|
|
|
|
BRITAIN 2002 MAY 4 - MAY 12 (my eight reviews) MAY 4 BRIGHTON CENTRE, BRIGHTON There was something special about going to this Bob Dylan concert, as it was my first Bob date since Kilkenny; and so it has been anticipated for some months. It is the first time my wife and I left the Emerald Isle since coming back from Portsmouth in September 2000 (so it was our first show since then without Ron Wood clowning around). Both in 2000 and now in 2002 we came to Britain in order to see eight shows. The Brighton Centre was packed and we were sitting on the balcony, a little far away from the "action", but that is what you have binoculars for. I must say, it was a very enjoyable show. One third of the 21 songs I had never seen live (in 32 shows since 1981), the five "Love & Theft" songs, as well as "S. H. B." ( ... watch the parking meeeeeters) and "Man Of Constant Sorrow". Also I had never seen before the acoustic version of "I Shall Be Released", and certainly no acoustic "If Not For You". But even the frequently played songs were on a high artistic level, with every musician on stage showing what a brilliant craftsman he is. Jim Keltner was working hard, and for my part delivered his goods. This guy knows his stuff. The other four artists I had seen at work many times before, strumming away on their manifold stringed instruments, but they all are getting better and better. Bob was singing fine and strong throughout the evening. One of the high points for me was the challenging opener, "I AM THE MAN THOMAS", as I really love Bob Dylan singing about Jesus Christ, believing him that he is serious in doing so. I am looking very much forward to hear "SOLID ROCK" at hopefully some of the shows we are heading for. "Can't Wait" was also really nice; and "Masters Of War" was performed strong, convincing, and with authority, as was "Sugar Baby". "Summer Days" I really was looking forward to, and I was not at all disappointed. Those guitars !!! What can I say ??? "Man Of Constant Sorrow" was one of the peaks of the night. I loved every second of it, as I cherished every note of "I SHALL BE RELEASED". That one was so beautiful, with its purple lighting and the great singing of Bob and the boys. The curtain closer, "All Along The Watchtower", was certainly not the first one I have seen, but it definitely was the best one, with Bob's phrasing being somewhat different than any other version I have heard before. With all these setlist changes so far during this finest European tour since 1981, we really do look forward to some more nice surprises, as we arrived in Bournemouth, where we will be standing tonight, a little closer to the "action". This is not a bad way to spend your vacation ;-) MAY 5 INTERNATIONAL ARENA, BOURNEMOUTH No, he did not sing "Isis", on the fifth day of May, but Bob did once more sing fifteen songs not performed in the previous show. Three songs only he repeated in the main set; the acoustic "If Not For You" (which is thought to be in rememberance of George Harrison, now that Bob is in Britain), the highly enjoyable "S.H.B.", and "Summer Days", a song no Dylan concert should be without these days. Those guitars !!! But I mentioned them already yesterday, did I ? From the encores he did repeat the usual three. For this show I was standing, pretty close to the action, a little to the left, so I could hear very good. I got to hear four songs I had never seen live. For one the great opener, "WAIT FOR THE LIGHT TO SHINE", which appeared for the fifth time in Europe. Also the first electric song, "Absolutely Sweet Marie" was new to me, and I wonder if he played it because in 1997 it also had been the first electric song in Bournemouth. Two more L&T songs I got to hear for the first time, a very nice "Floater", and a very strong "Cry A While" (I did not find any fault in Jim Keltner's drumming all night). Highlights from the songs I had seen before were many, as this was a very very good show indeed. "Desolation Row" featured seven verses (Sell./ Cind./ Moon/ Across/ Einst./ Midnight/ Received), and Bob was with the lyrics all the time. "Mama" was beautifully sung, and "Boots Of Spanish Leather" (with nice red lighting) was sung even more beautifully. "HARD RAIN", was strong as well, but Bob's microphone created distorting feedback noises during the last verse, causing him to sing most of that verse off mike, as loud as he could, before beckoning the audience to help him finish with the last chorus. "Don't Think Twice" had a very nice groove to it. "Summer Days" just was great (I am really looking forward to see it six more times), and being back in the 12th spot, I knew that number 13 would be something I would like very much. So I got to hear my fifth "NOT DARK YET". It must have been the first one ever starting with a harp