satisfied customer.

I'm writing the review already!

at the back and at the top, no screens, tiny figures, Bob has a three note vocal range and people were loving it? Bloody hell, roll on Liverpool 'it's all good'.

anyone want a cheap ticket for Dublin next week?

I was at the NIA too, and stayed to the finish, but it didn't get much better.

I don't think I've ever seen so little effort put into a performance. Yet he got a standing ovation at the end.

Weird.

Mrs Path is bemused by this "Dylan": whenever anything moderately croaky comes up on the shuffle and I ask her to guess who it is, she always says Dylan. She doesn't ever like it when it is, even cracking stuff from up to 20 years ago, preferring the Felice brothers "version" of Dylan. She accepts, however, my affliction and asked whether we would be going to see him at the NIA. I said I wouldn't dare risk her being right........

Nowhere near as bad as I'd been lead to believe.
Once my ears had tuned in, and they'd tweaked the sound slightly about 3 songs in, I enjoyed it. His voice is a drone that blends in with the other instruments, which almost makes it an instrumental concert.
I thought the arrangements of most of the old stuff worked very well. If at 67, vanity is stopping the use of projection screens, then screens with the words on would help, particularly for the new stuff.
The oddest thing was the guy standing ten feet behind him, in full view for most of the gig, who I assume was his minder.

last night but my Brother in law did. His comments were 'he didnt say a word all night, how awesome is that?' 'How is that awesome?' I asked. 'his words do the talking for him?' came the reply. 'er, could you actually hear the words?'. 'No'.
Bloody waste of time if you ask me.

In 30 years of gig going, last night's Dylan concert was the worst sound mix I've ever heard. If you go and read reviews of previous gigs the sound quality (or lack of) is a prevailing theme.

At the price we're paying for tickets, someone should have a word with his sound crew because that really ruined the gig for us.

But Bob did what Bob does and he did it well.

I can't believe you. Maybe it was because I was close up to the stage just behind Bob's back that the sound quality was great but I wouldn't want to see anybody from more than half way back in such an arena. It was in fact a vast improvement on the sound at previous show I had seen in Sheffield where it was too loud.

My son who has now seen quite a number of Dylan concerts thought it was the best he had seen and that he sang really well. I thought there were beautiful performances of some songs and my opinion was certainly backed up by the reaction of most of the audience which in response to the overall quality was far more enthusiastic than in Sheffield.

He certainly sounds great on record. Wonder why he hasn't premiered any of the new stuff, considering it's been in the shops for two days. Archie, your comments are amusing, even though I can't bring myself to agree with you. Is the 'hombremalo' a Spaniard by any chance?

This was the best of the six Bob concerts I've seen this century. He often seems to pull out a better setlist for Brum, which is why I chose it over Sheffield this year (that, and because I was already seeing the Specials in Sheffield the night before Bob). Bob was singing well, I thought, and only a couple of the new arrangements were below par. I was delighted to get both 'Workingman's Blues' and 'Ain't Talkin', neither of which I'd heard him do live before. The band gelled well and he was obviously enjoying himself a great deal. I know this because, having good seats to the right, where I knew I would only see his back, I ran to the front when the lights went down, around the security guy, and got a spot right in front of him. He even moved around a bit, and put a lot of facial expression into the songs, something I've never been close enough to see before.

So it all depends on where you are, how well you know the songs and what your expectations are. I was with some people who go to most shows on the tour and they reckoned Birmingham was by far the best show so far.

Why criticise Bob Dylans sound when you have seats at the back in an arena? You know its an arena when you purchase tickets.
Bob Dylan tickets are half price compared with people like Elton Johns (although I like going to both).Bob does'nt have all the fancy lights and screens, but is good value for the money, concentrating on letting the music speak for itself. I went to last nights show and enjoyed it very much, although I knew what to expect I thought his voice was good, the sound was, and so were his excellent band. I was seated seven rows from the front, this makes a difference. Roll on Liverpool concert, can't wait.

I had the distinct misfortune of attending Dylan's gig in Birmingham last night. To call it awful belittles the concept of the word. I think maybe 1 word in 50 was intelligible, and the guy had the rapport of corpse. The sound quality resembled a low current through a dustbin full of ballbearings; it was atrocious. I looked on the website and there's a heated debate about the setlist, but Christ knows what was being sung such was the dreadful keyboard led arrangement. My wife complained to the NIA staff about the quality of sound--they advised it was the singer not the equipment. No-one was expecting Caruso, but for God's sake it was painful! With Dylan's back catalogue it was like watching someone burn a masterpiece -- I saw fans slack jawed with disbelief at the dirge that was being played. I'd've asked for a refund if I thought the man cared--he doesn't. Shame on you, Bob.

