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Bob Dylan 9606-7 in Germany

Subject: Review of Berlin-Cottbus
From: Ragman10 (ragman10@aol.com)
Date: 17 Jul 1996
 
 

JJ On The Banjo

and

Old Bobby Wearing His White Shoes:

A Review of Berlin Through Cottbus

By Josh Nelson
 
June 17, 1996- Tempodrom, Berlin
 The drive from Frankfurt to Berlin took close to eight hours and put
myths of German efficiency to shame.  The words "road construction" took
on a whole new meaning.  Emerging from the car and heading towards the
Tempodrom, we heard a soundcheck of what sounded like a barely
recognizable, screwed up version of Positively 4th Street, we would soon
learn that it was Shake Sugaree.  
 I read somewhere that John Bauldie referred to the Tempodrom as a
"hideous tent", he was not far off.  After waiting outside and bathing in
the beautiful German sunlight for an hour or so, we (Stephan, Daniel, and
myself) headed in. I secured a place about six rows from the stage, on
JJ's side.  It was not until Watchtower that I realized that everytime Bob
moved backwards and played a guitar solo, he was blocked from my vision by
a series of poles that passed directly in front of the stage.  The sound
was good, but visually, it was an awful place for a show. Anyway, here's
the setlist (abbreviations are my own...cue sheet can be found on Bill
Pagel's page).
 
Drifter's
Shake Sugaree
Watchtower
4th Street
Riverflow
Silvio
Tangled
Love Minus Zero
Friend of the Devil
Seeing the Real You 
Queen Jane
Maggie's Farm
 
Alabama
Back Pages
Rainy Day
 
I thought it was a very good show.  Certainly not excellent, but strong
and solid.  My highlights were, of course, Shake Sugaree, and a very slow,
beautiful (same arrangement as 1995) Queen Jane.  Sugaree sounded like a
simpler, slower, less bluesy version of If Not For You.  Bob sang all four
verses slowly and clearly  and, given that none of us recognized the song,
we were all in ecstasy.  I guess the ultimate compliment is that he sang
it like it was one of his own songs, and he certainly did.  The last verse
of My Back Pages was also something to behold.  The whole song seemed to
work as a build up to an extremely passionate, powerful closing series of
short, seemingly piercing lines.  Bathed by the traditional Back Pages,
red light, it was one of those transcendent moments.
 
Berlin was also the first show where Bob wore his now legendary white
shoes.  To be specific, they are white loafers with little brass buckles. 
Personally, I don't really care what he wears, but these shoes were
distracting!   Anyway, more about them later.
 
 
June 19, 1996- Alte Oper (Old Opera House), Frankfurt
 
Drifter's
Pretty Peggy-O-
Watchtower
Under the Red Sky
I'll Be Your Baby, Tonight
Silvio
Tangled 
Masters of War
Don't Think Twice
Seeing the Real You
She Belongs to Me
7 Days
 
Alabama
Times
Rainy Day
 
Taking one look at Bob's outfit, I should have known that we were in for
a long show.  Anyway, Zimmy emerged wearing a white lemey shirt, cream
colored trousers (with flowers down the side), and the white shoes.  In
short, he looked like my dentist.  The band, seemingly on cue, wore
matching light blue jackets and pants.  Let's just say that it was tough
to take anything that they did seriously.
 
The show was the worst that I had ever seen. The first electric set was
merely average.  Even Peggy-O- (one of my favorites) was just OK.  The
second electric set was even worse.  There was so little enthusiasm! Real
You was going so badly that, at one point, Dylan stopped playing his
guitar and just walked around the stage staring at each band member.  JJ
kept smiling and it appeared that Bob just kept getting angrier.  Dylan
forgot the second line of Times, bringing back memories of that fateful
day in London, 1991, when he proudly asked, "How many seas must a man walk
down?"(thanks Homer).  I've read RMD reviews that praised the show, but no
one that I spoke to thought it was  any good.  Well, Bobby's allowed an
off night, right?
 
