Bob Dylan 991119 in Atlantic City, New Jersey
Dylan shows #118 & 119 in 1999.

Subject: sands early show
From: Peter Stone Brown 
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:22:56 -0500

Atlantic City to put it quite simply a bizarre place and here was
Bob Dylan appearing there for the fourth time at a place he
already played earlier this year, the Copa room in the Sands
Casino.   I left Philly in the middle or rush hour, miraculously
didnât hit any traffic jams and made it to A.C. in the usual
time: one hour flat.  I strolled past the gamblers in the one arm
bandits easily found the line to the Copa Room and wandered down
it till I found my friends the Double-D couple just where they
said they would be.  Now the Copa room is pretty small with lots
of tables and chairs and these booth-like lounge things which
they keep reserved for the heavy gamblers who get comped to the
show.   They have some sort of seating chart and it takes awhile
for everyone to get in.  Sometimes it helps to tip the Maitre dâ
to get a better spot.  We got a pretty good table a little to the
left of the center of the stage and had a good 45 minutes to kill
before show time.  I spent it getting something to eat in the
Casino (they give you passes out), and wandering the Copa Room in
search of various RMD-ers though I didnât know what they looked
like, and found the one who did give me a description, Kevin
Reilly who as it happened was sitting at the table next to mine.

So right around 8 PM the curtain came up and there were the
roadies tuning the guitars.  About 8 minutes after, Dylan and
band appeared and launched into a spirited ãRoving Gambler,ä  a
totally appropriate song for the setting.  Dylan seemed very
loose and in good spirits smiling broadly.  An okay ãMr.
Tambourine Man,ä followed and then Dylan said hello to someone in
the audience whose name I already forget and said he was the
presidient of the International Bob Dylan fan club, and then went
into the Stanley Brotherâs ãCold Walls and Steel Barsä and it was
good too.  The thumping rhythm he uses these days for ãDesolation
Rowä came next and it was he was singing strongly and clearly and
this was followed by the now familiar, clean picking of Larry
Campbell introducing ãMama You Been On My Mind.ä  A powerful
ãItâs Alright Maä came next followed by a nice gentle ãTomorrow
Is A Long Time.ä  And about this time we started looking at each
other.  Six songs and not an electric guitar in sight.  Could it
be?

Now letâs backtrack a bit.  When Dylan played the Copa Room at
the end of his tour last February and people found it was a small
700-seat room, speculation ran high.  Would he make it special? 
Would it be another Supper Club?  As it turned out those shows
ended up being typical tour shows, though a little shorter and
fairly lackluster ones at that.  Was this the night he would make
up for it?

ãMasters of Warä came next.  And then they started something
unfamiliar, something I couldnât place, something almost jazzy. 
And Dylan said something encouraging to the band like ãyou got
itä or something like that and stepped to the mike and the words
didnât come.  And the band kept jamming with Larry on steel and
Dylan stood there still in a good mood, but whatever song it was,
the words didnât come and it sort of collapsed, and he said,
ãWell hereâs my version of it,ä and went into a delicate ãOne Too
Many Mornings.ä  This was followed by a fairly roaring ãTangled,ä
and they took off their guitars and left the stage, returning for
a quick ãBlowinâ In The Wind.ä  There were no band introductions
in this show.

Now at some point in the show, (I forget between which songs) a
woman jumped on stage to talk to Bob, and then she motioned to
some other guy who came up and then they left.  I donât know what
it is about this particular room that makes people think they can
jump on stage.

Anyway, ãBlowinâä didnât have its usual long introduction where
the band runs through and entire verse and chorus before Dylan
starts singing, just a tiny little intro and he was into it.  At
some point during this song Bobâs guitar tech snuck on stage and
grabbed Bobâs Strat from behind the drums.  The lights went down
after ãBlowinâ,ä and there they were back on stage again but in
the shadows you could see this time they had electric guitars,
and wam! into ãNot Fade Away,ä and then real deja vu time, as all
of a sudden thereâs one, thereâs two, no thereâs 50 people on
stage just like last Februaryâs late show at the Sands.  And
Dylan is surrounded and you canât see him.  But unlike last time,
he didnât stay on stage and very quickly you saw a roadie take
his guitar and lead him off stage and the song collapsed.  End of
show.  Again.

