Review: Bob Dylan

Two of the most iconic songwriters of the 1960s visited Kansas City just two weeks apart. But while patrons packed the Sprint Center and doled out big money to see Paul McCartney, acres of more reasonably priced empty seats could be found at Bob Dylan’s concert at Starlight Theater on Saturday night.

Part of this can be attributed to frequency. McCartney has only played Kansas City three times since the Beatles called it quits. Dylan rolls through town about every 15 months. But delivery also plays a big role. McCartney performs his beloved numbers exactly (or close to the ways) how everyone remembers them; Dylan plays nothing straight.

Saturday’s performance ran just shy of two hours and felt pretty much the same as Dylan’s many previous stops in town, including the show he played at Starlight just over three years ago. After opening with two tracks from the ‘70s – including a stunning “Senor (Tales of Yankee Power),”  Dylan and his four-piece band ping-ponged between his golden era in the ‘60s and material cut in the past decade.

The best moments were the ballads. The delicate “Just Like A Woman” opened with a lengthy instrumental section that highlighted the subtle interplay between acoustic, electric and pedal steel guitars, and Dylan’s organ, his preferred instrument of the night. The instruments danced deftly until the signature descending guitar riff entered, heralding the first verse. “Workingman’s Blues No. 2” had a similar feel later in the set, and featured Dylan’s best harmonica solo of the night.

Dylan gave a nice treat when he paired two of the best numbers from his protest era. Almost a half a century after their debut, “The Ballad of Hollis Brown” and “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” remain a potent commentary on poverty and race. Their impact was muted, however, by an arrangement of “Hattie Carroll” that rendered the number nearly unrecognizable.

The band mined the Chicago blues for two newer numbers, “My Wife’s Hometown” and “Rollin’ and Tumblin’.” The former was the only time Dylan strapped on an electric guitar. It should have been repeated. His prodding duel with lead guitarist Charlie Sexton seemed to invigorate the rest of the band.

A slump in the final third of the set ended with a spectacular “Ballad of a Thin Man.” The lone illumination from the footlights added an other-worldly atmosphere to the song as Dylan stepped away from his keyboard and sang into a microphone set just off center, in front of the drums.

Reliable encores “Like a Rolling Stone” and “All Along the Watchtower” still pack a punch and hold pleasant surprises. Dylan intentionally dropped his vocals after the second chorus on “Like a Rolling Stone” to give the band some space to play and let Sexton take an extra solo. “Watchtower” came in a staccato fashion that resembled the far-off gallop of the riders’ horses, before they suddenly stormed the gates.

The Dough Rollers: Dylan’s attraction to this duo isn’t hard to spot. Their 35-minute opening set included covers of John Lee Hooker, Mississippi Fred McDowell and early gospel numbers. The pair sounds like they have just been pulled off an old field recording cut by Alan Lomax. Malcolm Ford sounds like he learned to sing by studying antique cylinder recordings. Jack Byrne’s bottleneck slide on “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord” was especially tasty. The set also included an interpretation of “Goin’ to Kansas City.” They would be a great show at B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ or Knucklehead’s.

Dylan's setlist: Watching the River Flow, Senor (Tales of Yankee Power), Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine), My Wife’s Home Town, Rollin’ and Tumblin’, Just Like A Woman, The Ballad of Hollis Brown, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, Cry A While, Workingman’s Blues No. 2, Highway 61 Revisited, I Feel A Change Comin’ On, Thunder on the Mountain, Ballad of a Thin Man. Encore: Like a Rolling Stone, Jolene, All Along the Watchtower.

| Joel Francis, Special to The Star

Comments

[Penny]

Accurate review of the show. Enthusiastic crowd. The opening act was very interesting and turned out to be the sons of Harrison Ford and Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin. Hollywood kids who sounded like they were from Mississippi. Who knew? Harrison Ford was in the audience...

[ssiknaf]

OK, the reviewer sounds bored as hell. One reason for empty seats may have been an outdoor show in August - that heat was what kept me away. Have this indoors and more people would have come.

[Holly]

Hi Penny,
kewlfunfacts, did you see Harrison? did he look his grumpy usual self? lol... jk(but its true)

That is an interesting tidbit, thank you darlin.

[Big Bopper]

I attended my first Dylan concert for historical purposes. I wanted to add him to my list of great artists I had seen in-person. I had been forwarned by friends that the Dylan you see live today is so far removed from the recorded Dylan of his generation inspiring past that I would find him unregonizable.

This proved true. How much of this change is due to the ravages of time upon his voice or an artistic decision to not continually repeat, repeat, and repeat his beloved songs in the same manner as they were recorded is an interesting question and one that has been recently discussed in The Star concerning other artists.

