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Bob Dylan 970412 in Waltham, Massachusetts



Subject: Waltham, MA Show (long)
From: Greg Tuft (grt@ultranet.com)
Date: 13 Apr 1997 04:17:53 GMT

Hi everyone.. Just got back from the Waltham show, and it was a
very good one...Highlight for me was Don't Think Twice, though
the two songs with the violin were nice too...

I think this was the first show in which Campbell played the
violin, wasn't it?

It was an excellent venue.. The sound was good (I was worried
beforehand, it being a gym and all,) and I _really_ like the
general admission thing... It lets us regular, unconnected,
don't-follow-the-tour-everywhere types get good seats too...

Fashion report:  Riverboat gambler/fried chicken tycoon look.
Grey frock coat, black pants with the shiny tape, white and black
boots and a big ole white cowboy hat.

OK, here goes:

1.   Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)

Right away, I could tell the new players have changed the dynamic
quite a bit.. The new drummer (new to me, anyway) adds
something--his playing style is quite different from Winston's..
The new guitarist mostly stays in the background and lets Dylan
take most of the leads.

Also, Dylan's voice is pretty rough right now--probably because
he's played so many shows in a row.. The phrasing and the energy
were there, but he didn't go for the high notes much.

2.   Pretty Peggy-O

This was a highlight.. The phrasing on this song was priceless.
Had a syncopated Watching The River Flow feel to it.

3.   All Along The Watchtower

This was a fine rendition--not a standout, though.

4.   Just Like A Woman

His voice was really rough on this--seemed to suit the lyric.

5.   It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry

Great. It was a very bluesy night, and Dylan really played
hard--his lead guitar work continues to improve, and he seemed to
be really enjoying it.

6.   Silvio

Standard..  "Pay for your ticket and don't complain," indeed.
Best @#$%! fourteen dollars I've ever spent. Even the concession
stand prices were entirely reasonable.  (Did I mention yet that I
loved this venue?)

7.   Friend Of The Devil (acoustic)

The violin was really perfect for this song, and Dylans take on
the lyrics was very nice.

8.   Masters Of War (acoustic)

Standard. Very strong vocal.  The images on the screen were
interesting, but a bit hard to see...

9.   Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (acoustic)

As I said, the standout for me. The jamming was great, and Dylan
really seemed to be into the last verse.  I think everything
really jelled on this song.

10.  Obviously Five Believers

A very bluesy night indeed. Crystal clear vocals, and he sang
every verse.

11.  Shooting Star

A little too slow for my taste.

12.  Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat

More blues.

13.   Like A Rolling Stone

Pretty good... I thought the new band members really helped on
this one--it definitely had a slightly different rhthym to it
than other versions I've heard from the last couple of years.

14.   My Back Pages (acoustic)

Campbell on violin again, and Dylan played harp at the end.  I
couldn't really tell from where I was, but it looked like Bob
might have been unhappy with Cambell's playing on this... He
seemed to gesture in such a way that he might have wanted him to
play the violin faster or louder, or something. Anyone else
notice this?

15.   Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

The crowd loved it, of course, but I can take it or leave it. 
Did I zone-out, or did he only sing one verse before settling in
for the jam?  I love how they turn up all the lights for this
one, though.   It was hot in that gym and Bob's long grey coat
was soaked through...

All in all, an excellent show..   Oh yeah, the rumored special
guest was a no-show, unless you count the deadhead guy who jumped
up during LARS spoke to Dylan for a few beats and then danced a
crazy jig. The looks Bob and Tony exchanged after this encounter
were priceless.

