smoke wrote:
A real strong show from Bob and the boys. His vocals surprisingly clear and full, notions that he has to semi-whisper to coax actual notes out were proven dead wrong tonight. Good phrasing...a few wayward moments but generally focused, full of feeling, invention and personality. For a bit there I thought it was going to turn into a great one but the last third or so seemed to drag a bit, except Simple Twist which was just lovely and featured the evening best harmonica work. Watchtower was pretty hot, too. Hell, maybe I was fatigued from standing for five hours straight at that point. There was a disturbing dynamic which seemed to happen time and time again as the show went through it's paces:whenever Dylan stopped singing the whole thing went kind of limp. Charlie played some brilliant stuff but too often just noodled along, barely audible in the mix and with no real drive or direction. The exceptions (like Highwater and DW) were wonderful but often it was like the air being let out of a balloon, and I yearned for what Duke brought in the spring. Charlie's rhythm parts were a class above what Duke or damn near anyone could pull off, to the extent I could hear them anyway.
I love the new tangled lyric that I quoted earlier...I wish you could all have heard him sing it. Also, some of people he used to know are buried in the ground, and some had to get out of town.
Summer Days is kind of dead weight right now, the show wouldn't have suffered if it were simply omitted (and I love that song).
Fashion report: bob in black with jacket and the usual, odd, piping down the trousers. Band was in matching cream or tan suits. Hatless, and what difference it makes to be able to see, if not facial expressions at our distance, at least more than the lower jaw all but the first few rows can normally make out. The iconic Dylan hair seemed his on concession to the crowd on this night with no Rolling Stone or Mr Tambourine Man or any of a half dozen songs he could have easily captured the crowd with.
The rest of the day was great---RT and Wilco doing Sloth was jaw dropping. Everyone but Bob was up to do Cinnamon Girl, it was like they decided to make a big happy family vibe whether or not the big man cared to join in. From where I was Dylan did a fair job of holding the crowd-no small feat considering he didn't at anything many of them knew until the 6th song, a ballsy move on his part. Some folks did leave as his set progressed but I didn't see any horrified mass exodus. Bob Dylan had to follow three fantastic bands-and did a damn fine job of it.
Thank you for that wonderful and detailed review
I was thinking a bit about that family vibe, and considered the possibility that Bob approves of the gesture, but as CEO of the Americanaranic enterprise, he has outsourced that role to the younger and enthusiastic bands to give 'the people' what they think they need, while he addresses their other needs.