 
June 20, 1996- Vredenburg Music Center, Utrecht
 
The Vredenburg is the greatest place to see a concert that I have ever
had the pleasure of visiting.  Located inside a shopping center, it is the
exact opposite of what you would expect from the outside.  Directly in
front of stage there is room for about ten rows of standing.  Behind,
there are seats.  They are shaped in the form of an octagon, and rise at a
steep angle.  Thus, there are none that are very far from the stage.  It
also provides the viewer with the chance to sit at some very interesting
angles (for example, to the side of the stage, looking over Bob's
shoulder, out at the rest of the crowd).  The theater holds 1700 and is
built of all wood (thus, great sound).
 
The first show in Utrecht was the only one for which I did not take
notes, but here are a few reflections.  It was clear that Bob loved the
venue (he tried to move a second show there last year). Mama, You've Been
On My Mind, was my personal highlight.  It seems that, on some nights,
this songs can reach a faster, seemingly driving level, and on other
nights it wallows in mediocrity.  Well, the version in Utrecht was
definitely in the first category.  The final two verses were much faster
than the first, and Tony Garnier had that "look at me as I pound the bass,
we are doing something really cool now" smile.  Bob took off with his
guitar solo and I was lost in the moment.  It was a hint of what was to
come the next day.
 
 
June 21, 1996- Vredenburg Music Center, Utrecht
 
Drifter's
Long Black Coat
Watchtower
4th Street
Tom Thumb's Blues
Silvio
Boots of Spanish Leather
Desolation Row
Friend of the Devil
Ballad of a Thin Man
She Belongs to Me
7 Days
 
Alabama
Back Pages
Rainy Day
 
This was Larry's night...but first, the show.  4th Street had a
completely new arrangement.  Unrecognizable 'till Bob started singing, a
certain EDLIS tours agent turned to me and said "Born In Time"...I wish! 
It was great to hear something other than the Tambourine/Tangled duo in
the first acoustic spot, and Thin Man was another surprise.  Desolation
Row was simply brilliant and even contained a harp solo.  Overall, the
show was simply excellent.
 
Now, on to those marvelous moments between She Belongs and 7 Days.  It
was simply the most amazing thing that I have ever seen at a Dylan show. 
Bob found Larry in the crowd, said hello to him from the stage (referring
to him as "The Chopper"), asked him why he wasn't in Cincinnati/Atlanta
(Cleveland, Bobby?), had the crowd give him a hand, and said TWICE that
Larry had seen him play more times than he had.  What is important to
understand is that this exchange was NOT a brief twenty second thing...it
went on over the course of something like two minutes (check the tapes). 
We were all simply in shock.  Then, after 7 Days, Bob came over and
slapped only Larry's hand.  After the encores Bob slapped five with fans
in the front rows.  Quite simply, it all seemed like an American show.    
  
 
June 22, 1996- Vorst Nationale, Brussels
 
Drifter's
Senor
Watchtower
Shelter
I Don't Believe You
Silvio
Tangled 
Love Minus Zero
Don't Think Twice
Thin Man
Takes A Train
Maggie's
 
Alabama
Times 
Rainy Day
 
This show surpassed Frankfurt in terms of Bobby's ridiculous clothing. 
He wore his tight, silver pants, white shoes, and a silver shirt.  He
looked more like an astronaut than my dentist!
  
Opinion on this show varied quite a bit among people with whom I spoke. 
I thought that the show was very strong.  I Don't Believe and Thin Man
both really rocked and the new arrangement of Shelter (faster than 1995
bit slower than 1994...it changes every six months) was quite well done. 
Others, however, said that it seemed like a tired show.  I must admit that
from my spot in front, I could not hear the vocals all that well, so they
may be a better source.  Lastly, Dylan once again said hello to Larry
during the band introductions.  It was just a brief hello to "my friend
The Chopper", but it left many of us wondering if this was to become a
nightly thing...
 
One other thing:  I saw on RMD some people discussing Lambchop.  Let me
just say that he is the greatest person with whom to watch a show!  He
never says anything during the songs, and shuts up others who do.  He
cares more about Dylan than just about anyone else, and the shows are
sacred experiences for him.
 
