Bob Dylan 970420 in Princeton, New Jersey
Subject: Monmouth -- Another Review
From: Zoner13 (zoner13@aol.com)
Date: 21 Apr 1997 06:01:03 GMT
Dear fellow peculiar Dylan fans --
Great God! I can't remember the last time I was this excited leaving a
concert. I was at the Wayne show and had a great time, but this topped
even that. (The fact I was directly on the rail might play a part. Get
the rail! Go early!)
This band is really starting to cook. The setlists have shown that the
songs are beginning to vary -- last night he opened with a Buddy Holly
song! He was back to Crash tonight, but no complaints. Hearing Tonight
I'll Be Staying Here With You right after made everything OK. What
singing this guy still has. What EMOTION he pours out. It ain't the
words. It's how he SINGS the words.
When you get the tape of tonight (you should) -- listen to the singing on
Don't Think Twice. Listen to the way Dylan still finds meaning in a song
he wrote 35 years ago. Listen to the sound he gets. 5 people on stage
and somehow it's as personal as ever. Listen to that phrasing. "I once
loved a woman, a child I'M TOOOLD." And listen to that drawn out
hyptonic sound of This Wheel's On Fire. "This -- wheel -- shall --
exploooohhhhhhhhde!"
And me, front row. On the rail.
I admit I wasn't excited to hear the opening of Masters of War. I've
heard it too much, and never (blasphemy!) liked it much in the first
place. But even tonight I found something great. I like the soft sound
this band can get -- almost a whisper. So Dylan's voice -- a whisper,
too, pours out like an echo, all through the room. I doubt a soundboard
could pick this up. You need that echo. (DAT rules!)
But any tape is gonna rock with Friend of The Devil -- one of those songs
that rocks and touches you, too -- "first one's name is Anne Marie, she's
my heart's delight" "FRIEND of the DEVIL is a FRIEND of MINE!!! If I get
home, before dayLIGGGHHHT! I just might get some SLEEEeeeeep,
toniiiiIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHTTT!!!"
And any tape is gonna rock with Leopard Skin Pillbox hat. Listen to those
guitars. It sounds like a hundred of them crashing together in a glorious
celebration. And Dylan knows we'll be glad he's playing this song. And
to see him there, right in front of us, with so much energy, glad to be
still on the road, glad to have us here, bobbing back and forth, egging
us on, pushing everything further. It's just about too much.
My one hope for tonight was Stuck Inside (he plays it about every night,
except when I show up.) But tonight I got it. And there are probably
better versions of this, but it's great to see Dylan still getting such a
kick out of it. ("Grandpa died last week! Now he's buuuried in the
ROCKS!) And to hear this band let loose. I'm telling you. We're VERY
lucky. He's still going.
And he sounds (and looks -- a very "healthy" looking Dylan on stage) like
he's not going to let up. A new album. A semi-new band. Another burst
of energy.
And I didn't get to the now standard songs -- You Ain't Goin' Nowhere,
Silvio, Tangled, or even some semi-new selections. Lot to Laugh/Train to
Cry. Or the "new" encore -- I Shall Be Released. But enough of my
yacking. The tapes will come. Until then, since this will be my last
concert for a while, I'm going to savor every last memory. Front row.
On the rail. Bob Dylan. What a world!
Zoner
Subject: Monmouth, 4/ 20, Set List, Revew
From: Marvincat9 (marvincat9@aol.com)
Date: 21 Apr 1997 13:21:12 GMT
1. Crash on the Levee
2. Tonight, I'll Be Staying Here With You
3. All Along the Watchtower
4. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
5. It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes A Train to Cry
6. Silvio
7. Friend of the Devil (acoustic)
8. Masters of War (acoustic)
9. Tangled up in Blue (acoustic)-unbelievable version
10. Memphis Blues Again
11. This Wheel's on Fire
12. Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat
encore
13. I Shall Be Released
14. Don't Think Twice (absolutely supernatural)
15. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
ONLY disappointment: NO HARMONICA
Personal observations:
Overheard- "This is the toughest ticket on the tour." A lot of people
looking, no one selling, that I saw.