-- Greg


Subject: old writer stumbles behind From: nate (nates@ll.mit.edu) Date: 18 Apr 1997 22:25:18 GMT Organization: EDLIS . * , ' ' * . - ~_* ~. ' ' . . '_-' ~.* -. .' ' .:'-*~ '' _ #' --- * _H_ . /|#|\ . / |#| \ |#| ---~~~~~---___________---------~~~~~~~~----------------_______|_|____------ _| |_ =========================================================================== oh what's the matter with me? i don't have too much to say.... feel like johnny in the basement watching a parade go by through the basement window. a single snapshot. a blurred frame. was that a shooting star there? bentley college, where everyone can grow up to become an accountant applying for a job at Cooper's & Lybrand's, where the women play field hockey on a cement field painted green, where the gymnasium is 30 minutes away from where you can park your car........... the forecast was rain. and it did eventually, but i got there at 12:36 and was first in line. in a few minutes Josh shows up. sadiejane came by and we talked a bit. she copped a souvenir, but the wind blew the rest off and it wasnt missed. i killed some time playing a game with my colored pencils. josh moved to a warmer spot. then after not much more time, there are 4 of us. we run into Denise who works for Don Law and is the promoter for this tour. she has some nice stories and takes our names down for the Special Section at the upcoming Brown U date. but i didnt think i could get there, and i was right. young Matt could have used my name if he got there. hope he did & did.... one story worth repeating was about a chair. at the UNH concert the night before, Bob apparently took a liking to the chairs they were using for the concert. he said something close to "i'd like one of those chairs" and Denise had to churn through all kinds of people to finally get to the person who could let her take a chair and put it in his bus....when the man speaks, it's as if he's a mafia don. Denise also allowed as to how she had tried to get BB King to go along on this tour - a double header..... well, anyway, the sun was out in the early afternoon. i forgot to lock my car and they held my spot in line so i could fix that (30 minutes was probably an exaggeration, but the footbridge over the main road was enormously high and arched so that - despite the all-around caging - i still felt a bit of vertigo). there were tales of the current tour by the other guys. i had nothing to add.... later on Maureen & George showed up and we gradually became an expectant crowd. more tales of the current tour. repeated stories. comraderie. the lobby of the athletic center was open at first and 2 or 3 of us were able to take advantage of the facilities. a couple of us noticed that the gym doors were open in there and we took a peak. the large assemblage of lights was down around the stage obscuring everything. it was hard to see who was making the guitar checks. then the bentley people saw us and chased us out. moments later they came outside and put up a new sign saying that bathrooms were now located in lacava hall across the main road and no one could use the ones here. so we ruined it for the others after. bricks without straw, etc. somewhere around 5:30 the sound checks finally began. what we were able to identify: something generically bluesy with slide guitar, probably not a bobsong dignity dignity again more dignity a brief section of Here Comes the Sun more dignity and still more dignity another taste of Here Comes the Sun friend of the devil with larry on violin hard rain with larry on violin, incomplete, transitioning to all i really want to do with larry still on violin from a buick 6 obviously 5 believers i want you more i want you just like a woman Emmett, the massive 2-yr old St. Bernard, is selected to stand guard and keep line jumpers from cutting in. the rain is irritating to those who cant crowd under the slanted wall above the doors. it is cold. but we dont seem to let that bother us. we talk about queuing up in our arrival order. we talk about the red sox. and always more stories of following this tour on the road. hotels, restaurants, no flat tires though. at 6:53, 7 minutes before they said they would, all the doors burst open and we surge in. WHAM! into the Metal Detectors and Serious Glares. i set it off with coins and most regrettably, the umbrella i looped around my belt, almost forcing me to strip off my pants but losing the first spot in line horribly. fortunately the acquaintances made while waiting allowed me to rebound as close as the second row in the front throng of standing only viewing spots. reminiscent of Lupo's in providence, the standing fatigue would get us all. so now we had yet another hour to kill. at 7:14 we spot Ron Mura in his rmd hat. but never did verify that. people kinda curl down to the floor for awhile, except in the fron 6 or so rows, waiting. around 7:55 the stage lights blink around a bit, causing ripples of anticipation in the multitudes. i really think that the concert reviews we have seen in this newsgroup are great and have described the actual concerts very well. i dont have much to say. i feel that my comments would be very much that same as sadiejane's