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Bob Dylan 991030 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin


Subject: 10/30 Concert Moments
From: Jim Campbell 
Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 10:05:00 -0600

Hey everyone, there have been some good discussions of last
night's show. I'll agree with those who posted about Every Grain
of Sand... it was slow and beautiful.  Momma you been on my mind
started with Larry plucking out a little ditty on his guitar that
had everyone in my section calling out to their significant
others "it's 'Don't think Twice."  It sure did sound like it at
the start.

In regards to Bob spacing off the #2 verse of Watchtower, I think
they had some mike troubles.  I heard a pop and then some roadies
were running around.  Of course, Bob and the band just jammed
through it.

As one who has nearly all of Bob's lyrics memorized (or at least
pretty close, anyway), it was neat to hear the couple behind me. 
I don't think that they were as familiar with Bob and they were
confronting his "does he mumble," reputational nemesis (?) head
on.  After each line that they could make out, one of them would
speak it to the other.  It wasn't distracting... more cute. 
Plus, I've often wondered, "Is he really clear, or do I just know
the words already?"  So this reassured me.  You CAN make out what
Bob sings nowadays.  (As a matter of fact, at the 10pm club show
this past Tuesday I was wondering... are they taping this?  Are
they going to make an album out of this?  His vocals were so
clearly enunciated...)  Oh, but the lyrics to Highway 61 pretty
much just go by in a blur...

Not Dark Yet was great again tonight.  Better than Tuesday. 
Could make out all of the words.  I love the way Bob still does
lyrics differently every night.  The slightest change can change
the meaning of a line so much. "Behind every beautiful thing
there's been some kind of pain," became "Behind every beautiful
thing, there's some kind of pain."  Of course, the "feel like I'm
being plowed under" was back in Love Sick again.

I almost left before Not Fade Away.  I stayed for it and danced
with all the groovy deadheads before BOLTING to my car.  My car
was parked up near Bob's busses and I saw them taking off as I
ran towards my car.  I hopped into my car, and I would have been
able to follow them, but I hit a red light and didn't see where
they went after cresting a hill.  I don't have a ticket to
today's show in Chicago, but I'm going to take the train down
there pretty soon and hope someone has a general admission ticket
for sale.  This will make four Bob shows in one week!!  The week
of Bob!  Woohoooo!

