Bob Dylan 991029 in Oxford, Ohio

From: "bob" 
To: 
Subject: Review Oxford, Ohio 10-29-99
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 20:21:38 -0500



Short report -- One song melted my brain and paralyzed me. Two
songs  "just" melted my brain. Two songs made me crazy. Two songs
were new.

WARNING --- The remainder of this review is biased and subjective
with little  or no technical content. My qualifications consist
of 6 concerts in the past 2  years and a very modest collection
of cdrs, tapes and videos that penetrate my  brain all day every
day.


I was in Shock, Paralyzed and my brains melted when i heard the
first notes  of When I Paint My Masterpiece. There are songs i
hope He plays, there are songs  i know He will never play and
then there are songs that i don't even have hope  to hope about.
Anyway, the other people near me saw quite a site i'm sure during
 this song.


Songs that made me crazy -

Stuck Inside Mobile - i just can't help it, but that song blew my
mind and  made me dance like a crazy man. But people around me
had ample warning because i  told someone bouncing spastically
during the Phil Lesh show to wait an hour and  a half and they
will see some funny looking old guy doing the same thing.


Highway 61 -- Always.

Songs that melted my brains but didn't paralyze me:

Baby Blue -- Larry Campbell doing a magnificent job on the lap
steel(i would  like to know if that is the correct name for the
instrument)


Not Dark Yet -- another (not unexpected) "masterpiece"

And in the "learning to like better" category

Masters of War -- blistering toward the end

Tangled Up in Blue -- I really heard the vocals this time.

First timers for me

I Am The Man, Thomas -- outstanding

Watching the River Flow -- personal favorite

The rest of the show was a privilege to to see and i am thankful
that i can  be present to hear what Bob has to say. (I only drove
10 hours round trip this  time)


And for Phil Lesh fans i will try again next week at East Lansing
and  Columbus. I did enjoy Alabama Getaway and one or two others
i don't know the  names of.


There is a taping story that ended in zero results not because of
security  but because of the qualifications(or lack of) of the
operator of the machine. So  if anyone has a tape, cdr or
anything, I have a HUGE collection of PERFECT stuff  to trade or
i will take charity, no problem. (Any contradictions or
innacuracies  in this report are not the fault of the writer.)
 

bob 



Date: 31 Oct 99 19:17:15 PST
From: Mark Young 
To: karlerik@monet.no
Subject: Dylan in Oxford

After viewing about 10 shows over the last 3 years, (including 2
at the El Rey in L.A. and a Madison Square Garden "blast"), I'm
truly amazed at how Bob keeps improving.  A few years ago in
Dayton, about 1,200 saw what I thought was a great show, with
good musicianship and enthusiasm.

Last night there must have been over 10,000 in Oxford, Ohio, for
what, in the end, had most dancing in the aisles.  It started a
little restrained, but by the time I heard the words, "The
streets of Rome are filled with rubble...." and realized Bob was
singing "When I Paint My Masterpiece", I knew it was a special
night. (I strained to hear the "....got me a date with
Botticelli's niece..." line but somehow missed it!) Bob's harp in
"Tangled" started to turn on the fans and "Highway 61" rocked
with guitar interplay that was tight and fast.

It was nice to see phrasing that seems to be improving on pieces
like "Blowing" and "Masters of War".  In the past he might have
blurred and garbled his way through these pieces  --  but not the
Bob of the late '90's.  You gotta love his closing with "Not Fade
Away"....you could tell he enjoyed it.

All in all, a memorable show.  Maybe take "Mobile" out and throw
in "Series of Dreams" or "Grains of Sand" for perfection.
                                        Mark Young



Subject: Review - Oxford, Ohio 10-29-99
From: bob 
Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 08:23:56 -0700

Short report -- One song melted my brain and paralyzed me. Two songs
"just" melted my brain.  Two songs made me crazy. Two songs were new.


WARNING ---
The remainder of this review is biased and subjective with little or no
technical content.  My qualifications consist of 6 concerts in the past
2 years and a very modest collection of cdrs, tapes and videos that
penetrate my brain all day every day.

I was in Shock, Paralyzed and my brains melted when i heard the first
notes of When I Paint My Masterpiece.  There are songs i hope He plays,
there are songs i know He will never play and then there are songs that
i don't even have hope to hope about.  Anyway, the other people near me
saw quite a site i'm sure during this song.


Songs that made me crazy -
        Stuck Inside Mobile - i just can't help it, but that song blew
my mind and made me dance like a crazy man. But people around me had
ample warning because i told someone bouncing spastically during the
Phil Lesh show to wait an hour and a half and they will see some funny
looking old guy doing the same thing.

        Highway 61 -- Always.


Songs that melted my brains but didn't paralyze me:
        Baby Blue -- Larry Campbell doing a magnificent job on the lap
steel(i would like to know if that is the correct name for the
instrument)

        Not Dark Yet -- another (not unexpected) "masterpiece"



And in the "learning to like better" category
        Masters of War -- blistering toward the end

        Tangled Up in Blue -- I really heard the vocals this time.