solo, and it was a great version (~ "... and I got to the sea" ~ The Bournemouth International Centre is located right at the coast ~ ;-) The band intro (with each member playing a solo) during the extended jam session following "Pillbox" was immensely entertaining, to say the least. This band sure is fantastic. The song in purple lighting in spot number 18 was "FOREVER YOUNG", which featured nice vocal harmonies; and the second encore was "Highway 61" this time, which showcased Charlie Sexton's talent once more. To observe Bob's look on his face as he was looking from three feet distance into Charlie's face for quite a long time, it was obvious that he was well pleased with him. And rightly so ! I was well pleased as well with all five artists on stage, and I have the feeling, that I will be even more pleased in Cardiff tonight. These shows are a pure pleasure. MAY 6 INTERNATIONAL ARENA, CARDIFF Since there was one day off (the only one during this British marathon), I had no deadline yesterday to type this review. But something to review I do have indeed, and I am glad I had some more time to do it. As I looked again at the Cardiff setlist on the morning after, I had an interesting thought. If I would have been at home and would have read the setlist online, I might have said: "Wow, Solid Rock, oh, Visions and Moonlight, nice, but otherwise just more of the same." But I was not at home, I was in Cardiff, underneath those left speakers, some 30 feet away from the greatest living artist performing his 24th concert of his finest European tour since 1981. And, being fully aware that every concert experience is subjective, I have to say, that this show in Cardiff was many, many times better than the setlist might suggest. It is true, every song had been played at least four times during this tour ("Baby Blue", "Stuck" and "Things" appearing for the 5th time, "4th Street" for the 6th time, "Visions" and "Knocking" for the 7th time, etc. etc.), so there were no real surprises concerning the song selection, the biggest surprise being song number two, which had rested for ten shows. But I am getting ahead of myself. On the way from Bournemouth to Cardiff my wife and I had been listening to "Cardiff 23/09/00" (which we also had attended), and I wondered if Bob would top this show, which had been one of the finest of the ten fine shows we had seen that September. For my money he did top it, and it would have been worth to cross the Irish see just for this one concert, which seemed to have one main objective; to demonstrate to every one present the simple fact that Bob Dylan's voice is the greatest instrument in music history. Period !!! Personal highlights always stick to memory best, so I will stick to those as well. "Humming Bird" was my first one, a lovely song it is, with brilliant harmonies. I really love Tony's bass playing on all the openers. "Times", like I said, had not been played for ten shows, so it was surprising to hear these opening chords, instead of another round of "Guess that tune". But what followed was quite astonishing. For one Bob Dylan had memorized all the lyrics of all the five verses (gather/ writers/ senators/ mothers/ line). There were no (I repeat: NO) half forgotten lines !!! What was more, the phrasing was very strong and Bob was really putting something special into this old chestnut. My 7th "Baby Blue" started with a nice harp solo. Minutes later, as Bob had just finished the last "strike another match" line, I said to my wife: "The next words we will hear from him might be 'I'm hanging on' ". They were indeed the next words, and we were quite joyful about that. I had seen "SOLID ROCK" before, on my first Bob date in November 1981, but to see him sing this bold confession now, on my 35th Bob date, was sure something very special to me. As I am hanging on to the same Solid Rock, Bob was singing about 13 times so far since coming to Europe last month, I do relate to these lyrics. And I believe Bob. He won't let go no more the one, who has been chastised, hated, and rejected for him. This Jesus, Bob Dylan keeps singing about, remains for him a wonderful Savior to know. My 3rd "4th Street" was my first since 1994, and my 2nd "L.D.B." was quite intense. Bob's singing was brilliant throughout, and his vocal delivery alone of my 3rd "Visions of Johanna" would have been worth the price of admission. Amazing stuff. The next song I had seen 26 times before, so I had not planned on writing down the following three words: "Tangled was outstanding". Perfectly sandwiched between this acoustic rocker and "Summer Days" (the only repetition of the main set from the previous show) was a simply beautiful "Moonlight", which was the second song of the night I had never seen live (making it 13 songs in 3 shows, 8 of them