Bob Dylan 980120 in New York, New York - Madison Square Garden - The Theater
Address: 7th Ave. & 32nd St.
Capacity 5610
Double bill with Van Morrison
Ticket prices: $75.00 and $45.00
Subject: Tuesday Night at Madison Square Garden
From: (warren@villagenet.com)
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 23:40:09 -0500
I just got back from the concert and let me just say that Bob Dylan is the
undisputed King of Rock and Roll. His voice is in great shape and his
guitar playing is amazing. This was the second time I saw him do 'Tonight
I'll Be Staying Here with You' on this tour and again he gave a superb
performance complete with cheers from the crowd after he says 'I can hear
that lonesome whistle blowwwwiinnnggg...'. He also delivered a much better
'Born in Time' than Sunday night (although I wouldn't trade that
'Desolation Row' from Sunday for anything). The first real surprise and my
favorite of the night was 'Hard Rain' the opener of the acoustic set. There
was something indescribable about what was happening in the crowd as the
energy would build during the choruses - 'It's a Hard..., It's a Hard...' -
It was a very intense buildup every chorus. After finishing this, he jumped
right into a nice 'Girl From the North Country'. I really like David's
drumming on this how he kind of gets that sound resembling a train rolling
down the tracks (similar to some past 'John Browns'). He also did a great
'Million Miles' (faster tempo than the CD) and a mean 'Positively 4th
Street'. He is very animated on stage (fancy footwork) and is definately
interacting with the crowd in the front by shooting them looks and smiling
and snarling. His voice can growl out the vocals to 'Highway 61', and then
it be smooth as silk in the acoustic set (particularly 'Hard Rain'). If you
get a chance - GO SEE HIM NOW he's putting on some incredible performances
on this tour.
Warren
Subject: 1/20/98 review
From: Small Change (schd@pluto.njcc.com)
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 21:14:29 -0500
I'll just say that having the last shows at the Trocadero and
going to MSG was very difficult to adjust to. The venue was a oversized
high school auditorium with rows and columns of yellow light bulbs on a
very low ceiling - quite disorienting! If you listened carefully, you
could hear noth'in but idle chatter before the show.
Well, what the heck, at least I didn't have to pay for parking. I
wondered just how far this place (sub\sub/sub|sub basements) went down
after the theatre and if any shadow government has it secret headquarters
down there? Soon the thoughts mutated into hellish rage at the extra
charges ($40) that ticketbastard added on to the price of my tickets
[*&%$#@.]
Then, I smiled when I found out they have drinks! The selection of
corporate beers was disturbing [nevertheless, we did see lots of suits in
line for High Balls.] So we got in line with the suits and sadly enough;
there was NO grapefruit juice for Salty Dogs :-(. So I tried the
gin'n'tonics; geez, but they really went down way too easy and at $5 a
thimble full, I wonder how they let them go so cheap?
Bob opened the show with what sounded like he was sucking on an
atomic fire ball. I tried to explain it would get better, but nobody
listened or noticed the incredible display hydraulics that made the stage
float over the audience. I could see the mechanical arm [kinda like a
waitress holding a tray of the stage] almost tilt, and send Bob and the
Band into the begging arms of his fans - but when I tried to explain, it
was just too obvious to see. During "Tonight, I be staying here with
you," Bob promised us that he would not leave, and everyone felt much more
comfortable. I really heard "Cold Iron Bound" like it came from Tom Waits
_Bone Machine_. Soon, the backdrop of the stage had a computer generated
hologram of a train coming right through the stage and into the audience,
almost like the Kodak pavilion at D-World. Then, there was a big screen
TV behind the stage that had kinda like the ending at the Kennedy Center
honors on, but they played it in reverse. Gosh, the crowd cheered louder
and even more...than the original gala star-studded event.
"Born in time" soothed and smoothed, and I believe mentho liptus
was pumped into the ventilation system. Then all of the sudden, Bob was
telling everyone that he had to *go*, "to find out something "only a dead
man knows," and we were all bumming and begging him not to leave so soon?
It musta worked cause he decided to stay and play "Hard Rain." MSG had
multiple particle beams that shot out of yellow lights above and gave the
effect of riding on a motorcycle when it's raining. When Bob would
crescendo the "Hards," the liquid less rain would really pelt ya!
"Girl from the North Country" was soo sad, but I found myself
laughing while crying? [more "sweet" ventilation.] Bob changed all the
words of "Tangled Up..." to tell about his life in the medical profession,
and it just wasn't that vagabondism as it we know it to be. But, I was
found it interesting about his job in a morgue and gynecology departments.
"Million Miles" was loaded with exaggerations. The intro to "Positively
4th Street" was what the good doctor bob ordered and played to save the
show from the military recruiters that were now stationed with flashlights
at every aisle with quotas that they had to meet before the end of his
set. Then came "Till I fell in Love w/you" which was enigmatic and
shifty. While Bob shuffled in small circles the MSG ushers started
playing this game around the theatre of opening and closing these doors
that had REAL BRIGHT LIGHTS TM behind them. I lost my focus of being at a
Dylan concert when that happened, its kinda like getting pulled over.
