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Bob Dylan 980330 in Miami Beach, Florida, Cameo Theater 

There are some comments on both shows (30th and 31st) on the page for 
the 31st.

Subject: My Cameo Experience 3/30
From: Paula & Pete (spfl@worldnet.att.net)
Date: 3 Apr 1998 02:25:48 GMT

    We arrived at 14th and Washington about 3:30.  There were about
10 people in line.  Very small theater, like the Roxy in Atlanta.  We
checked out the side door which was on 14th street.

     Had a coffee across the st. and got in line around 4:00.  We were
about 15 people back.  Everyone was friendly and conversation used
up the time well.

     Kept checking the side door for activity.  Two other artists came by
hoping to get their art signed.  The guard at the door said Soy Bomb
made Bob a little paranoid and that he would not stop to sign anything.
     I told one of them to check out Expecting  Rain for their art.

     Around 6;00, we heard some music.  Just bits of songs.  Someone
was singing a Dylan song.  Another girl came by and listened.  We 
looked at each other and said  "thats not Bob"  then who?
     Then a guy came up who had been standing with me on a little
landing during sound check in Atlanta.  Hi.  Small World.

     8:15 they let us in.  Made it to 2nd row, in front of mike.  This was
the
worst hour.  Right before Dylan came out, someone brought a security
guard and put him right in front.  Now I was 3 back.  We really didn't
have room for an extra big person.  People were starting to yell "Bob".
The man that brought the security guard said "He doesn't like to be
called Bob, he likes to be called  Robert".  Does he know anything?

     Right about now we were "bathed in a stream of  pure heat".  Hot
lights, hot bodies and cramps in the neck from looking up.  All was
forgotten when Bob came out.

     No hat, nice dark suit, looking good. Every song got better.  By the
second half, he was really having fun and playing to the crowd.  His
expressions were very animated and his dance moves were choice.
     The boys in the band were enjoying him too.  It was great to see
everyone smiling on stage and off.  Very good show.

    We moved to the back during the last few songs and was surprised
to hear how much better the sound was .  Next time we're going for
 the middle.

     Near the end of Rainy Day, we went out the door and around the
side.  Wanted to see Bob come out.  Couldn't believe it.  Bob was in
the back of a van coming down 14th street right by us with a guard
walking behind the van.  We crossed the street right behind the van
and walked up along side just as it stopped at the light.  The windows
were sort of dark but I could see his famous profile.  I stood there
giving him the peace sign.  I saw him turn to his right which was towards
the  Cameo and give a little wave.  Then I saw his profile again,  I was
still giving the peace sign.  Then he turned towards me and  gave a
gesture, almost like when you go to tip you hat.   Thanks Bob, you
made more than my day.      Good luck on your tour 

