers is Queen Jane, Thin Man etc. No it's not a Dylan jukebox, or maybe it is, but it's the best thing that rock and roll can offer--a couple hours of transcendance when you know that there's someone who can make manifest so much of the inchoate feelings you've got rattling around inside. It's like getting a dumptruck, Mama, to unload your head.

So if you love Dylan, go see him now. As we all know, things change quickly with our boy, and you never know how long its gonna last.

- Mike Shanley (mshanley@fscvax.fsc.mass.edu)


9 October 1994 - Orpheum, Boston, Maine
=======================================
Soundcheck:
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Wiggle Wiggle

Concert:
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In blue
Watching The River Flow
Love Minus Zero / No Limit
One Too Many Mornings
Boots Of Spanish Leather
God Knows
Joey
Maggie's Farm

I Shall Be Released
It Ain't Me, Babe
Two Soldiers
Blowin' In The Wind

Comment 1:
It was another very good show tonight.  We're lucky to have had a chance to see three shows of this calibre.  In my opinion, Saturday's show was the best.  I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up one of the year's best, but it will take a lot of listening and discussion to get a consensus on that point :-).

It was nice to meet so many contributors to rec.music.dylan at the shows.

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)


Comment 2:
OK, I lied last night.  Tonight's show was far and away the best show I've seen, even better than the '86 show.  I got paid that night, and tonight I actually worked there.

The crowd was pumped tonight, the best crowd of all 3 nights. Love - 0 was very slow and romantic.  I know that if you listen closely, it's not very flattering, but tonight I could have fallen in love with whoever was sitting next to me for that one.  Boots was kind of quick, but it was smooth and didn't have a hurried feeling to it.  and "Joey".  Wow. I think Bob went back and actually listened to all his songs so he could remember what he was thinking when he wrote them. but the most incredible part of the night was the encore.  the last two nights he had the same one, so I was ready for "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "It Ain't me, Babe."  Well, he did I shall be released instead.  OK.  But then, he taught the band the chords to "Two Soldiers."  It was obviously spontaneous, and I'm hoping it was chosen for the opening line's mention of Boston.  That was amazing as it was.  but then he and the band had to practice a bit to remember "Blowin'"  the lights came on in the middle of the song, but no one was leaving. Not until they started playing the back ground music to get people out did anyone believe he wasn't coming back.

- John M. Radosta (jradosta@k12.ucs.umass.edu)


Comment 3:
....I always feel like my birthday is pretty special - for one thing, it's also John Lennon's birthday - but, besides that, here in N.H., Mother Nature celebrates with me in such grand style.  This year, the weekend was Indian-summer-like, almost balmy...
my friend gave me a ticket to see Dylan in Boston on my birthday. So, I spent the morning hiking in the country of New Hampshire and the evening being serenaded to, by my favorite poet, in the city of Boston...what a great birthday!

and what a great show!  He did FOUR - count'em - FOUR encores! He made LOTS of contact with the people down front - pointing at people, clapping for the audience, shaking hands with some front row people, the band had huge smiles as they played the encores - I would venture to say that he had a very good run in Boston...

He seems to be very comfortable with the musicians he's playing with now...I would say just about every song was drawn out and opened up into a jam at one point or another.

One of the band members plays steel guitar -which is an absolutely beautiful sound to hear weaving through.  Dylan played harmonica quite a bit - and that was mighty nice too - sometimes he would quickly flip up his rack-thing and start blowing away and the band would back down and provide some sort of melody until Dylan got into his groove and then join in to a rousing finish of whatever song they had been playing - sometimes it was seamless.

The highlight for me was the acoustic set - which I think is Dylan's forte - they played Love Minus Zero/No Limit!!!!!!!, One Too Many Mornings and Boots of Spanish Leather!!!!!

Other highlights were Watchtower (when he sang the line about the wildcat growling - HE growled!), God Knows (really extended), Maggies Farm (ROCK OUT!)...he played Lay Lady Lay...and Watching the River FLow was done country/western style into the blues.  He did Joey, which is not my favorite song, BUT, it was really quite good the way it was played last night.

It was kind of weird hearing all these rockin' songs and having most of the audience sitting through it.  I think the people down front were on their feet alot and I think that's what Dylan was feeding off of - he was having fun.

The first encore was I Shall Be Released!!!!!  I couldn't take not being able to dance anymore (I was obviously bothering the people in back of me), so my partner and I moved to the back of the  theatre and danced a nice slow dance together (remember, it was my birthday, and this was very sweet for me)...but by the middle of the song, the whole audience was on its feet, so we moved back to our seats to be able to see and still be able to dance. Second encore was It Ain't Me Babe.  After that, the band members waved and smiled and Bob waved and smiled, and the band members started leaving the stage...but, Bob didn't.  Third encore was a song I am not familiar with but starts with the line something like "blue eyed boy of Boston" - and the crowd freaks out.  The guy who had played steel switched to mandolin - nice.  This song winds down - the crowd is going wild - the band starts to leave AGAIN, and AGAIN Dylan stays behind!!!  We're turning to eachother with our eyes popping out of our heads ;-)...and they start playing BLOWIN' IN THE WIND!!!!!!!!!!!  Never thought I would hear this one in person... I personally thought it was particularly poignant, considering what's going on around the world, in the Persian gulf, in Haiti - and even though it was played in a very upbeat manner,  I was quite moved.

After it's over and he put his guitar down, he just faded into the darkness...

- Debess Grabazs (debess@october.stonemarche.org)


Comment 4:
Amazing does not even begin to describe this show.  Here are some details. Dylan wore black pants, black jacket, a solid black or burgundy shirt and a fancy white tie...no hat.  All the other band members wore hats  and you could see them sweating...it was rather hot in there.  I was lucky enough to be in row 10 and it was apparent early on that Dylan was really having fun.  The only people standing and dancing were three college girls in about the fifth row and Dylan appeared to end Watchtower by pointing at them.  Joey was amazing!!!  The encores, however, really made the show. The band thought that they were done after it ain't me, babe(Bucky Baxter threw his pick to the guy up against the stage standing next to me) and Bob began to sort of pace around on the front of the stage pointing at various members of the audience.  Everyone was going wild.  All of a sudden, he turned to Garnier and said something like "lets do another"(I couldn't read lips that fast) and they broke into a slow "Two Soldiers" complete with Winston Watson shaking something like a morocca.  "Blowing In The Wind" was last, the lights came on during the opening chords. After Blowing, Dylan once again paced on the front of the stage pointing quickly, almost shadow boxing, with the crowd.  I've never seen him having so much fun(Then again, I've never been up against the stage).  To end it all, he leaned down and shook hands with a bunch of people in the front rows...it was crazy.  We were all just blown away.  If anyone has a tpae, I'd love to trade!!!!!!  Oh yeah, what address do I send messages to so that I can do something other than respond?  Thanks.  I hope Roseland is as good.

- "Ragman10" (ragman10@aol.com)


Comment 5:
Saturday and Sunday were both great, it's hard to say which was better. The biggest conclusion I can draw is that these shows were about 100 times better than the two other times I saw Bob, in 1980 and 1986.  Even though his voice is getting a bit hoarse from all the touring, he has a great band, great arrangements, super energy, and these shows are just amazing.  

The acoustic segments stand out.  I haven't seen any postings on this subject but Bob (and his sound technician) have really learned how to mix the sounds right so the acoustic set sounds good.  I remember in 86 he tried to sing Girl from the North Country with an acoustic guitar, and his heart was in the right place, it was a great idea, but with the mix and the outdoor acoustics, it just didn't *sound* good.  This tour, with the acoustic guitars and stand-up bass, the mix of instruments and voice is just perfect for the acoustic songs, absolutely beautiful.

- Mitch Gart (mg@asp.camb.inmet.com)


Comment 6:
At last - at last i get 2 of my friends to see the man for the first time after all kinds of snafus and dropped batons.  these guys are not what you would call avid dylan fans, so they decided that the thing to do was to get me to come along as their Safari Guide.  after twisting my arm they convinced me that i should come along, even if it meant more fuel to the charge of Abandonment.  :-)  ...of course i bring my Stupid San Diego Zoo Safari Hat.

on the way in i drive to one place & ride in a car to another place and then we all get into the final car for the final leg of the expedition.  i get "Jokerman" on the tape deck, explaining that this _will_ be the first song. i caution that there is no way it will sound like the Infidels version we are hearing.  heh heh.  i also add that "I & I" may be worth comparing as well.  then i put on "All Along The Watchtower" from JWH for more research and preparation.  there are of course many other selections that we hear as well, despite their lack of likelyhood.  "Two Soldiers" is not one of them.

we arrive in Boston safe & sound and need to get a bite to eat.  we pick a place that takes forever to seat us, forever to give us menus and almost as forever to serve us.  due to these circumstances it is 7:12 when we hit the sidewalk.  while they do not appear to worry much, i am getting concerned. but our balcony tickets are the kind where you have a seat.  we get there on an unseasonably warm evening.  panhandlers have altered their pitch to beg for cash to by  a dylan ticket.  we bustle in.  i manage to slink into the main floor area.  they have double guards at every aisle to check your ticket and i perceive that i shouldnt press my luck closer than the soundboard. still i manage to pass off that i am looking for certain people.  and, yes, i do find Ron Mura on the right side - the hat is very distinctive, "r.m.d". :-) but then its time to go upstairs so that my friends wont be stranded....

i join them at 7:31, but he doesnt actually come on until 7:45.  then there they are as they begin "Jokerman".  up here in the balcony there are moments when the words are clear.  and up here i think of the whole tour - each concert starting off with the snakes in both fists.  this is the right song to start with .  the band gets off on the right foot everytime.  and what a band this is!  and the sound engineers!  the Orpheum has never had its every nook & cranny used like this.  it is as if we are all in some huge version of Garnier's standup bass.  i've seen something like this before, but my friends have not.  they appear to be caught up in this very well indeed.  Andy reading on the way in particularily liked the line "What do you care?  Ain't nobody there would want to marry your sister." and somehow now i miss hearing it. Never mind, though, as they nail down the first support beam of the night. the five songs that have appeared in the last eight straight concerts i know of (and more beyond in either direction, i would expect) have been just that - beams, a structure to support the variation of the other songs.  they are all laid down in the same place.  there were 2 others - "Masters of War" and "God Knows" - that made it in 6 out of the 8.  when Jokerman finishes, Scott teases me with "So - which one is Dylan?"

"Lay, Lady, Lay" is the first variation.  This is also the first time i have heard this without the Nashville Skyline voice.  instead of "his clothes" its "his shoes are dirty, but his hands are clean".  and he throws on an extra "lay across my big brass bed" line after the last verse ending.  the harmonica is awful (sorry - my opinion), but i think i'm getting used to it.

the second beam is the high-octane "All Along the Watchtower" with its doubled up lines, causing Scott to complain "hey, his words are complex enough already - then he's gotta make it really harder on us!", but Scott's just leading me on.  what is really happening is that they are really digging it.  as usual, the band really rocks out on this.  when they reach the familiar slowdown end, i tell Andy that i find the slowdowns kind of annoying.  he glances at me and says "but they are serving a purpose."

the next variant is "You're A Big Girl Now".  More good stuff!  i am too far away to see his facial expressions, but he gets very emotional "through these tears".  he has a spot of trouble with the harmonica holder (more experimental notes).

"Tangled Up In Blue", the third beam, is probably where his mike gets clearer. for me this is beginning to show some signs of wear & tear.  its not anything wrong with it, but the song seemed to me to be asking for a bit of bench time. the 3 chords under "tangled up in blue" were prominent anchors for the instrumentals.  harmonica better in amherst than here.  but since my friends could recognize the song, it worked well for them.  :-)

Then the band put on a distinct Nashville/Johnny Cash flavor and did "Watching the River Flow" in that style.  He repeated the "book-shook" bridge but this reporter missed alot.  the country sound drew some snide remarks between my friends.

Then its on to the acoustic set.  Winston dissappears into the back, no doubt to fetch another crate of drumsticks.

its "Love-0/No Limit"!  another of the songs i used to get paid to sing!  he gets all the words correct.  even "the night blows cold and rainy" which he blew on the record :-).  crowd loves "no success like failure, and failure's no success at all".  well, yeah.  but i am partial to this song.

"One Too Many Mornings" is the second time i hear it.  this time i thought he got a little too maudlin in spots, but all of these acoustic portions have been special to me.  i could listen to this stuff for weeks on end.  perhaps Baxter's sound might be a bit too twangy for my taste.

well imagine my surprise when the very song i've been doing in my office on Cheap Guitar, 3 frets down, is the next song!  "Boots of Spanish Leather"! well done.  aw shoot - there were 3 of my old staples, right there.  he had more troubles with the holder, and was still leaning awfully hard on that draw note.

as the wonderful acoustics set faded i was telling Andy about the Knocking On Heaven's Door event of the night before, where one by one they all switched instruments in midsong back to electric - i.e. Pay Attention, something might happen.  but no, not this time.....

this was my 3rd concert in 42 days and for the 3rd time he reopened the electric set with "God Knows".  from my perch up in the balcony i had a different perspective in this tour as well.  i have now heard this song 3 times and every single time i have never been less than bowled over.  this is the perfect song for this band.  this is the perfect band for this song. this is the perfect place in the setlist for it.  this is the most powerful engine on this train.  this is the knockout punch.  this is Christopher Reeve catching Margot Kidder in one hand, the helicopter in the other.  i dont know why it was bumped a couple of times.  my friends were going "awesome!". everyone got blown away.  if you do get on this train somewhere, dont get off until you have heard this, no matter how long that may take.  quit your day job if necessary.  leave your family.  :-)   the sad thing for me right now is that i gotta tell you about the amazing 6 songs that followed.  'nuff said.

OK - now you must all give your Reporter a good chiding because he had a lot of difficulty recognizing "Joey".  ignorance is no excuse.  i had happily relagated myself to just enjoying the man the way my friends were.  infact i was happy that i could experience it in the same way that they were.  then i ruined it by recognizing it.  :-(  of course then i spent some time studying Tony Garnier's suit!  :-)

"Maggie's Farm" didnt seem up to the level i heard in Amherst, but again this band can make this, the 4th beam, really work well.  it wasnt really all that different from the other 2, so perhaps it was the balcony.  i heard "68 but says she's 34".  dylan ends the last line "aint gonna work on Maggie's farm no more ----awhhhh NOOOOO!!!!" as he has everytime.  the introductions went fine.  crowd is on its feet.  Scott yells to me over the din "So when is Dylan coming on?"  Andy is grinning "...Dylan does _NOT_ suck!!".

the first encore was "I Shall Be Released", a basement sibling to "Tears Of Rage" in the 2nd Portland State Theater show.  "Any day now, any _way_ now, i shall be released" on first verse.  very nice.

and the 5th beam, "It Aint Me, Babe", normally marking the concert's end, was again an excellent showcase for the two guitar pickers.  well, all of them except Winston.  again i felt i had heard better versions in Detroit & Amherst but not by much.  :-)  blame it on the balcony.  anyway, now i was expecting no more....

earlier in the morning the Boston Sunday Globe printed a raving review (an ominous sign that was harmless) and in the Arts Week guide, in their "Sunday Best" list they had Bob Dylan.  What made me guffaw out loud was that the Globe said Bob "will perform classic Dylan and material from 'World Gone Wrong', his most recent CD."  Who were they kidding?  Dylan had never done a single note from WGW.  heh heh.  so imagine my jaw when he refused to leave the stage, called Winston back on, went over a couple of chords and turned to the mike and sang, in a clearer WGW voice, "He was just a blue-eyed Boston boy...", a likely reference to where he was at this very moment.  all Winston was missing was a fife as he thumped out an old historical heritage sound. the lyrics were easier to understand than they were on WGW.  what a wonderful thing!  and the Boston Globe made out good.

surely now it must be over?  no!  Andy observes "more Bob is good!".  they take position again without Winston and do "Blowin' In The Wind".  who says old songs are dead?  now here is a song i think is dated - not the content, that is timeless, of course - but by what the Mediots Past have done with Bob & this song.  when he did "Song To Woody" at the MSG tribute, it was perfect, a great reach back, not dated.  However....gosh darn gee, he pulls it off and what a show we have seen!

surely now it must be over?  ...uh...yes.  this time it's over.  he holds his arms up, bows, shakes hands with a couple of fans, takes what looks to be a setlist sheet from someone in front, shakes their hand and fades off into the curtains in back, stage left.  102 songs in 9 days.

so now we head out.  a huge knot of a crowd slowly squeezes through sweltering sticky heat, finally to break out into the alley in front and the cool air. i see Ron Mura again and he introduces me to John Radosta and Mitch Gart. there is not all that much preventing us from all going somewhere together and staying up all week, but it is enough and we part ways, agreeing to meet on the net.

my friends & i decide to stop for a beer.  we find a place and i do a couple pints of Pete's Wicked while they find equally fine refreshment.  we marvel at the energy of this 53-year old man.  i look at my notes.  Scott says "Too bad Dylan never showed up".  soon we're back on the road.  my friends have had a great time!  they liked it!  they were impressed!  i HATED being Missionary to them, but this was a "10".

so YES! - we need a live album of this tour!  we demand it!  we demand it! its gotta be a triple CD at least!   :-)

- Nate Smith (nates@ll.mit.edu)


11 October 1994 - Flynn Theater, Burlington, Vermont
====================================================
Jokerman
If Not For You
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Gates Of Eden
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
God Knows
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm
What Good Am I?
My Back Pages

Comment 1:
The original list is in my hand, but the ones in capital letters are the tunes actually played.  I Don't Believe You, and My Back Pages were not listed on the set list where they were played, but I put them in caps next to the song on the list in their spot anyway.  My Back Pages was on the set list next to She Belongs to Me.

JOKERMAN
IF NOT FOR YOU
WATCHTOWER
dark eyes/ I DON'T BELIEVE YOU (NOT LISTED ON SET LIST)
TANGLED
LONG BLACK COAT
MAMA
GATES
desolation/DON'T THINK TWICE
GOD KNOWS
back pages/SHE BELONGS TO ME
MAGGIE'S
WHAT GOOD AM I
ain't me babe/BACK PAGES (NOT PLACED HERE ON ORIGINAL SET LIST)

Gates of Eden was the most impressive Dylan performance that I've seen.  Second person was used on Tangled, but one verse was omitted (bent down to tie the laces of her shoes) and two were in the wrong order. What Good Am I was not nearly as good as when I heard it live almost two years ago.  Maggies Farm was good but not great.

Jokerman, If Not For You, Mam You've Been on My Mind, and Watchtower were all excellent, especially Jokerman.  What I would have given to hear Desolation Row instead of Don't Think Twice for my second time though.

It was kind of neat to have the My Back Pages finale as opposed to Ain't Me Babe although I thought Bob's voice was shot after Gates of Eden where he sang to perfection so Back Pages wasn't quite what it could have been.

Hope this is all interesting to everyone.  Oh, for those of you with a hangup on clothes:  Black blazer (long black coat?... not quite), black shirt with poka dots, and black pants with white laces on the sides (I think I've seen this outfit before, possibly Minnesota State Fair last summer).

The Flynn theatre was sort of a lame place for the concert, but the sound was good.  Lots of families and old people there (no offense to anyone).  It got cranking by the middle though and many of us walked right up to the stage (to the dismay of those who wanted to stay in their seats).  Just after my friend and I got up to the stage, Bob pointed to us and smiled which was pretty rewarding.

Okay, now I really have to go.

- Scott M. Burns (Scott.M.Burns@dartmouth.edu)


Comment 2:
Sound was good right from the start, except I thought Baxter was always too low, barely heard except for a couple of songs, whether he was playing steel or mandolin.

If Not For You - after hearing this version with this band, George Harrison sounds almost cheesy in comparison.

First harmonica solo came on I Don't Believe You, and seemed right in the pocket to me. In general I thought his harmonica was right on, plenty of clear single note melody, no repetitive blow-draw on the same couple of chords. One song near the end, can't remember which one, did drift into what a previous poster called 'experimental notes', but it seemed to work ok.

Tangled really rocked, with pieces of drum sticks flying throughout the song.

Man In The Long Black Coat was simply a great version. The feel was almost sinister, with Bob stretching out "she's gone with the man in the looong blaack cooooaaaat."

As Scott commented, Gates Of Eden was excellent, I didn't expect this one and I couldn't believe what a nice clear vocal we got.

People have raved about God Knows, so I was expecting alot. But it was even better than I expected... the crowd seemed to really get into it too. "God knows you won't be taking nothing with you when you go" was perfect.

I'm sure it was just because my ears were ringing a little from the God Knows jam, but for a second I heard 'bow down to her on Sunday, salute her in her birthday clothes' instead of '...when her birthday comes' in She Belongs To Me. It's silly but it struck me as funny during the song.