Jim


Subject: 10/30 show From: Timothy Herrick Date: 31 Oct 1999 05:42:42 -0800 Organization: None I FOUND THIS ON THE GRATEFUL DEAD FORUM AND AM ONLY POSTING IT CAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A DEARTH OF REVIEWS AND SET LISTS THIS TOUR WHICH IN FACT IS THE REASON I'VE BEEN READING THE G.D. FORUM!!!!!!!! Subject: Phil & Friends - Milwaukee Arena 10/30/99 From: David Pelovitz Date: Sun, 31 October 1999 08:21 AM EST Message-id: <381c426d$0$439@news.execpc.com> If anyone's been wondering where I've been lately (which I sort of doubt), I've moved to Wisconsin where I have little time for the newsgroup, but get to see Phil. I made a few discoveries last night 1) The Milwaukee Arena is provided one of the easiest post-concert escapes I've ever seen. 2) Chinese food in Milwaukee is acceptable. 3) Little Feat can improvise more than I thought. On to the review First Phil & Friends came out at 7:32 and stayed til 9:14 Playin'In The Band Friend of the Devil Playin' Jam-> Dixie Chicken (dedication to Lowell & Jerry)-> Playin' Jam-> I Know You Rider-> Playin' Jam-> Playin' Reprise-> JAM!!!!-> Days Between-> Jam-> Cold Rain & Snow Orgon Donor Plea I had my doubts about the 4 piece band, especially since I generally feel that Paul Barre & Bill Payne are very practiced at doing the Waiting for Columbus album, but don't vary from it much. The Playin' started into space somewhat slowly but eventually found a comfortable (if not jammy) place to be. FOTD was a treat, though, since I've always felt the down-tempo version Jerry did was too slow. Phil seems to agree with me that the song is really about running, not taking my time. All the Playin' jams started with the main ten riff, then ventured from it quickly. It was a little surprising to find it get to Dixie Chicken, especially since they woul roar a little into the instrumentals, then kept slowing down for the verses. If I'm not mistaken, some lyrics were blown. After one of the Feat dedicated the song, they all headed right back to the jam and foun their way to IKYR. Most excellent! It gets a little hard here to separate jams, but Rider rocked (despite the completely missed harmony on the final "Arms"), took off into the most Playin' oriented of Playin' jams, became the reprise for a few reps of the chorus, mrophed into a somewhat different jam then grew into a raging crescendo. They settled into a lower key jam after that run (which was the highlight portion of the show for me, if you didn't guess), then Phil really got to demonstrate the limits of his voice on Days Between. The final jam and segue into CR&S did justice to that number, which sounded closer to the studio tempo than Jerry's ever did, though had far more space in the middle than the studio version. Admittedly, it was my first Phil & Friends live, but I thought it was great. After a relatively short break, Dylan appeared at 9:46 and stayed with us to 11:14 I Am The Man, Thomas Times They Are A-Changing It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) Tangled Up In Blue All Along The WatchTower Every Grain of Sand Silvio Not Dark Yet Highway 61 Revisited E: Love Sick Like A Rolling Stone E2: Blowin In The Wind Not Fade Away This overall set was close to what we'd seen at Nissan with Simon this summer. Dylan's band is great for him (BTW - when did Kemper become his drummer?). Dylan stuck to the acoustic guitar thru Tangled Up. Ironically, he did better with the verbal gymnastics of It's Alright Ma, than Tangled Up (Which changed from 3rd to 1st to 3rd person mid-song, and completely lost the "Topless Place" verse). Watchtower (which marked the start of Dylan's swtich to electric guitar) grew fast into a strong jam after the first verse, then came back into the 3rd verse with no signs of the second. Every Grain of Sand was a nice change up before the all out rock of Silvio (easily becoming the surest thing in a Dylan set). Not Dark Yet was soft and pretty before the wildness of Highway 61. The Love Sick encore was a nice surprise and rolled well into LARS. Blowin' seemed the perfect finish causing us to head toward the exit before they started into a straight-forward Buddy Holly style NFA (as dance oriented as a Dead version, tho not nearly as long and no chant). All in all - a good night.
Subject: Review of Milwaukee Concert From: Date: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 04:50:56 GMT Two of my favorite people were in Milwaukee on Oct. 30 -- Fr. Thomas Keating, founder of the Centering Prayer movement, was giving a workshop, and, ofcourse, his Bobness was doing his nightly seminar on how to rock and roll with purpose. When we got to the concert, Phil and Friends were in the middle of their tribal ceremony with the young kids all lookin' so good and stoned and movin' to the beat. It made me quite nostalgic for 10,000 B.C. I can relate to the need for that kind of music as an antidote for dehumanizing technology and all, but Bob deals with the state of modern life far more usefully, attacking the issues directly while entertaining the hell out of everybody. And he and his band did that looking very spiffy and grownup and gave a dramatic and serious and poetic and joyful - and ofcourse, rocking concert. He's never looked or sounded better in my experience. Did he pick a particularly profound set or was I just more open to the depth of the performance? Anyway, he played some of my all- time favorites - every one done with polished singing and strong feeling. I especially like his bluegrass version of 'I Am the Man, Thomas'. I was so moved by 'Every Grain of Sand'. Fr. Keating had just been talking to us in the afternoon about finding God in everything, using shaking leaves as an example. Then Bob sang about that very same thing that night. Course it's not a new idea, but it's timely. It was also the first time that I heard him do 'It's All Right, Ma'. If I were an English teacher that would be in my curriculum. It would be interesting for kids to analyze that song instead of some of the stuff my kids have had to work on - like Norman Mailer. Give me a break. The kids - as in teens and twenties - sure do respond to Dylan. On the floor the kids outnumbered us old farts about 20 to l. Whether they came to the concert originally for the opening act or Bob, he easily gathered them all into his world because he has so much to offer. People do appreciate a great artist with a real message when one is available. Thanks, Bob for the great concert. Does anyone have a tape? Anne Karakatsoulis kara@cp.duluth.mn.us
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