 
June 24, 1996- Differdange
 
I wasn't there...argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is, however, important to note that, for the first time on tour, Bob
opened with Down In The Flood.  Also, for the first time, he wore
something other than white shoes (black and white boots).  This leads to
my tour long theory.  Coincidence or not, for the rest of the tour, you
could figure out the opener by looking at Bob's shoes...I'm totally
serious.
 
White shoes= Drifter's or Pillbox (once= Hyde Park) 
Boots=       Flood or To Be Alone With You or Pillbox 
 
 The second half of the shows that I saw (from Manheim on) had far
better/more interesting setlists than the first.  Also, during these
shows, Bob opened with songs other than Drifter's (Ferrara and Pistoia are
the exceptions.  At each show Bob opened with Drifter's...not
surprisingly, these were the only shows among the group where he wore his
white shoes!) . Thus, it got to the point that, on many occasions, you
could look at Bob's shoes and know for what kind of show you were in
store.  Well, maybe not exactly, but you could come pretty close.  I
shared my theory with the surrounding fans in Salzburg.  As Bob walked on
stage, Andreas (a friend) started screaming, "He's wearing the boots! 
He's wearing the boots!"...that night we heard both Down in The Flood  and
the only European version of This Wheel's on Fire. Thanks for wearing the
boots Bobby!
 
 
June 26, 1996- Empire Theater, Liverpool
 
Drifter's
Black Coat
Watchtower
4th Street
Riverflow
Silvio
Tangled 
Masters
Don't Think Twice
Stuck Inside of Mobile
She Belongs To Me
Maggie's Farm
 
Alabama
Back Pages
Rainy Day
North Country 
 
It was tough to enjoy the show when the setlist could be viewed as a
cruel joke.  By She Belongs to Me, I was sure Bobby had no idea he was in
the UK.  This was the place of the fall of Just Like A Woman, Tangled, and
Maggie's, just the year before.  It did not seem fair the Differdange got
Visions and we got the ever popular (and so seldom heard) trio of
Tangled/Masters/Twice.  Anyway, most people there considered it a warm up
for the second night.
 
Al Kooper was on the organ, but he was audible on maybe two songs.  It
seemed a bit ridiculous to have him playing when nobody could hear him. 
His one audible solo (during 4th Street) was actually quite nice.  For
most of the show he just sat there, looking sort of bored, watching as JJ
showed him chords.
  
I have no idea why there were encores...it simply was not that loud. 
There was that awesome moment before North Country when Bob played a chord
and sang "Yesterday"...go Bobby go.
 
 
June 27, 1996- Empire Theater, Liverpool
 
Pill Box Hat
Tonight, I'll Be Staying
Watchtower
Red Sky
Tom Thumb Blues
Silvio
Tambourine
John Brown
Ramona
Thin Man
Masterpiece
7 Days
 
Alabama
Ain't Me, Babe
Rainy Day
 
Awesome!  Simply awesome.  The show had no low point and was
probably the best of all that I saw.  Al Kooper was inaudible again, but
it was for the better.  Ballad of a Thin Man was something to be seen. 
Bobby invented a new way  to sing it.  It's tough to describe it, but he
drew out each line in sort of in a piercing drawl.  Most importantly, he
appeared to be tickled with himself.  Standing there smiling, so eager to
sing the next verse as JJ fired out the song's basic chords...it was
hauntingly magical.  Everyone should get a tape of this performance!
 
After leaving the show, I found out that Oasis had been there, sitting
back near the soundboard.  It was a great show for them to see.  Now, a
guest appearance...that would have been something.
 
After the show, we visited the home of the Merseyside Dylan group.  I'd
like to say hello to any and all members.  Thanks so much for being such
wonderful hosts.  I'm happy that your dedication to Bob was repaid by
these Liverpool shows!
 
 
June 29, 1996- Hyde Park, London
 
Pill Box
Watchtower
4th Street
Tom Thumb
Tangled
Twice
Silvio
7 Days
 
Highway 61
 
Watching Ron Wood watch Bob made the whole show for me.  He kept staring
into Bob's eyes, as if expecting recognition.  Bob sort of stared back
and, occasionally, would nod, as if to please Wood, who would just keep on
staring.  They tried to share the vocals on 7 Days but, after one verse,
they realized that it just was not going to work.  I'd  like to thank
Bobby for wearing clothes that were pretty toned down...I thought he
looked great!  Perhaps he is beginning to care about his television
image...then again, maybe the silver pants were at the cleaners.
 