Now who knows whether they would have done another song?  But
given the things that have been happening on this tour,
especially in the last two weeks, it wasnât out of the question. 
While ãNot Fade Awayä has been the show closer for most of this
year, in Philly he came back after it. So anything is possible,
and given that this time around he was attempting to make the
show something unique and special by doing the whole thing
(except for NFA) acoustic anything was possible.  But weâll never
know.



-- 
"Where the angels' voices whisper to the souls of previous times." 
--Bob Dylan
Peter Stone Brown 
e-mail: peterb@erols.com   
http://store.yahoo.com/tangible-music/petstonbrowi.html



Subject: sands late show
From: Peter Stone Brown 
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 04:23:26 -0500

It was out of show number one and back in line for show number
two, this time with Kevin Reilly while my other friends went off
in search of food and gambling having decided that getting in
line was a waste of time. The line moved somewhat faster and we
were joined by some other friends of mine.  Once inside we had a
choice of tables and chose one a little closer to the stage, but
also because Kevin had shared his table with the two guys seated
there and said they werenât talkers.  So we had a table of no
talkers which was something of a problem at the first show.

Just as the lights went down, a human wall in the next row in
front of us decided to stand up.  ãSIT DOWN!ä came the shout from
not one but at least two tables.  He ignored it.  ãSIT DOWNä came
the collective shout again.  (I loved it.)  Finally on about the
third or fourth shout he realized he had no choice.

Dylan and the band came out and were into ãOh Babe It Ainât No
Lie.ä There was a force to it, and a tightness that wasnât there
on the first show.  What could have been the intro to either
ãGirl From the North Countryä or ãBoots of Spanish Leatherä came
next.  I wrote down ãNorth Country,ä then said to my friend, ãNo
itâs ÎBoots.â ã   It was a beautifully played and sung ãNorth
Country,ä followed by a splendid ãVisions of Johanna.ä  Then came
a nice surprise, ãRock of Ages,ä the hymn done more or less in a
haunting bluegrass version that was truly beautiful.

Then what sounded like the typical Never Ending Tour intro to
ãTimes They Are A-Changinâä followed, except it wasnât, it was
ãHard Rain,ä and a truly excellent ãHard Rainä with Dylan getting
more and more into it with each line digging in really deep on
ãthe song of a poet who died in the gutter.ä

And then out came the electrics and into a blues riff and both
Kevin and I wrote down ãTombstone Blues,ä but it was ãMaggieâs
Farm.ä  But playing around with intros werenât the only tricks
Dylan had up his sleeve, the next song was a total surprise, ãThe
Man In Me.ä  And it was just a gorgeous version, particularly the
bridge which he did twice, changing the line from the original to
ãFrom my toes right up to my hair.ä  On the rest of the song,
Dylan echoed each line he sang with a guitar line, almost like a
blues singer, though this isnât exactly a blues song.  And then
came a killer rendition of ãTombstone Blues,ä with Charlie Sexton
stepping out on lead guitar.

A better than the record version of ãTo Make You Feel My Loveä
came next, followed by band intros and a typically rocking
ãLeopard Skin Pill-Box Hat.

ãLove Sickä as usual was the first encore featuring a tough
guitar solo from Dylan and then ãLike A Rolling Stone.ä  And
again with each line it became clear that this was one hell of a
version, especially on the second verse with Dylan really leaning
into ãYou say you never compromise with the mystery tramp but now
you realizeä and then after the chorus a woman walked on-stage
and then another woman.  And the first woman actually went up to
the mike and sang off-key and out of time ãHow does it feel,ä and
then the sound guys turned the mike down. And one of the roadies
led away the second woman and there was another roadie crouched
behind the drums ready to pounce into action, and this woman just
stood there and Bobâs standing there playing making those crazy
faces that he makes and the band keeps playing and she doesnât
leave and finally sheâs led out of the way but still stays on
stage dancing to the crowd and finally Dylan sings the last verse
and sheâs still up there pumping her arms and Dylan sings,
ãYouâre invisible now.ä looking right at her and then adds ãOh
yeahä and everyone seemed to get it but her, but what mightâve
been one of the most amazing recent versions of the song was
ruined.  The lights went down and the band left the stage.

