Review: Bob Dylan

The world was a different place the last time Bob Dylan came to the Uptown Theater. That was in October 2002, and he put on a show for the ages. 

His band was different then: Charlie Sexton and Larry Campbell were still around. Warren Zevon was still alive, but he was dying of terminal cancer. And the government was priming the world for another war. Dylan acknowledged Zevon that night. He sang "Accidentally Like a Martyr" and "Mutineer" without explanation, but most of the sold-out crowd knew why. He also dedicated "The Times They Are A-Changing" to Minnesota's very progressive U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, who had died three days earlier in a plane crash that also killed his wife and daughter.

Thursday night, Dylan and his band returned to the Uptown and put on another good show. When the sound mix was right, Dylan this evening sounded almost as good as he did that night nearly six years ago -- like the leader of a rock-solid band dabbling in various flavors of the blues: rock, folk, country.

He took the stage at 7:45 p.m. dressed in black, from his boots to his hat. He immediately played some of his best-known songs: a hard, jaunty version of "Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat," then a soft rock-blues rendition of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue."

Unlike some of his previous shows around here, Dylan's vocals sounded relatively clear during most songs (more so at the beginning than towards the end). He would have been helped by a cleaner sound. The mix was better up front, closer to the stage, but the heat was oppressive up there, where the capacity crowd was packed like crayons in a box.

The mediocre sound affected the crowd's attention. Towards the middle of the show, there was lots of conversation going on, in the at the back and in the hallways outside, where some people had fled to get some air.

He  would emerge from behind the keyboards a few times to chat with (or advise) band members, but he would not play the guitar this evening. A few times he played the blues harp, and when he did, the crowd gave it a big cheer, as if he were performing a trick. As usual, he didn't speak to the crowd until he delivered his customary introductions towards the end.

The crowd had to play some guessing games with his arrangements, but it was obvious on several what he was playing, like "Just Like A Woman." On that one, as Dylan growled in his own choppy meter, the crowd sang the chorus over him the way he recorded it. Other highlights: "Chimes of Freedom," a dirge-speed rendition of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and the set's closer, "Thunder on the Mountain," a relatively new song that prompted a big cheer.

He finished with one of his usual two-song encores, "Like a Rolling Stone" followed by a fiery rendition  of "All Along the Watchtower." Before he was done with that one,  about 100 people were already in the Uptown's bar watching Barack Obama wrap up his acceptance speech -- a slice of history  Dylan did not acknowledge. Still, the concurrence felt like the perfect confluence, given the candidate's mantra about the need to change the times we're in.

| Timothy Finn, The Star 

Set list: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat; It's All Over Now, Baby Blue; Rollin' and Tumblin'; Girl from the North Country; High Water (for Charlie Patton); Chimes of Freedom; 'Til I Fell In Love With You; A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall; Honest With Me; Just Like a Woman; It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding); Highway 61 Revisited; Ain't Talkin'; Thunder on the Mountain. Encore: Like a Rolling Stone; All Along the Watchtower.

Comments

[Penny]

Didn't go to the show last night. I saw him last summer and didn't think I needed to go again. Doesn't sound like I missed anything spectacular.

For those that didn't read it last summer, you can go to my website (click on my name) and read my story on Dylan when he played the Uptown in 1980. (Go to the Stories page.) Enjoy...

[Tim Finn]

No, nothing spectacular, but solid -- the best since that Uptown show in 2002 (I missed the Starlight show last year).

[orab83]

t was a great show, but maybe not the best of the eight I've seen him play. Even though there were some nice surprises in the set list ("Baby Blue," sounding sort of Tex-Mex to me, "Chimes of Freedom," "Hard Rain," "It's Alright Ma"), it all seemed sort of perfunctory.

He also had a new drummer (I think) who overplayed everything. On the plus side, Bob's voice was the best it's been in years, it seemed to me.

And it was great to see him in a smaller venue.

[Dan]

I've seen him a lot over the years and this was much better than Starlight in '07 and the 2 Midland shows in '06. The hilight of the 2002 Uptown show for me was Neil Young's Old Man. This one didn't quite have one of those moments, but Hard Rain seemed to take on a different meaning last night. also, it was the 45th anniversary of the MLK march on Washington, which Dylan performed at...

[kmoon]

Thanks for your review. If not for you I'd have never known what a couple of those song "reinterpretations" were! I could hardly understand a word he said, even though I was on the floor up front. It's also a shame he doesn't even try to sing notes any more (not to mention no acoustic). After going to Starlight to see him before, I'd hoped for a little better in the Uptown. Oh well.. the band was unusual - the guitarists were often boring & at times out of key, but sometimes ripped a few good lead solos when they went into little mini-jams. The drummer was a little busy, but of course I liked it! If not for him livening things up, it would have been a real snoozer. Gotta respect Dylan because of his past & who he is, but I doubt I'll pay to see him live again. I much prefer to see some of his early performances on DVD with the acoustic guitar when he actually sang.