The show was as good as it could have been.  It had all the makings of a
disaster (a huge stage, television cameras everywhere, and tremendous
monitors just above the stage), but Dylan treated it just like any other
show.  It's scary, but I was actually excited to hear Silvio in the second
set.  I'm not sure which songs are on the TV broadcast, but Tangled was
particularly nice.  
 
 
July 1, 1996- Munster, Germany
 
Drifter's
Sugaree
Watchtower
Simple Twist
Takes A Train
Silvio
Boots
John Brown
Mama, You've Been On My Mind
Maggie's
Thin Man
5 Believers
 
Alabama
Ain't Me, Babe
Rainy Day
 
We arrived at the concert hall just before the doors opened so I did not
have time to find out anything about the show.  I ran into the concert
hall and positioned myself, on  the rail, just between where I expected to
be Bob and JJ.  It took about two minutes before I realized that the stage
was set up for an opening act.  Looking up, I saw a box that had written on
it Dave Matthew's Band...I couldn't believe it.  For that first show I was
more excited to see them than Bob.  No one in the audience believed me
when I tried to explain how big they are over here.  Anyway, I was in
heaven.
 
The show was average (Bob's show, that is).  As explained by Homer,
Drifter's  was hilariously bad.  Every time that JJ started a wailing
solo, Bob would start to sing the next verse.  Simple Twist, however, had
a very nice, solo, intro. by Bobby, while, during Takes A Train, our hero
put his pick in his mouth and played the guitar with his fingers.  Bobby
did forget the words to Thin Man and looked quite annoyed with himself. 
Perhaps he remembered how good it had been in Liverpool.
    
 
July 2, 1996- Rosengarten, Mannheim
 
Down In The Flood
Peggy-O-
Watchtower
Be Your Baby
Black Coat
Silvio
Hollis Brown
Gates of Eden
Ramona
Everything is Broken
What Good Am I
Seeing The Real You 
 
Alabama
Back Pages
Rainy Day
 
Personally, I was a bit let down that the Rosengarten was inside. 
Anyway, I had more fun at this show than just about any other.  Down In
The Flood was awful and brought back memories of Drifter's from the night
before.  Bob just decided not to sing into the microphone for the better
part of the song.  It was actually sort of funny.  However, it all turned
around at Peggy-0-.  Slow and beautiful, it was as perfect as you could
ever hope for.  Each verse was sung clearly and relatively quietly, Bob
was not screaming.
  
Hollis Brown was one of the greatest songs that I have ever seen at a
Dylan show.  I've checked the lyrics book, and Bobby sang every verse
(with one slight change).  The crowd was silent, and, personally, the
performance was as meaningful to me as Visions at the TLA.  I was so
stunned and overwhelmed, that I just stood there, completely still, trying
to take it all in.  I learned many words as Bobby sang them.  It was one
of those moments that I'll just never forget.
 
Lastly, I should say something about Everything Is Broken, and What Good
Am I.  Each was sung with new/different words.  I don't think that Dylan
forgot the real words, but just made some substitutions.  That is to say,
it was not Bob mumbling strange/seemingly pointless syllables, but him
inventing new complete, fitting phrases.  Broken was interesting because
he now sings "It seems like everything is broken", not just "everything is
broken".  If there is one thing I've learned as an English major, it's
that this can be viewed as quite a significant change.  If it was Whitman
or Eliot, one could say they were discussing the modernist theme of the
relationship/gap between reality and perception.  That is to say, maybe in
Bob's mind, everything is no longer broken, it just seems that way.  Then
again, maybe he just forgot the real words.  You can choose for yourself.
 