            Paula
March - April Setlists Tour
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Path: globalone.no!uninett.no!Cabal.CESspool!bofh.vszbr.cz!news.ruhrgebiet.indiv idual.net!nntp.ruhr.de!ruhr.de!confetti.ruhr.de!happyjaq Subject: South Miami Beach, FL, 30 March 1998 - a review From: Carsten Wohlfeld Date: 05 Apr 1998 00:47:00 +0100 X-Newsreader: CrossPoint v3.1 Bob Dylan Miami Beach, FL 30 March 1998 The Cameo A Review By Carsten Wohlfeld It had been almost two years since I've last been to Miami Beach, but when I first saw the beautiful old Theater that is the Cameo on Washington Ave/ Espinola Way I instantly thought: 'Wow, this would be the perfect place for a Bob show'. I just had come back from what turned out to be Bob's last tour of Germany so far so my reaction was only understandable, I guess. Didn't help much, that my friends from the area kept telling me that they hardly ever have gigs there anymore. So when I saw "Miami Beach/Cameo" on Bill Pagel's excellent site, my first thought was: 'hey, you gotta be there'. And why not? My last Bob show's been almost two months ago and Dylan isn't going to be in Europa for another seven weeks. Since I had time off from class anyways, could need a holiday in the sun, too and the money priting machine in our basement works so well (cheers Ray and Joy!), I booked a cheapo flight (unfortunately on a bad airline as well :-)), bothered some people to get me tickets (thanks Bill, Richard, Vic, Henry and everybody who responded, couldn't have done it without you!) and made the trip from Essen, Germany via Amsterdam to Miami. After a few days on the beach ("Chillin' like Bob Dylan", as the Beastie Boys once fittingly called it), it was time for the big show. There was a big buzz around town and just about everybody from the guys at Sbarro to the Hotel receptionist and cleaning woman seemed to talk about anything but Bob or listening to "Love Sick" (Live From The Grammies) which was on the local FM quite a bit. My Hotel was just one block away, which allowed me to leave the queue and use my 'own' bathroom, which was nice and actually I enjoyed the six hours or so in front of the Cameo that monday afternoon quite a bit. The queue got a bit disorganized when the will call people turned up, but I still managed to be among the first five to get into the venue at 8.10 (the posters said doors 8.30) and so I was lucky enough to secure an almost centre spot in the second right, right under Bob's nose. It was a funny atmosphere backstage, cause the band had to walk across the stage to get to the second floor dressing room, so not only did we get to see Bucky tune his pedal steel as usual, but we also got a glimpse at Tony, Larry, David and even Bob as he rushed up the stairs dressed in a blue jeans jacket and black pants when he entered the building at around 9.10. Well, to cut a very long introduction short, a couple of minutes after 9.30 it was time for us ladies and gentlemen to welcome the Columbia Recording Artist that we had been waiting for all day, some people as long as 12 hours... Bob already seemed to be in a excellent the second he took the stage, smiling six times the whole night (Carla's been counting, not me), dancing and pulling faces as soon as the band - somewhat surprisingly - hit... To Be Alone With You Nice to hear anything else apart from "Sweet Marie" in this slot of course, even though Bob's delivery wasn't really very convincing at all. He struggled through it without major accidents though and traded a few nice licks with Larry at the end. If they would play it more often, it probably would become the perfect opening song. Btw, Larry was wearing a white satin shirt, similiar to the ones Bob used to wear in '95, only that it wasn't tucked in and about three sizes too big! Looked like a dress...very funny. If You See Her Say Hello Wow! You instalntly know that you're a a great Dylan show if he pulls out this one. Definitely one of my favourite Bob songs, delivered beautifully vocal-wise, with Bob's singing getting better as the song progressed. I still feel that the full-blown electric arrangement is a bit too loud and fast for this one, though. Can't Wait Actually I had predicted earlier that "Cold Irons Bound" would make a return to the set after winning Bob a Grammy, but obviously I was wrong and this was a truely great version... so much better than the "TOOM" original due to that extra added little riff courtesy of Bucky. Great! Born In Time Even before they did this I was pretty happy about the whole show, but this one nearly killed me! Cuesheet alternate "Not Dark Yet" went unplayed as they did a beautifully slow version of this terrific song. Much more powerful than I remember the NYC version in January to be as well. If you get goosebumps in Sunburn City aka Miami Beach, you know you're in for an awesome version of "Born In Time", that was even improved by the superb lights, half the band in yellow, the other in violet spotlights ("I dreamed of you in black in white" indeed) Silvio Actually the cuesheet listed "Cold Irons Bound" as a second possibility in this slot, but without even discussing skipping this old warhorse, they played "Silvio" yet again. And they didn't do a very good job, either. It rocked as