They returned a few minutes later with Dylan wearing a cowboy hat
and blasted out ãNot Fade Awayä uninterrupted.

A friend of mine had the best analogy.  ãYou donât lean out from
the stands and catch the ball during a no-hitter.  You get
ejected from the game and banned from ballparks.  This was fan
interference.  You donât interfere with the show.ä

I canât put it any better than that.  And so it seems to go with
Bob Dylan and the Copa Room.  But until that point, that late
show was one hell of a show.



-- 
"Where the angels' voices whisper to the souls of previous times." 
--Bob Dylan
Peter Stone Brown 
e-mail: peterb@erols.com   
http://store.yahoo.com/tangible-music/petstonbrowi.html



Subject: Re: sands late show
From: Chromehorse77 
Date: 20 Nov 1999 09:51:02 GMT

Peter --

I liked your thoughts on the shows, but I will say something
about the LARS in 11pm show. My bro & I somehow got to the very
front row, 10ft from Bob with a perfect view, & I spent most of
LARS keeping an eye & ear on Bob's faces & words (God, he sounded
wonderful) & fighting off the black-clad minx you're referring
to, who tried repeatedly to climb over me & onto stage, and who I
blocked from doing so as much as possible fearing another fan
flood & abrupt end. I suffered much from my temporary holding of
the fort, with spit in my ear & punches into my back, & she
eventually DID get up there, dancing around like a complete fool
& showing off that oh-so-tasteful outfit that flattered her in
such a stunning manner, but what happened next was special ... I
hate to immortalize her by saying this, but Dylan aiming those
last words ("You're invisible now ... you got no secrets ... How
does it feel?) all at her, with both his glare AND guitar
pointing menacingly at her & then she MELTING off the stage
without even being forced off -- completely *willed* off by our
man -- was an incredible all-time concert moment, I think. Dylan,
calm, cool, & still fuckin angry when he wants to be, had had
enough of the stage rush BULLSHIT & was like, Miss Lonely, get
the hell off my stage & hide under a table or something ...
looking @ her face afterward only confirmed it -- she looked like
she had seen the face of God & had been told to come back some
other time, He was busy. It was truly priceless, classic, & worth
the price of admission.


-- Shawn



Subject: Re: sands early show
From: Knochej 
Date: 20 Nov 1999 14:25:29 GMT
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com

<< Now at some point in the show, (I forget between which songs) a woman
jumped on stage to talk to Bob, and then she motioned to some other guy
who came up and then they left.  I donât know what it is about this
particular room that makes people think they can jump on stage. >>

i was sitting right next to that gal.  turns out she wanted to
introduce bob to her dad, which she did.  she's done that once
before.

the real killer in our area, however, was carla.

carla is apparently a dylan groupie and i've never seen anybody
so desperate (and successful) at getting somebody's attention as
she got bob's.  bob has seen her before, that's for sure.  about
the third song, tony g. and bob were giving the "there she is
again" look to one another.

carla was definitely a distraction.  when the tapes surface,
she's the one whooping at every pause in the lyrics.

the look on bob's face when that 60-year old woman jumped on
stage was priceless.  i didn't mind seeing the young girls up
there for the jam at the end, but when the dudes and grandma's
are up there, that's not pleasant to look at.

sometimes when i get that close, i can't help but imagine dylan
as a 58-year old shopkeeper living out his fantasies of being
elvis, with those little stutter steps to impress the young
girls.

back to carla: she spent most of the pre-concert eyeing her
competition, another woman whom she considers her rival for bob's
attention/affection.  and it turns out that carla knows dylan's
security people and vice versa.  this show at the sands made me
realize there's a whole 'nother story beneath the story about the
folks who must constantly be trying to insinuate themselves into
bob's life.

great shows bob.  thanks, again for another great year!



