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Bob Dylan 981026 in Indianapolis
May - June - July - August - September - October - 1998 setlists

Tour

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Path: globalone.no!uio.no!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!wn4fee d!worldnet.att.net!135.173.83.225!attworldnet!newsadm Subject: Indy 10/26 From: Bryon Jordan Date: 27 Oct 1998 23:36:00 GMT Organization: AT&T WorldNet Services X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.07 [en] (Win95; I) First off, anyone who has a great copy of the show, please email me. I don't have a lot of Bob to trade, but I have a lot of Springsteen shows or I can trade blanks. It would be great for me to be able to make a copy for my friend who came down from school to see the show as a Christmas gift, so the sooner you get a hold of me, the better. :-) As I learned in February, there are occasional nights where Bob can work magic (Cleveland '98) and there are nights where he can be completely out of step (Cincinnati - 5 nights later.) I think this was my 10th show over 8 years now, all in the Ohio, Kentucky, and now Indiana area. Last night's show in Indianapolis was one of the finer performed and most fun shows I've seen him do. I met up before the show with the delightful Jen who was in a circle of fans I hung out with at shows on the last Springsteen tour and we trucked on over to Market Square Arena to see Bob. Jen was wired with excitement as this was her first Dylan show ever and I can safely say she got a good one to enjoy. Not much to say about Joni Mitchell. I got bored and restless. Glad I didn't talk as she might've come off the stage to castrate me. She verbally tore into a couple fans calling them "Giggling Drunk Fucks" and that they were ruining the performance for everyone around them. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Columbia recording artist, Bob Dylan." And we were "treated" to "Gotta Serve Somebody." I don't care for the song. It's boring. The band played it OK, but like most Bob shows, it takes about 3 songs for them to hit their stride anyhow and this is one of his weaker popular songs IMO. I guess there are fans out there that enjoy it though - Hell, there are fans who like the "New Morning" CD which is not my up of tea, so I'm sure someone was pleased. "I'll Remember You" followed and Bob was doing a great cover of his own song. The music was far removed from the ballad that graces that paragon of mediocrity known as "Empire Burlesque." Still, I love the song and Bob played it decent enough to get me into the show. "Cold Irons Bound" followed. When I saw him in Columbus in '97, this was the highlight. It rocked again last night, but the vocals weren't as clear and I was glad I already knew the words. Then the first surprise of the set was a great rendition of "Positively 4th St." with Bob again performing a great cover of his own song. It sounded absolutely nothing like the studio version, but was very well played and Bob singing clearer. "Watching the River Flow," is another song I detest and while they did an adequate job I was wondering what may be played during the acoustic set. After this one I could hear a guy behind me shout, "Anything but 'Silvio.'" He got his wish as Bob and the band pulled out a terrific "Can't Wait." Not as good as the Cleveland '98 show IMO, but a damn fine version. The acoustic set was nothing short of phenomenal. "Tomorrow is a Long Time" started with a harmonica verse from Bob and stunning vocals and guitar work. This song was a thing of beauty. The stunner of the night was the determined rendition of "Desolation Row." Awesome! Unbelievable! The band was tight and Bob nailed the song from the word go. He held the audience captive in his spell as the band played it intensely. "Tangled Up in Blue" closed the acoustic set and was great also. Bob played a harmonica solo at the end to the delight of the crowd though he hit a couple notes too harshly to start it off the ending. "She Belongs to Me" was a stirring rendition and I wondered why no one rushed forward. I saw one guy walk down the aisle (we were 20th row) so I turned to Jen and had her grab her stuff and we marched right past a security guard who was turning away 4 guys. Don't know why he didn't stop me, I don't care, but he let us go right by. We stood at about 11th row and watched as Bob then played a great "Highway 61 Revisited." Bob was really sweating it hard. There was another slight surge forward and we were then at the 8th row for a good version of "Love Sick" though I can't recall now much about it. A rollicking "Rainy Day Women" followed with the whole crowd around us dancing and enjoying the show. Bob then came back out and played a gem version of "Blowing in the Wind" and it was hauntingly beautiful. The show closed with a surprising "Like a Rolling Stone." I think it's been a while since he played it (haven't checked the setlists except for the past few weeks) and it was not an anthem in it's presentation, rather like a wistful, softer vocals on the verses. The vocals were still strong though and ended a great night. Bob was really mugging it up making great eye contact with the crowd and groovin' on the guitar. He smiled several times (it's been a rarity in the past) and the crowd was awesome. No one shouting "Sit down! I can't see!" I wish all of Bob's shows could be graced with such great crowds! I have decided I want to win the lottery and follow Bob around the world if all his shows could be this fun. Of course it might conflict with the Springsteen tour, so I'll have to take some time off for that. And for those wondering, I got home at 2:20 AM and I was dog-ass tired this morning, but it was worth it. Bryon