from L&T). After the always hugely enjoyable "Summer Days" (did I ever mentioned those guitars?) it was clear to me once more that Bob was intent to deliver a top class show, as he set aside his harp to end "Wicked Messenger" before the song even started. "Things Have Changed" sure is a different experience when not appearing almost every night as it did in September 2000. The "purple lighting" song, "Knocking", had again those nice strong harmonies, with Bob singing this way, and Larry and Charlie singing that way. Very interesting to watch them do this. The same they did also with "Blowing", which was sung by Bob in a very beautiful soft voice during the verses, and more intense during the chorus. It is easy to tell by my ramblings that Dylan's vocal performance in Cardiff impressed me big time, and indeed I did feel great awe and respect for this man's artistic output these days, as I was standing for the second time in this Welsh venue. So don't be fooled by the setlist (;-), which nevertheless had seventeen (!!!) changes to Bournemouth, featuring eleven songs played neither in Bournemouth nor Brighton. We did see 63 songs in 3 shows, and 47 different ones; and I do believe Bob Dylan will pull out some more real surprises, as he hits those large British arenas. But no matter what the last five setlists might look like, the artistic performances of this finest band on this planet will be great and worth seeing, no matter what the critics say. Whoever does not like this art created on stage, does not have to go again. I do like it, so I'm ready to go, less than three hours before showtime in Newcastle. MAY 8 TELEWEST ARENA, NEWCASTLE Newcastle revisited. For the second time my wife and I saw a Bob Dylan concert at the Telewest Arena (we had been there on 19/09/00 as well). Our seats in the very center of the 11th row provided a good view and an excellent sound for us. The five craftsmen on stage again showed us what kind of wonderful art they are able to create with their instruments. There are simply no bad Bob Dylan concerts these days. I think the main reason why some of us, who go to several shows, do not enjoy all the songs the same way the majority of the audience does, is that we are spoiled, have so many points of reference, and let our expectations get in the way. ["Oh, I wish he would have played ... in this spot." Oh, not ... again." "Well, but the version of ... in ... was better than this."] It takes a concious effort to not be fooled by this wrong approach to Bob's performing art, and sometimes we do not succeed. But Bob Dylan does not perform a show to please our high expectations. All shows however are worth seeing, and often he does pull out surprises, and plays simply great versions of some of your favorite songs. That is why I spend my vacation once more going to several shows. But that is also why I for my part focus on personal highlights in my reviews. Last night there were of course some songs I enjoyed more than other songs, but that does not give me the right to knock those other songs, for they still are multiple times preferable to anything else performed by any other band or artist out there. My 36th Bob date started with my 2nd "WAIT FOR THE LIGHT TO SHINE", followed by my 2nd "Song To Woody", which was performed for the first time this year. Not a bad start at all. A little later I saw my 6th "Love Minus Zero", delivered most beautifully after starting with a nice harp solo. Next came the 14th "SOLID ROCK" on this tour, a song I hoped to see once during these British shows, and which I got to see already twice now in consecutive shows. With four concerts to go to, chances are I will see it again. Observing Bob singing these lyrics once more (as I did in Cardiff), I really do get the impression, he intents to communicate to the audience, that he is serious about the meaning of these words. A definite high point of the evening for me. A harp solo by Bob always is nice to watch, and the three he did, when starting "Just Like A Woman", "Tambourine Man", and "Blowing", would have been even more enjoyable if some people would not have tried to sing along with the melody. But no more about strange audience behaviour. On stage the band played my 3rd "S.H.B" (you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows), which was immensely enjoyable. Also I got to hear my 4th "HARD RAIN", a lyrical feast in every show it appears in these days. The finest peak of the Newcastle show was song number twelve, which was a superb version of "STANDING IN THE DOORWAY". It was a bit surprising to hear it again in Newcastle, as he performed it on that very stage before in September 2000, which had been the first appearance of this gem in Europe. And, to quote my review from back then, this song again "by itself was