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Bob Dylan 991111 in Augusta, Maine


Subject: Augusta!!!!!
From: JPD0522 
Date: 12 Nov 1999 16:57:49 GMT

I had the BEST time at this show. I got there after they had
opend up the gates and was worried I'd get a bad seat. I ENDED UP
IN FRONT ROW!!!  I was near the left. About Four or Five Feet
away from the big Amp. Phil did his songs. I really enjoyed "Come
Together" since I am a big Beatles fan also. For everyone who
might have seen me, I was the kid who Phil's drummer came right
over to me and gave me his two drumsticks!! Can't get any better
than this! I was wrong.

After about 20 mins after Phil left, The lights started Flashing!
Dylan came out  and did "I am the man Thomas" and then started "A
song to Woody." I was holding up my record of Bob's first self
titled album. Larry and Bob liked that. They both smiled at me
and that was great.  It'll take forever if I say every song so
I'll just skip to Highway 61. This was a great song, better than
the last time I saw him in Mass. at the Tweeter Center with Paul
Simon. Bob and the Band left and came back out with "What good am
I?" and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" which was great. He came bac
and did did "Don't think twice It's all right" and then, My
Favorite of the whole show, "Not Fade Away" which I have seen him
perform three times so far. He came back out and  put on his
acoustic and did "Blowin' in the wind" and then an Awsome version
of "Silvio" This has been my favorite Dylan show and I NEED to
get a cdr. If you have one PLEASE e-mail me privately.
 
 Here is the full set list:I Am The Man, Thomas (acoustic)
Song To Woody (acoustic) 
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (acoustic) 
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (acoustic) 
Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) (with harp) 
Hootchie Cootchie Man (song by Willie Dixon) 
Absolutely Sweet Marie (with harp) 
I Shall Be Released 
Everything Is Broken 
Queen Jane Approximately (Larry on pedal steel) 
Highway 61 Revisited 
(encore) 

What Good Am I? (Larry on pedal steel) 
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (acoustic) 
Not Fade Away 
Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic) 
Silvio 


