Bob Dylan 990707 in Clarkston
From: "BOB" HWY61@prodigy.net To: karlerik@monet.no Subject: REPORT FROM CLARKSTON WED 7-7-99 Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 12:32:14 -0400 Subject:Ê Report From Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston Wed 7-7-99 Ê From: Bob, Email Hwy61@Prodigy.Net Ê Date: Sat 7-10-99Ê Noon Ê Belated Report (Was Out Of Town Last Couple Days): Ê Arrived around 6:30 pm at pine knob music theatre, row "yy" center of pavilion, weather clear but not as hot as night before at st andrews.Ê Bigger contrast though was crowd this night which was largely "corporate" looking that took their time getting there with food and drink in hand.Ê Like myself, I felt that a lot of people probably didn't work real hard for tickets except to pay the somewhat outrageous prices, another contrast to St Andrews. Ê Here goes, this time through binoculars: Ê immediately surprised to see Bob's equipment on the stage; expected him second since he opened in Milwaukee. Ê About the time the drinks and cue sheets were being placed on stage, i could see Larry at the left of the stage behind some of the equipment fussing with a violin, which I hoped was a sign of something special to come. Ê Pavilion was only a little over half filled when band came out, lawn was closer to full. It's irritating to me that people aren't on time, at least as a courtesy to the band and to the true fans that have toÊ watch people stroll in leisurely during the first 45 minutes of the show....Ê But that's pine knob, shades of Bob Seger, J Geils, Genesis shows of the late 70's, when shows started at 9:00 pm and everything else was warm-up. Show started a little after 7:00 pm (didn't have a watch). Ê Roving gambler---amazed at how good the accoustics were, not like aug 97 when I was far right in the pavilion and there was too much bass and echoes. Ê Tambourine man----always liked the guitar work on this one and this night wasn't disappointed and got special bonus of excellent harp ending. Ê Times---two things began to set in; how clear (enunciation) his vocals are this nightÊ and two songs in a row that everybody in this place will recognize, including people who last heard bob dylan or singers that covered him on a.M. Radio in the 60's. It was at the beginning of this song that the guy next to me on the right arrived with two others and asked me when the show had started and then started eating and drinking and talking loud to his friends (no respect for the cassette walkman buried in my clothing which behaved amazingly well for row 51 at this big kettle drum of a music theatre. Listenable, but i'll be searching for a better tape.) Ê Ê Love-0 --absolutely stunning again, couldn't believe two nights in a row. My view is that this one and senor below were especially for true fans that couldn't get into st. Andrews. Ê Sometime, in the accoustic set, maybe now, maybe later, when bob turned around and changed guitars there was a large diagonal wet spot across his back where the guitar strap goes.Ê He came out working real hard for us and didn't let up all night.ÊÊ Can't give a detailed fashion report but bob had a grey suit on and the other band members I believe all had suits or at least coats on. Ê Tangled---place was beginning to rock.Ê Harp ending outstanding. Ê Pillbox hat---Ê a guy to my left who looked my age (55) smiled, as if "oh yeh I remember that funny song". To me though, a treat, again two nights in a row, a bit brief but i could tell some serious stuff might be brewing. Ê Senor----now the absolute highlight for me.Ê Larry playing a haunting fiddle intro. I knew now why he was fussing with it before the show.Ê Then a solo part way through and again at the end of the song. Absolutely amazing....Ê This song and long black coat from night before are quite a pair for me especially on days when it's hot and humid here in michigan. Ê Mobile--- I really like this song, and this nightÊ enunciation was clear, guitar work excellent. As if "i'd like to show you (other) people I really can sing" and of course just a treat forÊ true fans. Ê Make you feel my love---tender, one of my favorites from the new album (along with not dark yet last night) Ê "thank youuuuu.... Ladies and gentlemen.Ê I have to play that (uninteligible)......Number one country song here, wrote it for my buddy garth brooks...(Uniteligible)".Ê Best I can do from what I consider my contingency tape, will be searching for a better one. Also no nightly joke. Ê Highway 61---how many times can I say how penetrating this is live, my alltime favorite rock and roll song. Ê Like a rolling stone---need to revisit this one on recent good tapes I have.