If Bob's voice was tired for My Back Pages, the chorus was still strong and got a good crowd response. A piece of drumstick came flying out into the aisle near me during this one. Hit someone sitting there; Winston mouthed 'sorry' and 'are you ok' from behind the drum set.

Scott M. Burns (Scott.M.Burns@dartmouth.edu) writes:
> The original list is in my hand, 

so it was you! just as I walked up to the security guy on the side of the stage to see if I could grab a setlist, one of the roadies hands a couple to someone near center stage.

I was in the front row but on the other side. When people came down front, many stayed sitting or kneeling on the floor because there was a lady in a wheelchair next to us who asked people to sit down so she could see. She was nice about it and everyone cooperated most of the time. But both Johnson & Bob interacted with the people on the other side of the stage as a result.

- Mike O'Neill (mdoneill@vnet.ibm.com)


Comment 3:
I got a copy of the setlist from the stage after the show, and it had a few differences.  Instead of "I Don't Believe You" it had "Dark Eyes"; for "Don't Think Twice" the alternate choice was "Desolation Row"; and it ended with "It Ain't Me Babe" instead of "My Back Pages" (which was listed as an alternate for "She Belongs to Me").

This was a fun show.  I was a bit concerned at the beginning because Jokerman was pretty lackluster, but things picked up after that.

Bob had a real sincerity in his voice for If Not For You.  Watchtower was good, although I liked the arrangement better the last time I saw him (two years ago).

There was a lot of discussion between Bob and the band after Watchtower. I guess that's when he decided not to do Dark Eyes -- maybe he wasn't in the mood, or didn't think they were ready, or something.  Oh, well, maybe some of you will get to hear it at an upcoming show.

Although someone in r.m.d recently said that they were tired of hearing Tangled Up In Blue, this was a real highlight of the show.  The guy behind me said that this was the 27th Dylan concert he'd been to, and it was the best Tangled Up in Blue he'd ever heard.

Man in the Long Black Coat was my favorite for the evening.  It had just the right atmosphere.

Mama You've Been On My Mind was the first acoustic song.  Some great harmonica playing...

Gates of Eden was also superlative.  At the end Bob raised his fist in the air, as if to say "Alright!"  Thanks to Heike's advice, I knew to be ready to head for the stage during Don't Think Twice.

I love the arrangement of God Knows that he's doing these days.  Our local paper even mentioned in this morning's review of the concert how "he delivered the line 'God knows you ain't gonna take nothin' with you when you go' with venom in his voice."

She Belongs To Me was a bit boring, IMHO.  The guitar jam just didn't go anywhere.

My wife says Maggie's Farm is about her least favorite Dylan tune, but that she thought last night's performance of it was incredible, at least in part because Bob was clearly having such a great time, smiling at the band and crowd.  As he introduced the band, he said something like "Thanks, we've had a lot of fun here tonight."

What Good Am I was somber and heartfelt.  My Back Pages isn't one of my favorite Dylan songs, but again, this rendering good.  I liked it a lot better than the 30th Anniversary Concert mega-celebrity version.

A disappointment for the night was that the encore was only 2 songs.  They had another acoustic guitar out for him if he wanted to come out and do another one, but it was not to be.

One thing that made this concert enjoyable was the crowd.  This was my 7th Dylan show, and definitely the best crowd.  People were into the music (cheering when Bob would phrase something just so), but the drunk and/or obnoxious patrons that seem so common at concerts these days weren't there.  Also, the fact that he's playing small theaters helps, too -- the Flynn holds 1450.

The last time we saw Bob I remember thinking that having little jam sessions in every song just sort of dragged thinks down, but for the most part this time it didn't.

- Peter W. Callas (pcallas@moose.uvm.edu)


12 October 1994 - Performing Arts Centre, Providence, Rhode Island, New 
                  York
=======================================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Girl Of The North Country [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

Everything Is Broken
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment 1:
Song list said "Love Minus Zero" (only) for song 9 and "My Back Pages" (only) for song 14.  "Peggy-o" was listed along with "If You See Her" for song 2.  There were other alternates listed, including 5 possibilities for song 13, but I don't remember them all.  "Dark Eyes" was not on the song list.

The show was good but not, IMO, comparable to the Boston shows. Dylan's voice seemed hoarse, so he indeed may have temporarily damaged it in Burlington, as noted in reports of that show.

"If You See Her" was quite nice.  The last lines were sung as: "Tell her she can look me up / If she's changed her mind."  I'm not aware of the last line being sung that way before; it adds a different twist to the song.

Dylan was mobbed by a bunch of young girls after "It Ain't Me, Babe." (A couple had gone up individually and hugged him previously.)  The best I could read his reaction, he was surprised but not alarmed.  He almost seemed to convey a grandfather's pride for a split second :-). But this behavior put an end to whatever hopes there were for a third encore.

- Ron Mura (rmura@world.std.com)


Comment 2:
[cue sheet] SetList as follows:

1. JOKERMAN
2. PEGGY-O/IF YOU SEE HER
3. WATCHTOWER
4. BORN IN TIME
5. TANGLED
6. YOU GO YOUR WAY/ LONG BLACK COAT/ I'LL BE YOUR BABY

7. MAMA/TAMBOURINE/NORTH COUNTRY
8. GATES
9. LOVE MINUS ZERO

10. GOD KNOWS
11. SHELTER/I'LL REMEMBER/DISEASE/LONG BLACK COAT/LENNY BRUCE
12. MAGGIE'S
13. BROKEN
14. BACK PAGES

Ron gave you what was actually played.  I agree with his comments.  The band was great.  A really fast paced, rock&roll concert.  Even the acoustical numbers didn't slow down much.  But Bob's voice and harp playing weren't as good as when I saw him in Providence in Oct. of 1992.

I remember in Don't Think Twice that at one point in the song Bob came off the harp after what seemed a struggle and took a deep breath then turned to the bass player with the biggest smile I've ever seen Bob crack, as to say "Heh! I got thru that one!"  He seem to come back on It Ain't Me, Babe.  His guitar picking seemed really good to me.  You could really hear his high note picken over the band, excellent!

One negative for me was the audience.  Even in the acoustic set people were still coming in.  Maybe because they were selling beer and wine in the lobby, but people were come in and out during the whole show.  One group of people who had seats in the ocherstral pit, like in Bob's lap, didn't show until the concert was half over.  Man!

It was definitely worth going to, but from the sounds of it I should have made the effort to drive to Burlington and Boston.

For those who care about clothing: Long black coat, purple shirt, with a long curled black tie, black pants with metal buttons?? going up the sides, and of course those black boots.

- Robert S. Nelson (rsn@frogstar.miriam.brown.edu)


14 October 1994 - Palace Theatre, Albany, New York
==================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mama, You Been on My Mind [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Love Minus Zero/No Limit [AB]
God Knows
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

Everything Is Broken
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment:

A slinky blonde got on stage during "Maggie's Farm" and danced closed to Dylan.  He appeared to enjoy it.  She pointed to his harmonica holder and he took it off and handed it to her.  She held it for about a minute and a half.  At the end of the song she went up to the microphone and called out "BOB DYLAN!"

During "It Ain't Me, Babe," another woman went on the stage with a smoking joint in her hand.  She tried to offer it to Dylan.  He backed up and then moved sideways a few steps to avoid her.

- Steve Goldstein


15 October 1994 - Eisenhower Hall Theatre, West Point Military Academy,
                  New York
=======================================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Lenny Bruce
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
I And I
Maggie's Farm

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
The Times They Are A-Changin'

Comment 1:
A solid show, my first of the tour.  The first electric set was *really* good; I certainly never expected to see him sing "Lenny Bruce" as well as he did; he was completely invested in it.  

Dylan's guitar work was strong throughout, and he played several long and interesting harp solos (Lenny Bruce and Tangled Up, among them).  

The first thirteen rows were reserved for cadets, who were a remarkably enthusiastic, if a bit rowdy, audience for a bunch of college kids who couldn't have known most of the material.  There was even some very good natured stage diving during "Rainy Day Women."  

More later...

- Dan Levy (danlevy@panix.com)


Comment 2:
The show was definitely very solid.  The place was rocking during Rainy Day Woman and at one point during the show, some cadets flung their coats on stage.  The only problem was security, much too tight.  The cadets appeared to really be enjoying themselves which was great.  I was hoping for John Brown but I guess he doesn't play that anymore.  Bye the way, does anyone know if there is any truth to the rumor that Dylan will play with the Dead this monday.  He'll be in NYC and the Dead have a show.  Oh yeah, has he slowed down Long Black Coat since last year, IMHO it was just awesome.  Times They Are A Changin was a very pleasant surprise.  Can't wait for Roseland and maybe a return of Dark Eyes.

- Josh (ragman10@aol.com)


Comment 3:
I was amazed by the cadets.  There is hope for our military yet.  Anyone who has danced thru a Dylan concert should surely think twice before killing people when ordered to.  In the bathroom before the concert a cadet was telling his friend, "I can't believe Dylan is playing here, and I have seats right in front!"  They stood thru the whole thing and danced with the rocking numbers. They even go on each others shoulders to cheer, threw their jackets (You know, grey with the black velvet stripe down the center) on the stage, and duing the first encore (Rainy Day Women) even jumped up on stage, one at a time, and dove into the audience.  Dylan was quite amused.  The theater is a beautiful big auditorium (road signs said, "This way to Ike Theater."), the best our tax money can buy.  There was an hour-long traffic jam to get in - military efficiency, and a drug and alcohol traffic check on the road just outside the concert - we got out early, but what a drag to wait an hour to get in and an hour to get out.

It was one of the better concerts.  I think Dylan really enjoyed the fact that that the audience was so appreciative - quite different from my last one last summer where the audience was more into Santana.

- Alan Robock (adr@gfdl.gov)


16 October 1994 - The Palace Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut
============================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Under The Red Sky
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mama You Been On My Mind [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
Maggie's Farm 

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

Comment 1:
I'm relatively new to Dylan (this is only my third show), but IMHO this was a good one.  

I think Bob was genuinely excited tonight.  This is the first show I've been to where I was impressed with the harp playing; Dylan was out of control.  The singing wasn't too shabby either.  Maybe not an inspired performance but certainly one worth seeing.  The show lasted less than two hours, however; and for the $35 I shelled out, it could have been a little longer.  Also I wish he would have done "Highway 61..." 'cause i've got to write a paper on Kierkegaard's _Fear and Trembling_ tonight, and that song ('God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son,"') would have been a good omen, oh well.

- Bryan Loder (loder@minerva.cis.yale.edu)


Comment 2:
This was the first time I've seen Dylan in three/four years, and I was impressed.  He was really on the ball and his vioce was a lot better than I expected.  He played some great guitar with his lead guitarist, and his harp was definately one of the highlights of the show.   Other highlights would have to include the guitar jam at the end of Heaven's Door, which was terrific.  Tangled was good as well.  I was surprised to hear If You See Her Say Hello, and I loved his change of the last line: "Tell her she can look me up, if she's out of her mind."

Gates of Eden left just about everything else in the dust [...] this is by far the best I've ever heard.  I could only disgrace it by further attempting to describe it.  

Train to Cry was an excellent surprise, Dylan did a great job as he really pulled every bit of life out of this song, especially the blues type element.

It ain't me babe was a show-stopper.  Bob blew the soul out of his harp, and the only disappointment was that he didn't come back for more.

- "Public Cluster Macintosh" (ph@directory.yale.edu)


17 October 1994 - Madison Square Gardens, New York City, New York (guest
                  appearance at a Grateful Dead concert)
========================================================================
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

Note: Guest appearance at a Grateful Dead concert. Dylan's microphone was
      not functioning.


Comment 1:
Yes, folks, Bob did make the encore of tonight's Dead show. Three songs -- Desolation Row, Queen Jane and Abandoned Love. The only thing is -- DYLAN'S MICROPHONE WAS NOT WORKING AT ALL! You couldn't hear a sound he made with his mouth.

He was wearing like a jean jacket, something a la Bangla Desh, and 1966 sunglasses.  He LOOKED cool, anyway.

DISCLAIMER:  All of the above is true, except for the part about the three songs.  Actually, there was only one song, Rainy Day Women.  

- Geoffrey Meyer (elcabong@panix.com)


Comment 2:
I've been atending the Dead's 6-night stint at Madison Square Garden. They've included a Dylan song in each of the first four shows (the final two are tonight and tomorrow)-- When I Paint My Masterpiece, Queen Jane, Tom Thumb's and Watchtower. That's not so surprising. The real surprise was that for the encore last night, who should appear on stage but his Bobness himself, for a rousing Rainy Day Women. Perhaps an obvious choice for a Dead show, but still lotsa fun (even if you could hardly hear him over the clamor/singing of the crowd). I'm hoping for another appearance, but he'll probably be in the midst of his sets at Roseland while the boys jam away.

- Steven L. Bender (Steven_L._Bender@mail.nltl.columbia.edu)


Comment 3:
I was there, too.

Dylan was completely inaudible.  He played acoustic guitar.  It was almost inaudible.  I suspect he couldn't hear himself through his ear monitors either.  (The Dead no longer have any monitors or speaker cabinets on stage.  They each wear wireless ear monitors that have allowed them to hear themselves exquisitely, but it woulda been utterly confusing to Dylan or anyone not familiar with them.)

Anyway, the audience screamed the last line of every verse even louder than the cadets at West Point.  The band jammed a lot.  Garcia sang a verse when it became clear that Dylan wasn't about to.  They jammed some more.  Then Dylan ventured a verse of four lines each of which was "Everybody must get stoned." Then in ended awkwardly.  Ah well, a missed opportunity.

Still, it was very exciting to see him walk on stage, especially since I kinda hoped he'd show up...

- Dan Levy (danlevy@panix.com)


18 October 1994 - Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
============================================================
Soundcheck:
West L.A. Fadeway [?]

Concert:
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB] --->
Knockin' On Heaven's Door [AB -> Electric]
God Knows
Tears Of Rage
Maggie's Farm

Ballad Of A Thin Man
My Back Pages [AB]

Comment 1:
Bucky's got a beard and JJ's got a goatee and Tony, of course, has his moustache, and all wore cowboy hats.  Bucky wore a red duster. Bob was wearing a thigh-length very 1966-ish black coat.  Dangerous cowboys.  They were fantastic.  Often Bob & JJ's guitars would be making virtually the same exact sound, and they would just play off each other.  This is one of the great ongoing guitar duos of all time. Watson violated the cowboy motif in a black vest and very full white shirt, looking a lot like Mozart with his billowing tresses.  He's a scene stealer -- some people think it's too much.  Not me.  

Highlights for me were If You See Her (maybe my fav of all time [...]), Tangled (not usually one of my favorites), Don't Think Twice seamlessly into Knockin' (great jamming on the latter, on both, actually, but I confess I missed the classic 1993 arrangement -- there was just one hint of that great riff toward the end), and the way too tired last song/first encore (they weren't tired tonight, they were ready to come out), oh, and of course the slowed down acoustic My Back Pages.  The slowed down Mr. T. (ain't this just the year of the slowed down, let them catch all the words arrangement?) was a highlight for many, and it was pretty nice, but give me the ultra-slowed down Baby Blue any day.  And the definite lowlight for me was song number four -- I'm not even sure any more exactly what it was, and I imagine Bob feels the same way.  (I imagine a lot of things, don't mind me.)

- Geoffrey Meyer (elcabong@panix.com)


Comment 2:
The show was great. Dylan looked excellent. I was within 10 feet of him when he entered Roseland before show. He was wearing shades and seemed very relaxed and carefree. He seemed much more serious when he performed. It was great being at the foot of the stage. My 17 year old daughter is now a convert(she was blown away having never experienced a concert in this type of venue).  Hopefully she joins my nephew(22) and myself as a steady Dylan concert goer. I still have the music of last night ringing in my ears(I was right by these massive speakers). I thought "Tears of Rage" was fantastic. My daughter was really caught up in "Masters of War" and was impressed with the lyrical content. I thought man in Man in the Long Black Coat was eery(sp?) and beautiful at the same time. Dylan is putting incredible effort into his singing and harp(I thought his cheeks were going to explode at times).

- Mike Geller (mjg@moss.emsp.att.com)


Comment 3:
And every one of those words rang true and glowed like burning coal...

What a concert! What an experience! I can't rank this one because it was my first Dylan concert, but something tells me this was a great one. (And a guy in the know in front of me said he felt it was Bob's best in five years.)

Bob's voice was *on*. He seemed excited and every lyric seemed heartfelt. The band was amazing. The sound was perfect -- Bob's voice stood out well in front of crystal-clear guitar and earth-shaking drums.

The songs: I don't think I can remember the entire setlist, but here's some personal highlights...

Jokerman: first as usual. Perfect. Beautifully energetic chorus.

If You See Her, Say Hello: I was so glad to hear him play this -- one of my personal favorites.

Third was Watchtower -- the TheremustbesomewayoutofheresaidthejokertotheTHEEEEIIIIIF version. Well done.

Tangled Up in Blue -- terrific. I swear he said docks that night, though.

Man With the Long Black Coat -- another one of my favorites, though it sounded strange not in the very staccato album version (there was dust. ON the man. In the long. Black coat.) I think here Dylan was deaccentuating the rhymes -- the last word of many phrases was so elongated that the song was stripped of that verbal meter. Very eerie, ferocious guitar by the band.

I'll be Your Baby tonight: A few lyrical improvisations. Personally, a little strange in the ultra-plugged-in mode.

Acoustic set: Masters of War was great. A few others, too. But then...

Knockin' on Heaven's Door: a high point of the show! Dylan starts it acoustic, the crowd goes wild hearing the first line. After one or two verses, the band switches to electric while we're not looking. People go crazy. Dylan eventually trades in his guitar. They jam. We're all glad to be alive.

Tears of Rage: On the train up, my friend and I were composing a dream setlist. This was on it. A little odd with the band and not The Band, but heartfelt and electrifying.

He also played God Knows, Maggie's Farm (a definite crowdpleaser), and I'm too tired to think of the rest.

Encores: Ballad of a Thin Man, and then Bob summed up his performance with the line, "But I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."

And then we fought back through the MSG Dead crowd to Penn Station and the real world...

A night to remember.

- Sam Miller (slmiller@tucson.princeton.edu)


Comment 4:
Dylan just gets better and better every year.  Before I go into the details of last night's show I'd just like to state my theory that Dylan's been taking a lot of cues from the Dead on how to reach an audience.  Maybe this was especially pronounced to me because I saw the Dead just last week, but I'm pretty sure Dylan is doing this consciously.  What I'm referring to is the way the songs are structured around the guitar jams.  The lyrics lend flavor, but the climax of each song is when it explodes into a blistering jam, which goes on as long as it can and then ends in either a seque or (more often) a long coda.  Granted that Dylan's sound is harder than the Dead's (no keyboards, for one thing); but the basic thrust seems similar.

With that said ... the show was amazing  ...

I'll Be Your Baby Tonight was beautifully presented; the best "album-cut" of the night.

He confused all the Neil/Hendrix fans by playing the regular rock-out intro to Watchtower and then singing the lyrics with two lines packed into each one-line space.  Actually it sort of ruined the song but I appreciate Bob's indefatigable desire to be as contrary as possible.

I was surprised by a sweet-toned, sincere Tambourine Man (first time I ever saw Bob play this), and I liked the way this song sequed into a Knocking On Heaven's Door that started all acoustic and ended all electric without missing a beat (pretty slick, Bob).

Don't Think Twice was appropriately bitter -- I watched him up there singing it and he could have been 20 years old and in love with Suze still.  

God Knows is a great rocker, and Maggie's Farm was made very interesting by the way both guitars added a sort of off-time STING to each phrase exactly one beat after you'd expect it.  They played this a long time.  

Dylan looks very healthy and involved with what he is singing.  The only throwaway performances were Tangled and Watchtower.  I remember when a Dylan concert used to mean an entire evening of throwaway performances, one after another.

Roseland is a cool place because it's all stand-up, which means if you're willing to hold your position thru Edie Brickell's I mean Sheryl Crow's opening set you can keep it for Bob's.  Sheryl Crow wasn't too bad -- best part was a surprise cover of the Beatles I've Got A Feeling.

- Levi Asher (brooklyn@netcom.com)


Comment 5:
Doesn't he get bored playing these songs over and over again? As you'll see below, I'm a bit critical of a lot of the show, probably overly so.  Let me just say that his voice sounds GREAT - from the time he opened his mouth, there was no doubt that this was the same Dylan who I've listened to for more than half my life.  

Jokerman - wonderful.

If you see her say hello - nice, but how about doing this one acoustic?

Watchtower - god, I thought this was horrible.  He must be really bored with this to be doing this ridiculous 2-lines-as-1 nonsense.  Although I like his natural contrariness (is that a word?), it's time to send this one into oblivion.

