|
|||||||
| With the news of Bob Dylan's scheduled stop in the Twin Cities to perform at the Target Center on October 24th, at least one person in this town became so excited that his belly button would not stop puckering and unpuckering. The Man is coming! So happy was I in fact, that I went out and purchased a copy of Bob's performance last spring in London England at the Brixton Academy. Man oh man, what a fabulous show! It should be required listening for everyone in our company! | |||||||
| Like most other shows on this particular leg of the tour, Bob opened the show with a rollicking Crash the Levee (Down in the Flood). It's the perfect opener, a semi-obscure rocker from The Basement Tapes, a sermon song written before Dylan did sermon songs. The song is arranged in a great blues/rock version that allows for Dylan to demonstrate his famous unmatchable phrasing. If anyone questions his brilliance as a singer listen to how he stretches and changes the "heyyyy you're going to have to find another best friend somehowww..." verses of the song drawing out new meaning each time. His punctuated rhythmic harmonica solo that closes the song as the band lowers its volume behind him is spine tingling. | |||||||
| They segue instantly into a definitive reading of Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) from Street Legal. The band settles into a groove which emphasize the power of the lyrics- "This place don't make sense to me anymore. Can you tell me what they're waiting for Senor?" Once again Dylan's singing is at top form, the way he caresses words like"his heart still hard as leather, give me a minute and let me get it together" bring out all the emotion of the song. | |||||||
| The standard third song of the set, All Along The Watchtower is a crowd favorite night after night. Dylan has admitted to borrowing Jimi Hendrix's ideas and spirited reading of the song, and the traded guitar solos between JJ Jackson and Dylan really rock along. Next up is a countryish I Don't Believe You which this particular night isn't anything special. Same for the bluesy Tombstone Blues. I do however like the performance of Shelter from the Storm which although doesn't match the fiery passion, and demonic fury of the Hard Rain version, does somehow tap into the wistful remembrance from Blood on the Tracks. | |||||||
| A constant highlight from the spring was the extremely gentle reading of Mr. Tambourine Man. The way Dylan sweetly sings the song seems to indicate a renewed meaning for the singer. He really puts his heart into the performance, singing it most nights without his guitar almost as if to fully concentrate on the lyrics. This night also happened to feature equally powerful performances of The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and the sad, resigned It's All Over Now Baby Blue. The song selection performed at Brixton emphasizes the pain from lost love and the remembrance of how someone once made you feel that is no longer around. | |||||||
| The band rocks out on Highway 61 Revisited matching the outstanding performance from Woodstock. The next two songs, In the Garden and Joey are sort of odd songs in the rotation. Both are songs that have been criticized for their content, the former being a stoic Bible thumping sermon, the latter being an ode to a mobster. Yet the arrangements, fresh and creative, and Dylan's passionate singing make both songs seem to fit and breathe a different kind of breeze into the mood of the evening. | |||||||
| The set closes with Like a Rolling Stone a song that can't be ruined no matter the number of times performed or the many different variations of arrangements. The absolute highlight of the evening comes in the closer, My Back Pages. It's an impassioned acoustic reading. Like Mr. Tambourine Man, it is as if Dylan has rediscovered this song, written in 1964 to find meaning to his current life. Here you hang on each and every word. For those who only know of Dylan through his released studio work, this one song and this one performance is an excellent example of how he has defined the art of performance to bring a whole new meaning to his many brilliant songs. The Never Ending Tour has featured many high quality shows with surprising variety in song selection and terrific arrangements of the many fine songs in Dylan's catalog. What separates this particular night from the rest is for whatever reason, Bob appears to really be into the mood of the place, the night and occupies all the lyrics with singing that suggests the songs still mean as much to him as they do his fans. His interplay with the band is inspired and innovative. His singing has to be heard. | |||||||
| The concert concludes with a two song encore featuring Elvis Costello (who opened for Dylan many nights on the European leg of the tour), Chrissie Hynde and Carole King. They back Dylan on I Shall Be Released and Rainy Day Woman 12 & 35. A good time is had by all. | |||||||