Though I found nearly all lyrics chopped and growled to the point of no understanding I felt the abilty of the band and its leader to play blues and rock to strong levels actually quite compelling. However, this was really not anything countless no-name bands could do.
Dylan's harmonica work was the consistent highlight of the majority of the set.
It was the encore that made the evening. By that time I had strugged my way close to the stage, when Dylan took us through "Like a Rolling Stone" even with its garbelled lyrics and quirky melody changes, the crowd became energized and alive. For a few moments it was clear to see and hear this glimpse of what all the mystical accaim/worship over the years was all about.It was quite moving. As they sang along as best they could more than a few ex-hippies had tears in their eyes.

[Penny]

Really good observation, Big Bopper! No Holly, I didn't see Harrison but friends of mine did. They didn't say if he was grumpy. Ha!

[Mark V]

Dylan remains authentic. I have come to enjoy the mysterious territory he opens up in his live performances. Charlie Sexton is simply electric and rocked the Uptown with him a few years back and it was great fun to see them together again. Three years ago in support of "Modern Times," which I thought was an exquisite commentary on Katrina/New Orleans, Dylan performed those songs "right out of the can" (as on the album) and his vocals were spot on. Yes last night he growled and croaked but there was a vigor and depth and a new percussive feel which culminated in that refreshing version "All Along the Watchtower." It was beautiful night, great band, affordable (two tickets at less than half the price of one McCartney), lovely cool breeze... and a genuine modernist, deconstructing his own iconography so that his music/art is fueled by the immediacy of the creative impulse and not by sentimentality or pop star deification. Its about the music. Well Bob Dylan.

[Green]

Gotta say, this show was fantastic, Dylan layed down a relaxing and lively blues set. Once the sun went down it cooled off, so the heat wasn't an issue. I thought it sounded great too, the sound crew did an excellent job. Ballad of a Thin Man was awesome, the rif was killer, so glad I went to this show!

[Mark V]

Well done Bob Dylan.

[trainor]

after reading this decided to check out the dough rollers on i-tunes. they have a new (only) release out as of aug. 3. not sure i love the music - like it - but they do sound impressive. as penny said, 'hollywood kids who sound like they're from mississippi.'

[Naturelle]

Really enjoyed the show last night! The Dough Rollers had a great sound I thought and will check out their recording. We were out of our seats when there was a sighting of Harrison Ford. Very pleased with the seats and Starlight overall. A great place to see Bob Dylan, good sound, well played. He was more front and center and livelier on this performance. I've only seen him one other time. He does change his songs to the point of being beyond recognition. It's better to know that going in. Thanks for the review.

[MetalHEAD]

Neat show; the Dough Rollers were a real surprise. Dylan got better as the night went on; last couple tunes were fantastic. His backing band were REAL tight....swapped around quite the mix of guitars/amplifications.

Funny sh**:

Was in ORC 2 row B; dick*hea* two rows up (fat balding old guy with a short troll girlfriend) wouldn't sit down even though everyone around him did...brought back some previous blog discussions about show etiquette. Wonderful I guess to be da guy everyone hates at a concert.

Gotta say, tix prices were VERY reasonable considering McCartney/Waters; nice to see some artists still care about us workin' folks.

[Patrick]

Agree that TF sounds a little bored with this show. I couldn't disagree more. It was incredible.

Dylan sounded better than the 3 previous shows in area (from the ballpark show to this one suggests his voice is actually improving). Without a doubt Sexton adds tons. He is great by himself but he seems to inspire Dylan.

To hear Senor was my personal favorite...that and the Jolene encore sandwich. He always plays Just Like a Woman here, apparently because he penned it in a hotel here. I was lucky enough to be close up the last two shows and he seemed really engaged this time.

May the neverending tour neverend!

Sidenote: Harrison Ford walked past me on way to VIP room after first show with big grin saying "that blew my f--king mind" to his companion. It was probably his son opening for Bob Dylan that did it...that would blow anyone's mind. He came in around Senor and sat somewhere behind me (the women in area are going to have sore necks today)!

[Penny]

It wasn't Tim Finn... Love Charlie Sexton... Jolene got totally past me...

[Chris Doolittle]

I can't say that I enjoyed Dylan's show last night. I do get and understand his obvious attempt to not give the people what they want but come on, throw a dog a bone. Would it kill the man to walk out there alone, with an acoustic and a harmonica, and perform a few old songs? I guess it probably would. I guess the enjoyment in a Dylan show comes from guessing what the hell he is going to do and perform next. There was some excitment for me in that respect but at the end of it all I left a little dissatisfied.

[Patrick]

sorry TF...I recommend Michael Mahoney's review on boblinks.com

[Sassie]

I suggest bigfoot's review at jacklinks.com

[WhatUp]

ignore the smartbutt remarks
http://boblinks.com/
is a great website dedicated to providing Bob Dylan concert information.

Scroll down the page for reviews an setlist of every show.

[Bubba Brown]

I'm with some of you - the dang humidity this summer is JUST too brutal!! Glad that we now have the Sprint Center and in the last month, I've seen TOM PETTY and Sir PAUL. I tell others that haven't been at Sprint this summer, it's VERY cool in there - almost need a sweater. MY kind of concert venue. Way to go, Sprint Center!