Subject: Augusta, Maine -- November 11, 1999 From: "M. LeBlanc" Date: 12 Nov 1999 15:14:50 -0800 Organization: None Augusta, Maine -- November 11, 1999 -- Augusta Civic Center Where to begin? Start with Phil Lesh, who deserves a mention here. Someone had mentioned a while back that Phil Lesh was trained as a trumpet player and I think that shows. He's all over the fretboard of that bass! Phil and his friends worked hard last night, and the payoff was both sophisticated and melodic. Hats off to them. I hope they keep at it. :-) Sweet sidenote: In New Haven the night before, we sat in the stands facing the side of stage left. A couple sat on amps at the side of the stage, watching Bob, arms around each other, squeezing each other at just about those lyrical points where you probably give your honey a squeeze too. Sort of a "here we are, you and me, watching Bob Dylan singing this one live sweetheart. Unbelievable, huh?" Then, the man stood up, strapped on the bass guitar and walked out on the stage to guest on the finish of Bob's set. Phil Lesh. On to Bob Dylan and just a few songs from last night in Augusta... "I'm out here a thousand miles from my home..." This really floored me. This is where it all began for me. A beautiful version of Song to Woody. Hoochie Coochie Man. (I think this is Willy Dixon?) He's a hoochie coochie man! Yes, he's him. :-D At first, I couldn't believe this, but then I could. :-D He's got a black cat bone and a mojo too! Got a John the Conqueroo. He is definitely gonna mess with you! Bob *knows* the blues 'cause Bob has lived the blues. As incredible as this appearance on the setlist is, he's liable to pull out any old blues thing imaginable! I wanna get my request in for Boot Hill and Mystery Train. George says: Third Degree. This band could handle any blues, blindfolded! Queen Jane. This was a soft and mournful Queen Jane. When it's all fallen apart, when there's no one else, Bob is gonna be there for the fallen Queen Jane. Very fine version. What Good Am I? Contemplative Bob, reminds us that there's more to life than materialism. The last time I can remember hearing this was in Portland in 1996. Must be something about Maine? A beautiful song. "What good am I if I say foolish things If I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings If I turn a deaf ear to the thunder in the sky What good am I?" His band is having a great time out there! It's written all over their faces and it's engraved with every note they're playing. Bob is loving this tour and moving around the stage like a snake. :-D Really, he is the most sensual performer I've ever seen. This was an overwhelming setlist and show, showcasing the depth of Bob's amazing capabilities. There's a line in the Word Gone Wrong liner notes, describing "Stack-A-Lee" that reads: "the song says that a man's hat is his crown..." Last night in the darkness, after the sixth encore, Bob Dylan took his hat from the back of the riser as he left the stage. We stood in wonder, hoping against hope, that he'd be back for one more. He probably doesn't want you to think of him as a king, but he is. Everybody knows he is. With that, I'll let others tell you more about Augusta. Maureen "She said I'm so glad I'm livin' I said, ooh babe, I'm so glad that you're mine!" Big Boy Arthur Crudup ;-)
Subject: Augusta 11/11 review? From: "Lionel S." Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 18:03:58 -0500 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Well, I've been waiting, and lookingt for a review of this concert. Is everybody in denial? Here's my $.02 First, I'm not a Dylan trasher. I think he's probably the artist of the century in any medium. Now, the concert in Augusta. Bob looked good. Phil Lesh and friends were a grinding bore! They bored me for nearly 2 hours! Noone in the group can sing. They couldn't sing harmony. I wanted to ask them if they ever played together. Each of them is an excellent musician on his own, but there is no leader. Who's following whom? Everything was far too loud! At last, Bob came on. I thought he would influence the sound so it would be good. No such luck! It was far too loud, and far too much bass! I couldn't hear Bob's voice at all, and when he solo'd on guitar, (and he's an awesome guitar player), or on harmonica, I couldn't hear that. It was so loud that Bob's voice was distorting, and the bass was distorting. In one song, at the end of every line there was a great distorted bass hum. Bob was looking around, I thought to see if anybody was looking after it. Nothing changed. At the end of each line of many songs, the stoned-out-of-their-minds dead-head crowd screamed! This screwed up the delivery of the following line. Maybe Bob is deconstructing his songs, and I respect his ability to reinvent the songs, but, I had to ask my partner what song he was singing on every piece he played. I couldn't recognize anything, and I know the songs! As for sound men, I think they are all deaf! And why wouldn't they be, being in all that loud music every night! I think the musicians are deaf too. Being deaf, they crank it up to balance it for their injured ears, and we get distortion and noise. That was my last Dylan concert. I'll listen to him on CD, and not waste my money going to concerts. Now, I hope this is not going to net me a whole lot of flame and flak. I'm not knocking Dylan. I love his work! I'd just like to hear him live with the kind of mix that Daniel Lanois gives his music, and at a volume that doesn't require earplugs. I went to a George Thorogood concert, and took my earplugs, but I removed them when I heard the excellent sound. So, I figger, it's not just the kind of music that causes the trouble, 'cause George wails! -- Lionel S. www.isn.net/~camera/camera.htm
Subject: Re: Augusta 11/11 review? From: NAK 300 Date: 17 Nov 1999 23:31:24 GMT >As for sound men, I think they are all deaf! And why wouldn't they be, >being in all that loud music every night! I think the musicians are deaf >too. You sure you were at the show in Augusta last week ?? We hung out on the side of the soundboard all night, and they had the sound mixed perfect for the room...to hear every word that Dylan sang in "Song To Woody" as well as the louder electric songs was a sure sign that the soundman had it down perfect. Even Phil's soundman John Cutler commented that it was one of the best room he did sound in on the tour.