[booboo]

i've now seen 3-4 shows with the current band lineup... i don't think any of them qualify as "good"... i've seen about an equal number with the previous lineup and was never disappointed. the sound mix last night was awful, as was the stifling heat.

[Tim Finn]

That Campbell/Sexton lineup was at its peak when they came in 2002. That show was outstanding.

[greenman]

Enjoyed the show. Always do, though. I thought the lighting was a little weird at times. Band didn't seem real tight. Bob was pretty active and even seemed like he was having fun and was playing to the crowd a little at times. Loved "Hard Rain" and "Just like a Woman" But you know, when you see Bob, you get what you get - and that's usually something special. To me it's kind of cool that he's still heading off in his own direction musically. I guess you don't have to like it, but you've gotta respect it. And just an observation - isnt' it kind of missing the point to spend too much time worrying about Bob's voice?

I don't think GA works very well with the crowd that was there last night.

[Rick]

Why be so afraid of posting a more recent picture of him? Yeah, he's old, just like many of us who've grown up with his music, but it's not as if he's all that worse for wear.
I know, it's a shallow comment. But to post a 42-year old pic to accompany the review of a show that took place only last night betrays a certain insecurity on someone's part.

[Modern Times/Love&Theft Fan]

Great set list:

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Rollin' And Tumblin'
Girl From The North Country
High Water (for Charlie Patton)
Chimes Of Freedom
Til I Fell In Love With You
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
Honest With Me
Just Like A Woman
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
Beyond The Horizon
Highway 61 Revisited
Ain't Talkin'
Thunder On The Mountain
Like A Rolling Stone
All Along The Watchtower

[Tim Finn]

... or he could be normal and do what everyone else does: Let us take photos at his shows.

[H]

The last time I saw Dylan was about 15 years ago, so wasn't sure what I was going to get. I agree that the mix was off at times and it was hot down on the floor, but I had a great time anyway. Dylan had a set list that mixed in the old with the new nicely. I thought his band was crunchy on High Water. That performance helped heat up the floor.

[Shea]

Loved Chimes (I hoped someone lucky enough to be close at the Springsteen show would request it from him)and Leopard Skin and 61 but didn't know he was playing Til I Fell In Love With You until after the show...and I'm a pretty serious fan.

He was sort of playful throughout the show, winking, messin with his hair, sort of hoppin over to a bandmates a couple of times. I found that reviews of the show are more favorable the closer you were to the stage (despite the heat up there). A good show for sure but I must be one of the few that think the Starlight show was better.

The fans were great. I watched the show with a couple from Minneapolis quite younger than me and the husband was seeing Dylan for the 32nd time! He had proposed to his wife at a Dylan show during "Lay Lady Lay."

Dylan signing voice may be worn but it is good enough. Anyway, it is BOB DYLAN! Having him tour this much is like having a live Smithsonian exhibit brought to your town every year.

[greenman]

Shea - I'm with you on the Starlight show. At the beginning of that show he came out on guitar and lit it up and carried it through the whole show.

[Tim Finn]

If I'd have made an effort to make a sign for Springsteen, it would have been "Chimes," my favorite BS cover ever. It was nice to hear Dylan do it. Closer to the stage is better, but even closer I still don't get the feeling that he enjoys this touring and performing. If he does, he doesn't show it.

[eweiss]

I was up in front at first, in the crowd, 4 rows of people from the stage. Yes, it was crowded, but not too hot.

Having stood since 3:30 pm, I decided to move back about 8:30 p.m. and maybe look for a seat, so I squeezed/meandered to the back of the open area. It was hotter there, though, and I had to sit down on the floor for a few minutes, because I felt a bit nauseous and faint.

Unfortunately, the farther back one was, the more one was in direct line of the speakers, which were loud enough for a 50,000-seat venue, but ridiculously, stupidly, deafeningly, dangerously, illegally (in my opinion) way too loud for the crowd at the Uptown. I saw many people exit because of that. The rest who stayed suffered permanent hearing damage, whether they realized it or not. I know what concert deafness is and I know what attending concerts in the 1970s did to my hearing. I pity the people who sat there with no ear protection. They will pay for it.

I had earplugs, thank goodness, and had no lingering ringing or problems at any time, and thoroughly enjoyed the concert - except it was too short at only 2 hours! ;-)

[shea]

Thanks for scaring the crap out of me eweiss! It seemed really loud for the encores but not too bad earlier. Watchtower was so loud it magnetized this mf'er - and it felt great! Ear plugs from now on though...to save what I have left from Neil Young.