I'll be your baby tonight -  A little mumbling, but very nice and fun

Tangled up in blue - horrible.  I've now reached the point where I truly despise hearing this.  It was completely rushed, like bob couldn't wait to get through it (and neither could I).  At this speed, there's no way that he could sing it.

Man in a long black coat - one of the highlights of the show.  Slow and spooky.

Mr. Tambourine man (A) - Yeah, he's done it a zillion times, but this was a wonderful version.  Very Dylaneque singing.  I would still like to hear the "Though you might hear..." verse.  Has he done this since the '60s?

Masters of war (A) - oh my god.  I had not heard this arrangement yet (I've been really out of it - I haven't even heard Woodstock yet). Wow. Wow.  Wow.

Don't think twice (A) - yeah, it was nice, but I would rather hear almost anything else.  The crowd was really into it.

Knockin' on heaven's door (A/E) - okay.  A bit long.

In general, the song selection for the acoustic sets is boring.  Why does he INSIST on just playing the "early '60s folksongs" stuff here?  How about something from  John Wesely Harding?  Or Planet Waves?  ANYTHING besides the usual 8 numbers or so that he rotates would be great.  And how about his last two albums?  I mean, he played "Two Soldiers" in Boston - so the band knows the chords now - what's the story?

God knows - I hate this.  I know a lot of people like it, but it's just a lot of noise to me.  

Tears of rage - mumbled for the first two verses, but the last verse was transendent.

Maggie's farm - eh.

Encores
Ballad of a thin man - I went to the bathroom.  
My back pages (A) - this was great - nice and slow, with meaning.


Looking forward to having seats at the Tower Theatre.  I'm a bit cranky today - I really did like the show a lot overall!  

- Seth Kulick (skulick@linc.cis.upenn.edu)


Comment 6:
Bob Dylan doesn't act as if his songs are classics. He is a throwback to an era when a musician's job was to perform live, not to perfect a studio arrangement. His music stays in the present tense. Mr. Dylan won't recreate his old recordings; with every new band, and sometimes with every performance, he toys with tempos, rhythms and melodies, rarely content to sing a line the same way twice. Over a three-decade career, some of his live efforts have been garbled, even perverse. But with his current band, Mr. Dylan has reclaimed his place as a great American musician: an improviser with deep, broad roots.

At Roseland on Tuesday night, opening a three-night stand, Mr. Dylan was dressed as a country preacher or Western gunslinger, in a black frock coat. He sang as if savoring every word, still finding new shadings in his own lyrics: a touch of cocky threat in ``I'll Be Your Baby Tonight,'' a slow-building ardency in ``Tears Of Rage.'' A new song, ``God Knows,'' mixed a lover's declaration of fidelity with portents of apocalypse.

John Jackson on guitar and Tony Garnier on bass bobbed and weaved beside Mr. Dylan onstage, both wearing hats; Winston Watson on drums and Bucky Baxter on steel guitar worked behind their instruments. It's a nonchalantly brilliant band, as good as any of Mr. Dylan's past groups, including The Band; Mr. Dylan's fans deserve a live album from this lineup. Mr. Dylan doesn't simply sing with the group; he is meshed with it as lead guitarist, playing plucky, insistent phrases and riffs. His harmonica solos were tartly focused too, with terse lines and syncopated chordal wheezes.

Together, Mr. Dylan and the group make the songs seem as if they're just falling together, perfectly. The band's only mannerism is to end too many songs by dropping to half-speed, a touch of grandiosity.

The band rocked like Creedence Clearwater Revival in ``If You See Her, Say Hello,'' howled through ``All Along The Watchtower,'' then switched into jaunty western swing for ``I'll Be Your Baby Tonight.'' Playing acoustic instruments, the band moved toward bluegrass (``Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'') and mountain folk songs, including a version of ``Mr. Tambourine Man'' that still, three decades later, conveyed wide-eyed anticipation.

``Me, I'm on the road/Headin' for another joint,'' Mr. Dylan sang (at a playful double speed) in ``Tangled Up In Blue,'' and he still treats his music that way. In an era when most big-time rockers shun spontaneity, Mr. Dylan is an oddball, and a precious one.

- John Pareles, New York Times (page C15), 20 October 1994


Comment 7:
On the 18th at Roseland when the gates opened and fans pelted forward to get prime viewing spots few realized that they were running past an interested spectator on one of the seats on the raised platform to the side. Yes it was Bob himself, with a copy of Paulo Vites's new book in hand - wonder what he thought of John Hume's photographs?

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


Comment 8:
[...] as I was waiting in the Roseland lobby on Oct. 18, I thought that I heard West L.A. Fadeaway during the soundcheck...anyone else hear this one?

- "Ragman10" (ragman10@aol.com)


19 October 1994 - Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
============================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
Mama You've Been On My Mind [AB]
One Too Many Mornings [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
Shelter From the Storm
Maggie's Farm

Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
I noticed tonight that one of the differences is that Bob's moved like solidly onto electric lead.  When did he give up all that acoustic lead?  I hadn't even been aware of it.  Anyway, he and JJ!  It's on a plane with Richards/Taylor, for me.  (And I say this only partially to get Rebecca's goat.) In fact, John often reminds me of Taylor -- that same melodic Santana-deal.  And Bob, for that matter, shares Keith's genius for discord.  Anyway, tonight's music wasn't as uniformly outrageous for me as last night was -- I thought the sound occasionally lapsed into the self-satisfied twang which last night was only evident during I'll Be Your Baby.  It's one of the hazards of having slowed down the tempos of *everything* -- if they miss, even by an inch, they're just going to be... long.  The Dead, of course, take this chance, hit and miss, every night, and it's worth the risk.  I tended to prefer the songs they didn't play last night, though.  Big Girl was epic. The all-new (way-slow) You Go Your Way was magnificent, I thought.  Baby Blue, a super slow arrangement I love, got a little lost for me tonight, and at least for a moment for Bob too (he flubbed a lyric).  Memphis Blues was well-rested and a blast.  Shelter was unbelievable.  The harmonica over the past two nights has been virtuoso, but not unearthly.  Shelter excepted; he was out of his mind blowing that tune.  Rolling Stone was a poor second (get on with it!) to the one he did (same arrangement) in Patterson this summer.  Babe was a show stopper.  It seldom fails to  delight me (unlike Watchtower, which lately has finally worn me down), but tonight's was special even so.

Interesting show, especially for me.  I went with my 29-year-old (ten years younger), kind of MOR sister (Middle-Of-the-Road, easy listening) and a good friend of hers, whom I've known for years.  Despite the fact that I didn't grow up in the same house with my sis, she has of course absorbed some quotient of Bob over the years, despite never having owned a Dylan album and never before having accepted my ubiquitous ticket offer.  Cathy, my sister's friend, as it turns out, knew like zero.  She recognized and/or had at least heard of the following: Tangled, Rolling Stone, Babe.  The two Dylan albums she had ever been exposed to were Greatest Hits and Empire Burlesque, and she had always liked them.  She left the show tonight a babbling maniac.  Tomorrow I give her Blonde On Blonde and Blood On The Tracks.  (Any prior knowledge of these arcane works might possibly have enhanced her enjoyment of the show... although I'm not *really* sure anything could have enhanced it -- she had some big fun.)  My sister, perhaps predictably, kind of bore with it through the first six, then loved the acoustic (or at least liked it better...), and then came alive again for the encore.  I guess it's lucky, from the standpoint of being her first show, that positively everything had a little something knocked off the tempo, but still it wasn't quite enough.  The "loud" stuff she maligned as sounding "Springsteenesque."  (The girl positively has it in for Bruce for some reason.)  Anyway, tomorrow I give *her* GAIBTY & World, and I think she may be half as happy as Cathy's going to be!

- Geoffrey Meyer (elcabong@panix.com)


Comment 2:

Another terrific show, with only five repeats from last night...

- Dan Levy (danlevy@panix.com)


Comment 3:
That was the most amazing show I've ever seen (and I saw two shows at the Super Club!!!!!!!).  Mama you been on my mind was great, but the chords sounded like Don't Think Twice.

Like a Rolling Stone was great, It Ain't Me Babe had an fantastic acoustic jam.

The highlight for me was a Tangled Up in Blue.... wow.

- Jason Calacanis (cybrsrfr@pipeline.com)


Comment 4:
He was in terrific voice, and his voice got stronger as the night went on.  I was really pleasanly surprised, even though everyone's been saying as much.

- David Matarasso (dmataras@gftpd-mail.citicorp.com)


Comment 5:
I saw Bob Dylan last nite (Wednesday, 10/19) for the  first time in 30 yrs...Wow. 

An astonishing evening. The backup band (lead guitar, bass  guitar, steel guitar & drum) was the one he's been traveling w  since the tribute/30th Ann concert. Tight, pulsing hard rocking,  improvisatory, rocking blues/jazz/rock/country. Blew me away.  Dylan's voice was excellent thruout (my only quibble was when he  went into his nitorus oxide voice in Watchtower, and I wondered if  that was it for the nite, but by the next number he was back on  track. Strong, clear, impassioned and passionate. His guitar  playing was extraordinary: here goes. better than Clapton. Neil  Young on Tom Thumb's on the Tribute CD comes close, but that's it.  Far and away the best I'd ever heard Dylan play guitar on anything. He  looked great, cathected with the audience, propelled the entire  evening into one sdeamless web of music.

He started at 9:15 (Sheryl Crow opened; played her CD basically song for song... her band rocked much harder than it  does on the CD and I wd have probably preferred it a bit less hi-energy, but she did her songs wonderfully I thought. esp. Run Baby and Las Vegas), and ended at 10:55 with only the two mins off stage before the encore as a break.

The friend with whom I went has seen Dylan in person more than 50 times. This was my first in-person in 30 years (altho I  have many, many albums & tapes: not everything he's done, but  nearly..) Some of his choices  --** was just e-mailed by friend who has friend who saw Dylan's handwritten list for the nite; apparently, he had Shelter or 4th St as the choce for the  next-to-last #, and went with Shelter; it was great, but oph, wd I  have loved to have heard 4th St ** -- were songs that have been  burned into my unconscious over the years; some were mostly new to  me. He now ALWAYS opens w Jokerman and ALWAYS has Watchtower 3d,  and (just about) ALWAYS ends w Maggies. this was one of the few  times that Back Pages wasn't the last encore (darn). Rolling Stone  was spectacular (the most sing-a-long-y number); he changed the  chords a bit on It Ain't Me Babe (only one he seems to have done  that to), but all others were basically following orig  arrangements.

A piece of me would pay double (tix were $25, certainly more than reasonable) to hear an all acoustic concert, and Baby Blue was the most memorable # of the nite for me. You've Been on my Mind he used to sing w/ Baez (and hasn't done in person in yrs) and I am furiously going into my deepest recesses of memory to see if I can actually remmeber whether I saw them sing it together in 63 or 64.

Audience: some kids (a few) my kids age, majority of audience I'd peg at 20-30, a range of folks from early 40's to late 40's (covers me & my friend). Roseland has no seats and msot people crowded near the stage (there were sofa/banquettes on the side; that's where we sat... just as stage level, abt 25 yds from Dylan and 10 from the stage). Some were dancing and bopping all nite on their feet; many were writing furiously in journals; some as unmoving as in (I guess) an opium den (speaking of which: more tobacco than I've seen since a college party; some grass around me but certainly not like a 60's/70s concert). Fairly rigorous security at door.

But his guitar playing, the band, the choices, the energy, the strength, the power....What a night....

If u have a chance to go see him, DO SO!!!!!!!

- Michael Perlin (mperlinn@reach.com)


20 October 1994 - Roseland Ballroom, New York City, New York
============================================================
Soundcheck:
Tears In Heaven (Eric Clapton)

Concert:
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
Mama, You've Been on My Mind [AB]
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll [AB]
Boots Of Spanish Leather [AB]
God Knows
Joey 
Maggie's Farm

Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
My Back Pages [AB]

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
Highway 61 Revisited [Neil Young on lead guitar, Bruce Springsteen on
                      rhythm guitar]

Comment 1:
Well, my sister really would have hated it tonight! Two extra vocal mikes were set up after the Pages break, but they were never even approached (much like the infamous piano during the Beacon run a few years back, which sat ignored on the stage for four or five straight nights). Bob Weir, I hear, was also in the building (Jerry's already back in CA), but he did not appear. People seemed to feel the show built to its momentous (historically if not musically) climax. My favorite by far was You Go Your Way. What a beautiful arrangement, and played with soul out the ass.

- Geoffrey Meyer (elcabong@panix.com)


Comment 2:
"Positively Fourth Street" [...] a great version by the way.  Another wonderful show; Neil Young was the icing on the cake--brilliant solos on Rainy Day Women and Hwy 61.  Bruce looked good but wasn't audible. 

Joey was spectacular--really fun, upbeat and heroic arrangement with very spirited singing.

- Dan Levy (danlevy@panix.com)


Comment 3:
I was one of the lucky people who was blown away last night at Roseland.  I thought that Dylan sounded great.  Actually, I have seen several concerts at Roseland and usually it sounds pretty poor.  However, they added some extra speakers in the back to enhance the sound.  The bottom line is that I was thrilled to get a Positively 4th Street.  BTW, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen Holy shit!  The Rainy Day Women was just incredible and then was promptly followed by the coolest Highway 61 my ears have ever heard.

- Benjamin Francis Slavin (bfs1@columbia.edu)


Comment 4:
Bob did his normal double-encore, but the crowd stayed and cheered. We were encouraged by the fact that Roseland did not turn the houselights on right away. The roadies fussed with the instruments but did not start to dismantle the drums or take away the guitars, which was another clue. 

The backup band came out first, then Bob, then Neil and Bruce. It was at least ten or fifteen seconds before everybody processed who the extra people were, though we were cheering anyway because Bob had come back.

The crowd was *wild*; by and large people stand still at these concerts (there isn't much room and most of them are about 50 anyway), but for Rainy Day Women, people were jumping and screaming the chorus. The girl behind me kept trying to climb up on the shoulders of me and the guy next to me to get a better view.

Neil Young looked almost to be having a Grand Mal seizure, he was jerking around his guitar as though he was about to lose control. Bruce was much more mellow, staying to stage right and grinning the whole time.

It was definately Bob's show. Neither Bruce nor Neil even tried to sing along. They were having fun jamming with Bob, and he seemed to enjoy the audience response to the combination.

Note, by the way, that at the end of the main set, Bob worked the crowd a bit. That's rare in my experience.

- Michael J. Stern (stern@panix.com)


Comment 5:
[In answer to a] question about how the crowd reacted when Neil & Bruce came out...  It was similar to when Darryl Strawberry returned to Shea Stadium for the first time as a Dodger (apologies to any non-Mets fans out there)! The crowd was already super turned on by Dylan doing "Rainy Day Women"- singing along real loud and getting into the song- when these two guys sorta slink onto the stage... at the moment of recognition a monumental cheer and then another push by the masses towards the stage.

It was an incredible climax to an already incredible night. For one thing, I expected another crappy opening act for Dylan, which I'm quite used to by now, and Sheryl Crow just blew me away. Dylan's performance was hot- and CARING. When the man cares for what he is doing, NO ONE can hold a match to him. He was totally in charge and in control all night long. It would have been worth the bucks for the ticket just to hear 'My Back Pages'. I don't believe I've ever heard him do any song better in all my years (20) of Dylan concert-going. And then the mini-Hall-of-Fame show!!! WOW!!!

- Mike Gottlieb (gottliem@iia.org)


Comment 6:
I would just like to explain in a little further detail exactly how neil young and bruce springsteen came out on stage.  It was obvious to me that they had planned their entrance in advance.  About halfway through rainy day women, neil young "slowly" started moving into the stage from stage left.  He had his back to the audience, so we all did not see him at the same time.  But there was an eventual roar from the crowd when we realized who it was.  At this point, everyone was looking over to Neil on left, so we did not see bruce sneaking in from stage right.  He did this about 10 seconds after we noticed neil.  So it was only after someone behind me started jumping up and down and a second roar began, did I think to look elsewhere.  Then there was bruce.  I was only about 15 feet from the stage :-)

Another interesting observation:  The new book the bell curve was being discussed in the press heavily on tuesday and wednesday.  Bob through in alot of songs about black oppression and racism.  I think he might have been responding to the book (hattie carrol, my back pages, joey).  He also shook hands with a black lady who was standing in the front row.  I believe it is rare for him to directly interact with the crowd?????

Well anyway, the crowd went nuts for the encore.  I have never heard so much screaming in my life for such a long time: Bruuuuuuuuuuceeeeee. And everyon was shouting the chorus to rainy day women.

- Steven Zawid (zawid@eden.rutgers.edu)


Comment 7:
The black lady that Bob shook hands with in the crowd was stnding right near me.  Through the course of waiting on line for three days, I got to know her very well.  She was very nice.  Anyway, the point of this rambling, is that she was invited by him backstage before the show...of course, she accepted.  He also gave her flowers on the first night (someone had thrown them onstage) and blew her a kiss the second night.  She was blown away.  Keeping that in mind, I think that you may be taking the link between Bob and The Bell Curve a bit too far...he played Joey the third night in Boston and Hattie Carrol has been played consistently throughout the tour.  Then again, what do I know...

Many members of the audience saw Neil Young on the side of the stage prior to Rainy Day, we were beginning to think that he wasn't going to come out.  Springstien was a surprise.  Then again, we could have just looked over and seen that he was not in his seat.  Thank heavens they didn't invite GE up on stage.  Ginsberg would have been a nice surprise.

- Josh (ragman10@aol.com)


Comment 8:
I caught two of the bdylan@roseland.com shows last week and both were tremendous.  After having seen two of the Superclub shows (and bunch of 80s shows) I didn't think bob was going to every come back from mumbles, I was so pleased that he proved me wrong.

Bob's band sound very tight, much better then the Superclub shows. What amazed me most was dylan's voice, timing, guitar playing, and the fact that he was so animated on stage.

Guitar Playing

When I saw BD at the Superclub there was some guy on the side of the stage (hidden from view) playing guitar. That really turned me off.  @Roseland it was really Bob killing that guitar.  I was about three people from the stage and I could actually correlate his hand movements to the sounds I was hearing. Wow.

Dylan Voice

After seeing Bob with Tom Petty and GE Smith live, and on Dave lettermans 10th anniversary I was beginning to think that bob's voice was lost cause.  The Roseland shows blew me away.  His voice sounded great. You could make out the words, he remembered the words, and even when he played with the timing it worked (All Along, Tangled Up, Shelter from the storm).

Animation

Bob was bouncing around the stage, kneeling down to jam his guitar, and embracing the audience throughout the show.  This display was turned up a notch when Neil and Bruce came out.  I have to say Bob looked really happy when Neil was on stage, although he really only glanced over to Bruce once to say hello.

- Jason Calacanis (cybrsrfr@pipeline.com)


Comment 9:
Hi, just back from one of the best weeks of my life - In New York for my first time, 3 Dylan shows (two with Pia by my side one with top-of-the-second-leaguers Neil & Brooce on stage) - so I should be giving you a detailed, ecstatic report.  Instead it is going to turn into a bit of a moan and may not exactly make me popular but I think that the point of this newsgroup is to exchange views & opinions & would rather tell you what I *believe* than write a popular load of waffle.

I went to New York for a romantic anniversary with Pia that *just* happened to coincide with the Roseland Shows. I thought Dylan was in excellent form from MASTERS OF WAR on the first night onwards. I felt the first electric set was not very good - interestingly enough Pia hadn't seen him since the last Hammersmith show & was more impressed with this segment than she'd expected to be.

Nonetheless, I'd not swap any part of that first concert for any of the next two even though the shows probably got progressively better. (I find it hard to be definitive: MASTERS OF WAR, KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR. TEARS OF RAGE and MY BACK PAGES thrilled me on the 18th but the 19th was much more consistent - from the little I could hear in peace it sounded like it could've been one of my favourite shows. The show on the 20th had unbelievable peaks but I would hazard a guess it wasn't as overall as impressive as the 19th but I don't really know.)

The main reason I "don't really know"  and that the first show is my best memory is that the venue and crowd conspired to make the shows other more an endurance test than an enjoyable, far less a meaningful, experience. (I was fortunate in having generous friends who made the first of the three shows so memorable.) 

Now before I make my point(s) I want to make it clear that I:

a:) Believe "when in Rome do as the Romans" is a pretty OK view & have been prepared by hundreds of tapes to expect chattering throughout Dylan's performances in the US.

b:) Do *not* think everyone should give Dylan the undivided attention and respect I happen to believe is his due

c:) Do *not* particularly wish to offend anyone.