Dylan in great shape, tremendous form. He wore a charcoal gray tux, white
shirt with the collar buttoned, black string tie. By the end of Friend of
the Devil, he had sweated through the coat. By the end of the show the
entire coat was drenched. but he never unbuttoned coat or tie.
Springsteen was rumoured to be there, but he wasn't. Dylan worked
incredibly hard and played beautifully. As they say in Monmouth County,
"Springsteen should work so hard."
By the end of the show the audience was standing, stomping, screaming,
crying. "Don't Think Twice" wa the best performance I've EVER seen by
Dylan, and I've seen a few. Even the band members seemed stunned by his
intense, lengthy solo.
The new guitar player was stiff as a poker and seemed in awe of the goings
on. Dylan played lead most of the time, it seemed to me. Dylan played to
the audience, smiled, danced, introduced the band, carried off a dozen
roses at the end of the show. He's at his very best, and something is
happening here.
Great show- this has to be the hottest ticket in the land, to those in the
know. Catch it if you can. I think we're seeing the real him at last.
Subject: Monmouth 4/20 Not too long
From: Tom Favata (tbuick6@ix.netcom.com)
Date: 21 Apr 1997 15:18:12 GMT
Another Jersey Gym, another great show. For a change, I decided to get to
the gig real early-like. My better half and I arriving at the venue at
about 2:30 PM. At that time there were only a handful of people waiting at
the entrance. I soon learned that these folks were here in part to see
Bruce Springsteen, who now lives in Monmouth and was rumored to be a guest
at tonight's show(NOT!). I passed the time waiting for the doors to open by
listening to the Yankee bullpen blow yet another game on my Walkman(check
alt.blownsave.yanks for further details on that front). The game ended just
as the doors opened at 6:30. Of course the genius security guard at the
door told me I couldn't enter the building with my NON-RECORDABLE AND EMPTY
walkman, so I did what any self respecting Dylan fan who had just spent 4
hours standing in line to be at the foot of the stage would do. I tossed it
into the trash and proceeded into the gym. We took our place front and
center of the stage, standing only behind a young man in a wheelchair who
came all the way from San Francisco(and I thought the trek from NYC was a
bitch).
Although I have seen Dylan a few times from this close range, the Supper
Club shows to name but a few, it would be a first for Debbie, my soon to
be bride. For over 4 hours she stood patiently outside amongst various side
shows, while yours truly listened to the final Yankee game ever to emanate
from my soon to be defunct Walkman.
7:40 The show begins. Dylan walks out carrying his white cowboy hat, but
does not put it on. He would be hat-less throughout. As the show
progressed, it became apparent he would be harp-less as well, for he not
once reached for his trusty harmonica. It would not be missed. This was a
night for Dylan to strut his guitar stuff. His acoustic playing on Friend
of the Devil, Tangled, and the encore Don't Think Twice were simply
amazing. And boy, was he having fun. Throughout the show, he sported a
"How' m I doing?' shit kickin' grin with almost every new lick. He posed,
shuffled and shimmied throughout. Being as close as we were, it was really
something to see. Hearing, however, was another matter entirely. Standing
at the foot of the stage, Dylan's vocals(not to mention Larry Campbell's
fiddle on Friend of the Devil) were barely audible. The speakers were
actually behind us, so the sound at the foot of the stage was pretty poor.
A decision had to be made. Would we rather see the show or hear the show?
After the acoustic set, we decided the latter. We moved back to about the
middle of the floor, and were rewarded with a mix that delivered Dylan's
vocals as we hadn't heard them all night, crisp, warm, and upfront. The
visual trade-off was well worth it. As you have probably read the setlist
already, I won't repeat it. It was a night much like Wayne a week ago,
where a cool setlist combined with a near flawless performance. Even an
abandoned walkman and a Yankee loss could not taint it.
Tom and Debbie
