Entertainment For Lively Minds
My Three Dylan Shows...
The Bob Dylan European 2009 Tour came to an end in Dublin to-night and, by all the accounts I have heard, it was a great show. Sadly, due to work, I was not there but I was at the previous three shows at Glasgow, Edinburgh & Dublin (1st night):
Stirring up the ghosts of the old blues men each night, there is something spiritual going on at these performances that I can only flounder at explaining: but it's there in that voice, the hammering of the keyboard, the stabbing of the guitar and in the blasts of air through the harp.
Every night I saw him, Dylan was totally into the sound that he and his band were making. The previous night's show was forgotten and the next one wasn't even on the horizon. Each night is a separate entity. Sure, some nights work better than others, but the "here and now" is what matters. No previous recordings, no previous versions, no previous accolades count. Only concerned with the job-in-hand.
Throwing funny shapes and walking around like a stringed puppet being operated by a child, Dylan is also entertaining from a visual point of view. His riverboat gambler attire and impressive collection of broad rimmed hats all add to the old timey feeling that we're experiencing. The band circle around him following his moves and the interaction amongst them all was good.
The choice of songs changed fundamentally every night within a frame-work of rocking 12-bar blues numbers, folk, rollicking rock'n'roll, ballads and Dylan epics. Loving the old stuff, whilst dying to hear a new one.
I could go on about how Edinburgh was my favourite show of the three, and how The Ballad Of Hollis Brown (Glasgow), I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (Edinburgh) and If You Ever Go To Huston (Dublin) were moments that will stay with me for a long time and how sorry I was to miss his last Dublin show.....but I won't.
Suffice to say I can't wait to see him again.
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but having forked out
400 quid plus were you ever likely to admit to not having a good time?
Having read the dylan concert reviews lately dylan and his fans are a perfect match and if you are happy and he's happy so be it.
The tours over?
Thank christ for that, now can we talk about someone else. My Los Lobos strand remains lonely (and, shucks, mentions D***** twice)
They think it's all over, or is it?
Hold on, we haven't had the extended blow-by-blow Dublin report yet, and just when you think it's all over there'll no doubt be further fascinating controversy over his malfunctioning portaloos creating a stink or some such Dylanesque excitement. It's the never ending blog for the never ending tour. I must say I did find the initial Ellen provoked hoo-ha entertaining though.
Dublin No.2
My second night with Bob Dylan in Dublin was equally memorable to the first. The tone of the show was entirely different. Opening with a heavy rocking version of The Wicked Mesenger' I assumed that we were in for a second night of intense apocalyptic blues. Instead he picked up a guitar and performed a beautiful version of 'Girl From The North Country'.
The sound was good and his voice held up well as he proceeded to work his way through what was as close as I've ever seen to a greatest hits set, that included both 'Desolation Row' and 'It's Alright Ma' in their entirety. I've seen these before but only in truncated versions. One of the highlights for me was ' Ballad of A Thin Man' - it's a song I've never liked as being too fussy and over-arranged. Here it was stripped down, the piano refrain removed, acquiring a genuinely unsettling sinister feel.
The only time the band and Dylan came unstuck was during 'I Don't Believe You' - several times they almost settled into a groove but not quite, and it was here too that Bob's voice let him down. Again this was an exception and generally he sang well.
I was there with a friend who was seeing Dylan for the first time, and might be expected to be a harsh judge. I'm glad to say he enjoyed the experience.
Having read the reports over the last few weeks of the English shows I was amazed at just how great the two Dublin gigs were, and how much Dylan and the band appeared to be enjoying themselves. Great reports from Glasgow & Edinburgh too. Maybe it's a celtic thing?
Dylan in good show shocker
Steven's right, last night was a good show. I really enjoyed it and I was expecting the worst.
I think it's time for a total reinvention...
seeing as he plays piano much more than guitar these days he should ditch his band and become a synth duo like the Pet Shop Boys. How's about Dylan backed by Ron Mael?
But have you ever seen them both together
in the same room at the same time?
Funny that, I think you will agree. Less separated at birth, are they in fact one and the same? Is it no coincidence that Ron Mael is an anagram?
Dylan reviews better than the gigs
"Stirring up the ghosts of the old blues men each night, there is something spiritual going on at these performances that I can only flounder at explaining."
Odd that, sounds like "mmmmmmmmm frrggghhh zzzzzrttgh" to me. I bet if Dylan came on and read Wuthering Heights for two hours you'd claim it was a "transcendental re-invention of the medium of story-telling...One can almost hear the dark echoes of Jackanory presenters past…”
If I had seen a bad show
I would tell you I had seen a bad show. I've seen appallingly bad Dylan shows over the years - the two Dublin shows this week were great.
If You Ever Go To Houston (05.05.09)
http://uploading.com/files/F2Y5H0ZJ/bd2009-05-05-If
At last!
A review that summed up perfectly the Dylan I see and hear now! Thanks Nicodemus!
Not another Dylan Thread????
errrrrr that's it.