worth the price of admission". The guitar playing by Bob on this song last night was really beautiful. Talking about guitars, "Summer Days" was next, Charlie played awesome on this. The instrumental part between "you been teasing me" and "standing by God's river", usually two or three minutes long, is the most enjoyable of all the predictable parts of these shows for me. It simply gets to me every time. The guitars I liked a lot also during "Love Sick", which Bob even ended with a short guitar solo. The only song, I never had seen before, was "If Dogs Run Free", which was quite beautiful (it had no purple lighting however like the other songs in that spot). During "Honest With Me" I really noticed and enjoyed the incredible drumming of Jim Keltner and the fantastic guitar playing by Larry Campbell. Some mighty fine musicians Bob's got with him on stage, rolling out all those musical carpets for his various vocal gymnastics. And they all do know how to rock hard, as the curtain closer, "Highway 61" demonstrated once again. 14 song changes to Cardiff, 6 new songs for the British tour; 53 songs in 4 shows, no reason to complain. The Manchester Evening News Arena is next, in a little over three hours, but nobody in that arena will be able to predict what kind of news they will deliver this evening in Manchester. I am hoping for gems like "Hallelujah I'm ready to go" or "Mississippi", just to name two on my wish list. But I will take anything I get. It is Bob's show after all, isn't it? MAY 9 M.E.N. ARENA, MANCHESTER So what kind of news did Bob Dylan deliver last evening at the Mancester Evening News Arena? This oval bowl full of people was almost cooking over by the time those spotlights illuminated the place during the choruses of "Like A Rollin Stone". It was quite a sight from our floor (Block A, Row Q) seats. But not many people on the floor used their seats during this exremely energetic and powerful show, containing no cover song at all, but only Dylan's own material. News number one was: "I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more", sung with acoustic guitar (Charlie on electric), as first song. For more than three years now Bob Dylan has started his shows with acoustic cover songs, so this choice was quite a surprise. It was presented with the same steam as some of the other openers, similar to "Duncan And Brady". Next news item on the list was the second acoustic version ever of "SEŅOR", a song which my wife and I had seen five times already from 1995 to 1998. But we both love this song very much, and last night it was a mighty fine version we heard. First early peak of the show. "It's Alright Ma" was quite strong, and our third "One Too Many Mornings" since 1994, starting with a nice harp solo, sung softly and tender, was the next highlight for me, finishing the first acoustic set. The first electric set started with a powerful "Memphis Blues", and I hardly could believe what Jim Keltner did with this song on his drums. It was quite amazing, and it was not the last time that night that I stood in awe of this great musician. I would not mind if Bob would ask him to stick around longer than Sunday next. Another version of "Moonlight" followed, with Bob making up for some lyrical mistakes in the first part by singing all the better in the second part of the song. Next was the second appearance in 2002 of the rare "I Don't Believe You", in my opinion prompted by Bob's presence in Manchester, where he prefaced this song 36 years ago with "It used to be like that, and now it goes like this." (Maybe this had also been the reason for the inclusion of "One Too Many Mornings", which he prefaced in 1966 with "If you only just wouldn't clap so hard" ;-) Last night's version was very enjoyable, starting with harmonica, and featuring very nice guitar playing. "Lonesome Day Blues" was quite intense again, with Bob belting out the lyrics. ("IIII'm gonna taaaame the proud"). Back on acoustic guitar, Bob scolded the "Masters Of War" one more time, and Jim's drumming fascinated me once more. Our fourth "Visions Of Johanna" within the last two years was next, featuring the longest word in Dylan's lyric book ("showmesomeonenotaparasiteandigooutandsayaprayerforhim"), before another "Don't Think Twice" started with harmonica, causing the most appreciative audience to break into rounds of applause, an exercise they repeated after each verse. And rightly so. Most people present do not see Bob Dylan very often, so they want to hear some greatest hits. And what they got last night was great indeed, as Bob performed all his hits really well. The second electric set started with another high point for us, our third "BLIND WILLIE MCTELL", a masterpiece sung masterfully; and featuring another great guitar solo by Charlie, preceding the "God is in His Heaven, and we all want what's His" line. The next peak followed straight away, as "Summer Days" gets more enjoyable each day. I know, I have mentioned those guitars in every review, but last night I thought the tin roof would lift off the arena. Amazing! Hot! Music at its absolute finest !!! The "Drifter's Escape" featured some interesting ever changing shadows of the band members on the curtain, and once more I have to mention those impressive drums. I was hoping for "Cat's In The Well" to close the main set, but it was not to be (yet ;-). But the crowd loved their "12&35", as they did love the rocking encores, "Rolling Stone", "Honest With Me", and "Watchtower" (This band really rocks!). But they also loved the slower acoustic hits, like the ever present "Blowing", or another very nice "FOREVER YOUNG", which both featured those strong harmonies by Larry and Charlie again. Very effective. A great show; Manchester special. 5 more songs for Britain 2002, that's 58 in 5 shows. The NEC in Birmingham is the next arena we are going to revisit tonight. It will be packed, it will be loud, and it will be good. And there will be more surprises. Some tours are like a gold rush. Three hours to go. MAY 10 NEC, BIRMINGHAM Last night in Birmingham my concert experience was much different than last time I visited the NEC in 2000, when my wife and I ended up center center at the rail. This time we were up in the tiers more than half an arena away from the stage. So it was not loud at all for us, and we had to use binoculars to observe any details, which made it all the harder to enjoy the songs played often, or to cherish the few nuggets presented way down yonder. Having seen my sixth show in a week, I could choose to critizise the song selection (spoiled as I am by now ;-), as I would have prefered different choices in spots number 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. This is not to say that those songs were not good or worth listening to, it is just that going to several shows you long for the obscurer choices. But Bob Dylan does not conduct his concerts for those going to several shows. Last night he conducted his show for another British audience in another sold out huge arena. And, looking at the setlist, I just have to ask myself: How would I have experienced this show, and how would I view this setlist now, if this would have been my only Bob date this year? (like last year's Kilkenny show for me, with its newest song from 1973) I would have enjoyed all the 20 songs I have heard last night, without even considering to worry about hearing the same songs for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th time in a week. Pretty pathetic trap, actually. ;-) I would have been greatly pleased to hear six songs from "Love & Theft", some nine crowd pleasing greatest hits, and a handful of obscurer choices thrown in. For that is exactly what we got to hear last night. My personal favorites were the acoustic version of "Big Girl" (with some new lines I did not get), an incredible tender and soft "Tomorrow Is A Long Time", including a nice harp intro by Bob and extremely beautiful harminies by Larry (This version was even more sublime than the one I saw in Vicar Street.), my first "Tom Thumb" ever (first timers are always enjoyable for me), and of course "Summer Days" with its magnificent guitars. My 2nd "4th Time Around" (I had seen it before in Portsmouth) was also quite enjoyable, as were my 3rd "Moonlight" (with lyrics more correct than the previous night) and my 2nd "Sugar Baby" ("Look up, look up, seek your Maker"). "Cry A While" was also very good last night, and I love to see Bob get into the lyrics of his newer material. Speaking of lyrics, "12&35" is one of those songs where I wouldn't care if Bob would sing out of the yellow pages, so I simply try to enjoy the jam sessions. Last night, right after the band introduction, Bob surprised us with a nice harp solo to finish off this my 19th version of this song in twice as much shows I have seen. Wouldn't it be great if Bob would replace the lyrics of this song with harp playing throughout, permanently? (Rethorical question, you do not have to reply. ;-) Last night Bob repeated even the otherwise alternating acoustic encore song, "FOREVER YOUNG", and there were (only) 10 song changes to Manchester, not 15, 17, 14, or 16 (see how spoiled you can get?), but still we got four new songs for Britain, making it 62 songs now in six shows. With two London shows left, he might reach 70 songs yet. The top of my imaginary wish list would be: "Every Grain Of Sand", "In The Garden", "I Believe In You", "Mississippi", "Po' Boy", and "Cat's In The Well", to name just half a dozen. But whatever we will get, I think I will not regret having seen my first London shows, when we will head back to Ireland next week, as I don't regret having come here to see any of the previous six shows. Bob Dylan concerts simply are extremely worth seeing these days. So I am looking forward to another two shows, less than four hours before the first one will kick off with ... [???], followed by ... [???]