Reviews

Oberhausen, Germany

May 9, 2000

Arena


[Carsten Wohlfeld], [Chris Barnard], [Jakob Egnetzki]

Review by Carsten Wohlfeld



It was a long journey from Stuttgart to Oberhausen on a very hot day, but
still I got more excited about this show than the first two because I
thought if something is gonna happen on this tour at all, it would be
tonight. Well, I was wrong, even though I thought it was the best show so
far, with a nice balance between the surpring and the solid elements. The
show started almost on time at 8.05 in a pretty empty venue. I don’t think
they sold more than 5,000 tickets. Anyways, the start remained the same
with

 Roving Gambler (acoustic)

Bob took less care whether or not Larry and Charlie would be able to
follow im during the chorus – different phrasing, some mumbled lines...
Not the best version, here’s hoping that they will be opting for another
opener in Cologne. Then the band started a song, Bob obiously played
something else and it sounded very, very bad. Bob turned around to Tony,
asked “What is it?”, Tony answered “Times” and we got yet another version
of 

 The Times They Are A-Changin‘ (acoustic)

This time he remembered all the words and did an okay solo, too, but I
really don’t need to hear this song ever again.

 Masters Of War (acoustic)

Followed as expected and even though I’ve heard this song many times
before I still enjoy it, because in its current version it’s very intense
and a highlight every time Bob plays it.

 It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (acoustic)

Mighty fine version with Larry on pedal steel. There was nothing extra
special about it, it was just done perfectly and Bob delivered a killer
last verse.

 Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic)

Was “Tangled”, again with a harmonica solo at the end that was long, but
not extraordinary. 

 One Too Many Mornings (acoustic)

Wow! I’ve heard Bob do this song quite a few times and it’s always very
good, but this was a real killer performance. A showstopper. Quite similar
to any of the “TOOM” song in pace and style, it featured the best singing
of the night and a fine pedal steel solo by Larry.

 Country Pie

This is where Charlie started shredding guitar picks by the dozen... Same
version as the two nights before, only not quite as powerful and definite
as before.

 Can’t Wait

Yet again, in a waeker version than before. Hopefully they will do “Tell
Me That It isn’t True” instead at one of the upcoming shows. It has been
on the Stuttagrt cuesheet already, so there’s a distinct possiblility that
they exchange it soon. Okay, time for a little story. I got two friends
who are not huge Bob fans, but they know he’s quite cool, if only because
I tell them so much about it. They initially intended to go to this show,
but decided against it when they saw the ticket prices. Anyways, the only
song they really wanted to hear was a rocking “All Along The Watchtower”,
which (as you know) is hard to get these days, as Bob only seems to play
it once or twice on every leg of the two. So my friends didn’t go and I
wish I could tell them that Bob didn’t play it, but when the roadie handed
Charlie his black and white Stratocaster I knew what was coming...

 All Along The Watchtower

Yes indeed. I’d also love to tell me friends that he played a weak version
and they didn’t miss much. But in fact “All Along The Watchtower” RULED!
And it RAWKED! Actually it was the hardest rocking version I’ve ever heard
this band do and the best one since Dortmund 1995. Wow! I was so happy! J

 Simple Twist Of Fate

Pretty good version, although there was nothing in the world that 
couldn’ve topped that amazing version of “Watchtower” for me. Still 
liked it quite a bit. Larry on pedal steel.

 Watching The River Flow

Averange version, bluesy, raw, fun. The most remarkable thing about it was
that the addition of this song meant that tonight’s main set would have 13
song instead of the usual 12. Larry on lap steel.

 Not Dark Yet

Yet another spell-binding version, sung in Bob’s best voice... Great! Band
intros followed as did

 Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat

Same rocking version, which is much better live than on tape. Some 
pretty cool soloing from Sexton. The End (Part 1)

 (encore)

 Love Sick

Yet another great version with an amazingly loud (but very good) middle
part and the same lyric change that we heard in Zurich and Stuttgart
before.

 Like A Rolling Stone

Was “Rolling Stone” which is to say that it sounds very fine indeed and
very 60-ish as well.

 Don’t Think Twice (acoustic)

Was augmented with yet another harp solo at the end. Business as usual.

 Not Fade Away

Going back to the days the music died...

 Blowin‘ In The Wind

Tonight without the harp solo we got in Zurich and maybe because of 
that a little bit weaker.

 Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35

All together now...

Okay, it was a long day and I better call it a day now. I really enjoyed
tonight’s show, even though the songs that were repeated from the nights
before were all done in weaker versions. I hope Bob knows what he is
supposed to do in Cologne, then... See ya there! Goodnight!