Subject: A week in November (pt 1, Augusta) From: O'B Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1999 18:20:49 -0500 User-Agent: YA-NewsWatcher/4.2.6 Augusta, ME Thursday November 11, 1999 Hotter than hell in the Civic Center, a small old building which felt more like a gym than a hockey rink. It was full, but not crowded. Best thing about the place: I sat more or less in the middle up near the top and could make it to the bathroom and back during the switch from acoustic to electric without missing a note. There werenÕt any seats at either end of the room, just on the sides. The floor was about 15 feet below the rail in front of the balcony, if you want to call it that. There was no overhang, just a straight drop to the floor. A sign that this audience may be a bit different from your typical concert-going crowd: I saw no one directing traffic on the way into the parking lots. There was a pretty good backup both on the exit from the highway (which is right next to the Civic Center) and on the road onto which that exit fed. I watched about forty cars merge into the single lane at the bottom of the exit ramp and without any hassle, fuss, or cops with flashlights, the cars simply alternated: one from the road, one from the highway. It couldnÕt have gone any smoother if you had a dozen uniformed men choreographing it. IÕm not saying that they never should have anyone directing traffic, only that on this night it wasnÕt needed. Briefly, I thought that this was the weakest Phil & Friends set of the four I ended up seeing. During this set, the band lacked an assertive voice to counter LeshÕs bass playing. The DeadÕs jams always worked best when at least two of the players were confident and bold enough to challenge each other, which usually was the case with that band. Some of that was missing with Trucks and Haynes. They werenÕt stepping on each other in Augusta, it wasnÕt that they were messy. If anything, the guitar players seemed a bit too polite during the jams, not willing to jump on the horse and grab the reins. Having said that, I donÕt have any problem at all with spacey instrumental pieces and I enjoyed the set in spite of some of the meandering. My memory of BobÕs set kicks in during the first line of Song to Woody. Damn, never thought IÕd hear that one. I had seen the set lists leading up to that show and I knew things had been getting interesting lately and I took this as a clear sign that things might stay loose and unpredictable for a while longer. I canÕt prove anything to the legions of Dead haters out there, but there is no doubt in my mind that we would not have seen such varied set lists during this tour if Phil had not opened these shows. ItÕs Alright, Ma next, followed by Baby Blue, excellent...beats the hell out of Masters of War for the millionth time. I guess the fact that that thought ran through my mind then shows that I was still a little skeptical that the song selections wouldnÕt just snap back to more usual fare. Oh, would that fear get blown out the water over the next week... Great song selection for the meat of the set: Hootchie Cootchie Man Absolutely Sweet Marie I Shall Be Released Everything Is Broken Queen Jane Approximately Highway 61 Revisited What Good Am I? I think Oh Mercy is a great album; it was great hearing both Everything is Broken and What Good Am I? The latter was most unexpected, especially in the first encore slot. The lyrics were played around with a little, more messed up IÕd say, than rewritten, though IÕll have to wait until I hear the tape to be sure of that (note subtle grovel). Hootchie Cootchie Man--talk about the unexpected. It washed over me in surprise more than anything, so I canÕt really say anything intelligent about it. It was fun to watch...good shit. Sweet Marie was *way* different from back when it used to open the shows. Gone was the driving bass that propelled the song through the bridge. This version had a much more sparse arrangement, it was less of a flat-out rock song. The words were given more emphasis. Interesting, but I think this one really wants to be a flat-out rocker. I Shall Be Released was nice, sweet pedal steel. During the intro to Everything is Broken, a girl behind me said to her boyfriend, ŌHey, isnÕt this from Austin Powers?Ķ Queen Jane was a nice surprise, slowed down and also all about the vocal, though this song lends itself to that more than Marie. I was having so much fun by this point that I almost forgot how little I cared about hearing Highway 61. After What Good, I got another little surprise: Rainy Day Women wasnÕt a complete waste of time. DonÕt get me wrong, IÕll still never get disappointed if itÕs not there, but it was *way* better than the truncated, afterthought versions IÕm used to, thanks to both of the guitar players playing thoughtful, not just loud and fast. The last surprise of the night was Silvio, and from what I could see, the rest of the band was surprised by it too. I was sure the show was over after BlowinÕ. We could see Bob behind the drums nodding his head, stopping the band from going down the stairs off of the stage so they could do one more. I liked Silvio a lot when JJ used to be around to play on it, but IÕm all set with it now. I still think itÕs a good song, but thereÕs no way Larry Campbell should be allowed near a microphone. Same with his singing on Not Fade Away. Ugh, turn him down. A sweet show, an auspicious beginning to the run of four shows I had tickets for. Did I mention that it was about 90 degrees inside the place? more to come when I can get my lazy ass to write up the next 3 shows... John -- John O'Brien dylpluck@ultranet.com http://www.ultranet.com/~dylpluck "I can tell your future, just look what's in your hand" -R. Hunter
1999: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - September - October - November -

Tour