. MAY 11 LONDON ARENA DOCKLANDS, LONDON Featuring only 19 songs, being the shortest show on this tour so far, the first of the two concerts by Bob Dylan in London was excellent, a faultless performance! It had been the first appearance of the world's best and most important artist in Europe's largest city after September 11th, so I for my part was very pleased that two of the first five songs he sang were about Jesus Christ. As in Brighton a week before, the show kicked off with a strong and energetic "I AM THE MAN THOMAS", being the seventh time during this tour this song had been performed. "Times" ended with a harp solo, and the fifth "Ma" in a row featured great drums. "Baby Blue" started with harmonica, and as five days before in Cardiff, it was followed by Bob Dylan's confession that he still is "hanging on to a SOLID ROCK"; and solid rock it was indeed, this brilliant song, rocking the 15th European venue on this tour. A true high point. My personal concert experience however went downhill from that hight point, not because of the performance on stage, which remained strong throughout, but because of "Gestapo like" security behaviour, for they were starting to clear the aisles, which had been filling up during an early stage run followed by a continuous stage walk. Gradually we were moved back to our original seats, which were on a corner of a block on the right side on the floor (the first 5 songs I saw from the center behind the first block of rows), so security remained our major obstacle to enjoy this great show, as they constantly kept clearing the aisles, asking everybody walking towards the front for their tickets, in a futile attempt to have everybody stand in front of their own seat only. Most disturbing indeed. All the 19 songs I had seen before during this vacation in Britain, but some of them only once or twice, so it was a pleasure to hear another "Floater"; and the second appearance of "BLIND WILLIE MCTELL" within 49 hours, including another great guitar solo by Charlie, did not bother me at all. "Summer Days" was a pure invitation to dance, and the first London version (including those great guitars which I believe I had mentioned before ;-), was as good as it gets. The most redeeming part of "Pillbox" for me is always the band intro, especially when every member gets to play a short solo (I'm still not giving up hope to hear "Cat's In The Well" tonight ;-). After a short break Bob cut short the encores by two songs (not only by one song like the day before in B'ham), but he did it in a very interesting way, by cutting them at the front and in the middle, thus leaving out the first acoustic encore, and moving up the ever present "Rolling Stone" to start this shorter part two of the show. This was a most effective surprise to my ears at least, as it was unexpected; and a powerful version it was, very fitting in this spot, making this 26th version I have seen in 39 shows the most enjoyable version I can recall. Following this "Rolling Stone" directly with "Honest With Me" kept the energy flowing; and another "Blowing" (starting with a harp intro once more) preceded the final song of the night, a smoking version of "Watchtower", which was one for the history books. Rock at it should be, with great drumming by Jim Keltner. What more can you ask for? One more show with this fine band in London tonight, four hours ahead of us, hopefully with less disturbances by security. I checked our seats already last night, they will be in the fourth row, but all the way to the left side, 70 and 71. I suspect it will be another top performance, and it might even include some more surprises. "Mississippi" would be nice, wouldn't it? MAY 12 LONDON ARENA DOCKLANDS, LONDON Checking our 4th row seats (70 + 71) again before the show, my wife and I had to find out, they were almost beside the stage, with a view obstructed by speakers, so we would have seen only the front part of Bob's mike stand. Fortunately we were offered row 10, (55 + 56) spots by two nice Ladies from the other side of the Atlantic, as they intended to really go up front. But when the same appalling security as the day before showed them back to their seats during "Stuck", we had to move into the aisle. (Thanks anyway again to Miss Lucy and to Mary J.) Trying to avoid confrontation with security, we could move enough up front to stand almost underneath the left speakers. Since security focused on keeping the aisles clear everywhere else but very