Subject: Re: sands early show
From: El Brent 
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 11:48:30 -0500

that woman was SO annoying.  For most of the show she was right
in front of me, standing up and 'whoopoing' 5 times every song. 
my commentary on the show itself is that it was average,
highlighted by amazing Tomorrow is a long time and Masters.  But
she seemed to get up and make even more noise on these quieter
songs.  I don't think i'll go see a show in that room again, it
was a bizarre atmosphere, and the intimacy was ruined by the fact
that most of the patrons (myself included) were seated
perpindicular to the stage.  makes for a stiff neck and overall
distracting situation.  Then the woman got up on stage, and that
was just the end...



From: "Connie Davis" 
To: 
Subject: REBUTTAL; REFERENCE ATLANTIC CITY 8:00 SHOW
Date: Thu, 25 Nov 1999 22:16:27 -0600

To "knochej"; Ê 
just in case someone has not already informed you......You happen
to be "one" of the the 750 very fortunate ticket holders for 
this show.ÊÊÊ I was standing/sitting close to carla as  well.Ê
The attention she received from dylan was positive, primarily 
because she was having a good time. Which by the way...ÊÊ Fyi
(rock  concerts are suppose to be fun). Ê

I encourage you to listen to dylans lyrics or  better yet read
them a loud in front of a mirror, until you are cleansed of your 
bad attitude.Ê The personal remarks you made against fans at this
show were  rude, bitter and mean.Ê I do not know who you are and
hope i never  do.Ê However you must beÊ lonely, sad andÊ probably
impotent. Ê Carla, seemed to be a genuine dylan fan. Not  only
she know his work and lyrics verbatim, she appreciated him as a
songwriter,  poet and musician as well. Ê Unlike yourself, she
was not "illegally taping"  this show.

Fyi....If dylan's security knewÊabout your sneaky  Êbehavior, you
and your recorder would have been promptly removed >from the 
copa room. Ê What are your plans for those illegal tapes  anyway,
otherÊ than to gratify your ego and pocketbook. Ê "Knochej" you
are most certainly a hypocrite!




Subject: Re: sands late show
From: TB 
Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 11:29:32 -0800

Some more comments:

The first show was really nice and easy - fantastic performances,
beautifully done wooden music.  Bob was is a great mood and
seemed to be enjoying himself, very relaxed and animated. "Top of
his game," as they say. The band was tight and having a degree of
fun, but they never got off into extraordinary high gear. 
Tomorrow Is A Long Time, with really great background harmony
from Larry was a highlight for me.  The stage rush at NFA kind of
caused an early demise, just like last winter.  The night was
definitely part 1 and part 2 of the show, not two separate repeat
performances at all.

The second show was rowdy - big time.   Lot's of drunks, some
fighting - believe it or not.  We were sitting center stage at
the first tier, with exactly the same great seats for both shows.
There was so much commotion during the 2nd show, between the
Sands staff arguing with and eventually moving the "guests," who
kept trying to take the reserved high roller, (but largely)
vacant booths, it was really distracting throughout the night and
it never mellowed out. Here is a plus: at least the attempts to
start "clapping along with the music" didn't get going.  There
was also some overzealous in your face "lets shout the words"
along with Bob kind of stuff going on right behind us for a
while.  And then there was the ongoing conspiracy of the
over-the-hill stage dancer wanna-be group, they thought they were
special, (same clowns at both shows), who were intent on getting
their 5 minutes of fame at the expense of the people, (and I know
that there were some), who really wanted to enjoy the music.
Quite a lot going on. Some beer and ice cube throwing among the
crowd and some fool threw something up on the stage at the band a
couple of times, like wet rolled up napkins or something.  Can
you imagine how lucky it was to be there in this club setting and
people giving that kind of interference? Unbelievable. Chalk it
up to "responsible drinking," I guess.   But despite all that -
it was, as always, a great Dylan event.  Especially memorable to
me was "The Man in Me", Visions, Maggie's Farm was alive and
bold, and Love Sick was truly extraordinary.