comments about UNH & Northhampton. perhaps i am jaded? i am unable cut loose any time during this concert. others describe it in glowing terms. me? well, it was ok, well worth the 13 bucks & the aggravation of getting there & the aggravation of the hideous Metal Detectors. but i feel there is something missing from the concerts i have seen before. Crash - very well crafted, but i am busy basking in the excitement of being at another concert and do not even write anything down about this. didnt have the punch in "aint you gonna miss your best friend now!" Peggi-o - this was goooood Watchtower - love the acoustic guitar by Bucky opening this. this has more of a stomp to it than before. bob just sorta read out the words, with stops, like sadie described it at UNH. JLAW - ok ok Train to Cry - very broad bluesy romp, good bar band sound? Silvio - this has become more mechanically polished than it used to be - there are no big risks, no dangerous cliffs. Friend of the devil with larry on violin. the front stage has a bad mix and i cant hear larry very well - intead Bob is way too loud in front. i was told after that the violin was fine further away. bucky on acoustic again. infact, whenever larry is on violin, bucky is on acoustic. there are always at least 2 guitars. bob sings this one with enough feeling to get me involved finally. Masters - not again! i always get this. well, once i got Jim Brown. this is chunky compared to before. i didnt catch the back- ground photos very much. Dont Think Twice - another one i didnt need to hear in this spot. this was the crowd favorite. very good stuff that i have already heard. different a bit with larry instead of jj. -introductions- no jokes, just straight intros Believers - bucky on acoustic guitar This one got a star from me. bob clear, harkening the album version at times Shooting Star - had way too much bass for regular folks, but i like a lot of bass! sang "Flaming Star" on last line of first verse. my favorite of the night. it was clearly "firetruck", no "fuckin' truck from hell" this time. ;-) Pill Box - Tony called this, going around to all the band to change what they were going to do. 1st, doctor, last verse. LARS - 1,2 & last verses. i liked this! it was solid. he did something with the delivery of each last line: "Like A Rolling Stone" came out just "Rolling Stone" and was thus ahead in the music.... Back Pages - no longer tied through my hair - back to ears. another star on my page. tony has his electric pickuped acoustic bass - something out of the Ovation Guitar ficton. larry is on violin again with bucky on acoustic. bob plays harmonica well, but not stunning. Rainy Day - i thought this was limp? end of concert hurryupgetout. hit the road for New Jersey next kinda. but the crowd dug it. larry will eventually succeed in this band. there is no doubt. he seemed quite a bit involved compared to the reviews of the concerts leading up to this one. i think bucky will also always be a part of this band, so they wont get in each other's way with their polyglot talents. instead, bob has a much wider range of tools at his disposal. dave didnt stand out for me, but he did get a nice crash on LARS to start it. he'll be okay. tony has more basses to choose from. seems to like his leather beret. the guys mesh into a band sound pretty good, if i correct for the bad mix in the front rows. bob _is_ playing a heckuva lot more. but i wish he would _sing_ a heckuva lot more. perhaps he cant use up the old throat though - so we get what we get. which is pretty good. looks like bucky got to pick up some of the fillin guitar strumming that JJ used to do all the time. perhaps this will work. too early to tell. and for those new the scene lately, this was a great show. i was astonished at the knowledge of the young kids in getting the song titles 1 or 2 bars in. there was sort of a peculiar weirdness watching some of the sub-20 year olds faces and then the over-50 year old faces, both in rapt attention. and then why am i looking so strangely? we stayed to try to get the cue sheet, but i never get that. some huge ruffians with chains came forward and were mean to maureen and stuff. i had to fetch my coat, hat & umbrella from over the rail. we regrouped looking for mitch. how to get to Watch City Brewery? no one knew. sadiejane got in at the end. mark is waiting for a friend to give him a ride. it is raining as we exit and start the long trek back to the parking area. i figure to join them on my own. i pick up 2 hitchhikers who know the town and drop them off in waltham center. they appear to be 18-20 and were at the concert. they rave on about it. i find Watch City easy enough & park in front. they have a good IPA on tap. we have a table. a good time. not quite up to the Crabfest standards, but what is? the same familiar crowd again. maureen, george, mitch, mireille, mark, me and sadiejane. we're getting to be like family....i feel tired. i make the mistake of ordering another IPA. the food is fine. but we run out of steam and the others end up leaving before they close the place. even i, with a half an ale, cant stay to the limit. forshame. - nate
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