I'll return to my happy memories of the first night later but I'll fast forward to the night of the 19th c. 08:55. I'm standing with Clinton and Glen fairly close to the stage but way out to the side. My position has worsened considerably in the last few minutes but I can still just about see the centre mike on the stage. Someone behind me is telling his friends what he thought of yesterday's show: "he only played for 1hr 40m and his voice packed in after the first half-hour." Odd, I thought he only picked up *after* the first half-hour...but there is a sudden rush of people pushing in as Dylan's arrival is imminent. Glen and Clinton had warned me that the crowd might make our position untenable but I wasn't prepared for the following. I was trying to hold my ground when a booming voice declared "COMING THROUGH" and I felt the people behind falling back and tried to hold my place. (Not easy since any of this guy's 4 chins weighed the same as me.) The only thing helping keep him back was his sheer bulk & he couldn't get through on my left side as Clinton just refused to budge, alas he boomed "COMING THROUGH" gain and barged by my right hand-side by bowling whoever had been standing there away. He had a couple of friends in tow. I can see a patch around Dylan's mike. Dylan hits the stage and into JOKERMAN. More people push forward, the recent interloper has a few more friends situated right behind us, they try to push in, we refuse to let them. Much pushing and shoving later they decide they wont get through so just shout across us continually whooping occasionally but mainly just indulging in talking at an incredible level. (The band are unhelpfully loud you understand so they've got to strain to keep their inane conversations going.) We are about three quarters way through JOKERMAN, I vaguely sense Bob is in excellent voice when I suddenly find myself being thumped on the shoulder, no violence intended just one of this obnoxious set had set my T-shirt alight trying to pass a joint forward to he friends. This attempt was repeated interminably through the next two songs, often my first glimpse of Dylan in ages was suddenly blocked by a spliff holding arm. Those in front of us spent as much time facing us & their friends as they did the stage. They shouted and pushed and shoved through what sounded a potentially great IF YOU SEE HER SAY HELLO. Glen had already given up and left. I told Clinton I'd go to the back sometime near the end of WATCHTOWER. This I did.

The back of the theatre was amazing - the noise level was just extraordinary. People stood in little groups - not facing the stage - bellowing to each other about their sex lives, trying the most pathetic chat-up lines - you'd Dylan fans would have a better store, and going over what appear to be endless family problems with all the insight of those who cannot tell when Woody Allen is being serious-funny rather than funny-serious. Oh I know that I'm just sounding bitchy but the banality was extraordinary and the depth of ignorance over Dylan just incredible - anyway my main pint is "what on earth do these people go to a concert for?" They paid no attention to the stage at all - remember I am hearing all this over the electric set in a tiny hall. 

This hall is also a major part of the problem. It is not designed for live music & boy does that show. A little slope and some thought to the acoustics might help!

I have by now walked around the hall and there is nowhere I want to see the show from. I meet other Dylan fans who are fighting to see and hear, they are all suffering the antics of Deadheads who presumably couldn't get into Madison Square Gardens. (Later I hear other stories similar to mine about yobs pushing in at the start of the set. All the stories concern fat Deadhead-fatheads, I've no idea if those I talked of earlier were Deadheads but they certainly seemed to fit the mould I heard about on 19th & met with a vengeance on the 20th.)

The electric set passes, Clinton appears having given up his spot near-ish the stage - things had just got worse - and reports he too has been unable to find a bearable spot to watch from. We try to just watch the crowd's increasingly bizarre behaviour and catch whatever glimpses we can of Dylan. I had brought binoculars with me but every time I used them at the back of the hall someone came and either bumped into me or stood right in front of the binoculars - this in an area with plenty of space. I'm glad to say that the same thing happened to Clinton, the minute he tried to use them someone came up and head-butted the binoculars! (Actually that was probably my fault I was charging $5 a time to let people head-butt Clinton - I made thousands :-))

The acoustic set starts & you can hardly hear it over the crowd! When we hear the opening strains of ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS we decide it is time to move. We amble down one side of the crowd, there is a tremendous amount of movement going on, Clinton spots a good area and we stop there, both with pretty good visibility of the stage, though quite far away from it.  Dylan sounds in good voice. There is an awful lot of chattering around us, though, so it is difficult to tell how good. BABY BLUE opens and it sounds Woodstock-ish but I only partly enjoy it, the six people directly in front of me have formed a horse-shoe facing *away* from the stage as their conversation has reached a critical point and they are now all deeply involved in it......so the night drags on....by the time of IT AIN'T ME BABE I have returned to the back of the hall, binoculars trained on Bob when a deadhead grabs me and shouts in my ear "Do you think Jerry will come on?" I suspect he is at the Dead show but just reply "I hope not this is a music show" He thinks I'm joking, his mouth is right to my ear as though he's worried I hear a bit of the show I travelled 3,000 miles for. "Maybe they'll do ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER?!" he is getting excited. I don't point out that the song has been played already and then I really think Dylan is about to end his show for the night, I don't say anything, in fact. Dylan is approaching the final words of the night. Fittingly I don't hear them, the voice bellows "Wouldn't it be a gas if they played ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER at two in the morning, wouldn't that be a blast, eh?" End of show, goodnight.

The third night (20th) I am luckier with, bits of the evening are almost tolerable. The majority of the crowd are here in the hope of seeing Jerry Garcia, though and I wish to God they'd stayed away or that the Dead had played one more night to spare us this onslaught. The one thing they did do was make tickets for the night very valuable. Pity for me, I'd had 5 spares for the first two nights and could hardly give them away. (I gave 2 away 7 got $20 total for the other 3.) Tonight was a scalper's feast.

I enjoyed the show as much as I could with the constant chattering, the ceaseless moving around of a crowd who rarely seemed to care about what was happening on stage and the never-ending questions of "Can you see Jerry yet?" "Jerry who?" became my standard reply.

Still the first night was great - great because I was right in front of Bob with only people interested in Dylan around me. We only got there thanks to the generosity of Andy and Michelle who not only persuaded their friends to move back to let us get closer but who even at one point gave their own hard won position right at Bob's feet to us.

After the shows I talked to friends from home and previous Dylan concerts. (It is amazing that the London Bob Dylan club folded when I find myself surrounded by people I meet every fortnight at Camden!) I also met some American fans that I either didn't know at al or had only met briefly before. A nicer group of people would be hard to imagine, friendly, helpful, and well into Dylan. What a tragedy that they are in such a small minority when it comes to the shows.

I had a fantastic week in New York, I aim to move there and discover if I like it as much as a resident. (Holidays tell you little about a place, I feel.) The people I met were far friendlier than you'd find in the streets of London - but at a concert, forget it! I was (coincidentally you understand) present at some of the worst football riots ever seen in the UK but at least most of the crowd was there for the football and nearly everyone actually watched the game they'd come to see. (It was generally quieter too!)

[In another posting:]

A comic scene was filmed for the Letterman show during the sound check on 20th October. A member of the Letterman band (Paul someone...) is discovered missing & traced to the Roseland where he is playing with Bob.  David Letterman is filmed coming to find him & cart him back. (The Roseland is just around the corner from the Letterman place..) 
-

During the sound check there was a "beautiful" version of Clapton's "Tears In Heaven"..
-

During HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED on the 20th as Bob tried to keep up with Neil Young, our hero was heard to exclaim "Enough! Enough already, Neil" as Mr. Young took it further than most could follow...
-

There is a rumour from the perennial "good source" that the Rochester "debacle" was filmed by Dylan's people. Also reported to have been filmed are the "guitar hero's encores" on the 20th and all the stage "invasions" so far on this US leg. The purpose? For a documentary which will also include footage of The Supper Club shows....

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


Comment 10:
[Posted on Wed, 23 November 1994]

So, did you catch Bob's small cameo on the Letterman show last night (22 November 1994)? As Andrew Muir mentioned a few weeks ago, it was filmed when Bob was at Roseland. If you didn't, it went like this: all of a sudden Paul Shaeffer was not on stage. Dave says "I know where he is!" and runs across the stree to Roseland, where inside he finds Bob's band rehearsing. Over in the corner is Paul Shaeffer playing organ; they're doing "I Want You." Letterman pulls him away and back to the Sullivan theatre they go. Bob was on camera for about 3 seconds.

- Steve Michel (michel@netcom.com)


Comment 11:
[Posted Thursday, 24 November 1994]

The "building" that Letterman retrieved Paul from had the name ROSELAND printed along the side!

Dylan was wearing a blue denim shirt and pants and wearing shades. The band members were laughing when letterman came and got Paul. . .

"Paul! The show's still on!"

"The show's still on! Oh my God! Bob, I've gotta go, the show's still on!"

Bob just kept strummin his guitar and gave a kind of full body nod as Paul went by.

- Marguerita (U0A75@wvnvm.wvnet.edu)


Comment 11:
When Bob Dylan finally took the stage, it was with about as much ceremony as a roadie who mistakes the stage door for the bathroom.  Sporting the prototypical black suit, Dylan evoked several of his own past incarnations, from outlaw to prophet, from preacher to "the man in the long black coat."  But as he began to perform, the anonymity was swept aside, and he was once again the original troubador-- reinventing his songs in the image of the moment.

Dylan's voice carried the musical lines and wry turns of phrase as well as the irrevocable weight of age, fatigue and substance abuse.  Yet the concert remained a remarkable tribute to Dylan's resilience and continued relevance. His songs have penetrated culture so deeply as to become lore.  Like legend, Dylan's lore has been absorbed and recycled yet has retained its identity.

Backed by a superlative ensemble, Dylan rolled through history--his own and ours.  He took center stage both as singer and as performer, playing electric lead guitar on "Jokerman" and "Positively 4th Street."  In "All Along The Watchtower," a wailing guitar became the howling wind itself, and Dylan's harmonica rhapsodized on the songs about love and love lost.

"Maggie's Farm" took the evening to an even higher level.  It was flippant and fiery Southern rock.  The acoustic "My Back Pages" had a languid reverence that far transcended recent versions.  This time, Dylan's knowing, almost confessional voice formed a ghostly counterpoint to his self-confident 1964 original.

How do you top that?  Bring Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young onstage for an encore.  Guitars in hand, they launched into a boogie-woogie "Rainy Day Women No. 12 and 35."  And they closed with "Highway 61 revisited," done as a classic hard-rockin' highway song, which-- like "Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)--brought the past and the present together, releasing Dylan into his future.

- Susan Richardson (Rolling Stone magazine)


22 October 1994 - Rochester Auditorium Center, Rochester, New York
==================================================================
Jokerman
Man In Me
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Tambourine Man [AB]
Desolation Row [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

Like a Rolling Stone

Comment 1:
Great sound; looked sharp;  tight band; Desolation Row was magnifique

We are in a state of confusion though and somewhat at a loss for words regarding the ending of the show.  Rolling Stone was going along and one or two people got on the stage to start dancing ( as has been noted before in rmd since earlier this summer).

This time however, about 75 ( conservatively speaking ) and more likely more than 100 people were on stage by the end of Rolling Stone.  What a mess.  Rowdies were pulling gear out of the way ( the stand up bass was a near casualty ) and Bob was getting REAL crowded.  The bass and lead guitarist were more or less caught in the mob as they slowly closed in on Bob.  

UHHHGGGG!  What a mess.

The show ended after Rolling Stone.  Bob split. See ya.

Altogether a Great performance with a somewhat different setlist ( IMHO ). Too bad we will never know what that last encore would have been ( sniff, sniff ).

- "ScottBro" (scottbro@aol.com)


Comment 2:
This morning, I feel ashamed to be a Rochesterian!

Last night's show was marred by a problem that was minor at Artpark and Ithaca, but which ruined the ending of last night's show.  A few losers saw fit to jump onstage while Dylan was playing his infamous song, and dance around and make asses of themselves.  The problem? Security didn't do a damn thing about it! NOT ONE usher approached them onstage.  The domino effect took place, and I would say approximately 75 losers took the stage, engulfing and literally mugging Zimmy and the band.  Zimmy ran through the song, then bolted:  I didn't blame him one bit.

This garbage had me thoroughly disgusted! For both audience and security! This town doesn't deserve another concert of any kind!

FWIW:  Highlights included a tasteful "The Man In Me", a rollicking "Watching The River Flow" (and a song I was jazzed to hear), "Desolation Row" (with Zimmy literally crooning in spots), and "Maggie's Farm".  Dylan played quite a bit less harmonica than in previous shows.

I feel ashamed to call myself a Rochesterian!

- John J. Wood (jojw@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)


Comment 3:
The Auditorium Center in Rochester is an old Masonic Temple, though I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't been told.  It just looks like the ugliest old theater you ever saw.  Lots of squirrel motifs--anyone know what that means Masonically?

Anyway, this was an enjoyable show.  Most of it from the standard rotation, though I didn't mind.  IMHO Jokerman etc. are in the set "permanently" because they're great arrangements which the band likes to play.  Hard to blame them, because they're also a gas to listen to (well, at least the first ten times or so. . .)

Other than that, the set included a couple hokey tunes (man in  me, remember you), but they came off ok--this band just sounds good playing anything.  The surprises for me were River flow, done in a lovely, uptempo electric bluegrass kind of arrangement, and Desolation row.  It was great to hear something in the acoustic set that I could sink my teeth into (and to hear someone other than Bob Weir sing that song ;).  

During Maggie, audience members started to crowd into the orchestra pit, which was more or less walled off from the seats. After the band came back out and started Rolling stone, a few girls jumped on the stage and sat down.  Then one girl got up and started dancing on the stage.  Then another girl.  Then, suddenly, everyone from the pit jumped onto the stage, or so it seemed.  By the last verses, there were so many people dancing on stage that the three standing band members were huddled into a little circle (well, triangle) to keep the hordes away. I was laughing my head off. The band then left the stage, Security (which, as is obvious, was not quite on the ball) gradually herded the people off stage.  The crowd chanted "asshole, asshole" (to Security?  the stage-jumping audience members?  Bob?) and there was no other encore.  Probably Bob was p.o.'ed, for good reason.

Overall, it was perhaps not an exceptional show, but certainly was up to the standards of the current tour.  And just hearing Desolation row was worth most of my admission price.

- T. Douglas Mast (mast@valhalla.ee.rochester.edu)


Comment 4:
Bob was overwhelmed i am sure.  I was at the show and it truly was a mess. A great show in the making gone bad!  It was still memorable nonetheless. The fiasco started during the first encore, which came all too soon.  I bet he would have played 4 songs for an encore, but we only heard 3/4 of one. It happened during "Like a Rolling Stone" done electric. He cut the song short needless to say.  When the tune started, one girl jumped up on stage a was innocently dancing off on stage left.  It was startling at first but then since it was just her for about two minutes, Bob got used to it and the whole thing seemed cool.  Then the snowball effect took over.  This girls boyfriend felt he should get up there too, then that opened the floodgates for other males.  Soon, close to 100 people were up there and those of us in the audience could not even see Bob or the band any longer.  Actually, I was surprised Bob did not just stop the song in the middle of it!  But he continued and properly ended, though a few verses short.  Many of us oldtimers were disappointed.  Up to that point the show was best I have seen Bob do so far!  He was full of emotion during his acoustic set, especially on Mr. Tambourine Man and Desolation Row.  I could not believe I was experiencing the event.  Such classic songs, done like never before.  I was in awe!  Unfortunately, the show ended the way it did.  I think Bob will reconsider playing Like a Rolling Stone for an opening encore.  The "anthem" was just a bit too much for the teeny boppers to keep restrained. I will certainly never forget that show!

- Mike J. Chambers (mcjc@uhura.cc.rochester.edu)


Comment 5:
The fiasco at the end of the show ruined a great night.  Just goes to show the effect a few idiots can have on everyone's fun.  Ditto the embarassment to local Dylan fans.

- "RABOAT" (raboat@aol.com)


Comment 6:
[...] it was very startling for Bob, and extremly embarrasing.  Some odd things to note that I saw from my seat in the balcony:

[1] A female approached Bob (out of the ~100 people) and touched his arm or shoulder, kind of a "hey I touched Bob" sort of thing. She was quickly taken off stage by a bouncer, this was while Bob was still trying to do Rolling Stone. 

[2] He completed the song, by this time the stage is horded by the mob moving closer and closer to Mr. Dylan. Unsure probably what to do he did shake about 5 persons hands, by this time the band and him are trapped in about a 10 foot circle, with the crowd all around.

[3] The bouncer who took the girl off the stage came back with her and the female and Bob hugged! 

[4] Then Bob and band were escorted by the Roadies off the stage, not enough security to handel the mess!

- Stephen Weppner (weppner@helios1.phy.ohiou.edu)


Comment 7:
The critic (J. Spivack) for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote a glowing review of the show, praising Dylan and band for re-capturing the old Dylan spirit of rebellion in a 90's way.  He basically praised the crowd for its actions, by saying if you don't like what the new Dylan fans are doing go out and buy "Blonde on Blonde."  In the same review, he called "Desolation Row" an obscure song.  As someone who was at the show and has seen Bob several times on this tour, I can honestly say that he has been great.  Those punks did mar an otherwise good show and Mr. Spivack should have the guts to say that.

- "RABOAT" (raboat@aol.com)


23 October 1994 - Landmark Theater, Syracuse, New York
======================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
Shelter From The Storm
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
To Ramona [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
Joey
Maggie's Farm

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

Comment 1:
Wow! I saw the Woodstock ppv, I read the recent newsgroup reviews, I looked over the setlists. Nothing prepared me for Sunday night. The Bob Dylan I saw last night not only acknowledged the legacy of three decades past, but took his great body of work to new heights.

Ever since those first four Columbia albums, I've been sometimes impressed, often bewildered by the many Bob Dylans I've seen in concert: protest Dylan, electric Dylan, Nashville Dylan, Rolling Thunder, gospel Dylan, and of course the sadly incoherent Dylan of more recent years. Well, folks, THIS Bob Dylan gets my vote for the postage stamp. Last night Bob Dylan, the performer, was everything I've ever hoped to see. This time around he's incorporated all the right elements, showing the respect for his own great songs that has too often been missing. This respect is infused with the righteous spirit of rock and roll and taken to a new level by his maturity, experience, and it seems to me, by his willingness to BE Bob Dylan--without the masks, the face paint, the back-up singers, the impenetrable wall of sound. 

Dylan sang, played, and performed with total authority. His Bobness is finally willing to take responsiblity for his music and for the musicians on stage. No more "stump the band!" These players have clearly given a lot of thought to the arrangements and especially to the dynamics of the music. I probably could have even survived "Wiggle Wiggle" played by this band, to stretch the point.

As I write this, I'm newly excited about the possibilities for rock and roll in the 90's. Bob's best songs are timeless, but he's used the spirit of rock and roll to make them fresh again and filled with new meaning.

Sunday night, musical distinctions became meaningless. Electric, accoustic, fast or slow--the net result was a performance with honesty and power. The accoustic band provided an intense spiritual experience. I thought I'd never be able to appreciate Masters of War again after the Grammys; last night it was absolutely chilling. 

Intensity, reverence, mystery and joy; these feelings reverberated through the audience last night. Everything was revealed. Many of us were on our feet at the end of each song. No problems on or near the stage, either; just plenty of high five's to the front rows at the end of the night. The sound techs got a big hand from me on my way out, too.

I can't compare this to other shows on the tour, but I hope I've conveyed the general idea. There is one thing I want to know, though. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? Why this greatness now, and where was it, and why wasn't it, in recent years? I don't doubt that the possibility was always there, but was there some kind of awakening, a pivotal experience or a new point of view that brought him to this tour's level of excellence? I'd really like to hear your thoughts about this. Cause you know something's happening here......and it wasn't happening even two years ago.

This post is long enough already. Suffice it to say: I saw Bob Dylan last night, and I was blown away.

- Jeff Chard (jeffc77@aol.com)


Comment 2:
I WENT TO SEE MY FIRST BOB DYLAN CONCERT SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!
I WENT TO SEE MY FIRST BOB DYLAN CONCERT SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!
I WENT TO SEE MY FIRST BOB DYLAN CONCERT SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

[...] it was great.  there wasn't a trace of the stunt he pulled with masters of war at the grammys.  i understood every word and it was some of the best clear tonality i've heard from dylan.  i basically maxed out my credit card to see him, but i would do it again without thinking twice. i play in a band myself and i know how it can really be a drag to have to act like your having the best time of your life playing every night for some people you don't even know, but, believe it or not, he really seemed to be enjoying himself. [...] i thought it was really funny watching him break into a solo in the middle of songs that i always thought were so solemn...the way him hunches over his guitar and bends his knees together while soloing almost cracked me up!  he was much more than i ever expected him to be as a performer.  

as for the high-fives, after finishing the show, he walked up and down the front of the stage slapping the hands of devoted fans.  i was four rows back in the balcony (so i was really 50 rows back) but i felt like i was really there.  i wanted so much to just climb down and touch the hand of the man who has changed my life in so many ways.  the concert was truly a SPIRITUALLY uplifting experience.

tambourine, masters and ramona were all a great acoustic set.

thanks for listening!

p.s. a question for anyone who went to syracuse....did i hear right...did he really say "next time you come, bring earphones" or something like that in ballad of a thin man in place of the actual line?