Ê Tonight renewed my interest big time. Unusual guitar ending for last minute of the song. Something like a little kid saying this is mine i'll let you see it but you can't have it "nah, nah...Nah, nah, nah".Ê Also the crowd, now close to 100 percent, enjoyed this one, including the "other" people there that might of last heard it in 1966. Ê Vocals and guitar holding up exceptionally well at this point, under extremely trying physical conditionsÊ as I viewed >from my binoculars. Bob's front side was saturated as the sun was shining directly on the stage now from its setting behind the hill where the lawn fans were located. Ê Blowin in the wind---another crowd-pleaser.Ê Glad to be hearing this one again for the past year after the couple outstanding versions in 96. Only wish he'd lenghten it a bit like the cottbus jul 96 version and maybe play it less often. Ê Bob introduced paul simon and Ê sounds of silence----bob's first contribution was delicate harp two minutes in. Can only seem to here paul simon vocals though. Third time through tape can hear what sounds like larry's pedal steel??? Don't remember what I saw though. Ê That'll be the day/ the wanderer---hadn't noticed this change in the milwaukee setlist so I was surprised to here them. These songs were extremely entertainingÊ and reminded me of the covers that bruce springsteen opened a lot of his 1978 shows with (sorry for switching subjects but I can't help it i'm also a bruce springsteen pre-1985 addict). Ê Knockin on heaven's door---bob's vocals predominated except for the " I can hear you knockin but can't come in" of paul simon, which my first reaction was how can he desecrate an epic anthem with such a lame attempt at humor(?).ÊÊ But towards the end when bob was singing the same line, and smiling like I have never seen him do quite like that since maybe videos from the 60's, i'm now wondering if that line was bob's doing for showmanship sake. If anybody knows...... Ê Band leftÊ the stage to the right with Bob and Paul Simon's arms around each other's backs. What seemed like a minute (probably seconds) later, Larry walked left to right across the back of the stage with two instrument cases, smaller one maybe the violin. Truly an unusual sight and treat, at least for me to see a real band member before and after the show doing what he did. Ê Band equipment change was interesting to see while everyone else went to the concession stands to stand in line forever and pay an arm and a leg for nachos and a beer, another Pine Knob "have to" ( I didn't have a date with me tonight thank goodness).Ê The back wall of the stage opened up to reveal a huge bus(?). They wheeled out Bob's equipment in about two minutes and then wheeled in two huge rugs followed by the massive drum equipment and other instruments. I wondered how they know things are working without a sound-check that the audience can hear, but in this day and age of no vacuum tubes..... Ê I saw someone's watch and it was 9:15 pm. It still wasn't totally dark yet. All I could think of was the 15,000 cars in the parking lot and the absolute ordeal it is to get out of this place in the humongous traffic jam.Ê So I began to rationalize, i'll stay for half the show. Fatigue and an indescribable "completeness" began to set in from two nights of being blessed with the best, most intense experience. I found myself having to concentrate to listen to someone else's music under this influence.Ê I left after three songs and zipped home in record time (sorry to any Paul Simon fans. I really do like some but not all of his music. Listen to the 91 Central Park cd mainly...) Ê P.S. Apologies to readers of my review from St Andrews the other day for any profanity that crept in but I was still under the unexplainable influence of being so close to the band during that show and maybe a litlle second hand smoke. Ê Thanks. Ê BobÊÊ Ê Ê
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 21:15:17 -0400 To: karlerik@monet.no From: HUGH MAHLER tarantula37@mindspring.com Subject: Clarkston Show I saw Bob and Paul last night, and was totally blown away. That was the first time I saw Paul and the sixth or seventh time I've seen Bob since '96. Bob played first. He played six acoustic and six electric. When the band came out, the sun was still high in the sky, and the audience was sparse. Everyone was seated except for me, my friend, and a hippie girl down in front. People were walking around and talking to each other, as old Bob played to the first, thinly occupied fifteen rows. The show had a different feel to all the other Bob shows I have been to. This was