usual, but there was this weird incident in the middle, when the band slowed down for the quiet part, but Bob just kept on soloing, going to the quiet part later. The jam at the end was really smoking though. White Dove (acoustic) Bob started this by himself, even before the others had a chance to change instruments. I don't care for the song that much, but Bob definitely enjoyed it to the max. One of the most heartfelt songs all night. You literally could feel that he really missed his Mum and Dad.Bucky and Larry sang along to the chorus and I prefered this acoustic version to the late '97 electric ones, I have to say. It's All Over Now Baby Blue (acoustic) Another one of those songs I never get tired of hearing. Not as staggeringly good as let's say Cradiff '97 or NYC '98, but it a very fine rendition, with Bob making fun of us all by just singing "It's all over now Baby!" on the first refrain! Hey man, it's supposed to be "Baby BLUE!" Please rehearse your old songs better next time ;-) Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) Best version I've heard in a while with really playful phrasing and a never ending jam at the end. Close to the end Larry looked over to Tony, nodding at Bob and raising his eyebrows - then they were both cracking up: "Is he ever gonna stop soloing oe what?" After that the band switched back to electric instruments and Kemper started what many people around me thought to be the "Series Of Dreams". Larry got a bit confused, and switched guitars again while the other guys were already playing so he joined in a little later with those three chords I love so damn much. The drums were just amazing, like a Tornado coming closer or like driving to the Mojave desert without anybody in sight and then you hear a thunder storm rolling. Amazing! I didn't know for sure what song it was (Larry's chords were very quiet), but it was absolutely terrific nvertheless. Then Bob steps up to the mic, mumbling: "There must be some kinda way outta here..." All Along The Watchtower OH MY GOD... Some of you already know that this is my alltime favourite song by anybody and hearing it again at a Bob show was one thing, but in such a strange, but neverthless amazing version was a completely different story! This was by far and away the most unusual "Watchtower" I ever heard. They just what I thing was a weird time-signiture, so Bob had to repeat the first half of almost every line to make the lyrics fit in with the music. In a way this deconstruction of the song was similar to "John Brown" in L.A. '97 and NYC '98. Really dramatic, truely excellent. Queen Jane Approx. Hardly any song could've followed this (for me anyways), but "Queen Jane" was a very welcome choice. He messed up the lyrics a bit, singing the same verse twice and he obviously was pretty angry at himself for doing so. I for one didn't mind it. Still liked the rendition very much. Standard band intros with no jokes at all followed, Bob's only words apart from a couple of "thanks everybodys". 'Til I Fell In Love With You Closed the main set. For me it's one of the songs who either come across very, very well live or just die. Tonight it was really rocking. (encore) Highway 61 Revisited Another endless solo jam that made the whole band mile and tap their feet. Where I was standing it sounded a little bit too distorted, but I'm sure in was fine everywhere else. Btw, some people gave me a hrad time after my January reviews when I said I wouldn't mind not hearing "Highway" ever again. I do not pretty damn well that Bob 'has' to play a few of his greatest hits for the once-every-five-years-customer, but why not do "I Shall Be Released" or "4th Street" in this slot from time to time instead. Would be just a crowd-pleasing, but would keep the regulars of getting sick of great songs like this too soon. It Ain't Me Babe (acoustic) I thought I heard this one more than enough to last several lifetimes as well, but I actually liked this version quite a bit. It had a different ending, very long and slow, reminding me of the way they almost closed every song in '94. I have to say that I really missed Bob's harp on this one though. Love Sick I just love this song to death, but this version sounded a bit too rushed and flat, pretty much in the way as the Boston 01/24/98 one. Maybe Bob felt that he already had delivered more than enough for one night and just wanted to get over with it? Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35 Yes, that one was well with the houselights on and a funny expression on Bob's face: 'Hey, look guys, there's been people in front of the stage. Wonder if they have been there all night?" ;-) The verdict: A ridiculously good show, maybe even the best I ever have seen in person. I need a tape of this one more than you'll ever know, so if you get a hold of one, pleeeeeze, get in touch with me at: happyjaq@confetti.ruhr.de - thanks! It's approcahing 2 am now, and I haven't slept in over 48 hours, so the March 31 review has to follow tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed this one despite the numerous misspellings. I'm just to tired to take care of that right now. Goodnight. -- carsten wohlfeld "i'm caught in a trap and i can't back out cause i love you so much, baby!" (elvis presley)