Bob Dylan. These two words could have been the entire review. In fact, I'm quite sure he would have immensely appreciated that review! Not because he views himself as the legend that he is but because he is a bare bone minimalist. It seems that to him he is what he is. You take it or you leave it. He's not here to persuade you, to please you or entertain you (in today's terms). You've either understood him or you haven't. |
I expected to hear some of those crowd-pleasers 'Hurricane', 'Lay lady lay', 'Like a rolling stone' but nope. Bob Dylan quietly entered a half lit stage and did what he was there to do - sing. He didn't acknowledge the presence of the audience at all. He just sang. All songs had a jazzy/country/folk flavor. I hadn't kept up with him so I didn't know many of the songs. At some point I even questioned if one of the songs was repeated as they all seemed to have the same underscore. Even 'Autumn Leaves'. Here is the full set list:
Things Have Changed
To Ramona
Highway 61 Revisited
Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
Why Try To Change Me Now
Pay In Blood
Melancholy Mood
Duquesne Whistle
Stormy Weather
Tangled Up In Blue
Early Roman Kings
Spirit On The Water
Love Sick
All Or Nothing At All
Desolation Row
Soon After Midnight
That Old Black Magic
Long And Wasted Years
Autumn Leaves
ENCORE
Blowin' In The Wind
Ballad Of A Thin Man
To Ramona
Highway 61 Revisited
Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
Why Try To Change Me Now
Pay In Blood
Melancholy Mood
Duquesne Whistle
Stormy Weather
Tangled Up In Blue
Early Roman Kings
Spirit On The Water
Love Sick
All Or Nothing At All
Desolation Row
Soon After Midnight
That Old Black Magic
Long And Wasted Years
Autumn Leaves
ENCORE
Blowin' In The Wind
Ballad Of A Thin Man
I asked my friend his opinion of the gig and he said it reminded him a lot of Johnny Cash. I gave him an emphatic No! Johnny would have been lively, swearing on stage! To me it reminded me of Leonard Cohen. But my friend was right. On my way home, I kept thinking about it and the more I realized my friend was in fact very right.
What have I become
My sweetest friend Everyone I know goes away In the end And you could have it all My empire of dirt I will let you down I will make you hurt (lyrics from 'Hurt') |
That's the exact sentiment of the gig. At first I thought the sentiment was that of a scorned lover. I even jokingly said 'This gig is like a drunk singer keeping at it even as the Texan saloon empties.' But is he scorned by a lover or by life? Or both? |
In this post -truth era we are living in, where entertainment is valued over thought and convenience over truth, I think Bob Dylan is rebelling, in his own unique way. When everybody is quiet - you should be loud and when everybody is loud - you should be quiet. And quiet he was. (We sometimes confuse quiet with silent. We shouldn't).
I read some of the reviews and comments posted right after the gig and it seems there was a bit of disappointment. The audience felt scorned. They shouldn't.