First timers for me
        I Am The Man, Thomas -- outstanding

        Watching the River Flow -- personal favorite


The rest of the show was a privilage to to see and i am thankful that i
can be present to hear what Bob has to say. (I only drove 10 hours
round trip this time)

And for Phil Lesh fans i will try again next week at East Lansing and
Columbus. I did enjoy Alabama Getaway and one or two others i don't
know the names of.

There is a taping story that ended in zero results not because of
security but because of the qualifications(or lack of) of the operator
of the machine. So if anyone has a tape, cdr or anything, I have a HUGE
collection of PERFECT stuff to trade or i will take charity, no
problem. (Any contradictions or innacuracies in this report are not the
fault of the writer.)

bob



Subject: Review- Oxford, OH 10/29/99
From: Joe_Cox 
Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 10:08:35 -0700


Here's another of my off-again, on-again series of Dylan reviews.
This was not a good day for me. The tickets got misplaced and
only the extreme kindness of a girl at the venue got me into the
show. Also, I should have had a tape of this fine show, but (for
the Cliffs notes version) something went pretty wrong! I was late
in arriving because of the missing tickets and thus I missed the
beginning of Lesh's set. Not that I'm complaining! Lesh did sound
pretty nice, but I'm not the biggest fan of that style of music-
maybe it says something really negative about me, but I prefer
the Paul Simon sort of opener myself. Lesh was technically sound
and actually sounded pretty inspired (at least, for the part of
the show I saw), but rambling jams aren't my idea of a good time
really. I do have to give him kudos for a fine "Alabama Getaway".
The Deadheads were out in full effect "dancing" in the aisles
throughout his set. Phil finished a few minutes after 9 and we
got the usual half hour delay for Bob graced us with his
presence.

1)I Am the Man, Thomas

I really love this song! I saw the first performance of it and
it's become a definite favorite of mine. Any of those old Stanley
Brothers hymns is a keeper in my book. I would've probably
enjoyed "Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie" a little more; if nothing else
because it seems like these days when he plays that one, you know
you'll get a good show. Bob was looking fine as usual in his nice
dark suit... his hair was a little messed up, but other than
that, he looked like his usual self. This was the typical strong
performance that I've heard of this song; Larry and Charlie
filled in nicely with the backing vocals. Always a good start to
a show.

2)Mr. Tambourine Man

This one quickly eased me back into reality. I've heard
"Tambourine Man" about as many times as I'd really like to.
Still, it doesn't really grate on me as much as some of the more
predictable songs do. Basically my barometer on this song is
"Does Bob play harp?" If he breaks out the harp, it really gets
memorable. He didn't break out the harp. It was a pretty solid
performance, but nothing earth-shattering.

3)Masters of War

UGH! Again, not a favorite of mine. I much prefer "It's Alright
Ma" or "Desolation Row" in this slot. I wasn't too impressed with
the large numbers of deadheads who were dancing in the aisles to
this one. I mean really; I can see dancing to "T-Man" but
"Masters of War"? Such a danceable song; "I hope that you die"
. I appreciate the fact that
these people really enjoy the music, but dancing to this song
really doesn't gel with me too well. This was a pretty nice
performance of this one. Probably the best version of it I've
seen; which is just as much a testament to how mediocre I think
it is as the particular greatness of this performance. Still, the
guitars found a nice little groove together and made this at
least mildly impressive.

4)It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

I've heard versions of this song range from horrendous to
brilliant. This one was more toward the brilliant edge of the
spectrum. Unlike the last time I heard it, Bob more or less got
the lyrics and timing right. :) Larry sounded wonderful on the
pedal steel on this one and Bob played some great riffs dueling
him note for note during an instrumental break. It's a
performance like this that makes me realize how fortunate I've
been to see as much of Dylan as I have. I remember the days when
I used to read review on RMD of jaded concertgoers who weren't
terribly impressed with performances that I thought were
earth-shattering. But seeing Bob five times in four months has
kind of taken its toll. When I say that a performance was pretty
good, that generally can be taken to mean that for somebody who
hasn't seen Bob in a while, their jaw would be on the floor. :)
This was an excellent rendition, but not the best I've heard.

5)Tangled Up in Blue

The only song I've heard at every Dylan show I've been to; the
Cal Ripken of Dylan songs really. Yet it never really grows old
for me. Every time I hear it, the song seems like the last run
through the band gives it rocks just a little bit more. The only
weird thing on this one was during one of the instrumental
run-throughs, about halfway through a verse, there was kind of a
jarring drop in the tempo. I never did really figure out what
happened, but it was pretty noticeable to me at the time. As is
standard, we got the "She lit a burner on the stove" verse. And
Bob played a pretty good harp bit on this one. Nice work by Larry
Campbell and a very good performance overall.