Carsten Wohlfeld
--
http://carstenwohlfeld.de
"if you see me with another girl / seeming like i'm having fun / 
although she may be cute / she's just a substitute / 
because you're the permanent one " (smokey robinson)

[TOP]

Review by Chris Barnard



Got to admit I was apprehensive about this show in the light of the
reviews of the Zurich show. The modern hall was about half-filled and I
thought: Uh-uh. 

Dylan and the band came on at 8.10 (called my wife and left a message on
the voice mail with "Good evening ladies and gentlemen..."). He was
dressed in a white/cream suit, with a very long jacket and a bow tie (and
white boots with black detailing). His hair seemed very grey: at least,
this is what it looked like from about 40 meters away. People in the floor
section rushed the stage as Bob and the band started off with ROVING
GAMBLER. A good, solid performance. Bob's vocals were very clear and
prominent in the mix, and would remain so for the rest of the show.
"Thanks, everybody," and they switched gear for TIMES and MASTERS OF WAR.
The latter was powerful, and the crowd loved it. Larry Campbell moved to
the steel guitar for BABY BLUE, which started off with a long intro. One
of the early highlights. TANGLED followed. Started with those ringing
guitars and Bob (and Larry) in the spotlight, then the drums kicked in and
the song raced on like a runaway train. Slightly rushed delivery from Bob,
but he played around with the phrasing quite nicely ("TAAAAANGLED up in
blue"). Larry got in behind the steel guitar for ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS.
First time that I've heard this live -- took my breath away. Bob's voice
matched Larry's sound to produce the definite sound of lost love and
regret. A switch to electric guitars, and a quick serving of COUNTRY PIE.
A nice warm-up number for the electric set, you could tell that the band
was having fun -- Tony Garnier was smiling a lot, moving around, and Bob
was by now loose and doing those amazing little moves of his. Looking
around, eyebrows raised, and holding his guitar in such a way that nobody
could be mistaken as to who is taking those solos. CAN'T WAIT: slow,
powerful blues -- agree with earlier reviewers who raved about this
version. Band then switched gears, bam, bam, bam from David Kemper's drums
and off they went with WATCHTOWER. Screaming guitars, good fun. SIMPLE
TWIST followed -- very well delivered: moving, soft that's-the-way-life-is
tone. RIVER FLOW saw the guys hitting a really nice groove, with the drums
and base pushing this song forward. Lots of grinning, interaction and
moving on stage. NOT DARK YET was awesome: brooding, with very strong
vocals. PILL-BOX HAT lightened the mood and got people dancing again. The
six encores were also very solid and one never had the impression that
they were approaching the end of a two-hour show. LOVE SICK was solid (I
just love hearing those Time out of Mind songs live). Bob then lifted his
right leg, stamped his foot and Kemper responded with a BAM as the band
ripped into ROLLING STONE. Oddly enough, this song has never been one of
my live favorites, but last night's version blew me away. Very straight
delivery, again just telling things the way they are, and the band cooked.
A switch to acoustic instruments, and DON'T THINK TWICE. Bob grabbed a
harp at the end and took a while to get into a groove. Nice little wave to
the crowed at the end with his right hand next to the harp. They came back
with electric guitars for NOT FADE AWAY -- stomping version, good singing
from the rest of the band too. A love like this won't fade away. BLOWING
IN THE WIND followed, which was again a straight, honest version. RAINY
DAY WOMEN ended the show, with Dylan again doing his moves and the guitars
screaming. Then what appeared to be a couple of painful bows from Bob
(back trouble?), and they were off. This show turned out to be much better
(and longer -- 19 songs) than I anticipated and amongst the best I've
seen. Till Cologne, on Thursday.

Chris Barnard

[TOP]

Review by Jakob Egnetzki



Tonight it has been a very great show. Dylan was very concentrated. The
acoustic set was dominated from two slow songs: "The times" and "One too
many morning" - marvelous! How many times did he ever play "Tangled up in
blue"? This version has been one of the best. "All Along the Watchtower"
was played moderate, but powerful. Larry played electric steel. "Simple
twist of fate"  - this song is a very special one - and he did it in a
famous way. He sang it, as it has too be sung. It's a famous sad love
story. "Not dark yet" has also been a highlight of the show.  Dylan had
fun to play this night. The encores should never have come to an end.
"Don't think twice" has been fantastic. I don't like "Blowin' in the wind"
too much, but it has o.k. "Rainy day women" - the last song of a very nice
concert.. 2000 a very good year of Bobfests? Thursday he will play at
Cologne. I hope it will also be a concert like this! See you.

Jakob Egnetzki

[TOP]


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