 
July 3, 1996- Zeltfestival, Konstanz
 
Down In The Flood
I Want You
Watchtower
Shelter
Riverflow
Silvio
Tambourine
Masters
One Too Many Mornings
Maggie's
I'll Remember You
Broken
 
Alabama
Times
Rainy Day
 
It would have been harder for them to find a smaller tent to play the
show in.  It was half the size of the Tempodrom.  However, there were no
poles between me and Bobby, so life was good.  The soundcheck contained
Most of the Time. After a brilliant set by Dave Matthew's, Dylan took the
stage and delivered what some considered to be one of his best shows, and
others considered one of his worst.  I encourage everyone to see the
garrulous Andrew Muir's review of this show.  From down in the front,
where the acoustics weren't so great, it seemed like an awesome show. 
From farther back, people said Bobby sounded tired and confused.  Whatever
the case, there was a tremendous amount of excitement when the fiddler
from the Dave Matthew's Band joined Bob for Maggie's....I'll stop there,
just see Homer's review (it's better than I could ever do).
 
Oh yeah, once again it "seems like everything is broken..."
 
 
July 5, 1996- Piazza Costello, Ferrara
 
Drifter's
Lay Lady Lay
Black Diamond Bay
Just Like A Woman
Riverflow
Silvio
Tambourine
Masters
Mama, You Been On My Mind
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Thin Man
Maggie's
 
Ain't Me, Babe
Rainy Day
 
This show was my worst ever experience at a Dylan concert.  It made
Frankfurt seem like the second night at The Supper Club.  Dylan totally
screwed up the words to Lay Lady Lay and spent the whole second half of
the show just yelling something at Jackson (who just nodded, smiled, and
kept doing the same thing that was bothering Bobby).  It was painful to
hear Riverflow again.  An acoustic/electric Heaven's Door would have been
a nice surprise but, by that point, the show had been so bad that I just
didn't care anymore.  Overall, it was just an awfully boring setlist, and
a bad performance.
 
The setlist contained a whopping zero alternates (giving us all the idea
that Bobby had given a lot of thoughts to what he was gonna play...yeah
sure...it sounded a lot like a "Tony, find me thirteen songs that people
can sing along to and arrange them in a fitting order" kind of night.)  It
did list Alabama, but I assume that Dylan chose to do only two encores
because he was upset with how the show had gone.  The piazza Costello was
a beautiful square in the middle of town.  Up to that point, the most
beautiful place I had ever seen for a concert.  To say that the show was a
disappointment is quite an understatement.
 
All the screaming fans did not help things.  I am not trying to
generalize, I'll just say that the fans at the Ferrara and Pistoia shows
were very loud and emotional.  Forget simply singing along, you couldn't
go two minutes without someone screaming something at Bob (usually right
in the middle of an acoustic song).  The fans around me spent more time
yelling at each other, than listening to Bob.  This made it very hard to
focus on the show (luckily it wasn't one of the great ones!)
 
Lastly, the soundcheck was far more interesting than the concert itself. 
Full versions of Tombstone Blues, Unbelievable, and Stealin' (JJ on vocals
for all) were far better than anything Bob played that night.
 
Oh yeah, he didn't really play that treasure from Desire in the three
slot...I was just seeing if anyone was still paying attention.
 
 
June 7, 1996- Pistoia Blues Festival
 
Drifter's 
Sugaree
Watchtower
4th Street
Riverflow/You Go Your Way (the only alternate)
Silvio
Tangled 
Hard Rain
Ramona
Maggie's
Thin Man
Real You
 
Ain't Me, Babe
Rainy Day
 
The best thing to say about this show is that I was much better than
Ferrara.  The 4th Street/Riverflow duo was hard to swallow, and the second
electric set was quite boring, but Hard Rain made the night for me.  Dylan
sang six verses and, what was most interesting, was that he sang the first
five one way, and utilized a totally different vocal pattern for the
sixth.  Once again, it is very difficult for me to explain what I mean
(get the tape!).  It just seemed that the first five verses were sow,
almost tender, while the sixth was harsh and biting.
 
At this point in my journey, I was losing faith/love for Bob.  The
setlists were becoming quite ordinary/predictable, and the performances
varied from lousy to just about average.  I was beginning to question how
much Dylan really cared about the shows...then came Udine...
 