- Andy (ZEISETA@hartwick.edu)


25 October 1994 - Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
==========================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Under The Red Sky
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Desolation Row [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
In The Garden
Maggie's Farm
Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
The Times They Are A-Changin' [AB]


26 October 1994 - Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland
======================================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Desolation Row [AB]
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
God Knows
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone


27 October 1994 - Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia
==========================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mr Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
God Knows
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment 1:
Bob sounded very good.  Highlights for me were Tangled Up, and a beautiful Mr. Tambourineman.  Can't wait for tomorrow.

- Craig Rutenberg (crutenbe@mail2.sas.upenn.edu)


Comment 2:
In general, I thought that his voice was a little bit worn as compared to the Roseland show that I saw, but the song selection was a bit more interesting.  It was nice to have seats instead of being crushed by general admission at Roseland, but there the people around me were nice decent folk, and tonight there seemed to be a good number of morons in the audience, in particular right in front of us.  So it all evens out.

Jokerman - nice, but  a tentative start.

Lay Lady Lay - some nice harmonica.  At this point I started getting worried about the four people sitting in front of us.  They would applaud wildly at the beginning of a song, and then start talking and clapping throughout it.   

Watchtower - who cares.  Our rowdy neighbors pass around a joint.  I rejoice, hoping that they will mellow out.  It's not to be.

Born in Time - Wow, this was nice to see.  I probably could have enjoyed it a bit more if they would just shut up.  They clearly knew the song, too - right when it started one of them, the most obnoxious, got up and shouted out the name of the song.  and then kept clapping and talking through it.  I just don't get it.  I was told later that Bob stumbled on the lyrics.

Tangled Up in Blue - yeah, whatever, it was okay but it's way way too fast.

Watching the River Flow - this was a nice surprise, but it was also very rushed.  Bob was singing very softly on this.  Twice he tried to pull off the line "Wellonly yesterdayisawsomebodyonthestreet who was    really    shook" and couldn't quite do it - at this speed, that's not surprising.

As I see them change guitars, I decide that I need to act.  I tap the guy in front on the shoulder - the conversation goes like this:

Me: "Could you please restrain yourself during the acoustic set?"
the idiot: "No, no I can't!"
Me: "I would like to hear the songs.  If you like the songs so much, then why don't you listen to them?"
the idiot: "Do you know anything about this man?" (pointing to the stage).
what could I possibly say to that? 
me: "Well, yes I do, actually"
the next song starts, and he moves to the right one seat and temporarily shuts up.

Mr Tambourineman - once again, an incredible version.  The other morons in the audience insist on shouting out DURING the verses.  not like after the verse is over, when the unique Dylan phrasing gets people cheering. But while he's singing.  Just so you don't think I'm just cranky again, I heard several other people telling other people to shut up.  There seemed to be a lot of noise coming from the balcony.  It's funny the way that he really slows down some songs and then speeds up others.  This was very slow, but it worked perfectly.  

Masters of War - incredible again.  

Don't Think Twice - okay, I'm bored with this one.  No Heaven's door.

God Knows - spirited, and people start moving down the aisle and dancing.

She Belongs to Me - yes!! A real highlight, with some real nice phrasing. One of the four idiots had gotten hold of the setlist, and during this song they were passing it back and forth saying "Senor was on the setlist!" and examining it in detail, all the while ignoring what song was being played.  What a bunch of total losers.

Maggie's Farm - it's a sort of nice riff, but the song is really missing the sense of humor with which it was originally sung.  However, the way that Mr. Bob sang "I try my best..", along with the expression on his face, was very amusing.

Bob points to people in the front rows and smiles, and walks off.

ENC: Rolling Stone - it's been a while since I saw this.  nice to hear it again. 

It Ain't Me, Babe - at this point, lots of people are in the aisle, including the four morons.  During the guitar breaks in this song, I hear a very loud clapping, and I notice this guy who's about 1/2 way between me and the stage.  this wasn't just clapping along - it was very distracting. I can swear that bob looked up, distracted, and looked right at this guy and gave him a nasty look.  Despite how sick I am of this song, I thought that it was a great performance, with maybe the most impassioned singing of the night.

After the song, people start jumping on stage.  One woman gives Bob a hug, and he hugs her!  Then other people start jumping up, and surround Bob, until it was impossible to see him from where I was.  I notice that the head moron is up on stage.  Bob finally leaves.  This was amusing at first, but I wish that Bob would stop it.  It worries me.

It was nice to meet some of the r.m.d. people.

Almost forgot:  the pedal steel seemed to be a bit higher in the mix than at Roseland, and was actually audible on many of the songs, not just the acoustic.  I was quite happy about that.  

So altogether, I thought that Bob's performance maintained the high standards of the current tour.  Looking forward to tomorrow night.  dream song pick:  "A Pair of Brown Eyes" (Shane MacGowan)

[In another posting:]

The first night, there was a man standing across the street with a big sign that read "Bob Dylan is Messed Up".  He giving out typed-written sheets with the following text:

``Bob Dylan - Arch Criminal of Last Half of the 20th Century.

``This man, who was the Thomas Paine of his generation, abandoned the revolution that was to at least try and solve problems such as: why is the quality of your health care, legal representation, and education related to your economic status and instead, advocated the use of marijuana as a method of achieving happiness.

``The use of the drug made him think he was was a rock star, rather than the electronic pampleteer that he was, and after he turned-on the Beatles, they thought they could be creative without conflict.  This is why it's  called dope.  

``But overshadowing these minor losses to his generation are the tens of thousands of average citizens who lost their lives, health, and happiness because of something stupid they did after doing this drug.  These losses are the ones that entitle Dylan to the label at the top of this page.

``If he wants Dignity now, he should admit his mistake.''

Doesn't the title sound like something out of Batman?  The Penguin, the Joker, and Bob Dylan.  I'm not making this up - this guy was really handing this out.  I asked him if he was from the Rock Liberation Front, and he said that he wasn't.  He then started saying that the homelessness problem is the result of "RDW 12 & 35" and the effect that it had on people.  I asked him if perhaps Reaganomics might have something to do with it. No, he said, it's all Dylan's fault for getting people stoned.

I guess that he would be thrilled that I'm sending his message around the world, but I thought that r.m.d. readers might enjoy this.  I certainly did.

- Seth Kulick (skulick@linc.cis.upenn.edu)


28 October 1994 - Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia
==========================================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
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]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
I Believe In You
Maggie's Farm

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

Comment 1:
My notes are really hard to read - got almost no light to write by tonight, so I hope this is right.

1. Jokerman - his voice is much stronger than the previous night.  An excellent start.

2. If You See Her, Say Hello.  Pretty good.  About the same as the version I saw at Roseland. The tune reminds me of "Absolutely  Sweet Marie".  It's nice to hear, but I don't think that this arrangement suits the song.  It constrains the song, rather than letting it find its own space (ugh, sorry, I think that I've been reading too much Paul Williams).  A few minor lyrics changes:  

        "We had a falling out, like lovers sometimes do
         To think of how she left that night, 
         it hurts me through-and-through."

        "Tell her she can look me up,
         if I'm still on her mind"

3. Watchtower - oh, who really cares.

4. Simple Twist of Fate - excellent - one of the top highlights of the two night stand.  Really sang his heart out.  I remember thinking during it that the singing was reminding of those great versions of "I Believe in You" from Nov. 79. (see song # 11) The ending was way too drawn out, though. No significant lyrics changes that I heard - a couple of pronouns got switched.

5. Tangled up in Blue.  Incredibly, this is actually getting worse. The pace of the song is so absurdly fast that Bob can't possibly sing it, and each line is a muddled mess as he tries to cram in all the words. Bob goes on auto-pilot.

6. Baby Tonight.  Eh.  Bob is still on auto-pilot.  Hey Bob, remember that there are other songs on John Wesley Harding?

we move into the acoustic set...

7. Mama You Been on my Mind.  One of my favorites, but I'm a bit disappointed as Bob STILL seems be on autopilot.  Plus, the sound is muddled. (and we're sitting just a few rows right behind the soundboard) Then, after I think the second verse, some woman runs up on stage and hugs Bob while he's playing guitar.  This is really out-of-hand.  They took her offstage.  I hope that they threw her out on her head.  So goddamn rude. I have to admit, though, that it seems to wake up Bob and the ending of the song is much better.  And the sound seems to get better as well.

8. Gates of Eden - phenomenal! Bob sings in a soft, high-pitched way, and the effect is just ...well, I'm at a loss for words.  This is the kind of thing that makes going to lots of shows really worthwhile.

9. Don't Think Twice - a repeat from the night before.  I thought, "okay, they're going to go into Heaven's Door because they didn't do that last night", but they don't.  Although I'm disappointed at the repeat, it's a very good performance, and gets the crowd really charged up.

and back to the electric...

10. Highway 61 - yuch.  what a lot of noise.  This is so bad that I miss "God Knows".

11. I Believe in You - wow.  The singing was impassioned, although he wasn't quite able to hit the same notes as did in '79.  He was close, though.  Best guitar playing of the night, too, I thought.  I was sorry to hear the typically drawn-out ending come to an end.

(I may be missing one here).

12. Maggie's Farm.  No comment.

encore

13. Ballad of a Thin Man.  What a waste.  Until he either (1) plays this on piano, or (2) sings the verse about the one-eyed midget, this turkey should be laid to rest.

14. It Ain't Me Babe - another great version of this.  Once again, people jump on stage, but it's not quite so overwhelming as the previous night.

The crowd around me was much better than the previous night.  Everybody was actually listening to all the songs.  For whatever reason, the pedal steel was much harder to hear than the previous night.  Perhaps it's just that I was sitting in a different place.

So my Bob experience comes to an end for this tour.  He's still the greatest. Still, somebody should get him a copy of Lyrics 1962-1985 and the World Gone Wrong songbook for Hanuka or Christmas or whatever.

P.S. I was only kidding about the Paul Williams reference.  I like his books.

- Seth Kulick (skulick@linc.cis.upenn.edu)


Comment 2:
Bob was excellent both nights at the Tower.  I just got back from 10/28 show and was hoping someone posted a set list.  10/28 only had about 4 songs from the night before:  Jokerman, Watchtower, Don't think twice, and It Ain't Me Babe.  The crowd was dancing in the aisles as he played Hwy 61 and Maggie's farm, and they were even dancing to I Believe in You. Some misguided girl jumped on stage in the middle of Mama You Been on my mind but they managed to coax her out of Bob's arms without interrupting t

He seemed to be a good sport as it seems that jumping on stage in 94 has replaced the lit matches in 74.  Other highlights included Gates of Eden, I'll Be your Baby tonight, and as always a killer Tangled Up In Blue.  Also If You See her say Hello. And finally a show without Like a Rolling Stone! Thanks Bob for 2 great shows!

- Matthew (75110.630@CompuServe.COM)


Comment 3:
I completely enjoyed tonights show (10/28 - Tower - Philly) EXCEPT for the fact that stangers from the audience approached Bob THREE times during the show.....the first gal hugged Bob....The second walked on and shook his hand and then at the end there was a MOB of people all over Bob.  No good.  I had heard that the same thing had happened last night and I'd heard of it once before...but please DON'T DO IT. I hope this "fad" stops as quickly as it started.   Please use some intelligence and show Bob the proper respect he deserves.

- John Scullin (john.scullin@dscmail.com)


Comment 4:
31 years ago I was a college freshman. A guy named Bob Dylan-or-Something was going to be giving a concert just down the street from my school.  This guy had apparently written a bunch of Peter Paul & Mary songs and I'd read somewhere that he didn't bother to change his shirt or comb his hair before a performance. Wow,I thought, my kind of guy. But when I checked out my wallet I realized that I wasn't going to be able to come up with the money (maybe four or five dollars, I don't remember).  So I figured I'd catch him some other time.

Since I'm a certified procrastinator,  that "some other time" didn't come around until last Friday night at the Tower in Upper Darby, Pa. Thank you, people on the net, for posting the schedule.  I never would have known about it otherwise.  Thank you, Seth, for posting the location of the theater. The drive across Philly really wasn't bad once I found Route 3. My wife, Nancy, was with me to explain how maybe I should have taken that last turn onto Walnut Street, and I calmly and convincingly argued that I hadn't seen any goddam sign for Walnut Street.

Well, we got to the theatre and presented our tickets.  A lot of people were being frisked as they entered.  My wife's pocketbook was searched. But I was never touched or, as far as I could tell, even scrutinized. Maybe that was some kind of insult. I kept looking for people wearing flowers, but didn't see any. I discovered I had dropped mine somewhere on the way in. We found our way to our seats. They were all the way to the left just below the front of the balcony. It seemed like it took forever, but eventually the show started.

The acoustics, at least where we sat, were not good enough for us to hear the words very well. But what the hell, I thought, I know most of the words anyway.  Bob's voice sounded great and I was amazed at his guitar and harmonica playing. I just sort of sat there in awe through the first five songs (Yes I'm really here and it's really him). But when the intro for I'll Be Your Baby Tonight started, I just couldn't sit still anymore. No, I didn't get up and make a nuisance of myself. But I sure was rocking back and forth and from side to side in my seat.

Then the acoustic set started with Mama You've Been on My Mind. I'd really looked forward to this part, but damn if the sound of the guitars wasn't all jumbled and the words even harder to hear than before. Nevertheless the musicianship was really good. But when Bob got into Don't Think Twice, a camera was confiscated in my row. A young lady was ordered out of her seat and a loud discussion was taking place right next to me. All I know is there were two people with yellow Event Staff shirts, a would-be photographer, a camera, a flashlight, and a lot of talking. The would-be photographer then was allowed to go back to her seat. As she passed in front of me, she said, "They're letting me stay." But the loud discussion between the yellow-shirts didn't stop. I kept giving them nasty looks, and after a while they moved back a few rows, but I could still hear them. Actually, I could hear HIM. I really didn't hear the female yellow-shirted- person that much.  When the song ended, I yelled at the two of them something to the effect that we really hadn't bought tickets to hear THEM. At the end of the concert I got a very sincere apology from HER. I didn't see HIM around, though.

I loved the concert. I will go again. It will not take me 31 years to get around to it. The crowd was, on the whole, younger than I expected, and certainly not male-dominated. Most of the people were considerably younger than my wife and I, and we are younger by a few years than Bob himself. My fourteen year old daughter would have liked to go, but of course NOT WITH HER PARENTS. At any rate, it was nice to know that Bob is appreciated by more than just those of us who are rapidly approaching old-farthood.
Incidentally, back in August we saw the aforementioned Peter Paul and Mary at the Garden State Arts Center.  They did a powerful version of It Ain't Me Babe (the same song that Bob ended the Oct 28 concert with). They, of course, ended the evening with Blowin' in the Wind. At one point in the concert Paul suggested that there would probably be a review on the internet the next day. He added that everyone on the internet seems to thinks he's a reviewer.

- Don Smith (eddas@huber.com)


30 October 1994 - Warner Theater, Washington, DC
================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
Under The Red Sky
Tangled Up In Blue 
Postitively 4th Street
Mr. Tambourine Man
Desolation Row
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
God Knows
Every Grain Of Sand
Maggie's Farm
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Aint Me, Babe

Comment 1:
Great show. Bob's voice was really wonderful.  I must agree with some of the other postings I have seen about the cheesy rock endings on the songs. It just doesn't fit what he is about. If it were someone like Bruce Cockburn or the Dead I would expect and enjoy it. It just doesnt work for Bob. They must have played an extra 7 or 8 minutes at the end of God Knows. Bob's guitar playing is unreal though! I have never seen him play so much lead.

The show was really great. I am critical because I have seen him quite a few times. I was really happy to hear Every Grain of Sand. I dont think I've heard him play this since the Shot of Love tour. Jokerman was also great. Tangled was too fast. Just Like a Woman was really nice.

Highlight of the show was Desolation Row. Lots of steel guitar and Bob wasnt rushing. He dropped the one-eyed midget and I think the Ezra Pound/T.S. Eliot part, but it was REALLY great. This song fits very well with the current political climate here in the DC area. 

Welll, gotta get some Z's.

- Chris (crc@access.digex.net)


Comment 2:
This was an excellent show, (albeit my first this year.) Bob lived up to advanced billing. What follows may sound not so interesting to those who have much more show experience than myself, but these are my thoughts....

Jokerman: The lights go up, and *boom!* there he is! I was impressed with how <relaxed> Dylan looked right from the start, in complete command--unlike previous shows I have been where it takes 5 songs for him to warm up. The vocals on this were crystal perfect, the band excellent. It sounded better than other recordings from 94 I have heard. Just great. Just Like A Woman: Good, but not great. Bob's harp solo was almost laughable....but it was interesting how as soon as he repeated a lick a couple of times and the crowd cheered he responded and played that same lick about 10 more times...

All Along the Watchtower: Much more interesting than one might expect. Dylan mixed up the doubled up verses with dragged out phrasing--so while he sang quickly "business men they drink my wine ploughmen dig my earth" in about 2 seconds, he followed with "none ooof theem alooong the line know what aaanyyy oofff it's worth"-- about 4 times slower than the previous two lines! The jamming on this was plenty enjoyable.

Under the Red Sky: yes better than the album cut, but...

Tangled Up in Blue: From the standpoint of Bob's performance this was probably the weakest of the night. It doesn't sound like he's singing it, my knowledgeable and accomplished semi-pro guitarist friend said. Indeed. Harp solo again not so good. But the jamming at the end I liked--Jackson and Dylan soloing at the same time. Still, I agree with those who would consign this to the acoustic set only where it belongs

Positively 4th Street: Awesome. Wonderful. Transcendent, almost. The nice slow pacing, Bob spitting out the angry lyrics like he means but in a nice slow relaxed way, as if to insure that no one misses the point.  The whole time I was thinking/feeling -I am witnessing a great Bob Dylan performance. I was worried for a moment he wouldn't sing the last verse once the band started slowing down after a couple of minutes of soloing, but then he did--slowed down--for extra effect. I liked the way he bended the notes vocally on this too. --On the first phrase of the lyric he would bend it up "No I do not feel so when I see the heartbreaks you embraaace", and then bend it down for the last part "If I was a master thief perhaps I'd rob themmmm", etc. When he sang "I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes" I thought "so do I, Bob, so do I". :)

Mr.Tambourine Man: Again, just about perfect to lead off the acoustic set (my experience of it was enhanced by the 4 obnoxious folks in front leaving to get beers.) The lyrics so clear, crisp...When he sang "the ancient empty streets are too dead for dreaming" I thought what a perfect description of Washington, DC 1994!

Desolation Row: Good, Bob didn't do quite so much for me on this one, but the band setup sounded just great, really rich. There really should be a live album cut from just the acoustic numbers from this tour, I think bob should also cut the next studio album with this set up and these players.

Don't Think Twice: Solid, the last verse especially good. And this time, the harmonica sounded pretty damn good, especially the second verse through.

God Knows: My friend who hadn't heard this was quite taken by it. Best of all, it meant moving down close, which makes such a difference, it's not even funny.

EVERY GRAIN OF SAND!: Wow. I really felt the man up there expressing himself with this one....he sung like he really meant it, and up close from the facial expressions he surely did. A spectacular performance.

Maggies Farm: My friend liked this one too! [...] there was plenty of juice and energy in this one to justify its presence, believe it or not. Crowd was very into it at this point. Bob gave a little smile at the end of the vocal, then did a one armed wave thing on going off.

Encores:

Ballad of A Thin Man: Again very good. I saw Jackson cut a smile to the rest of the band, a "there he goes" kind of smile when Dylan broke from the third verse into the lumberjack bridge as if it were not expected just yet. The lumberjack lines were delivered with an expression of pure scorn on bob's face.

It Ain't Me Babe: Predictable yes, but [...] it has to be admitted that Bob is givin consistently strong performances of this. The harmonica at the end was superb, lots of feeling in it. He left with a couple of high fives to front row and more one armed waves...for a half second he gestured with his guitar and I thought he would throw it in the audience--but only a half second. There was no running on stage nonsense.

All in all, pretty damn satisfying. I did not actively seek out RMDers tonight although I noticed a couple of flowers since I had not seen my friend in quite a while. But tomorrow night I will (look for one of the couple of hundred tall guys with beards)--I am also excited to be closer up and look forward to moving down as soon as possible at end of acoustic set.

