Above: Dylan performs "Forever Young" on the Letterman show.
I asked three people whose opinions I respect to give me their perspectives on Dylan's show at Starlight Theatre on Monday: Bill Shapiro, host of "Cyprus Avenue" on KCUR; Howard Eisberg, a local songwriter and musician; and Bill Brownlee, freelance writer for The Star and operator of the must-see/read blog There Stands the Glass. Here's what they had to say:
Bill Shapiro
If your 20 something reviewer turns in a rave about Dylan’s Starlight show last night don’t simply chalk it off to the ravings of a Dylan nut. He opened at 8”30 on guitar (facing the audience) and proceeded to work through his entire catalogue until he took his final encore a little after 10 PM.
I recognized every song as apparently did a large segment of the less than full house. The highlights for me were an absolutely stunning version of “Shelter From The Storm” and a driving rendition of “Highway 61 Revisited” that amply justified Dylan’s comments last year about his compatibility with his current band (they left me unimpressed at the Midland last year but consistently blew me away this time around).
My only real complaint about the evening (other than the performance of Jimmy Vaughan) was the sound that was too loud and distorted initially. By the last half of Dylan’s show was excellent for an outdoor venue.
To put some perspective on the show, I’ve seen Dylan some 12 to 15 times since the 70’s and, as you know share your impressions of his recent shows as well as your high regard for the 2002 Uptown outing. While this show was not comparable to that incomparable night, it was easily the second best Dylan concert that I’ve attended.
I guess sometimes you just have to take a chance on greatness.
Howard Eisberg
Last night was, in my opinion, a great show. Song selection was interesting; he played a number of the newer ones as well as some classics; and he played longer than usual. The latest line-up seems to have grown more, in terms of playing off each other better, with more dynamics and trading off. And he radically re-worked two songs, "Girl from the North Country" and "Shelter from the Storm", both to beautiful effect. (Those who go to his shows hoping to hear note-for-note recreations of his recordings are misinformed. He has never been about that.) It was a lucky night for those who were there.
Bill Brownlee
Bob Dylan is an unlikely candidate to bring sexy back. But on a balmy summer night in Kansas City, he was remarkably insinuating and sultry.
The icon seemed engaged most of the evening. He leaned into each song as if he had something to prove. And while I can't be certain, I think I detected a grin or two.
A five-song span in the middle of his performance was as solid as any segment of the several Dylan shows I've attended. It began with a jazz-like reading of "Shelter From the Storm." A fierce, doom-laden take on "High Water (For Charley Patton)" followed. Then came a slinky version of "Just Like a Women." It was like pillow talk.
A stock arrangement of "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" was nothing new, but because the band was "on" during this stretch, it remained fresh. The clincher was a dazzlingly playful take on "Spirit On the Water." Lines like "I feel like laying down" were delivered with scandalous zeal. Such lighthearted fun can be a rare commodity at a Dylan concert.
The show began to unravel after that. By the time Dylan and his band fumbled through "All Along the Watchtower," the final encore, it was high time to call it a night.
I thought the show last night was dazzling. I've seen old Bobby many times over the years and had a great personal encounter with him at the Uptown Theatre in his born again days in 1980, when I was doing concert catering. You can read about it on my website, http://www.rockandrollstories.info
Posted by: Penny | July 17, 2007 at 05:15 PM