-Tom B



Subject: Just a few more thoughts on A.C. (long) ...
From: Chromehorse77 
Date: 20 Nov 1999 22:46:25 GMT

Folks --

Sitting here across the street from the U.D. Carpenter Center in
preparation for what looks to be Bob's last show of possibly his
most fascinating decade yet (from my point of view as a
22-yr-old, of course; I'm sure nothing could beat the 60s, but
the 90s have been pretty wild themselves, both musically &
personally for Bobby), I just wanna say a couple things about
last night before its emotions get blended into those I'm sure
I'll experience tonight ...

First off, I wanna thank Larry Horton, who somehow arranged that
the AC tix he didn't need could be picked up via will call @ the
Sands & wouldn't have to be bought through him, saving us some
time & worry ... every avoidance of time & worry helps when one
is having enough concerns about just GETTING to the show in the
first place; ie, coming from Texas, etc. Thanks, Larry, I enjoyed
our phone conversations -- you're a great fella. I don't know if
we ever saw each other (I had on a gray shirt & black vest), but
you made two brothers from Austin the happiest people  on the
planet last night ... just joyous, really. From an unexpected &
unbelievable "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" to a lulling spiritual
"Rock of Ages" to a beautifully paced & oh-so-cooly sung
"Visions" to a near-PERFECT "Hard Rain's," & MANY more (the
recent "DesRow" rearr. adds sooooo much, in my humble opinion)
the look on my face while in that club must have been pretty
awestruck ... the sets may not have varied as much as some (maybe
including me) thought they would, but the atmosphere (despite
many loudmouths & drunks & desperate deviants), intangibles, the
band's excellent cohesive but ramshackling junkyard sound (Tony,
you're incredible, partner) & Bob's conviction made this night a
memorable one that will stand the test of time.

On the AC Expressway after the show, a series of signs included
phrases like "Stay Alert," "Stay Awake," & "Stay Alive." Even in
our painful fatigue & highway blues, how couldn't we do what the
signs told us? Nights like last are what being alive is all about
... commanding your senses to work as one as you watch a true
artist craft a living, breathing masterpiece in front of your
eyes ... like it would be to watch Goya paint, or Nabokov sit on
a park bench & take notes as he studies the conversations &
people floating past, etc. Incredible! To see Bob's facial
expressions, knee bends, occasional sheepish lead
guitar-brandishing pride; to hear his sharp, unique,
seat-of-the-pants phrasing, clipped, staccato song calls to the
band, gentle thankyous ... THIS is what reminds us of our
respective souls, fishbone-thin slivers of crystal-filled
nothingness; this is what keeps us forever young.

To most of y'all who were there: I really enjoyed seeing you
smile & dance & hearing your conversations. It was great to meet
people like Cree & Amy H. (& her friend, who was so kind but
whose name I either never learned or can't recall), & the married
couple with the cough drops across from us @ the second show ...
& Bob, thank you so, so much ... you've made the monstrous return
trip home that much easier ... We love ya', Bob.

Less than three hours from U.D. Showtime! See ya' there.

-- Shawn



Subject: Re: Just a few more thoughts on A.C. (long) ...
From: CreMe12194 
Date: 21 Nov 1999 06:56:21 GMT

Hey Shaun, (did I spell it right this time?) So ironic that I
stumbled across your message in here, it's Cre. I must also take
this time to thank Bob for not only a beautiful and small show
but a lifetime (and much more to come...) of words that ring true
in my heart. I said it last night at the show and I'll say it
again, I love you!

A bit fearful of driving down to AC from North Jersey in a sloppy
jalopy, by myself and never having been there, I got passed all
that at the thought of seeing and hearing Bob so clearly. Then
getting there and seeing all those people who loved Bob just as
much as me,  Shawn and Patrick drove a thousand miles, the couple
in front of me had been to the Apollo show that I also attended,
a couple others got on a dinky loud plane and countless others
who follow Bob all over, made it all worth while.