Comments afterwards I heard included "I had no idea it would be this good" and even  "he's better than Springsteen" man. ;) Look forward to eventually hearing tapes of this--4th street, tamboruine man, and every grain of sand at least will be essential listening, I feel--and even more to tomorrow night!

- Thad Williamson (thwilliamson@igc.apc.org)


Comment 3:
Great show and a great venue at the Warner theater! It's just a few blocks from the White House, and we were almost late, having to dodge streets cordoned off for a presidential motorcade to Ford's Theater.

I took my 15 year old daughter, who, though not a fan (even after years of forced secondhand listening exposure to Dylan in our household), had a great time and really enjoyed the concert.

She saw several students she knew from her high school (located some 40 miles outside of Washington), but I'd estimate that the crowd was mostly in the 30's and 40's age range.

Performance of Positively 4th street' was biting - etched glass acid vocals worthy of the song's lyrical tone.

Tangled up in Blue was a vocal miss, but what a great instrumental jam it ended up being!

Don't Think Twice accoustic was great, my enjoyment and view marred only by someone in the third row who stood, sang, played air guitar and mugged faces at the band during the entire performance.

All along the Watchtower, God Knows, and Maggies Farm were great rockers, played very loud and very hard. Bits of broken drum sticks were flying all over the stage.

I think Desolation Row was the highlight song performance of the evening. Excellent vocals and delivery!

I kept my eyes open for tell-tale rmd flowers and Asian-Indian EDLIS agents, but did not spot any.  The only flower I saw was a very subdued dark maroon floral motif embroidered on the back of Bob's jacket.  . . .  a secret signal that perhaps Bob's a rmd lurker afterall? :-)

My only disappointment was that I had hoped that Bob might perform Dignity, since it had been getting a lot of airplay on the alternative stations here.

Security was fairly tight. They examined women's purses on the way in and a large bouncer type kept people from dancing in the main aisles or in front of the stage until  Jackson, I believe, gave him a nod  before they cut into God Knows, at which point some 30-50 people gathered in the aisles and in front of the stage.

If you get a chance to see Dylan on this tour, do so!  I've seen him perform off and on over the last 20 years, and this was his best performance in my experience.

- Rory Brennan (rorybr@aol.com)


Comment 4:
"Dylan Getting His Act in Gear"

Bob Dylan's show at the Warner Theatre Sunday was rapidly going dowen the tubes when the singer suddenly focused himself and turned the second half of the concert into an impressive triumph. In the early going, though, he jettisoned his own melodies and meter, rushing through well-known songs so half-heartedly that "All Along the Watchtower." for example, came out sounding like this: "ButyouandIwe'vebeenthroughthatandthisisnotour FAAAAAATE! Letusnottalkfalselynowthehourisgetting LAAAAAATE!" On the sixth song, "Positively Fourth Street," however, he finally slowed down and delivered the accusations with some real sting.

That set up the high point of the show: stunning country string band versions of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Desolation Row." Backed by dobro, upright bass and acoustic guitar, Dylan, 53, sang these songs--two of his best--with an understated tenderness that brought out wistful weariness implied in the lyrics. He soon returned to the rock-and-roll format, which found him backed by electric guitar, drums, electric bass and pedal steel guitar. Even in that setting, he was able to sustain his understated melodic singing and deliver "Every Grain of Sand" as a powerful, slow hymn and Maggie's Farm" as a fast, hard rock romp.

Between each song, he leaned over to this fellow musicians and whispered the title of the next tune, apparently having just decided. The encore numbers were an electric "Ballad of a Thin Man" and an acoustic "It Ain't Me Babe," two of his fiercest attacks on his own audience, but the surprisingly young crowd didn't mind. They especially liked the long instrumental intros and outros that framed each song, often featuring jagged guitars solos by Dylan himself.

- Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post, 31 October 1994


31 October 1994 - Warner Theater, Washington, DC
================================================
Jokerman
The Man In Me
All Along The Watchtower
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
Masters Of War
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Highway 61 Revisited
Disease Of Conceit
Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe

Comment 1:
So where do we begin now?
On the heels of Bob Dylan.....

Numerous stories, too much dust kicked by the vagabond Dylan.... the ghosts of past, and the electricity of the present, I think I will start with the present.

October 31st, 1994.

We travel down the plain, lonely, dark I-95 from Baltimore to DC listening to "Before the Crash." And as her, my companion's, old car - a quaint, big car at that with the roof having already cracked and now covered from the inside with a beautiful, home woven bed sheet takes you back into time when we might have been going to the Halloween Mask show at the Carnegie Theatre exactly 30 years back - rolls down the hungry streets of DC and I have this palpable feeling that tonight is going to be something SPECIAL. I had seen him in Philly on the 27th where Seth showed me the "Bob Dylan is messed up!" type written sheet, and I didn't particularly like the concert, that is of course in comparsion with the others that I have seen during the year. But there was no indication that this show was going to be as eventful as it turned out to be!

The hoarding atop the Warner Bros. theatre screams, "Bob Dylan with his Band." I have already seen the previous night's show, where my companion on these frequent Dylan trips almost cried while listening to "Desolation Row," and I almost wept with joy when he played "Every Grain of Sand."

We are there as usual an hour early and a girl comes up to me whom I had last seen at a Dylan concert more than a year and a half back, and we both recognize each other! Then I run into John Jackson, we have the usual polite conversation which a celebrity has with one of his fans, and then I have the pleasure of meet Thad Williamson and Paul Bagnell from rmd (more on that later).

The show begins at 8:10 sharp......"Good-evening ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome Columbia Recording Artist, BOB DYLAN"...as soon as the by now familiar, deep voice rings through the microphone the crowd is on their feet and gives quite a welcome to Bob. Bob is of course crooning "Jokerman," dressed in black and looking so fine that during those few hours you can't help but forget that this is the same 53 years old guy, who has substantially (ab)used drugs and booze in his life, and who has been relentlessly touring for what seems to be eternity now. Jokerman is good, solid vocals with driving rythm and Bob playing somewhat with the phrasing, but IMO not as good as the previous night's, but surely better than the 27th Philly performance where his voice was hoarse, or the acousticswhere i was sitting were bad. By now I have got used to "Jokerman" but there's something, somewhere in the song which always get's through, maybe it is just the assurance that I am again going to see Bob perform for the next two hours.

The next song he plays is "Man in Me," and it brought out the happy child in me - hadn't heard this one live before!! And for me,it was one of the highlights of the show. The vocals are proud and loud, enunciation that of an English Professor, and the treatment, tender and caring.

The usual war horse is brought out of the stable and the crowd goes nuts as usual. All said and done, the place is left smoking after this song......aftermath. 

In contrary to the opinion of the gentlemen who posted the set list, I think the DC crowd was more or less the balanced audience that is required. Lot's of kid after Watchtower had made it to the stage, but all of them are sitting on there knees, not uttering a word during the songs, except for one vagrant, and got up only to cheer at the end of the songs. I am sure there are many among us who love to strain our vocal chords alongwith Bob, and jump and dance when the light suddenly flashes from inside those speakers, but then that kind of behaviour is acceptable only in ones music room, and of course what is the point of coming to a "live" show if you are the one who want to give the performance? Surely these kids have to realize that they are not the King and this ain't the King's court, and the Jester is not performing for them and them only.

This of course brings us to the point where we have to flip the coin and then examine it. I am sure there are many among us who love to sit perched at the edge of our bed, straining our hearing for the fear of missing even a syllable uttered by Bob on tape (remember, the big fart tape controversy?:-)). But then again, a "Live" show is not being exactly held in your music room. And please be aware it is a "live" show, and Bob Dylan is a "LIVING" human being not exactly in the mood to perform for dummies....he needs some feedback...doesn't anyone remember the reason that he said he loved performing? So if everyone has to accomodate the others don't you think the best way out is to consider the theatre as the music room of the perched-on-the-edge-of-the-bed-guy when Bob is singing and as long as someone is dancing without influencing you let it be his music room. To be pithy has never been a virtue of mine, but since i have digressed soooo much i might as well try to crystallize the above:-):-

1). Not to utter a word while he is singing.
2). Don't obstruct someone else's view.
3). If someone is dancing during a song, feel genuinely happy for him.
4). NO RUSHING ON STAGE.

And this is before I told you the MOST EXCITING facts regarding the show which will bear testimony to the above claims.

"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," and was there ever going to be a doubt about that!! A very pleasantly sung version, which got some sizzling guitar treatment too. Bob's guitaring has got so much richness now that he has found his musical focus, that it will not be far from the truth if I said that he and JJ are one of the best combos touring at this time!

By this time, I have moved to the left alley and can notice that Bob is wearing a coat which has rich embroidery done on the shoulders.

Tangled starts and untangles itself.......

"Long Black Coat (LBC)" is groovy! It is so haunting and melodious that even if it was played in Wall Street stock market, i would hear everyone of them words reaching me over and above the cacophony - it just grabs your attention. He should do this more often! A definite highlight! Thad Williamson threw a rose onto the stage at the end of LBC, methinks. And Bobby was looking at Tony Garnier and smiling real wide.....was touched by the gesture for sure.

By now, I am also on my knees (don't you think that when Bob is in front of you that's the position to be in anyways?:-)) with just my face above the stage. And when I got up to applaud a masterful LBC, I shouted, "Bobby, please do Hattie Carroll! JJ please do Hattie Carroll," and he listened to me....for the first time!! Old timers will remember my sore throat and the sore memories of the Dividing Line Concert where Isis was never resurrected. But it worked, perseverence payed (I got the original set list from my usual roadie friend and it had only "Tambourine Man" in that slot)! His voice did really soar on mansions high but it was obvious that this song wasn't practiced recently since the guitaring was less spectacular when compared with the other acoustic songs.

Next was "Masters of War" and if anyone has on his/her mind a single song tape tree, my vote can be counted for MOW.:-)

But then the show was getting to be more and more like a mountain hiking trip....everytime you think you are close to the peak you find that it is still further up! For me it was accompanied with a feeling of exhilerating revelation - a real mountaineer doesn't feel the same, I am sure:-) - and the best song of the acoustic set was "Don't Think Twice." His guitaring and harmonica playing, at the end of the song is unparelled! I am looking at him from the left side of the stage, still busy trying to cut my pair of jeans at the knees, be more in vogue, and then I suddenly see the harmonica flying out of his hand, and into some lucky soul's grip!!

(Paul don't read no further, you must be tired of this story by now.:-))

The electric set begins and I shout for "Dignity," and JJ points at me with great pleasure but goes into Highway 61, and by this time the front 4 or 5 rows are on their feet, but NOBODY is on stage. I edge my way to the center, and find myself right between a girl and the guy who has the harmonica! The girl leans into my ear and says,"Try to get the harmonica from him, you know Bobby threw it at me but he grabbed it!" and I believe her for Bobby never *throws* anything at guys!:-) The guy is of course paranoid to death and is guarding the harmonica more dearly than his life. I was really happy for him, but the sad part was that the kid didn't even know the next song, or the one after that, or....oooh, well!

Highway was followed by Disease of Conceit which to my ears was nothing special. Then the other war horse races out of the stable......

Just before leaving someone on the right side of the stage offers him a drink, and he would have burst out laughing hadn't he been onstage! He points the glass-offering ceremony to Tony and he also laughs! Does the standard bows and goes in, in the meantime i can't help but notice a really voluptous lady, though slightly old, in a red sleeveless dress dancing like crazy behind me, and almost running into me (turned out that it was SALLY KIRKLAND).

The band comes out with cigarettes hanging from there lips, Tony is ready to do his mixed tango and shake dance again, Wintson get's another crate of sticks alongwith him, Bucky looks like he is too shy to ever come up and even make eye contact, JJ is still wearing his dark blue Gandhi stye glasses, and I, I  am still shouting for "dignity." But then they start playing "Rolling Stone"....

"There are some moments
 that you never forget
 even though you live them
 for a second or two....."

While Bob is switching from Electric to Acoustic, I am praying for something other than "It Ain't Me, Babe." But barring sudden coming in line of billions of stars i knew that this prayer of mine was going to go unheard. So my anthem, keeping in mind that it is going to be an acoustic song, changed from Dignity to "Girl from the North Country."

I shout (mark my words),
"Bobby, GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY,
 Bobby, GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY"

And between me and the master of ceremonies there was barely 5 feet, he hears me, HE acts as if he is LOOKING behind himself, and of course find's no one (part of the act), then points at himself and shakes his head to tell me that he is not "Bobby, (the) Girl From The North Country" and while he is looking at me for a second or two he gives that most wonderful and heavenly of smiles!

It all happens in a flash, and my senses are overwhelmed and it is only after my heart beat reduces from 150 per/sec to normal do i get the joke! A few others around me also got it by then.

.......tonight there was a show, 30 years back there was a show..... much has changed but not the sense of humor!

From the gates of heaven,

Sorabh 

p.s: It was really very nice meeting Paul, Thad and Paul's friends.
     Hope to meet you guys soon!

p.p.s: During the heydays of female liberation on rmd my lurking
       companion still stayed put. I hope she comes out now!

p.p.p.s: If there is some third/first person narration - tangled in blue 
        style - it wasn't intended, I am posting it at 6:00 in the morning
        and I have been awake the whole night so do pardon any errors.

[In another posting:]

[...] just to add a little bit more to my DC review, as if it wasn't already long enough - Sally Kirkland of course knew all the roadies and after the show got over, one roadie was yelling to her about something, and she shouted back that she will be there at New Orleans.

BTW, she is one helluva dancer.....she was standing on the seat and dancing! Now you all know how to impress Bobby.:-)

- Sorabh Saxena (ssaxena@umbc.edu)


Comment 2:
This ol' geezer rocks!   Acoustic leads on Desolation Row, Tambourine Man are hypnotic.  "A workman-like performance". Best of three tours I've seen over the past few years.

- Tim Weil (timw@taylor.tymnet.com)


Comment 3:
Now, I know everyone always says "This was the best Dylan concert I've ever seen and blah blah", but I can truly say this is the finest singing I've heard him do in at least six years, and possibly since 1981.   Long Black Coat had a different treatment, with the last word in each line held, then about four bars of  instrumental, then the next line, and so on.  Masters of War was a bit faster than it has been on this tour, but not a throwaway in any sense.  The highlight was Disease of Conceit, quite appropriate for DC and the delivery could not be any better.

No onslaught of on-stage dancing fools, but there was a dancing Andy and Michelle right in front of paying seatholders from the second song on.  If only they were as literally transparant as they are figureatively.  It is not free unencumbered expression of enjoyment.  It is selfish, piggish appropration.  Evidently security has been told by someone who may have something to gain from one of these jerks to let them be.  Ah, to the victors truly belong these spoils.

- "Tagans" (tagans@aol.com)


Comment 4:
This is yet another positive review of Bob's D.C. concerts. I saw him in CT a couple of weeks ago, but in terms of energy that show didn't compare to the DC shows.  I was in the seventh row the first night, and despite  having a balcony ticket for the second night, I actually wound up front row.  Seeing Bob far away again just won't do.Kneeling there, leaning on the stage, I knew that the show was something very special.  In terms ofenergy and musical performance, I would have to say the 10-30 show was better, just by a touch, though.  The Halloween show was amazing too, but a very different mood.  As someone else already wrote, Bob seemed a little grimor more serious, or more threatening.  Im not sure what the right word is.

Anyway, I've kind of felt like I've been on a really good trip all week just because of the boundless energy of these shows.

- Daisy Jane (morgan@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu)


Comment 5:
I don't think much more can be said about this show, but I'll try.  I was in row D (I still haven't worked up the nerve to rush up to the stage with Sorabh), close enough to be in the cone of light that spills off the stage, close enough to see the little beads of sweat hanging off the end of Bob's nose, close enough to feel like I personally was a part of the show.  Wow.  In my brief twenty years on this planet I don't think I've ever enjoyed any performance of any kind more than I did this one.  Everything about it just came together for me.  It was beautiful.  Every one of his words rang true and glowed... well, you know.

- Betsy Scroggs (betsy@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu)


1 November 1994 - Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, Virginia
==================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mr. Tambourine Man
Masters Of War
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
God Knows
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm

Like A Rolling Stone

Comment 1:
Maggie's Farm (one woman on stage dancing)

Like A Rolling Stone (cica 15 people on stage, band crowded, show ends.)

- Ray Webster


Comment 2:
Cooooolness of an experience!! :-)  I went to pick-up my Dylan tix for 11/1/94 at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA.  While doing so I saw the stage sound & lighting truck.  So I rolled around (i'm in a chair) to check it out.  Who do you think was back there, yup Bob. We exchanged mello greetings and he handed me two backstage passes, yeehoo, happy late halloween.. The only thing is I already paid for my tix, so maybe I'll turn into a scalper and sell them for less than face... $20.00 paid $27.50..

- Donald Crandall (DCC100U@rosebud.na.odu.edu)


Comment 3:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


2 November 1994 - Civic center Auditorium, Roanoke, Virginia
============================================================
Jokerman
Sen›r (Tales Of Yankee Power)
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Gates Of Eden [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 [cue sheet: "The Times They Are A-Changin'" only]

Comment 1:
My girlfriend and I decided at lunch yesterday that 'hell, we can't miss Uncle Bob again...he's been playing all over the state, just asking for us to show up'. And so, we left Charlottesville late in the afternoon and arrived in Roanoke at about 6:30. We didn't have tickets, so we hoped somebody would be selling something good. No luck, so we hit the box office and managed to get two seats near the middle in Row U. The Civic Center is a nice place--clean, cushioned seats, no smoking allowed...to bad they weren't serving cocktails :)

During the pre-show, I kept looking towards the front for the tell-tale sign and, sure enough, there was the black hat with the rose. So, I introduced myself to Heike and, at the same time, got to meet Ray. I asked the opinion of the grizzled veterans on what to do at the end of the acoustic set (there really were no aisles to speak of in the building -- just windy ones down the sides of the seats.) The opinion of Heike was to use the 'portal' system int he building to head outside the auditorium, into the lobby area, and re-enter up by the stage. But more on that soon...

I head back to my seat and finally, about 8:15, the lights dim...

Ladies and Gentlemen, etc...

Jokerman works well live. Bob, though, isn't belting the word 'Jokerman' like he did in Hershey in August. I do believe this hard tour schedule is giving him a few throat problems. The band, though, is as tight as always. I've discovered a good thing about the extended endings on all the songs. When they slow down, people think the song is ending and stand up. Then at least SOME of them stay up as the song continues. I do believe this always adds to the enjoyment of a show--standing, dancing (but not on stage, dammit!--I'll discuss that later, too)

Senor--I'd never heard this one live before. I good vocal performance, a good arrangement. And Bob really connected with my girlfriend on this one (last night was her first show)

Watchtower--Same as always, except one good thing and one bad thing. First, the bad thing--Bob's only obvious vocal problem all night was a crack at the end of a line(I can't remember which). He immediately scaled back a bit. The good thing: He let a out a pretty serious 'growl' of the wildcats :) I like this vocal better than the one I heard this summer. He's not spitting out the words quite so quickly.

I Don't Believe You--I was happy to hear this, but wasn't all that impressed with it once it was over. Not quite a throwaway, but not a high point. The band didn't even seem that together on it, as far as I was concerned.

Tangled--A real crowd-pleaser, but this needs to be retired for awhile. The band rips through it and it works amzingly well live, but Bob has turned this into the song that 'Watchtower' was all summer. The vocal is so fast that Bob trips over some of the words. All he'd have to do is slow it down a _little_ bit and all would be well, IMHO.

Man In the Long Black Coat--Suddenly, Bob comes around again. Slowed down, biting, wonderful. The crowd doesn't seem to really recognize it. My girlfriend, during this song, tells me that she's loving it. Welcome another convert!

The crowd sees Bob grab his acoustic and goes absolutely nuts. They get even louder for

Mr. Tambourine Man--I know its a crowd-pleaser, but I've seen it enough. I had tickets for the 10/30 show in D.C. and was crushed to find that he did Desolation Row. I was hoping for a repeat, but no... This was the only point in the show that I, personally, could hear thesteel guitar, I really do think it needs to be worked up in the mix a little more. It adds a lot to the performance.

Gates of Eden--Worth the price of admission. A very good vocal, lots of emotion, the crowd is, for the most part, absolutely silent.

Don't Think Twice--Another one that I've seen him do a few times. The crowd loved it, Bob put a good bit of spite into it, but I was disappointed later on when I saw a set list and the only thing in this spot was "Boots". I haven't heard that one in 5 years. It would have been nice. During this song, my girlfriend and I leave our seats follow Heike's advice. By the end of Don't Think Twice, we're at stage right, waiting to head out front for...

God Knows--I'm now standing no more than ten feet from Bob himself. I heard God Knows in August, so I was hoping for Highway 61, but this was certainly not a disappointment. The band is apparently enjoying themselves and Bob even flashes a grin or two. Most of the time, though, he just glances around--somewhat spitefully, somewhat worriedly, it seems.