6)Watching the River Flow

I was ecstatic that this wasn't "AATW". I'd never heard this song
live before and I was mildly impressed. I'm not completely sold
on the slower tempo that he's using on it these days... I
remember hearing a tape from early this year where it sounded a
lot like "Maggie's Farm". Well, it doesn't sound like that
anymore- it's slower and more mellow. Larry was playing steel
guitar for this one. Bob didn't remember the words terribly well,
but was pretty nimble in improvising new ones. A highpoint of the
show!

7)When I Paint My Masterpiece

THE highpoint of the show! It was a pretty sloppy performance
that got off to a tentative start. Bob sang the bridge and last
verse twice. The absence of harmony vocals on this one kind of
bothers me... it could really use some since Bob's singing sounds
fairly thin on this song. So basically what I'm telling you is
that it wasn't a particularly good performance; but I loved to
hear it anyhow. The last appearance of this one in a setlist goes
back to El Rey in December '97! After the song Bob commented,
"That was my ode to perfection."

8)Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again

  Please Bob, give this one a breather! "Mobile" is
one of his most overused songs. At least it does get some good
posing out of him; last night his pose of the evening was to take
his left hand pretty far up the neck of the guitar, about to the
middle really. He'd saunter around carrying the guitar like that
from time to time. This song showed how much the band is coming
to rely on Charlie Sexton. His cord to his amp was screwed up and
he didn't play on the first instrumental run-through of the song.
It was fixed just in time for the beginning of the lyrics; and
the familiar rhythm sound was added back into the mix. They
really sounded lost for the 30 seconds or whatever without him.
If you've heard "Mobile" once, you've heard all possible
variations of it, I'm afraid.

9)Not Dark Yet

This one actually got most of the aisle dancers calmed down. As
is typical these days, this was a fine rendition. The first time
anybody hears this arrangement on "NDY" it will blow their
mind... of course, I've heard it a few times, so I was impressed
but not blown away. Right before the end of each verse, the white
lights would come up on the crowd and when Bob sang "It's not
dark yet but it's getting there", they'd quickly die back down.
The lighting guy definitely earned his keep!

Band Intros

Bob introduced Larry and told a nice little joke. It was
something about how Larry had busted his toe (dramatic pause)...
so they called the tow truck, but the tow truck never came. This
is the first joke I've heard of in a good little while from Bob;
they were pretty standard for awhile in the summer and I'm glad
to see them back. Bob then introduced David Kemper and commented
"There's nothing wrong with him." The other band intros proceeded
without further comments.

10)Highway 61 Revisited

Time for Charlie Sexton to blow the roof off of Millett Hall!
This one never gets old for me! Larry plays lap steel on this
one, leaving the guitaring to Charlie. I'm pleased to see Mr.
Sexton already becoming a key part of the band... he's gonna make
people forget any other Dylan guitar players who aren't named
Robbie Robertson, IMHO. Bob's voice sounded fine on this as it
did all night. He was in pretty normal voice, maybe a wee bit
rougher than the last two shows I'd heard, but he sounded just
fine. The band really just rocks out on this. Charlie will dance
around a little, smile, step over toward Bob for a second... good
to see him look a little more confident out there! A standard
performance- which means it kicked ass.

11)Love Sick

Another one that I could do without for awhile. I like the way it
sounds with Charlie in there, but this is a song that I've heard
a few times too many. It's certainly not bad, but I'd like to
hear him play something else in this slot. Seemed pretty average
to me.

12)Like a Rolling Stone

Unlike some, I never get tired of this one. Maybe it's because I
think it's the best song he ever wrote. Maybe it's the guitar
riffs that rock this song. Maybe it's the experience of looking
at my hero and watching him sing, as only he can, "How does it
feeeeeeel?" He got a little too into that line once and it took
him a couple more lines to catch back up with the band. This was
a very nice version of this one.

13)Blowin' in the Wind

Another one I could hear every show and I pretty much have. The
harmony vocals really do it for me on this song; I LOVE the
arrangement. Bob struggled some with timing on the chorus, but
overall, he knows what he's doing with this one. Playing it every
night keeps him in pretty good practice, I'd say. A solid
performance, about like every other version of this I've ever
heard.

14)Not Fade Away

Lights up. This is a great closer all the time, but especially on
this tour. I noticed that Lesh didn't play this one last night;
maybe he just knows the he can't measure up. :) This is another
song that sounds about the same every time through; as is usual
it was rocking! Bob plays some weird guitar bits during this one,
but it works, so I won't complain. Instead of lifting the guitar
off a few seconds before the end of this one as I've seen him do,
he kept it on and jammed to the end and matter of fact, through
the end. A nice job and a good end to the show.

This show was very average. Other than the first two electric
songs, it wouldn't be terribly memorable at all. Maybe I've just
seen him too many times too recently, maybe it was my bad mood...
but whatever the reason, the next time I see him, I hope he's
changed the setlist some. I really like many of the songs he
plays in the 9-14 holes; but knowing what you'll hear before the
show (beyond much doubt) is kind of a downer. Miami could use
some work on traffic management, but other than that, I can't
complain too much about the venue. A decent show; I didn't feel
cheated or anything, but it's not one of the better ones I've
seen really.

All the Best,

Joe