much more casual than the usual packed theatre and virtual darkness. So that's Roving Gambler, eh? I had never heard it, believe it or not, until last night. Bob's antics during it were hilarious, getting laughter from Larry, Tony and Charlie. Since about summer of last year (correct me if I'm wrong), Bob has been much more animated and playful. Telling jokes, kicking his cowboy boots at young hot teens, moving like Mick Jagger when he plays harmonica. "Believe I'd rather die, Lord, b'lieve I'd rather die..." Tambourine Man. Highlight of the show? I don't know. I will have to hear a tape, but the way Bob sang & played harp (harmonica) on this was unlike anything else last night. He sung a chorus as a caricature of his Blonde-on-Blonde self and twisted and contorted the melody of the song so mastefully, I was laughing at almost every line. It was a laugh of incredulity, not a laugh at what one may percieve to be his lack of melody. Am I making sense? Times they are a-changin. Bob kept messing up the lyrics. This song hasn't changed much from the version on Unplugged. Of course it has changed some, but the way Dylan and Tony Garnier are constantly reworking songs, I am a little suprised that the curent version can still be compared to a version from almost four years ago. Bob played almost all of the lead guitar on this and the rest of the songs. Like many have said before me, Charlie sexton, the new boy, didn't do too much at all. Love- 0 / No Limit. This is the best I have ever heard it. Larry Campbell played pedal steel for this one. Bob sang flawlessly. No tripping over words, and plenty of hilarious antics. Tangled Up in Blue. This is the first time I missed Bucky all night. It took five songs, but, now that I think about it, I really miss his pedal steel and mandolin. I figure Bob knows best. One lyric change I noticed. "...great North woods, workin' night and day, working for a while on a fishin boat, but his mind was slippin' away..." During this song he danced, soloed, played harmonica with no guitar hanging from him and kicked his feet at the hippie girl dancing down front. The only one dancing. Electric Guitars came out for Leopard-skin Pilbox Hat. I can't remember if he played harmonica on this one. This song had the tightest ending I've ever heard from Dylan live. I loved the arrangement on this one. When I heard it first, though, i thought it may be Rainy Day. Thank God it wasn't. Also, the phrasing on the "I asked the doctor if I could come see you.." verse had me and my friend in stitches. Kemper really started to display his talent (on drums) when the electric guitars came out. Senor. Larry on fiddle. You heard me. Fiddle! I love to see Dylan's shows constantly, and consistently, changing. The Dylan of two years ago would have scoffed at a fiddle and hramony vocals. I don't know this for sure, and you may think I don't know what i'm talking about, but it seems Bob is diversifying the show in ways he never has before. I mean, yeah, when he had an eleven-piece band in the seventies there was a bigger variety of sounds, but now the man is working with an all strings line-up (save Kemper, of course) of four men, and he can go from a blues romp to early 20th-century folk (usually vice-versa) in minutes. At the end of this song Bob said something like: "that's a song we play called 'Senor,' It's for all you bilingual people..." Memphis Blues Again. Another song constantly morphing. Missed Bucky's pedal steel again. This was a stupendous rendition in spite of Dylan's timing being off and Tony cutting the ending short. Charlie, who wore a light tan suit with no tie, played an inaudible acoustic guitar during this song, but still laughed and joked with Tony and Larry throughout. It was at this point that my friend said to me: "Look at him. Why does he play the guitar like that? What advantage does that have? He plays it Penguin-style." Penguin-style, eh? I bet no one's ever thought of that one before. After they played MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE, Bob said: "That was a number one country song that i wrote for my buddy, Garth Brooks." By this point in the night, Bob's silver suit was half-soaked in sweat. Speaking of the silver suit, I was thinking: he must have more than one of those things. In almost every picture I see of him these days he is wearing his "Grammy" suit. I can't believe that same suit has withstood all the shows since I first saw the thing at the Toledo show in Feb98. Maybe it is made out of some really sturdy material. And if he only wears it for two or three hours at a time, it may not be as torn-and-tattered as one