I always cry when I see Bob in concert but last night I didn't. I
felt him especially during Tomorrow is a long time and Mama you
been on my mind but I didn't feel a need to let it all out. I
feel grateful to have seen Bob's facial expressions while he
played his harmonica. The way he turned from the crowd to pick up
the magic tool. He looked like a kid finding a new toy. The way
he waved his hand with the mic cord in it so naturally. It
reminded me of how I feel when I'm not thinking just going with
the flow... I loved seeing his knee turn military-esque when he
was getting a little bit into the song. I loved seeing him smile!
I loved seeing him look on at the woman who jumped onstage and
gave him a kiss with a smurk, he looked as though he was reading
her mind! And I loved hearing his voice live and from him so
clear and alive and filled with feeling just like at every other
show. I even got a kick out of his shoes.

I was one of those who jumped onstage. How could I pass up the
opportunity to be so close to the guy who's made my life feel a
bit more at ease when I was feeling low? I got quite close until
a thug grabbed my arm. The music then stopped and Bob was gone.

I drove home feeling safe (not before trying to get a ticket to
the 11 show) and quite awake from excitement. Thank you so much
Bob for sharing you with us and never stopping. You keep on
keepin' on and I'll do the same. PS I'll never jump on stage
again, I swear.

Cre

Pictures from the A C concert by John L. White



Subject: Sands Early Show Review (longish)
From: Rachel Klingberg 
Date: 21 Nov 1999 15:05:19 PST

I picked up the other R at his office on a sunny Friday
afternoon. After partaking of Nathanâs fast food and an herbal
remedy to combat the length of the Greyhound ride, we boarded a
four oâclock bus from Port Authority, full of high spirits and
expectations. At seven oâclock we were still on the Turnpike. An
infant began to howl in misery, and I asked R to get the pint of
bourbon from the overhead rack. At five to eight we pulled into
the Sands, all thoughts of checking into our hotel and dining at
the Virginia City buffet abolished by the most horrible traffic I
have ever had the displeasure in which to sit. We raced to the
chips counter to cash in our vouchers, raced to the box office to
get our tickets, and then I held up my sign that said ãDan K. I
have your ticketä.

ãHope you like Bob Dylanä I said the other R as we heard ãLadies
and gentlemen, please welcome Columbia recording artist·.ä And we
raced into the Copa to be seated by the maitre dâ. Stumbling over
our luggage and winter coats, we practically fell into our seats.
Although my feet were on my overnight bag and I was holding my
coat, I was wildly happy as the band broke into the delightful
strains of ãRoving Gamblerä. The show must have been sold out
because there wasnât an empty seat in sight. The audience was
really whooping it up and I grinned wildly at the other R and our
table-mates.

ãI miss Bucky Baxter,ä I thought to myself as the band began ãMr.
Tambourine Manä. I also thought, ãIâm parched, I have to pee, and
a cigarette wouldnât be too bad either.ä  ãStone Walls and Steel
Barsä was next, and all my earthly needs were forgotten as Dylan
sang the lines of this beautiful old tune.  ãDesolation Rowä was
next, minus a few verses, I think. ãMama You Bin On My Mindä
ended with an incredible  harp solo. Dylan was smiling and
dancing and having a great time, and the audience was thrilled.

When they played ãItâs Alright Ma·.ä, I got up to use the ladies
room and have a smoke. Since we were sitting pretty far away, I
walked as slowly as possible back into the Copa, and as I
ascended the stairs I turned and smiled at Dylan. I donât think
he saw me, but a girl can dream, canât she?

The waitron came over and we ordered some Heinekens. I toasted
the other R as they began to play ãTomorrow Is A Long Timeä. This
was the highlight of the show for me. Itâs one of my favorites.
ãMasters of Warä was next, and then another one of my faves, ãOne
Too Many Morningsä. ãDonât Think Twiceä was also wonderful, and
even the inevitable ãTangled Up In Blueä caused my heart to skip
a beat.