I and I--I shouted out Dignity before this. Some special audience is going to be the first to hear this live, but it wasn't us. The vocal was strong(I think bob got better as the show progressed, but he never did try anything acrobatic) and the band is still rocking.

Maggie's farm--The old war-horse. And suddenly, there are people on stage. Shit, I think, I hope it doesn't end early like it did last night (Norfolk) because of these idiots. It was very controlled by stage crew (I think it was the stage crew), though, and never became a major problem, excpet for the one girl dancing right on center stage. I'm sure that didn't make the people in the back seeing her and not Bob very happy. During this song, my girlfriend got smiled at. The lights were behind Bob, so he could see us, and she was just enthralled. he looked right at her and smiled(not a grin, we saw teeth!) So all the way home she was just beside herself -- Bob Dylan SMILED at me!!! She wanted me to share that with you. I saw it, I certainly tend to agree with her. 

A theory was advanced after the show that this stage dancing stuff is planned beforehand. And it did seem to be fairly controlled. One guy tried to get up there and was pushed back. As the band left and returned, the dancers were kept very much in check. If it is planned, I wish it would stop. Bob really did look a bit worried about it, especially after one woman walked up to him during a solo, put her arm around him and yelled something in his ear.

What Good Am I?--The set list gave a choice...this or 'Rolling Stone' This was great, except for one idiot behind me yelling 'What Good ARE You?' and 'Bobby Dylaaaaaaan' throughout the song. I now wonder if he chose this because of his throat...

It Ain't Me Babe--As I said posting the set list, all the written list said here was 'Times'. That would've been a thrill! But as soon as those first chords were struck, i knew it was this. Bob was pretty emotional with it, and the dancers basically left him alone. 

All in all, a good show, although I don't think it quite measures up to what I saw in Hershey in August. Regardless, being closer to Bob than I've ever been was a thrill and a half and I'm elated that I've found myself a woman who loves Bob too. :) 

- Douglas Paul Evans (dpe2c@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU)


Comment 2:
Saw my first DYLAN show last night in Roanoake. Needless to say, i was blow away! I was not expecting him to be so good, I had always heard he was less than stellar live and really went so I couls say I had seen him live. They let people up on stage to dance during maggie's farm an i't aint me, people were hugging him and giving him roses. I thought he was somewhat a crochety crymudgeon, or as marianne faithful called him "a ranting rumplestiltskin" or some mean artist like he appears in dont look back, but he smiled, accepted the roses and hugs, played two encores, tipped his hat with a grin and exited stage left.

- Cooper Harriss (mharriss@liberty.uc.wlu.edu)


Comment 3:
Concert was excellent. Band dressed in black hats and frock coats, looked like Quicksilver Messenger Service or the early Airplane - early hippie western. A lot of energy. Songs were played fast and loud, band was tight, Dylan played lead mostly. Jokerman had a an unfamiliar (to me) melody and rhythm, but Dylan played a few bars of the original melody during the guitar break. Show lasted about an hour and 50 minutes. About 40 kids were dancing on the stage during Maggie's Farm and the two encores. Dylan seemed mildly amused.

My favorite was Don't Think Twice, a great blending of the old and new, with two acoustic guitars, upright bass, and dobro. Watchtower was a close second - they rocked out from start to finish. Anyone who claims to be a Dylan fan should see this show - he's cooking at top form.

- Joe Stinnett (jstinnett@aol.com)


Comment 4:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


4 November 1994 - The Georgia Mountain Center, Gainsville, Georgia
==================================================================
Played:
Disease of Conceit in the first electric set

I Shall Be Released + Stuck Inside of Mobile.... in the second electric set.

The last 3 songs were:

Maggie's Farm

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

Comment 1:
In between Maggie's Farm and the encores, the chap sitting next to Ray Webster left his seat, climbed on to the stage & attemmpted to steal Dylan's acoustic guitar. He was apprehenede by the security. (The would-be-thief that is, not Ray.)

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


Comment 2:
Great show...although security screwed it up a bit! :( People were up in the isles from the beginning of the show, and everything seemed alright....but then, during "Disease...", they cleared the isles :(...and they didn't let ANYBODY up until "Maggie's...", after that everything was OK...

Some songs that really stuck to my mind are: "All Along.." [Bob looked really bored during the intro of this one, took a deep sigh as if "do I really have to sing this one again...", but after a verse or two he really got into it (this was when the show really took off!), even showing some signs of enthusiasm by going a bit too high on the voice at the beginning of one verse :)].

"Mr. Tambourine..." [Slow, with great vocals!].

"Masters.." [The instrumental ending on this one is just outstanding! Bob and J.J. are so tight these days..]

It was nice to hear "The Times They Are..." as the closer...but I have to admit that it did not have the same effect as "It Ain't Me..." usually does. It just kinda faded things out...didn't mark the end of the show in the same way that "It Ain't.." usually does....as I was walking out I felt that something was kind of missing....

Three stage rushes this evening....first, one guy runs up and grabs Bob's hand while he is STILL playing, second, (might be the same guy, not sure) some stupid S.O.B. runs up and tries to steal Bob's acoustic guitar, as he's trying to leave the stage with the guitar security grabs him, takes the guitar back (think it gets some kind of slight damage, 'cause when Bob comes in for the encore one one of the stage guys (Diez?) showed him something on the guitar and Bob seemed to nod OK or something like that), last, some guy runs up and shakes his hand, this time between the songs.

The venue looked more like a high school gym than a theatre, the only decoration in there was the stars'n'strips hanging on one wall....a bit of a disappointment....oh, well, all in all a really good show! But it pales in comparison to last nights show in Knoxville!

Oops! Almost forgot...after show a girl ran up and gave Bob a hug.

- Andy Gustafsson (argust00@nx15.mik.uky.edu)


Comment 3:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


5 November 1994 - Tennessee Theater, Knoxville, Tennessee
=========================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
Tangled Up In Blue
Born In Time 
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm

Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
The Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville is wonderful! It is a 1920's era vaudville theatre that was renovated in the 1970s for concerts, classic film showings, etc. I would think it to be a fantastic place to see Bob. I haven't been there in years but, if memory serves, it is on Gay Street. At any rate, it is right downtown, slightly to the north. Enjoy the show!

- Nina Frankel (frankel@med.unc.edu)


Comment 2:
This is a day I'll remember for a long, long time! Left Gainsville around noon, headed up north into the mountains on the beautiful (but CURVY) 129. Took us quite a while to reach I-75, but it was worth it...seeing all them red and yellow leaves on the trees, driving through the fog while reaching the highest ponint the road would take us to, seeing all them 'crazy' people in their canoes, fighting the waters of the Ocoee river...what a way to start a day.

Enough of that...arrived in Knoxville about 3-4 in the afternoon. It's always nice to at the venue early! After getting something to eat, we (me and Wendy, my girlfriend) decided to sit down in the back of the theatre (by the buses) for a while. Close to 6 pm, a big black bus drives up and parks right in front of the back stage entrance. Quickly a group of 5-6 people, mostly consisting of autograph hunters, ready with their pens and records (and in some cases, books)....but too their disappointment the door to the bus remains closed...then, all of a sudden somebody shouts "There he is!" and people starts running...and there he was.... Bob, walking down the street with two bodyguards, wering the usual hood, face down...From where we were standing we got a pretty good look at him and he looked almost scared...and who can blame him? All I could think was what a trick he pulled on the people with things they wanted signed...good ol' Bob, unreliable as usual! :)

So, it's time to enter the theatre...beutiful place, what a change from last nights show! We sat down in our seats (6th row, left center), excellent view! Sure was beginning to feel the excitement build up! The lights go out and Bob'n'Band comes in....takes a surprisingly long time before the announcer gives his now well known short introduction. Lights comes on and as usual were treated with "Jokerman"...now I have to admit that I do not remember a whole lot of the details from this show...and that is NOT because of any kind of mind altering activity prior to the concert! :) Oh no, it's simply because I went through the whole concert being so close to the stage for the first time. It's a totally differnt experience to be sitting 20 rows back...only being able to make out the nose...when given a profile look...Now I was actually up there, sitting 6 rows back...and as soon as alllowed to, moving up to stand 4-5 feet from the stage, actually being able to make out the color of Bob's eyes! Amazing! :) When being so close you not only get to hear the song as it is performed, you also get to *SEE* the song performed. Something you really can't do when you're sitting 20 rows back. I do have some memories worth mentioning however:

"All Along..." - Is it just me, or has he slowed this one down a bit? Didn't seem to run through the verses in the same way he did on the last two US tours...was actually seeing them line by line instead of two lines at a time. Am I totally off here?

"Born In..." - Beautiful!

"Mr. Tamb..." & "Masters..." - just as good as last night!

"Don't Think Twice..." - Some excellent solo playing by Dylan on this one...it seemed to me that me did most of the solos during the acoustic set, and that he and J.J. took turns during the electric songs (even though it seemed like Bob did a bit more solo than J.J. on those too). Bob really enjoyed playing this one tonight! Many smiles! :) Even eye-contact with audience between solos.

"Stuck Inside..." - Awesome! Perfect opener of the second electric set! Really sang his heart out on this one tonight.

"Like A Rolling..." - Nice to hear this one instead of "Ballad...", really got the crowd dancing!

"It Ain't..." - Excellent harmonica! Seemed to me like he did one solo on the harmonica...and then, because of the crowds enormous response, came back to do another one, before singing anything...the reason why I say this is that if he had planned on playing another solo just 20 seconds or so later he wouldn't have taken the harmonica down, would he? :)

Definitely the best show I've attended...have to admit though, that my judgement is not fair since I wasn't this close to the stage on any of the prior shows...really makes the experience different.

Great show with a great crowd! Only wish that the security people hadn't taken the film from my camera ;(  Oh, well...at it wasn't like I was the only one who got their film taken away...as soon as they *SAW* a camera in the audience they were literally running up the isles in there excitement to ruin another film....ridicuolous (can understand if they do it for people using a flash, but I don't see any problem in it if people keep the flash turned off...oh well, orders from Bob I guess, still think they seemed a little bit over enthusiastic about the whole thing though).

- Andy Gustafsson (argust00@nx15.mik.uky.edu)


Comment 3:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


6 November 1994 - Thomas Wolf Auditorium, Ashville, North Carolina
==================================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
I will spare you my comments on the individual songs since they'd most likely be idiotic. Suffice it to say that for me the highlight of the show was Memphis Blues. I also connected well to Mr. Tamborine Man, Knockin', and Rolling Stone. The venue was a pretty small theater that had a nice atmosphere. Like the night before (I wasn't there but just read the review), people immediately stormed to the front. I was taken by surprise and it took me a while to make it from row 28 to the front. Fortunately I was late enough to miss a serious-looking scuffle right in front of the stage during Jokerman. Three security guys had their hands full carrying one visitor they didn't seem to like out of the hall. After a few minutes I had made my way all the way to the front of the stage (second row standing up) and that is an experience almost like going to church (cf. also the review already referred to above). Heike of course was in the first row right in the center in front of Bob. I cannot think of a way of topping the description of the Knoxville reviewer of what it is like to be so close to Bob when he's singing: not only do you hear the song sung, you also see it sung and that intensifies the experience at least ten-fold. I saw the Roanoke show last week and in that one and the one last night, Bob (and the other members of the band) put an incredible amount of energy into the show. It is an absolutely awsome experience to be seeing Bob to be playing in such superior form and then to be so close to him in such small theaters that have such an intimate atmosphere. To you fellow r.m.d.'ers out there: if he is anywhere close to where you live, buy a ticket, steal one, bribe someone for one, or forge one. But get into one of those concerts! If you enjoy Bob Dylan, this is the time to see him. It is a euphoric experience and you won't be disappointed. (Speaking of which, I am disappointed that I missed the show where he played "Every Grain of Sand" recently (was it Washinton, DC. or Philly, I forget.

In the middle of the show the security people finally come around and chased us away from the stage and I actually spend two songs in a seat (not my own, closer to the stage). But as I knew that at the end of the third acoustic song, everybody would go to the front again, I got up during the song and positioned myself well in the front at the left side. And I was not too late. This time I made it into the first row just a little off center and when I looked to my right I was exactly the same faces that had been to my right the first time we had been close up. And this time we would not be dislodged again. We stayed there till the end of the show. We had a great time during Memphis, Heaven's, and Rolling Stone. I must admit that I even had a great time during Maggie, a song that I thought I was thoroughly sick of. But being so close, it seemed that Bob could play anything and I would have hollered along like a madman. Before the first encore and after the last young women climbed on the stage (this time no dancing by a hoard of people) and gave Bob tender kisses. He gave them each a hug and even flashed a smile. It was wonderful to see him smiling. He seemed to be having a good time. I was very jealous at this point because I am male and overweight. Otherwise I would have climed on the stage for a kiss, too. But I was afraid I would have been mistaken for a deer and shot. Can't blame Bob for being careful! He seems to be giving a lot of himself in these concerts and that makes for a very warm atmosphere.

- Gert Webelhuth (webelhut@gibbs.oit.unc.edu)

Comment 2:
This is my first post to Highway 61.  I'm the secondary Dylan fan in the family; my husband, Wayland, is the true and sincere fan.  At his request, I am posting the following.  PS: it was my second Dylan concert (the first was 15-17 years ago).  Needless to say, I won't wait so long to see him again.

Post from lurker's lurker husband, Wayland:

47 years old and the most passionate fan/defender of Dylan since I first heard Subterranean Homesick Blues on the AM radio 30 (or so) years ago, and this was my first concert.  (I Was always afraid that I'd be disappointed or else he would be.)  What a great experience!  I'm glad I didn't wait too long to see this living legend.  Except for the 450 mile one-day round trip this was a very good day.  The many reviews of this tour had prepared me, but not really, for the quality musicianship and singing that Dylan delivered.  Attendance should have been mandatory.

The theater was nice--don't know the capacity, but was probably 70-80% full.  I thought it was appropriate for Dylan to perform at a theater named for another famed (and prolific) American word-meister.  At least four generations of citizens represented and most everyone well-behaved, or as much so as could be expected.  3 or 4 young women took to the stage at the end to greet our hero.  (What do they say to him?)  Dylan seemed bemused by them.  (What does he say to them?)   I thought the band was very tight and certainly even this near the end of this tour didn't seem to be on auto-pilot.  In their suits and plantation hats they reminded me of three Enc Derringers- the drummer must have been Pooh.

But first and foremost was Dylan-his treatment of the lyrics, his animation while gathering, the persona, the legend, and most of all, there were a couple of times when he was back-lit by a bright, white light and the halo of hair was manifested- the years melted away and I remembered every little reason I love this man and his music.

- Wayland Massey (sharon.s.massey@gte.sprint.com)


Comment 3:
A year ago or so I decided that the next time Dylan comes touring around the midwest I was going to see him as much as could manage.  Ashville was the last show of my 1994 Dylan rampage and was #11.  St. Louis to Cleveland to Ashville is a good size version of the Bermuda triangle to get lost in but it was a journey well worth the long hours in car.  I had high expectations for Ashville especially since I was a little disappointed in Knoxville the day before because of a bad seat.

The drive to Ashville was beautifull.  The Smokey Mountains still have a pretty good amount of color and are spectacular any time of the year.  I was hoping Bob would give an inspired performance because of the scenery.  I didn't see a whole lot of Ashville but the area around the civic center is very nice.  Lots of shops but unforunately most were closed since it was Sunday.

The show started a little late but 20 minutes late like in Knoxville.  JOKERMAN was very strong from the start reminding me of the earlier shows in April.  At times Dylan's voice has not been warmed up and the beginning of the song is weak but not this time.  Shortly into Jokerman the crowd rushed the stage.  I was in Row A all the way on the left so I found myself right up against the stage with the crowd of people mainly in their 20's(I'M 27).  About a minute later a person from one of the front rows center came up and tried to force the people back to their seats. The result was a fight that security had to break up dragging away a younger guy who had rushed the stage.  Security did not force us back to our seats after the incident.

LAY LADY LAY was very good.  I was looking forward to hearing something a bit more unusual like Man in Me or Every Grain of Sand.  It was similar to the performance at Woodstock.  Dylans vocals were strong the whole night.

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER seems to be getting a slightly different treatment from Dylan.  In Knoxville and Ashville the doubling up of lyrics was not done for the most part.

The highlight of the show for me was BORN IN TIME. This is currently my favorite Dylan song since I recieved Deeds Of Mercy. I would actually compare the vocals of the live version to the outtake.  It is sung very gently with great slide work adding texture.  It was at the end of Born In Time that security made everyone go back to their seats.

TANGLED UP IN BLUE was ok but like lots of other people have commented on I have heard this one tooo many times.  He kind of shout the lyrics at the audience at a certain point that made it more interesting.

WHEN YOU GO YOUR WAY has gone under a similar transformation as many of his bitter love songs. The combination of the arrangements and Dylans vocals create a more forgiving or reminescent feeling rather than a cynical mood.  I noticed this the night before when he sang,"I Don't Believe You".  The acoustic set was excellent as usual but I was disappointed about how unchanging the acoustic set has become over the year.  I think Master's is great but I want to hear something new in that spot.  This was the exact same set as the night before.

On a similar note MEMPHIS BLUES AGAIN is great but this was one of the songs that was rightfully put out to rest last year because it had been so overplayed.  I hope that it is just going to pop up every 10 or 20 shows.  A lot of people might disagree with me one about this but Oh Well:)  I think God Knows worked much better in this position especially with the passionate vocals he has consistently been putting into it.  At the beginning of the 2nd electric set I went up to the front of the stage.  The only person between me and Bob was this crazy person with a big rose in her hat, the nerve of some people :)

KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR was excellent!! The only disappointment was that it was not the combination acoustic/electric that people had written about earlier on the tour.  All electric but with a very light touch up until he sings,"Moma wipe the blood right outta my face" and right then a nice little kick goes into the song with out lossing any of the powerful and mournful quality to the lyrics.  The jam at the end on this song was tremendous.  I was amazed at the amount of lead guitar he is playing at the shows.  Great job Bob!

MAGGIE'S FARM the best part of this song was the guitar playing, the vocal was pretty much a walk through.

LIKE A ROLLING STONE was very good and he seemed to really enjoy singing it because he had some big grins going on during it, he also did during the Knoxville show.  He started to laugh atleast thats the way it looked to me at both shows at a particular spot in the song but now I can't remember at what line it happened. The song is being given a nice relaxed feel to it.  The lines aren't yelled out in the least. At the line,"Now you don't talk so loud" Dylan softens his voice further.

IT AIN'T ME, BABE was given another strong showing.  Two young women and one young man got up on stage at the end of the concert getting a kiss, a hug and I believe a patt on the back.  Which would you want?

- John A Wombacher (jawomb01@homer.louisville.edu)


Comment 4:
I was also at the Asheville show (& Knoxville), my first Dylan shows ever!!  After we were made to go back to our seats I finally made my way back to my 16th row aisle vantage, and what a view! The entire stage was visible, during Tangled up in Blue god what a silhouette he cut up there, an ageless timeless Dylan, I will never forget that scene...red lights glowing behind the band their edges softly on fire..I was knocked breathless I could not even move.

Back up front again though for Stuck Inside Mobile..to stay for the rest of the show, personnally I enjoyed every single song, I know Watchtower & Maggies has become old hat for some of you, I guess I was just unprepared for the pure force of him that actually came through.  And his harmonica playing was so expressive and clear that I'd swear at times I could hear words coming through. My 14 yr old sister was with me both nights, she who mostly listens to alternative bands was also blown away.  I'd recommend to anyone who can to go see a show...another thing that really caught me was how beautiful his voice sounded   oh I could go on & on... it was truly a memorable show.

- Kimberly Fleming (flemingk@delphi.com)


Comment 5:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


8 November 1994 - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
========================================================
Planned setlist:
Jokerman
If You See Her
Watchtower
Born in Time
Tangled
(Every Grain/Shelter/Takes a Train)
========
Tambourine
Masters/Gates
Don't Think Twice
===================
Memphis
She Belongs
Maggie's
========
Rolling Stone
Ain't Me Babe/Times(A)

Concert setlist:
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
Shelter From The Storm
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
I'll Remember You
Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment 1:
Nashville--Nov.8--My 2nd Dylan Concert ever (the other was Memphis May 8 1994)  I thought I'd try to share a little about what happened.  Maybe Gary will expand on this later.

Jokerman was great people were standing up at the beginning of it, then everyone sat down(including the regulars that were sitting at the front).  

Then he did If you see her.  This was my 2nd favorite song.  The music was different than what was on the album and I think he changed the lyrics a little.  He seemed to be into this song really good (a lot of feeling).  