would think. Okay... When Bob introduced Larry, he called him "one of the greatest guitar players in the land." What is it with Bob's recent extolling of Larry, in particular? He never used to mention his band members as they compare to the rest of the population, although in Oct 98, Bob said: "let me introduce the band to you; my best one yet..." HWY 61. For a song that gets played at almost every show, it still packs a punch. "Let me think for a minute... SON!" The guitars were going crazy on this song. I think even Charlie played some lead. This one has a great ending, too and shows off the dynamics of the band. Yes, I know that was a vague statment. What i mean is that this band has great communication and knows how to pick up cues and raise and lower the volume by the lifting of an eybrow or a glance at Kemper. I was not expecting to hear Like a Rolling Stone. After Dylan sang the phrase: "Like a rolling stone," Charlie Sexton stomped on one of the many unused effect pedals and did that infamous five second wank on the major lift. You know what i mean, right? Blowin in the wind. When they sang the word "WIND," I loved it, I thought it was great, but my friend was cringing. The way that they sung "WIND," is one of those moments that make you love him or hate him. Maybe those moments don't actually inspire such a decision, but I feel like there should be something dramatic to say about such an assassinating moment. "Now... (mumble, mumble, mumble)... one of the greatest songwriters this century, Paul Simon..." Sounds of Silence was absolutely beautiful because the song itself seemed to rise out of two old men fiddling around on their guitars until the rest of the band jumped in. Larry on a very spooky, eerie, time out of mind-ish pedal steel. In fact, as the song got rolling, it sounded like it could have easily been a track off TOOM. Paul was looking good in a baseball cap and olive t-shirt. He was playing an electric guitar, and Bob was still acoustic from Blowin.' Tony's Uprite Bass was used for this song. Their voices together actually sounded good, but it looked like it could have come crashing, crumbling at any second. Bob and Paul were watching each other with great uncertainty, until Bob walked away to the place where he kept his harmonicas. He searched for the harp in the right key, found it, put it to his mouth and blew pure magic. The crowd, finally beggining to wake up, went wild. It ended in the classic Dylan way; a drawn-out hum on the chord that begins the song. A-minor? They did two buddy Holy songs that got the crowd rockin'. Paul sang most of it. He knew the words, and didn't fumble around like Bob did, so Bob let him sing, but Paul kept inviting him with winks and nods. Finally, Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Bob sang a verse, then Bob, Paul, Larry and Charlie sung the chorus. After the chorus, the drums came in and Bob soloed. Paul sung the next verse, with the chorus sung by the four men. Bob did the final verse : "Mama, wipe the tears outa my eyes..." and as they sang the chorus, Paul started to insert a rather corny phrase, which I had read something about, a few days ago: "I hear you knockin' but you can't come in..." Many of the online Dylan fans were rolling their eyes at Paul's daily insertion of this phrase, but Dylan, who has recently been showing how much of a "cornball" he is (with play-on-words jokes and comments like the one after 'senor'), jumped right in and sang with Paul: I HEAR YOU KNOCKIN BUT YOU CANT COME IN I HEAR YOU KNOCKIN BUT YOU CANT COME IN I HEAR YOU KNOCKIN BUT YOU CANT COME IN Etc... Before that, though, was a little bit of singing over each other and around each other and "Knockin'" and "so many times before," and "I hear you knockin but you can't come in" which made them arrive at the aforementioned verse. The song closed, however, with the following verse, although the last line was different for Paul, Bob and Larry: JUST LIKE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE JUST LIKE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE JUST LIKE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE Larry: JUST LIKE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE Bob: I HEAR YOU KNOCK IN BUT YOU CANT COME .... INNNNN!!!!! Paul: KNOCK KNOCK KNOCKIN ON HEAVEN'S DOOR Chalie: (silent) They ended with huge smiles on all of their faces, and Paul came back, forty minutes later, with a set that impressed the audience more than Bob's. But what do they know? Right? Yeah. Okay... Well, I would just like to request a tape of this show or any show this year. email tarantula37@mindspring.com ---Kevin
