Bob Dylan 981016 in Edmonton, Alberta
Subject: Dylan in Edmonton From: Maureen & Stephen Scobie (sscobie@uvic.ca) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 16:35:26 -0700 Jann Arden came on as a warm-up act and played a lovely, melodic 45-minute set. Arden is from Calgary, so enjoyed a little tweaking of the Edmonton audience. Standing on the stage of the Edmonton hockey arena, staring at the five Oilers Stanley Cup banners, she cheerfully announced, "I hear your hockey team sucks." She also admitted that playing for Dylan was the highlight of her career so far: "I feel like a stalker! I'm at the venue at 8am each morning looking for him. Thought I saw him today, but it was just the janitor." The crowd (about 8,000 - 10,000) loved it, and gave her a standing ovation. Bob was looking pretty good. The country-gentleman outfit is more elaborate than ever: the white piping on the trousers; a long black jacket with leaves embroidered on it, black on black; a silver spangled bow-tie. All this year's moves were there: the knee bends, stage glides, raised eyebrows, mugging to the audience. The one very brief harmonica solo of the night was delivered at the back of the stage, one knee up on the drum riser. The voice was strong, ranging from a very rough growl on the harder electric numbers to some surprisingly mellow tones for the acoustic. Set list: Gotta Serve Somebody I'll Remember You Cold Irons Bound Just Like A Woman Can't Wait Silvio It Ain't Me Babe Masters of War Mama You've Been On My Mind Tangled Up In Blue To Make You Feel My Love 'Til I Fell In Love With You Love Sick Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 Blowin' in the Wind Highway 61 Revisited Forever Young That is, a very standard late-98 set list, no real surprises except perhaps the unusual placement of "It Ain't Me Babe" at the beginning of the first acoustic set. (And it was a lovely, tender performance of the song.) For me, one highlight was "Just Like a Woman," with the choruses sung in a deep nasty growl -- especially since, a few hours earlier, I had been listening to Bill Frisell's very mellow, laid-back instrumental cover, from his album "Have a Little Faith," courtesy of my friend Doug Barbour. And I was delighted with "Mama," which I'd never heard live before, and which featured the one harmonica solo of the evening. "To Make You Feel My Love" was dedicated to Garth Brooks, ahem, "my favorite country singer. He did it so well I felt challenged to do it myself," oh yeah. The crowd was enthusiastic all night, and finally got to its feet for the entire encore set, singing along "Everybody must get stoned," and roaring with approval when they recognised "Blowin' in the Wind." So: a good show, very well performed, solidly entertaining -- but without the deeper, more personal inflections of the best European shows from back in June. The advertising poster for the show, of which I was able to nab a copy, proclaims "Bob Dylan and his Sensational 4 Piece Band": so I guess that's what they're now officially called: The Sensational 4 Piece Band. Stephen Scobie