There were a lot of people taking pictures with flashes.  The security was really loose.  Then the band burst into Watchtower I wanted to stand up and dance so bad, but the crowd's energy just wasn't there back in row 20 although the first few rows did get into this song a bit.

Then he did Born in Time.  I'm not familliar with this song but I liked it.  Then he did my favorite song, Tangled up in Blue (this wasn't my favorite song of the night).  He mumbled through the lyrics pretty fast, I'm not used to this because this is only my second time to see him live. Then he did Shelter.  I was hoping for Every Grain, but I settled for Shelter.  Maybe he'll do Every Grain in Jackson.

The acoustic set started with Tambourine Man.  I don't usually get into this song at all, but I love what he has done to it. He's slowed it down quite a bit.  His vocals were clearer on this song than any other.  This was my favorite song of the night.  Masters of War got a good crowd response probably because of all the young people that know Dylan through Eddie Vedder.  Don't think twice was sung with a lot of emotion.  He seemed to be singing it too the gorgeous red-heads down on the front row.

Then the band ripped into Memphis Blues.  Everyone kind of casually made their way to the front of the auditorium and started rockin'.  This was more like it.  Memphis Blues and I'll remember you just rocked. Bob had some great guitar solos (and some great poses during these too:)  Maggies Farm was wonderful.  Bob seems to put a lot of emotion into this one too.

I can't remember what song it was, but in one of these three this chick runs up on the stage, grabs Bob's cheeks and kisses him.  He tells everyone goodnight and mumbles through his band introduction.  Then comes out and does Rolling Stone.  It sound great, but the chorus kinda sounded like he was saying "tangled up in blue" instead of "like a rolling stone"  maybe I just can't hear very good.  Another girl (or maybe it was the same one?) ran up on stage during this one.  She was really excited; jumping around and all. She got right up close to Bob and just stood there bouncing like she was scared to actually touch him.  Then Bob reached out one arm to her and she gave him a hug and he got this great big grin on his face.

The band put down there electric stuff, and I knew it was time for It ain't me Babe.  This song seemed appropriate after what had just happened.  Bob kinda directed his guitar solo toward the people on the front.  It was great.  I loved it.  

I know I didn't mention harmonica solos.  The ones he did were great, but he didn't do many.  I can't remember exact details about that, sorry.

- Timothy R Davis (tdavis@unix1.UTM.Edu)


Comment 2:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


9 November 1994 - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
========================================================
Jokerman
Just Like A Woman
All Along The Watchtower
Simple Twist Of Fate
Tangled Up In Blue
Positively 4th Street
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
In The Garden
Highway 61 Revisited
Ballad Of A Thin Man
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


10 November 1994 - Oman Arena, Jackson, Tennessee
=================================================
Jokerman
Lay Lady Lay
All Along The Watchtower
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Masters Of War[AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
Every Grain Of Sand
Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]
Matchbox [vocal by Carl Perkins]

Comment 1:
Bob rocked to Jokerman.  There was no stage rush, but in the middle of Lay Lady Lay everyone startedmaking their way up front.  I stayed in my seat way back in  row 20 because I wanted to  wait until after the acoustic set.  

In the first set Watchtower and Tangled really stood out.  The lyrics on Tangled were a little clearer than they were in Nashville on Tues.   The lighting at Oman Arena wasn't good.  The place was too big and there was too much light.

The acousic set is awesome. Tambourine man is the best performed song on this    tour. (anyone else agree?)  The vocals are unbelievably clear.  I just wanted to close my eyes and float off into space when he was playing this one.  Masters of War was powerful.  There were a lot of people in the aisle at this point and there were a lot of people complaining about not being able to see. In the middle of Don't Think Twice the Oman arena ushers started clearing the aisle.  By the end of the song everyone had returned to their seat.

Then I saw the Dyaln security go say something to the ushers. Then I saw Heike get up so me and my girlfriend got up.  The next thing I knew, I was right next to the stage standing behind Heike.  I could see Dylans facial gestures and who he was looking at.  I just stood there and stared into his eyes the rest of the show.We rocked to Memphis Blues and then got settled down a little for Every Grain of Sand. Which I felt very lucky to hear:)  

Maggie's Farm Rocked and it was my favorite electric song tonight.  In the middle of Maggie's Farm someone was wheeling this lady up in a wheel chair.  The crowd was really cool about it and let her come up to front so she     could see Bob.  Heike was really sweet to this lady I might add :)  At the end of Maggie Bob came over and pointed at us with both hands.  We wanted high fives, but the speakers were in the way and he couldn't reach us.  Oh yeah, he mumbled through band intros during this too.

He came back out and did Rolling Stone and then he picked up the acoustic guitar and did It ain't me Babe.  It was a wonderful experience to be that close to him while he's playing the acoustic.  Before It ain't me Babe he went over to the band and  talked to them for a while, I knew something was up then.

After It Ain't me babe he was leaving, but he picked up his electric guitar and came up to the mic and HE TALKED TO US.  I don't know what he said, but HE TALKED!  He was introducing Carl Perkins and he said somethings else.  

During Matchbox something weird happened. This is my "theory" on what happened (other opinions are welcome): In the first part of the song Bob went over to the guitar player and said something and they both laughed.  Then the guitar player went over to the bass player and said something.  Then they laughed.  then the guitar player screamed something to the drummer and pointed to Bob's amp.  Then this guy from backstage comes out and does something to Bob's amp.  Then Bob goes over to Perkins and tells him something and they laugh.  I think Bob's guitar wasn't turned on until at least halfway thru the song, but I'm not sure.  By the way, the guitar solos on this song were cool Perkins did some cool one's and Bob did too after he got his guitar turned on.

- Tim Davis (tdavis@unix1.utm.edu)


Comment 2:
Just saw Dylan in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium (recently refurbished and reopened for concerts, for you old Grand Ole Opry fans!) He was here Nov 8 (Election day) ...I never saw him before but follwed at least his major works through time.... even once had a complete book of all his current (at that time) lyrics..(which I respected immensely. I, however, felt very bothered by the fact that I honestly didn't enjoy the musical feature of the show. His arrangements of classics like Tambourine Man were quippy and tersely done ..as though he were almost cynical about them. All along the Watchtower was very good but the lead guitarist severely failed in his obvious attempt to conjure up memories of Hendrix haunting lead work on the same tune. Has anyone else had this Dylan experience before??

- Joel Daniel (72703.3656@CompuServe.COM)


Comment 3:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


12 November 1994 - House of Blues, New Orleans
==============================================
Jokerman
If You See Her, Say Hello
All Along The Watchtower
You're A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Watching The River Flow
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Desolation Row [AB]
Mama, You Been On My Mind [AB]
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again [AB]
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry [AB]
Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]

Comment:
[See 13 November 1994, New Orleans for a review by Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)]


Comment 2:
It seems that Bob was ready to cancel the Saturday night performance at The House Of The Blues in New Orleans due to a bad cold, he did appear however at 10.10 only a few minutes late and delivered an excellent performance including a stunning Desolation Row.

- Ray Webster (ray@rothley.win-uk.net)


13 November 1994 - House of Blues, New Orleans
==============================================
Jokerman
The Man In Me
All Along The Watchtower
Born In Time
Tangled Up In Blue
Man In The Long Black Coat
Mr. Tambourine Man [AB]
Gates Of Eden [AB]
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right [AB]
Highway 61 Revisited
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm
Like A Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe [AB]
Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35

Comment 1:
With my heart tumbling in & out of the memories that have been layered upon one another with such intensity and speed...I hope to create an avenue of communication to share these whirlwind flashes of stimuli!
 
Since you can neither hear the beating of my heart, nor see the sparkle in my eyes...I must play with words and see how close I can come....  :-)
 
Stream of consciousness reaches the levels of spontaneous expression that find these memories the easiest....
 
The Beginning...
 
From 35,000 ft I call Ray Webster at the hotel in Norfolk...he had just walked in the room...we speak of the moments to come & for the next 2 hours until I arrive I *cannot* wipe the grin off of my face!  After our enthusiastic greeting, Ray & I spend the evening basking in anticipation...rolling in it... VERY excited & happy as hell...indeed...for good reason I might add...;-)
 
The Shows...
 
There is always something overwhelming about the first in a series of shows as was the case in Norfolk...sitting in the front row as the introduction & first chords of Jokerman strike...I begin a journey of intense emotional & spiritual impact...the stimuli spiralling through me each day...the music, the friendship, the traveling...I cannot possibly give you reviews of each show and I expect that you have already heard the vital details...so I will flow through my various perceptions as they come....
 
Bob, as always, in metamorphasis steps into his performances with his eyes dancing beneath the full brow...seeming to reach within for the mood or energy that will power this show...each evening I reach into his eyes...seeking to touch the force behind the face...the music winds and flows...rhythm & melody spinning a web to hold the words that spill like a soft rain or race like a locomotive to land in their destined place within the song... lights melt in and out of his sillouette, the band plays with conviction... in my perception he is singing with passion each night...playing guitar better than ever and finding pleasure...smiling...kicking his heels... reaching into the crowd...toying with us...and honoring us in his own way. My recollections are filled with more emotional response than perhaps the objectivity of other reviewers because of my position at the shows...it is becoming part of it to be there...watching the sweat glistening in his brow...to be able to feel his experience flowing from him...it makes it nearly impossible to focus on anything except the sounds & the sights. All senses are being used to absorb the experience when it is happening directly in front of your face...each evening I felt enriched, always having a fantastic time going through all of the various moods of each show...watching Bob have a good time is the highlight & he definitely appeared to be feeling great most of the time....
 
The Norfolk show was my first experience with the stage jumping & it did strike me as somehow unfitting...my assumption was that Bob must like it or he would stop it, yet he did seem to tense up & rather than fully enjoying the music, I was watching his eyes dart back & forth & following them...& wondering how many people they would let up...well, the show was cut short after the first encore & that wasn't a happy thing !  My feeling was that it was too distracting, but hell, Bob should have it how he wants it. In Roanoke it happened again, but did not cut the show short & appeared to lack spontaneity...In Gainesville the guy grabbed Bob's guitar--and that was *UNCOOL*...I cannot fathom trying to steal Bob's guitar--how disrespectful!!  I believe that aside from the odd person here & there hopping up for a kiss that was the end of the mobs on stage & I was quite happy about it.  Perhaps there were some delightful experiences and Bob would have liked to recreate them as often as possible...but unfortunately it is not possible to predict human behavior.
 
I believe that each show was consistent & solid...the first Nashville & first New Orleans show stand out in my mind as being the most powerful... but each and every one was really a great experience...I was very happy to hear "Desolation Row" in New Orleans after hoping for 9 shows!  I would say that it would have been nice to have heard a wider range of acoustic songs during the ten shows that I saw...but, really there was never a moment where i wasn't fully emmersed in whichever song he chose...Tambourine Man was beautiful & each crowd loves it.  Rolling Stone was a lot of fun... it was especially a blast in New Orleans on the 12th...that night was a very upbeat sort of playful show...but I was in a very rambunctious mood and consequently had virtually lost my voice by Sunday...The House of Blues was a great venue!! It was the smallest place that i've ever seen Bob and even though they sold more tickets, it was said that it was smaller than The Supper Club.  There is a certain feeling in the air ata GA show that gets things stirred up & everyone's standing...I honestly don't know if my body would have held up if every night was like that... but I was in rare form & had a BLAST with Bob...
 
The Jackson show was unique with Carl Perkins showing up...Bob was very happy & they had a good time playing Matchbox...Bob introduced him & I think said something about a "hero" but I could not quite hear.
 
There are just too many memories to reach them all now...if anyone has any questions...I am sure I can direct my thoughts if asked... it was a 15 day menagerie of experience... Ray & I and all of our other friends were blessed in sharing it all.
 
I fully enjoyed meeting all of the people from rmd...nearly each night someone would come up..." Are you Heike? "...and I would try in my mind to remember who was coming to where!  It was a pleasure...Gary & Gert & Andy &(Wendy) & Doug & Kim & John & Tim & Lily... Some people I got to spend more time with than others, especially in the cities where we did not have to hit the road immediately...if you could have seen us loading & unloading the car & hotels each time...I think we held a world's record for amount of items on one luggage rack!
 
I was pleased to present Bob with a bouquet of red roses for the last show...he puts out SO much energy...so much feeling...I am always looking for ways to appreciate it.
 
Hovering here now in Pine Mountain...the forest bed is covered in snow & I sip a cup of freshly ground Kona (I did miss my coffee), dogs at my feet...I still get the occasional adrenalin rush as I continue to absorb the moments that were so filled with every sensation...and I giggle when I remember all the times that Ray & I nearly collapsed in laughter!! And I retain purely embedded on my inner visions Bob's singing...playing... smiling...twisting...flashing his eyes in recognition of our regard for him...his integrity shining through...and I know he *must* love it as much as I love sharing it...what a great arrangement! ;-)
 
Highlight songs for me were
Man in Me
Desolation Row
I'll Remember You
Born in Time
It Takes A Lot...
Gates of Eden
& even though I think I heard it every night-Tambourine Man
Memphis Blues was fun!
Rolling Stone!
& who knows what I can't recall?
 
I commend Bob and his band for their obvious supreme efforts in putting together the best shows possible...and Bob for continuing to amaze me...for always reaching to a new height within and sharing it with us!!!
 
:-)

[In another posting:]

Heike C. Strand <hstrand@delphi.com>
Subject: Re: *** "Ohhhhhhhh, WHAT a Wonderful FEEEEEELLLLLIIINNNGGGG...." ***
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 94 10:56:11 -0500

I didn't mention that apparently Bob became ill for the New Orleans shows. The first night I did not notice a thing...he seemed absolutely into it to me...but the second night he did blow his nose a couple of times and cough... I cannot imagine having to put out the energy for a performance with a head cold!!  And the second show he came out 100% strong...The Man In Me was priceless-perfect!
 
A *rumour* that the first night was nearly cancelled-the source being the manager of House of Blues...but I have no idea if that is valid.
 
One thing is for sure--he can rise above just about anything when he is on the stage...and especially when the crowd is very appreciative.
 
- Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com)


Comment 2:
On the following night it was an earlier start at 9pm and he certainly looked to be well under the weather, very pale and coughing several times in between songs whilst his back was turned towards the audience. My feelings at the time were that he may have to postpone the Unplugged recording sessions. He seemed to liven up during the show and even delighted us with a third encore and smiled when he accepted the beautiful roses from the beautiful Heike - who incidentally was so determined not to lose her place after queueing outside for five hours, had sent a taxi to collect them from a nearby florist - such dedication

- Ray Webster (ray@rothley.win-uk.net)


16 November 1994 - Unplugged Rehearsals, Sony Music Studios, New York
                   City, New York
=====================================================================
Absolutely Sweet Marie
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Desolation Row
Tombstone Blues
Hazel
Everything Is Broken
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Dignity
With God On Our Side
Dignity
Dignity
Dignity
Dignity
Desolation Row
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Tombstone Blues
I Pity The Poor Immigrant
Shooting Star
Tombstone Blues


17 November 1994 -  First Unplugged session, Sony Music Studios, New York
                    City, New York
=========================================================================
Tombstone Blues
I Want You
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Desolation Row
Hazel
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Everything Is Broken
Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Dignity
With God On Our Side

Comment 1:
I just returned from the Sony studios in Mnahattan where I attended the first taping of Dylan Unplugged.   It will air December 15th.  Check it out!

Bob looked great.  He wore his shades all night - looked like the Bob of old.  And sounded that way as well.    His band was very good.  I imagine they are the same band he has been touring with, but I haven't seen him this year before tonight.

Here are the songs, at least those I remember.   Started with a great Tombstone Blues.  (This list is not in any order - just the way my mind is organizing it.)  There was a nice Desolation Row and With God on Our Side.  (Let the MTV crowd see how a song should be composed!)  I loved his version of Times They Are A Changin. I am curious if anyone out there who saw the taping and recent shows can tell me if they are the same style he has been performing them in.

Big surprise for me was Hazel.    Planet Waves has always been a favorite of mine so I really enjoyed hearing this live.  Someone in the audience said this was the first performance of the song since 1976.  Any truth to that?

The taping went just over an hour.  I've been to other tapings of unplugged, and they would go on forever.  Neil Young didd some songs 4 times, and he ended up scraping the entire show and redoing it in LA.  Bob just was Bob.  His voice was great, the acoustic format was a perfect setting, and it should combine for a great show after they finish editing.

Had great seats too - right of the stage, but it felt like we were onstage.

- "RON" (RON84@news.delphi.com)


Comment 2:
[In response to Heike C. Strand (hstrand@delphi.com) writing: "Wow--After two weeks of calling to Bob for this song, he brings it out for this performance-WONDERFUL!  The information that I recieved was that the man who worked on the original recording of 'Dignity' was there on organ for this song.  Also, apparently the audience was not very responsive...so whoever is fortunate enough to be going to this event tonight, don't be afraid to show some enthusiasm Bob loves it...the band loves it & they seem to draw energy from it."]

It was kind of hard to be natural showing enthusiasm in the Sony Studios. The seats were crammed together, and the fact that it was being taped for tv made the idea of spontaneous excitement (which I was feeling, believe me) a bit hard to muster non-virtually.  Or something like that. 

Hazel was amazing.  I love Planet Waves, and of course I have never heard the song performed by Bob before, since his only public performance was at The Last Waltz, and it is the only tune he did that night that is on neither the record nor the film.

[In another posting:]

It's amazing that Dylan would open up a performance to be shown in perpetuity ad nauseam with Tombstone Blues, a song he has not performed live since 1984, when he did a couple of dozen takes; *those* were the first since 1966.  Dylan doesn't always take risks like that.  The arrangement was upbeat, and definitely sung.  He was in good voice from the start.

Dylan often seems to have some irritant on stage to throw him off his mark. Sometimes it's the lights, others the histrionic drummer Winston Watson. Tonight it was Dylan's stool, which he couldn't really sit on, he couldn't really lean on, and he couldn't really just leave alone.  It was just bugging him all night.  It ended up working as great shtick, lest anyone expect an MTV production to be seamless and perfect.

I Want You was arranged as a slow, smooth croon, the kind of setting that could make it onto an Dean Martin mood music album.

Don't Think Twice was kind of perfunctory.  Dylan plays this at least every other night.  He has this cool little bluesy ascending guitar riff that he's been working recently.  Tonight it was in check and very effective; there are nights when he just runs it into the ground until it's actually annoying.

Desolation Row was perfect.  Sung quietly and very melodically, the song took on a very different atmosphere, perhaps more resigned than contemptuous of the Main Street apocalypse it depicts.

The greatest surprise of the evening was Hazel, a song from his great 1973 album recorded with the Band, Planet Waves.  Dylan had previously performed the song exactly once, at the Last Waltz concert at Winterland in 1976, a performance that didnUt make the album's or the film's release.  Planet Waves is one of my favorite Dylan albums, and Hazel, which has been covered by the Jerry Garcia Band, is typical of its good cheer.  Dylan was amazingly assertive and in great command of the song's emotional content.  I wonder what inspired him to pull it out.

The Times They Are A-Changin' was strong but didn't particularly move me tonight.

Everything is Broken was great, though kind of tentatively sung.  The band again swung hard, aided by an organ player whose name was not announced and played most of the night.

Love Minus Zero was typically gorgeous.  If there's any justice in the world, alive single release of this performance ought to outsell "Tears in Heaven" any day.

Dignity -- its first performance ever.  This is Dylan's new single, getting his strongest airplay in years, and the only new track on the album released this week, Greatest Hits, Volume Three.  It's a wonderful song with cool, funny and sorta deep lyrics.  The track was originally an outtake from the 1989 Oh Mercy sessions, and new backing tracks were recently recorded by Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam's wunderkind producer.  All four great outtake songs from the 1989 sessions have now been released and performed live; the others are Born in Time and God Knows, which appeared on 1990's Under the Red Sky, and Series of Dreams, the final track on the Bootleg Series, Vols. One through Three.

The highlight of the show was a stirring, dead-on performance of With God on His Side, a concise ironic history of American imperialism no less appropriate today than thirty years ago.  If school prayer is on the way back, then they ought to offer kids the chance to grow up listening to the great American songs of dissent.

The band played well, and some of Dylan's guitar work subtly pushed the arrangements beyond the competent.  He hung back from his most daring guitar and harp work, and seemed kinda nervous throughout. Dylan looked fantastic, wearing shades, a black frock coat embroidered with black flowering vines over a black shirt with white polka dots, utterly reminiscent of his mid-sixties rock star persona, and black trousers and cowboy boots.

- Dan Levy (danlevy@panix.com)


18 November 1994 -  Second Unplugged session, Sony Music Studios, New York
                    City, New York
==========================================================================
Absolutely Sweet Marie
Shooting Star
All Along The Watchtower
My Back Pages
Rainy D