 
July 8, 1996- Villa Manin, Passariano (near Udine)
 
Down In The Flood
Senor/Man In Me
Watchtower
Big Girl/Simple Twist
You Go Your Way
Silvio
Tambourine
Masters/Visions
Don't Think Twice/Baby Blue
Jokerman/Broken
I Shall Be Released/I Believe In You/Shelter
5 Believers/Highway 61
 
Back Pages
Rolling Stone
Rainy Day
 
(I have included the alternates because no cue sheet for this show appears
on Bill's page.  Abbreviations are my own.  What was actually played is
listed first.  Rolling Stone was listed above Back Pages on the cue sheet.) 
 
The Villa Manin was the last summer residence of the Doge (sp?...help
Stephan) ruling family.  Forget about being the most gorgeous place for a
show, it was one of the most breathtaking buildings/structures that I have
ever seen.  It put Ferrara to shame. The stage was set up in front of the
central building/castle.  The seats were arranged the grassy courtyard,
which was, of course, enclosed by a covered, horse shoe shaped walkway on
both sides.  The town of Passariano was just one or two streets, and just
outside the castle were acres and acres of vineyards.  It was, in a word,
magical.
 
The show matched the venue in terms of beauty.  The rain cleared up about
an hour before Dylan took the stage, and it turned into a perfect summer
night.  There was, quite simply, no low point.  It was one of those nights
where you just sit there an realize that it can't get much better.  Each
song was sung slowly, seemingly carefully, and usually flawlessly.  I was
so busy thanking God for the setlist variations that I just lost myself.
You Go Your Way had the same arrangement as 1995, but the vocals seemed
much clearer.  Everyone who knows me is aware of the fact that, while some
people got to the shows to see the classics, I am never happier than
during Jokerman (Disease of Conceit and License to Kill being my other two
favorites...I know it's skewed, but what can I do?)  The stage rush
occurred during I Shall Be Released (the first solo version of this song
since 1995).
 
The encores were something to see.  The setlist listed Rolling Stone
before Back Pages, but initially, Dylan decided to skip it.  As he came
out to do a second encores, the crowd, in unison, started chanting "Like A
Rolling Stone, Like A Rolling Stone".  It seemed that he had planned to
play Rainy Day, because he said something to Tony (presumably to play
Rolling Stone) , who passed along the news to all the other band members. 
In any case, the version was as slow as the one on Unplugged.  I was in
awe.
 
July 9, 1996- Sportshalle, Salzburg
 
Pillbox
I Want You
Watchtower
Simple Twist
I Don't Believe You
Silvio
Boots
John Brown
Hattie Carrol
Tombstone Blues
This Wheel's On Fire
Mobile
 
North Country
Rainy Day
 
Due to poor weather, this show was moved inside a tiny sports hall.  Most
of the stage was still in the Domplatz, so Dylan was only a few feet off
the ground.  It was quite freaky being almost the same plane.  Hattie
Carrol was the most obvious highlight of this very good show.
 
Unfortunately, Bobby messed up the last verse and sang, "Take the rag away
from your face, now is the time for your tears."  Anyway, it was so nice
to hear it that I really didn't care.
 
This Wheel's on Fire was great to hear, but not on the same level as in
the US.  Zimmy switched the order of the verses, and seemed confused about
when to play his harmonica.  He kept staring at Jackson, who just kept on
playing.  Once again, I was too busy thanking God that he was not playing
Thin Man to really care.
 
 
July 10, 1996- Schloss Tambach, Tambach
 
Flood
If Not For You
Watchtower
Tears of Rage
Be Your Baby
Silvio
Tambourine
Desolation
Twice
Sweet Marie
In The Garden
5 Believers
 
Back Pages
Rainy Day
 
Oh My God, that's not a screwed up version of If You See Her, it really
is Sweet Marie...hold the presses, go call Bill Pagel...this is
monumental/unbelievable...Christine Consolvo would be in tears (of
joy)...those were my thoughts as the second electric set began.  In line
with the amalgam theory, Sweet Marie sounds a bit like If You See Her.  It
is, however, much faster and, in my opinion, done quite well.
 