[dianna]

He style is unique. I got pretty close to him last night, and it seemed like he was having a good time, in spite of the humidity.

[Penny]

I'm uploading a few movie clips from last night to my youtube channel,
http://www.youtube.com/user/rockandrollgrandma13
The clips don't sound great, but there are some good closeups of Bobby and Charlie and the band. (Sorry about the wobbles, hard to shoot over all the bobbing and dancing heads.) Didn't think we'd get any, but last night they were more lenient than in the past.

[Green]

Did anyone make a boot of this show?

[Fan]

Thank you for the videos Penny : )

[Green]

Did the Star send any photographers?

[jewel]

The concert was imperfect perfection!! I have some audio with the camera hanging around my neck... will post to YouTube later, but will not leave them up long since they are basically audio only, good audio though. The camera police were not so lenient in the area was I was sitting. How the heck did I miss Harrison Ford?? I guess I was watching Bobby!

[Natacha VonBraun]

Bob Dylan and His Band played a perfect set for KC: Bluesy, straightforward and tight. Dylan was almost like an oldtime bandleader, albeit a no-nonsense one; the only time he spoke was to introduce the band and that was well into the night.

A fine show with the dapper Dylan, who impressed me with how deftly he can reinterpret his own material.

[Penny]

Well said, Natasha!

[Cool Hand]

"Did the Star send any photographers?"

No, it was too hot. Because, you know it never hits 93 deg. in KC in August and we are experiencing crippling heatwaves this year. In other news, fat, spoiled Americans continue to consume the planet's natural resources at an alarming rate, yet bitching the whole time about how uncomfortable they are.

Sorry to hijack Green. Glad a few true music fans got to sway in the sultry air to Dylan and lived to tell those of who couldn't make it about their experience, rather than piss and whine about how hot it was.

[Tim Finn]

dylan forbids photogs.

[Penny]

Actually there was a cool breeze that night. Last night at Jackson it was like an oven...

[Green]

I thought that might be the case tim, i didnt see anyone up front, i had planned on taking my little camera but the ticket said no cameras so I left it at home, I had planned on working my way to the front for a couple quick shots, oh well.

[Penny]

For what it's worth:
http://www.youtube.com/user/rockandrollgrandma13#p/a/u/2/ya4bGV5b18c

[Naturelle]

Interesting, I didn't know Dylan forbade cameras. I was tempted to try the camera phone but the Starlight lady with the annoyingly bright light was chasing people down. Best to soak it all in while you're in it. Still, it won't stop me from checking out some recordings so, thanks for sharing Penny.

[IManuglyazzmofoTOO]

of course that uglyazz croaking and growling mthrfkr forbades cameras, he doesnt want people documenting that he is an uglyazz muthrfkr who croaks and growls. It makes one wonder why he even plays in public if he is so ashamed.

Great work grabbing what you did Penny, and he actually aint so ugly and he sings pretty good, he must be over self judging.

[bewlay]

Yep, about 10 years ago we saw Dylan in Oklahoma City our cheapo disposable camera was taken by security. For some reason they returned it, probably figuring the pictures wouldn't be worth procassing.

[NEW]

Even stranger Belway was when I saw Dylan at a festival two years ago. The openers included Ziggy Marley Leftover Salmon (I think). Since it was a large festival with about 20,000 in attendance, there were two large screens on stage for viewers who could not see because of the size of the crowd. While all the opther bands on the bill were also on video, the screens were dark for Dylan.

[Kurt]

I thought this show would be full with the fairly low ticket prices. The review says acres of empty seats and wonder how many were at this show. He's been to KC a lot of times and his inprov of songs probably chased a lot away.

[Kurt]

I mean Improv of songs and he hardly ever plays the original versions anymore. That's what I hear anyway and never seen Bob Dylan live before.

[JD]

Bob Dylan's band was great. But, they need a new singer...he's horrible.

[NEW]

I think after penning stuff like "Visions of Johanna" and "Desolation Row" JD, you can pretty much sing as poorly as you want and still get away with it>

[kmoon]

If he had walked out at the end and played a SOLO version of "Visions of Johanna" I would really have felt that it was way worth it. Even if he only "croaked" it. It was still a pretty good show, but that's my 3rd and final time to pay to see him play live. He can't even do one single solo song to make people happy. It's just mean.

[NYrulez]

Maybe he needs to take a cue from Neil Young.... do what ever wacky nutty zaney crap he wants to.... but then come back and give us what we want.... then do some more wacko stuff.. then come back ....

[Jhnycat]

love Dylan, but the guy's voice has been shot for at least 15yrs.
I wish he would just hang it up and protect his legacy.

[Jhnycat]

Oh darn I missed Harrison Ford and his gay little earing?
Later he went backstage and grumbled and croaked with Bob.
Maybe he can get him a part in the next Geriatric Jones movie...

[UGG Classic Upside]

Yes. love Dylan, but the guy's voice has been shot for at least 15yrs.