February 26, 2008
Review by Alberto Ortega Gurza
Crossing Mexico City at a peak hour, is saying a lot if you are trying to
make it on time to a living legend's show on a mild February
Tuesday night. Talented young entertainment industry entrepreneur,
Sergio Mayer, tore down big time corporations' egos by managing
to bring Bob Dylan to our country, when competitors had failed in
doing so for nearly two decades. It took me an hour to get there.
My good friend Edgar Dylan waited for me outside the gates of Eden
until I phoned him to say: "Oh mother, things ain't going well. The
traffic is awful heavy."
Made it just in time to hear the good ol´ voice recite:
The poet laureate of rock'n'roll.
The voice of the promise of the '60s counterculture.
The guy who forced folk into bed with rock,
who donned makeup in the '70s and
disappeared into a haze of substance abuse,
who emerged to 'find Jesus,' who was
written off as a has-been by the end of the '80s,
and who suddenly shifted gears and
released some of the strongest music of his career
beginning in the late '90s.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Columbia recording artist: Bob Dylan."
It is always great to hear the biopic intro, for you know as soon as the
last two words -Bob Dylan- are said, His Royal Bobness himself will walk
and stand under his spotlight, holding an electric guitar to the delight
of those of us, who for a few years were afraid -not believing the
pseudo official version of his so called hand arthritis- but thinking he just
might never again strum a guitar on stage. Anyways, exciting as can get
was seeing him play rhythm guitar on a magnificent version of Rainy Day
Women n.12 and 36. Listening to the beat and harmony the Blonde on
Blonde one take thin wild mercury sound recording used to come out
of those turntables back in the day, was a pleasure to start heating the
night with.
Then Beto, my dad, finally arrived and took his seat next to my mother,
sister and nephew. I managed to talk my father into attending the
show, for he is the soul responsible of ruining my life by sparking the
almost unlimited light of Bob Dylan's artful creations in me. Yes, this
Minnesota kid's universe took over my taste and for the most part, my
mind and feelings on account of my father. There was not a single
childhood weekend day in which the strange young man with a voice
like sand and glue wouldn't sing his timeless anthems from the
Freewheelin´ Bob Dylan and Bringing it All Back Home albums to fill our
restless home with thoughts, melodies, jewels and binoculars. Anyhow,
after over 35 years, my dad was finally there to witness the way Bob
spends his life hitting some hard travelling too.
In it Ain't me Babe, Bob took over the lead guitar, like he also did on a
bluesy version of Watching The River Flow.
But things got serious when, with black and white keyboards under his
fingers a defying Bob Dylan shouted out "Come you Masters of War!"
Near the end of the toughest and hardest-cut anti-war song composed
by a human being ever since the world began, the words aimed at every
single damn Master of War from our era: -"I hope that you die/And your
death will come soon"-, howled like a hammer, with a graveness that
ignited fire in the Mexican night.
Bob then decided to open the windows and let air freshen up the place
with The Levee's Gonna Break and Spirit on the Water. It was then
when -for the first time in the night- he showed true pleasure from
doing what he was doing up there. The sight of him, reminded me of
the time when he said "The stage is the only place where I´m happy;
where I can be myself".
Tony Garnier, who a few songs back had put the up-straight bass back
in it's case, switching it for and electric model, was visibly overwhelmed
with the music he was playing together with what Bob calls "the best
band I've ever been into, man for man," also knowing he has been Bob
side-man longer than any other musician, ever. Then came Things Have
Changed, a stunning interpretation, enhanced by Donnie's violin. The
words "I used to care but things have changed", might have confused
some people from the audience who believed the times they were still
a-changing. I glanced at the ever standing Oscar prize sculpture on his
amplifier, and thought to myself: "Only Tony Garnier has attended more
concerts than the famous bronze figurine". Just then, the loud
enthusiastic and ever cheering audience sat and quieted down to the
first notes of the peaceful and highly sentimental When The Deal Goes
Down.
Might have been just my imagination, but when the words "We all wear
the same thorny crown" were softly said, Bob looked at his audience in
the tenderest manner, as to say "No one is better than anyone else.
We are all in the same daily struggle, and here we are, together, trying
to forget about today, until tomorrow.