close to the stage (where they certainly would have greatly distracted Bob and the band, as it was a noisy business, conducted in a very disturbing manner for everyone nearby), we ended up with rather excellent sights and sounds to enjoy the last of the eight shows we came to Britain for. And what a show it was, with only 19 songs again, but only seven repetitions from the night before, most of which were well worth repeating, most of all the brilliant opener, "I AM THE MAN THOMAS", which Bob chose to sing for the third time in Britain this month, thus having started eight shows each of both his tours this year so far with this wonderful song about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is something he probably would not have done, if he would not indeed be hanging on to this Solid Rock, he sang about to 15 audiences in Europe during this fine tour. He won't let go no more the nail scarred hand of his wonderful Savior and risen Lord that will lead him beyond the burning sand. The nicest surprise of the night was the inclusion of the second "If You See Her, Say Hello" of this European tour. Performed acoustic, it started with violin and harp, featuring some lyric changes, and more violin by Larry throughout the song. The second acoustic set (always three songs) deserves special mentioning as well. Another soft "Mama", starting with harp intro, preceded a good "HARD RAIN", which always is a lyrical high point for me and welcome to my ears, especially if it is followed by a surprising and beautiful "FOREVER YOUNG", which actually even benefits from a position further up front in the set. (Very nice choice indeed, as this also meant, that London remained "un-tangled" this year ;-) The only acoustic song during the encores was an intense and surprising "Knocking", which knocked "Blowing" off its post-"Honest With Me" position. Which brings me to another observation I made last night. Bob performed five songs from "Love & Theft" during his set, and each and every one of those performances he nailed (I mean NAILED), as if his life depended on it (or to put it this way, as if 5000 copies of "L&T" would have to be sold right after the show, and every one of them HAS to go). He really put a lot into his newer lyrics (all his other songs last night were at least 28 years old). The way his voice delivered softly the lyrics of "Moonlight" and "Sugar Baby", or the way he almost yelled the words of "Cry A While" and "Honest With Me", was simply amazing. (It was the last show of the tour, so his voice can rest for a while now.) "Summer Days" was brilliant as ever, and remains my favorite "L&T" song I saw during these shows (did I ever mentioned those guitars ? ;-), as "Mississippi" did not appear at all in Europe ;-( It is also great to watch how Bob can rely on these outstanding musicians around him, who play all those various styles with ease, together in perfect harmony; and always on their toes (as they had to be last night, when they started "Drifter's Escape" and then Bob all of the sudden sang "There was a Wicked Messenger"). They all seem to really enjoy playing with Bob as well, even during the songs played often, visible last night during songs like "Rolling Stone" (which was again more enjoyable for me as the first encore song than it was as the second), and during the perfect curtain closer, another rocking "Watchtower", which might have been the last song in which we could have seen Jim Keltner in Bob's band, a great drummer, who had been introduced by Bob Dylan in London in 1981 as "a legend in his own time". Who knows who will beat the drums during the next Bob Dylan concert? Anyway, Bob Dylan in May 2002 sang 163 songs in Britain (100 of them he performed in the last five days alone). 63 different songs we got to hear during these eight shows, 23 of them but once, and a further 15 of them only twice. There sure have been some nuggets worth crossing the Irish Sea for, and worth driving all those miles across Britain in our little red Micra, which took me to 29 of my 40 Bob dates by now. As I type in this last review, having found internet access in Swansea/Wales again on our way back to Ireland (as I did before in September 2000, when I typed in the last of ten reviews from Vicar Street to Portsmouth), I have to say it was again a great way to spend our vacation, as we also met many wonderful people along this trip (some of which I already knew via email), like Geoff and Jeff in Brighton, J. J. in Bournemouth and beyond (I told him already that I actually saw him yawning twice last night during "12&35"), and the nice couple from Tel Aviv (who flew in just for the two London shows, after waiting in vain for nine years on Bob to revisit Israel); just to name a few. And of course we would do it again, anytime. |
|
|
|
|