Just a thought, but where does the concept of a refund sit these days? Anybody actually ever had one? From anyone? Which leads me on, given the myriad postings of anguished outrage across the innumerable Bobdownthebog postings, does he know or care? Should he know or care? Are we merely responding in classic WASP style by moaning afterwards to anyone who will listen, rather than to the creator of the misery, as in "How was your meal?" "Fine thankyou", followed by a rant on the restaurant blog. Is there a way of letting the man in question be in no way uncertain of the view of "his" fans. Or is he too surrounded by sycophants?

Perhaps you should stick to seeing smaller artists in smaller venues, whose music you are able to understand instead of criticising. Give the legend a break.

Criticise when its due, not for the sake of it or something to do.

and have reported back here, have no premise to criticise?
(Worry not, I ain't criticising the "Legend", I'm criticising your extraordinary comment....)

Not out of order, just entitled like you to an opinion. Of course I read all your comment, just can't understand why you would expect the best experience sat in a barn in the roof. And then blame Bob for that. How he sings is how he sings. If you understand his music you would know how he changes his voice in the words and emotions. I've heard him speak, I was at the Minneapolis concert last year when he gave his election speech on election night.

So it is everyones silly fault if they are foolish to buy the seats available at the venues he performs. Unless they like the show. That's akin to McDonalds taking no reponsibility for the "quality" of their food if you are foolish enough to visit one of their restaurants. Or maybe that is exactly what you mean, with the expectation that you shouldn't worship at the feet of the "Legend" unless your blinkers are sufficiently welded on as to see his new clothes........
No further comments required.

I think your missing the point.

The emperor's new clothes bit is becoming a little tedious.
Surely you masters of the cliché, masters of the preposition should be able to come up with something a bit more ingenious.

The concert had poor sound, good musicians. Dylan's voice was terrible. It became a challenge to recognize the songs. Seeing that his lyrics are so important it was a shame that you couldn't decipher them. Perhaps he should have big video screens on the stage - to display the lyrics! This must be the most disappointing gig I have ever attended. I have attended gigs at the NIA before & they have had very good sound. If it had been done by someone else there would of been a riot, but because it was Dylan he got an ovation! It reminded me of the old fable called "The Emperors New Clothes". The audience were kidding themselves they were enjoying the performance.

So, some people think the sound was great down the front? I went down to the sound desk to have a word, got blanked, then bullied back to my seat by security (just doing their job). The sound was a bit brighter there but still not a great mix in my opinion. Even so, with the quality of PA systems these days there is no excuse for two thirds of the audience to be getting a crap sound. It is down purely and simply to bored and lazy sound engineers.

Anyhow, after a bit of search, came up with the address of his record company, who will apparently forward mail to Bob. I for one will be using it.

Bob Dylan
c/o Columbia Records
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022-3211, USA

It was good for Stevie Wonder and is reliably better than the NEC. Having said that,Cohen, L, showed that even a pigs ear can become a purse at that barn, if I will be forgiven, mac, for another well worn cliche. (P.S. that's why they are)

There have always been a hundred better singers than Dylan. There has always been a million better people than Dylan. We don't love him or follow him for his singing voice or his 'caring sharing' attitude to the outside world, of which we as fans are part of. To ask Bob Dylan to care about, or want to perform for his audience is simply unrealistic. He doesn't care about his fans, we wouldn't want him to. We don't want another Cliff Richard.
The great tragedy of this is that his vanity won't allow him to quit while he is ahead. Death hasn't intervened as with Morrison, Hendrix etc. He simply wants some more money and some more sycophancy. I feel sorry for him. He has tumbled from being a "not very nice man with great songs", to a "not very nice man with great songs, who also is money hungry and vain". I learned more about him then. If only he had come onto stage, waved his harmonica and left for the night. You can get a great curry in Brindley Place. We would have all been happier. An April night in the NIA won't take away my Bob moments. Hels

Back in Glasgow at the weekend, I bought "Dylan On Dylan" in Fopp for £2 - couldn't resist at that price. Over the weekend I was mainly listening to Street Legal.

And in Birmingham this afternoon, I passed the exhibition of Dylan's drawings at the Castle Gallery in the ICC - so I went in, and thoroughly enjoyed them.

http://www.castlegalleries.com/contact/birmingham-icc.asp

(recommended to Retro and any other Brum people)

One of the worst gigs ever, and a week later I'm still following him - must be a genius!