And just as those ideas were sailing my brain, the light-hearted notes of
Donnie's banjo played the intro to High Water (for Charley Patton) along
with Tony and George Recile´s well and tightly wrapped base line. Again
something came to mind: The mysterious shocking way Love and Theft's
most warning tune, repeated "High Water Everywhere" incessantly, as
the Twin Towers were crashed and crushed by reasons which to date
remain unknown ?¿ even now, as the said Love And Theft album was
released on -believe it or not- 9/11, 2001!!! And even more stunning is
the way in which prophet Bob -who harshly denies the title- wrote and
sang the words President George Bush would be yelling before the
whole wide world that very same night: "I want them dead or alive,
either way, I don't care".
The long and agile Stuck Inside Of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,
reminded me a lot of the last time Bob Dylan performed in Mexico City in
1991, when I was lucky enough to witness the whole show standing
only a couple of feet away and facing the lean, withdrawn and distant
figure. I clearly remember myself singing along to Memphis Blues Again.
And although I was only 26, I was so much older then, I´m younger
than that now. Workingman's Blues was soothing and fit just fine placed
behind an exciting and tremendously rocking Highway 61 - in my opinion
- the highlight of the night, along with the awe-inspiring Netty Moore.
By the way, Donnie's viola arrangement is my favourite one from Modern
Times. Summertime, preceded the loudly cheered world-famous, historic,
striking, culture-making, history-changing, ground-braking, slow tempo
rendition of Like A Rolling Stone, which the over 10,000 souls who
crowded the Auditorio Nacional on the Mexico City majestic Reforma
Avenue, took colossal pleasure in listening, singing along and dancing to.
But what struck me kind of funny was the sight of Guagua, my ever
Dylan-apathetic sister, actually cheering her lungs out in evident
excitement. I had to pinch myself just to see if I was dreaming.
"Someday you'll be glad to have him around," said I to her when the
show was over. -"Really"- said she, nodding.
When neither His Royal Bobness nor his five band-mates had anything
left to prove, they closed the magical recital with the up-beat Thunder
on the Mountain, reminding us all that one day in Hell's Kitchen, an Alicia
Keys was born.
Tomorrow I'll be back to witness history again, but tomorrow is a
long time.
Review by Oscar Montes
I arrived to the Auditorio Nacional 3 hours before the show and there
were few people around this place. My last Dylan show had been 9
years earlier. I was in the 3rd row, in first 2 rows there were just
people who were invited by the promoter (not really Dylan fans).
The show started at about 10:40 PM, the stage was quite simple
but enough for a great show, the smell of incense was everywhere,
everybody had cell phones with cameras but the security people
did not allow us to use them, we took some shots and clips tough. Bob
started with Rainy Day Women, I did not expect it to be honest but it was
a great surprise and a great beginning, people were shouting: Bobby,
Maestro, Poeta! Everybody stood up at the beginning but then everybody was
sitting, I must admit it was difficult for me since I had always been on
foot in all my Dylan shows. It ain’t me babe was great, a really Dylan
classic and a well-known tune in Mexico, Watching the river was nice too,
all of these three songs were played with Dylan in the electric guitar.
The next song was Masters of war, really great song, here Dylan played the
keyboard and did not stop doing it until the end of the show, then he
started playing mostly songs from the 2 lasts albums The Leeve’s gonna
break, Spirit on the water (which was really good and well-known by the
Mexican fans) where Bob played the harp, High Water sounded kind of heavy
but was good, then Stuck inside which was good as well, Workingman’s
blues was nice and then Highway 61 really shook the Auditorio Nacional, a
lot of energy in this song, Nettie Moore was soft and nice, in Summer Days
Bob really enjoyed playing Rock n’ roll! I kind of figured him as if he
was trying to be Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis! Then next song was the
highlight of the night, Like a rolling stone one of the greatest songs of
Dylan, everybody stood up and sang along with Bobby, and then the encore
Thunder on the mountain with the Dylan eyed logo in the background of the
stage, the last song was Blowin’ in the wind with Bob playing the harp,
everybody was as well on foot really enjoying this classic tune, then
Dylan left the stage and everybody was expecting another song shouting
Dylan, Dylan, Dylan! but Booby and his band did not return. I am looking
forward for the next 4 shows in Mexico and I hope he sings several
different songs.
Oscar Montes
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