During Hwy 61, I was visited by the ghost of Jonathan Winter (he's
really white!) who showed me where the smoking place was (nobody at MSG
wanted to divulge this information.) We missed the rest of the show and
just went exploring the bowels of MSG & Penn Station. We found the secret
headquarters. All in all, it was a fantastic show. We saw Van and his
sequined singer for awhile, I think it would have been better to see Van's
band first, but that's the breaks.
After, Mr. Winter showed me where to find the fast way home. I
traveled in one of those tubes that you see at the bank's drive-up tellers
directly to my house; pretty slick, eh!
joe
Subject: New York, NY 20 January 1998 - a review
From: Carsten Wohlfeld (happyjaq@confetti.ruhr.de)
Date: 30 Jan 1998 22:11:00 +0100
Bob Dylan
New York, NY 20 January 1998
Madison Square Garden - The Paramount Theater
A Review by Carsten Wohlfeld
After we all had a day off on monday, we all met again at the MSG to hear
Bob opening for Van. He came out at about 7.50 pm, tonight waring his
r.md. flower suit if I recall correctly. (He wore it on a few nights
actually). Very stylish.
Absolutely Sweet Marie
Started out rather unconvincing, but got really good closer to the end,
with a sarcastic "HAH!" thrown in for good measure before - I think - the
last verse.
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
A first-timer live for me, so I only can compare this rendition to the
taped versions. Nice, very "Nashville Skyline"-ish arrangement with great
phrasing from Bob, even though his voice wasn't exactly smooth all
evening.
Cold Irons Bound
Really good, but maybe not as good at the show before. The cuesheets
arrived very late, the roadies only taped them to the speakers during this
song.
Born In Time
If you've read my previous reports, you'll know that this is the song -
along with "Not Dark Yet" and "Hattie Carroll" - that I really wanted to
hear on my little tour. Thanks, Bob! Maybe a bit too fast, but beautifully
done with all the great and officially unreleased "Oh Mercy" lyrics as
usual. I love it *thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis* much :-)
Silvio
Had a nice variation in the jamming end part - Larry was playing a
different solo. Unfortunately Bob still played his familiar part and old
and new didn't go too well together :-)
A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall (acoustic)
I had hoped for "Visions" in this spot for reasons too complicated to
explain here (Rainman will know) and because the first acoustic slot had
featured rarely performed gems before ("Tomorrow...", "Desolation Row")
over the last few nights. Anyways, this was as close to "Visions" as it
gets and the nearby perfect delivery made the crowd go wild during the
refrain and listen stunned during the verses.
Girl Of The North Country (acoustic)
One of my first ever Dylan favourites when I was about 13 years old and a
song I had hoped to hear live for several years. Now I finally got to hear
it and didn't even recognize it! They played it to the tune of "Boots Of
Spanish Leather" and as soon as I heard the intro my mind switch off. Even
though the lyrics obviously didn't match, it took me quite a while to
figure it out! :-) Nevertheless the best vocal performance from Bob all
night.
Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic)
Some nice new phrasings and the probably best Bob slo on "Tangled" all
week.
Million Miles
Bob stumbled over a line or two, but the stage rush helped him to turn
this into a smoking version.
Positively Fourth Street
This slot is apparently becoming the subsitute slot for #4, after "Just
Like A Woman" another #4 regular turned up high in the set. Faster than
the lush (but beautiful) summer '96 arrangement that I loved so much and
more rocking, but the awesome vocal performance turned it into one of the
night's highlights neverthless. Probably the most casual version ever!
'Til I Fell In Love With You
Smiliar to "Million Miles", as it rocked harder than usual as well. The
band intros before this song very pretty standard and we were told that
"the great Van Morrison" would be "out in a few minutes".
(encore)
Highway 61 Revisited
Smoking, with an unusually loud Larry solo very prominent in the mix.
Don't Think Twice It's Allright (acoustic)
Crowd obviously loved it to death. Nice version with a great Bob guitar
solo, but nothing to sell your grandma for.
Lovesick
Bob had some problems with the words, otherwise great choice as usual.
Rainy Day Women Nos. 12&35
The expected Van duet was absent, as well as the Carl Perkins tribute (he
died the night before). This song however was still there.
My whole experience of this show was kinda ruined by the retard next to me
and his equally asshole-y wife, who kept hollering and clapping in the
wrong places and singing along without knowing the words. If, in thirty
years or so, I ever behave like this at a rock 'n' roll show, please shoot
me without warning. I'll appreciate it. Btw, the asshole's worst line was:
"Go for it, Bobby" (punching the air during "Hard Rain"). Ummm, 'xcuse me,
but is Bob Joe Di Maggio nowadays or something?
Join me tomorrow for my report on the last New York show. Two reviews of
the Boston gigs will also follow this weekend. As always: Thanks for
reading.
--
carsten wohlfeld
"i'm caught in a trap and i can't get out cause i love you so much, baby!"
(elvis presley)