When R came back from the menâs room, he asked if there would be
an encore. ãI hope so. Heâll probably play some electric tunes.ä
R loves eighties music, and I was anxious for him to hear some
electric Dylan at his first Dylan concert. The encore began with
a sublime ãBlowinâ In The Windä. Then, as they broke into ãNot
Fade Away,ä some chick jumped on stage. ãWhatâs happening?ä said
R, astonished. ãWhatâs this?ä. I explained to him that girls
sometimes jump onstage and that Dylan has a lot of groupies. ãHe
usually lets them dance around for a few seconds and then
security chases them offä. Suddenly, people were climbing all
over their tables to jump onstage for their fifteen minutes of
fame. Security finally chased them off, the curtains fell, the
lights went up, and I looked at R and my table-mates in
astonishment.

I shrugged. ãWell·ä. At a dollar a minute, I wasnât sure if R
understood how much I loved the show. ãHe usually does a few more
songs for the encore·I feel like we got cheated!ä

ãThose people, how come they let them do that?ä asked R. I was
irritated with these idiots. I explained that usually a few
chicks will jump up and bop around for a while, and Dylan doesnât
seem to mind so much, but I could tell he was having trouble
understanding how the notoriously private Dylan could allow
people to jump up onstage. ãI know heâs rather old and so forth,
but a lot of women would like to sleep with him,ä I said as we
stumbled out of the Copa.

We checked into our hotel, had some whiskey on the rocks, and
went down the beach for a bit of wading and an herbal remedy. I
convinced R to stand by the payphones outside the Copa so I could
hear some of ãA Hard Rainâs Gonna Fallä and a smokinâ ãMaggieâs
Farmä. But security chased us away, so we went to the restaurant
upstairs and had some sandwiches. Then we went back to our room
and fell asleep. Saturday was spent walking up and the gorgeous
Atlantic coastline, searching for shells to line the bottom of
Râs aquarium. Exhausted, sunburnt, slightly hung over, but wildly
happy, we boarded the bus back to New York City at sundown.



Subject: Re: sands late show
From: sadie 
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 19:04:12 -0500

my version of this exciting, show-stopping moment, is a bit
different:

I was sitting 1 person away from the stage when the Elle lady got
up onto the stage.  This leggy brunette was wearing a black
miniskirt, black tights, platform shoes and a white top
emblazoned with the "Elle" magazine logo.  She started by
standing on the center table, mouthing the words of LARS along
with Dylan and indicating to him that she wanted to come up on
stage.  Bob seemed amicable so up she went.

At first she danced next to him, no big deal, but after a few
minutes she started getting on his nerves and Bob started giving
the signal to the bozo's back stage to get rid of her.  If you
saw the grammy's and soybomb then you got the idea....bob
indicating with his head to remove the offending stage intruder,
then backing up to the drum stand.  When Bob backed up she
decided to go for broke and took center stage and started to sing
the LARS refrain into his mic.  I think the soundboard guys saw
her coming because she was almost entirely inaudible.  Then, to
make things even *more* fun and interesting, a Dylan front row
regular, tastelessly clad (think  softig morticia from adams
family), got up and danced over to bob.

for some reason baron was not available and and perhaps the sight
of these two females had hypnotised the sands security staff with
their witchy wiles - so it was up to Tommy, the guitartech. I saw
him speak to both of them and immediately after doing so the Elle
Lady meekly descended.  The gal with Adams Family values left for
the edge of the stage where she stayed for a bit longer (to
Tommy's annoyance).  Apparently (I was told later by someone who
had spoken to elle lady) he told them both that if they did not
leave immediately they would be forcefully removed.

It was at this point that bob, finally alone again on stage,
returned to his mic for the last verse of LARS and focussed his
most laserlike gaze on the Elle Lady as he sang those lines
"You're invisible now ...  you got no secrets ... How does it
feel?

Hopefully I'll have some time in the next week to actually write
something about the music during these great shows in Atlantic
City.

but that's all for now-

sadie

delia ain't dead, but she blames the stage rush on BOB.



Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1999 00:36:06 -0500
From: david godlis 
To: karlerik@monet.no
Subject: Atlantic City/Last thoughts

Last Thoughts on Atlantic City - early show

Entering from the Sands parking garage into the Casino, playing
over the hotel sound system we heard "Subterranean Homesick
Blues", and knew this was going to be as strange as we supposed.
Of course by the time we headed for the bathroom it was the
inocuous Jewel replacing SHB. So this all seemed just a bit
surreal. Last time I saw Bob was at Tramps over the summer, and I
was intrigued to be at a venue half that size. But the ambience
was definitely weird.

But enough ambience. Past the slot machines and into the show.  I
was kind of anticipating we might hear Roving Gambler, but I
didn't expect Bob to open with it. The harmonies with Larry (I
don't think he's on the Lovesick EP version) made it sound even
better than that live version. The sound where I was seated was
fabulous throughout. Lots of cushy cushy walls & banquette
furniture to keep things from bouncing around. I could pick out
every word and every instrument. And the sight lines were good
too - I was sitting back some ways (I think near Rachel) and
could see Bob & band from their toes up to their hair, as they
say. Very different than peering through the jumble of heads at
Tramps last summer. Of course the trade off being that this AC
crowd was more the 'jewels & binoculars' type and less the
'opposite loft heatpipes coughing D train' crew. You give back
for every thing you get.

Anyway, a few notes about the set. So did we get Stone Walls &
Steel Bars" because he didn't open with a Stanley Brothers song?
The harmony with Charlie & Larry was exquisite. Lot of shuffling
shoes by Bob all night -even during breaks in Desolation Row. Yes
Rachel, there was a great harp on Mama You Been On My Mind.
Absolutely the highlight was Tomorrow is a Long Time (w/Larry's
harmonies). Like I said, this room really lent itself to this
acoustic material. You definitely felt the band could hear
themselves well. Masters of War had a weird orange colored light
show projected on the "tonight show" type curtain behind the
band. What was that little musical intro and short-ending just
before Bob went into "One too Many Mornings"?? Was he singing
"The time is now..." like in "My Way" ??? He sure seemed to amuse
himself. The guitars at the end of "Don't think Twice" were
spectacular. And then the harmonica I won't forget to end
"Tangled", Bob picks up his roses and he's gone.

By this time we'd all been surprised by the totally acoustic set.
I suspect that ending with TUIB, where the stage rush usually
starts, and the tension of a set turned upside down with no
electric numbers followed by even one more acoustic - "Blowin" -
set up a real tension by the time they started "Not Fade Away".
Like 'finally we can stand up' must have run through some veins.
I mean, how do you rush close to the stage in a 750 seat
nightclub? I guess there's no place to run but onto the stage. So
then where was security when you needed them? I saw tube tops
running to the stage. They were calling back to friends, waving
arms to come along. I saw Tony's bass being whisked off stage
right as the crowd thronged around Bob. The last thing I saw of
Bob he did seem to be smiling through it all. And then it was
like swarming the pitcher after the ball game. Finally a roadie
came out in front of the crowd on stage, held his hands up high
like he was saying no more, we're full up here. Back the truck
up! But by then, the horse was out of the barn. Too late to save
the ship. And it just ended.

It certainly felt like we had three more songs to go. This was a
perfectly wonderful set up to this point. Like we fooled you with
all the acoustic and now we're going to knock your socks off.
What's an enclore with no  Highway 61, no RDW, no Rolling Stone,
no Love Sick? You just felt like you were watching this great
movie and the cable went out.

That's how it is when things disintegrate...

Ah, it was great night anyway.

Oh. One last story someone told me about Bob leaving Tramps last
summer. While we were all waiting for another encore, some
friends who didn't have tickets and were watching the set out on
21st street, were totally surprised to see Bob walk out onto the
street seconds after the set ended. He did autographs, making
sure everyone there (about 10-15) got one. Even signed a Willie
Nelson CD for my friend (that's all he had with him, apologizing
to Bob for this, who said sure he likes Willie & will sign his
CD). Made sure everyone got their stuff signed and popped into a
waiting car before the crowd headed out to the nyc streets. Hail
Bob!