Desolation was definitely the highlight of this show.  While Bob did not
break down in tears while singing "He was famous long ago", it was an
extremely clear and passionate delivery.  Just one of those versions that
makes you look up from your popcorn and realize that something special is
going down.
 
For those interested, Bobby wore his winter/preacher wear at this show. 
His black pants and a long, embroidered black jacket, white shirt, and
black tie, brought back memories of 1994.  It seemed rather fitting that
he played In the Garden.
  
The cuesheet listed Matchbox as the first encore.
 
 
July 12, 1996- Stadthalle, Magdeburg
 
To Be Alone With You
Lay Lady Lay
Watchtower
4th Street
Takes A Train
Silvio
Hollis Brown
Gates of Eden 
Tambourine
Jokerman
Rolling Stone
Sweet Marie
 
Times 
Rainy Day
 
Dylan walked on stage smiling...that's right, smiling.  We all just
assumed that he had forgotten that he was in Magdeburg.  To Be Alone With
You sounded faster than the 1995 version, but I'm not really sure.  After
it, Dylan slapped five with JJ.  He seemed so tickled with how it had
worked.  He must have noticed how difficult it was for JJ to provide
backing vocals (he just couldn't figure out exactly when to sing...it was
only one line per verse or so, so maybe he was congratulating him or
something.). They slapped five again after Takes A Train (during the song,
Dylan just cracked up and started to laugh).  All in all, it was a very
strong show, with Bobby in his finest mood of the tour.
  
During Rainy Day, he took his guitar hero posturing to the limit. 
Smiling and strutting, he looked as comfortable as ever.  Afterwards, he
slapped five with many in the front row.  Once again, it seemed like an
American show (and a damn good one at that!).
 
 
July 13,1996- Hamburg
 
Pillbox
If You See Her
Watchtower
Be Your Baby
Silvio
Hollis Brown
Tangled
Rolling Stone 
Maggie's
 
Ain't Me Babe
Rainy Day
 
Typical festival set (Bob was opening for Neil Young).  Dylan once again
walked on stage smiling.  Otherwise, a relatively standard, good
performance.  Not really much to say.
 
 
July 14, 1996- Stadthalle, Cottbus
 
To Be Alone
I Want You
Watchtower
Just Like A Woman
Pledging My Time
Silvio
Boots
John Brown
Tambourine
Jokerman
I Believe In You
Memphis
 
Blowin' In The Wind 
Rainy Day
 
This show was weird in that it had some very high points, and some very
low points.  To Be Alone was even better than Magdeburg (it was weird to
hear it a second time in the same year!), while Just Like A Woman and
Pledging both really rocked.  Boots was also very nice.  There was another
high five with JJ (after Watchtower).On the other hand, Zimmy bombed
Memphis.  He forgot the first line of the song, and then, later, mumbled
that "grandpa died last week, they buried him in the sand"...he had no
second line to rhyme with this one.  All in all, his voice sounded tired
and worn out...the three days off following the show were a good idea.
 
The intro. to Blowin' provided the last of those classic "what the hell
is he doing, I hope somebody capable is taping this" moments.  It
consisted of first JJ, then  Bob playing single notes up and down the
guitar.  It was damn weird.  It seemed that when JJ finished, Bob nodded
and then did practically the same thing.  At first I just thought that JJ
was tuning his guitar, but Bob was nodding his approval.  Personally, I
was just waiting for them to begin Arthur McBride.
 
 
And so ends my diary/review.  It was one hell of a trip, and Dylan put
out some very strong shows.  Obviously, if anyone has any questions about
anything, please email me.  I would like to thank the following people for
making my trip so enjoyable:  Bobby, Stephan, Christine, Dangerous Daniel,
Heinrich, Big Frank, Homer, Joe, The Chopper, UK Ray, Janeena, Giulio,
Andreas, John Jackson, Elizabeth Cotton, Jim Callahan, Robert Hunter, Al
Santos, Jewels, Stefan Haras, Marion.  
 
Danke,
Josh
 
 
"Thanks for coming Bobby...thank you...Bobby, Bobby, Bobby!"
"No loss of generation..."    


Tour Dates Calendar Expecting Rain