June 22, 2007
Review by Peter Stone Brown
I think it was back on one of those minor league baseball stadium tours
that they started calling it the Bob Dylan show. And while the concert at
the Borgata in Atlantic City was listed simply as Bob Dylan and his band,
what it was, was the Bob Dylan Show. And so on well 21st Century level it
was as good a place as any to start the Bob Dylan summer tour of the USA.
The Borgata sits alone in the marshlands before Atlantic City, an entity
unto itself. It's huge, it's loud, and even though there's exit signs all
over the place you can wander around it forever looking for the way you
came in and it's designed that way on purpose.
Inside the event center it's dark casino red and there's just this
slickness about the whole place and atmosphere that somehow jibes
perfectly with the you are about to see a legend music that's emanating
from the stage and seems to get louder and softer at key moments.
And finally it gets to the fanfare and the lights go down and the band
takes the stage and there's that sliver of fear of what's he going to
sound like, and they're into "Cats In The Well" and he's back on guitar
and pretty much sounding like Bob Dylan and it's sort of swing that's
slight rocking, or maybe rock that's slightly swinging and it's okay.
And then it's "Don't Think Twice," and he's kind of messing around with
the vocal and the phrasing and having fun, and half taking, half singing,
half doing a parody and forgetting halves of lines and then turning around
and nailing others. It was followed by "Watching the River Flow." The
main purpose of this song has always seemed to be well we can use up six
of seven minutes with a cool beat and some guitar solos.
"It's Alright Ma," played in the same arrangement that was changed during
the European tour took things up considerably. The arrangement built,
with Donnie Herron's becoming more prominent on each verse and Dylan
singing with authority dropping the word even on the president line.
That was it for Bob on guitar and he moved to the keyboard for a
rearranged "Moonlight" that played up the lounge music aspects of the song
in comical fashion. New stops have been added to the chorus emphasizing
"Won't you" and "Meet me."
A speedy "Rollin' and Tumblin" came next in a version that ended up being
closer to rockabilly than blues complete with a train beat from George
Receli.
The next song had an extended intro that sounded familiar but you couldn't
place it, and just when you thought it was going to be, "You're A Big Girl
Now," it turned into a dramatically, rearranged, slowed down, half jazz
version of "Shelter From the Storm." The arrangement suggested a
waterlogged tropical storm. This arrangement has the potential to become
something interesting, but Dylan didn't seem sure of what he wanted to do
on the vocal and resorted to some of his lazier tendencies.
Then it was pretty much on to auto pilot for "'Til I Fell In Love With
You" which featured a fairly hot solo from Denny.
"Spirit On The Water" which simply should not be in the same set as
"Moonlight" was followed by a ho hum "Memphis Blues Again." Things kind
of got back on track with "Nettie Moore," but it didn't have the impact of
the versions from last fall or even the recent ones from Europe. It was
followed a typical Canned Heat boogie on "Highway 61 Revisited" where the
groove was more important than any meaning the song might have had.
The set closed with "Blowin' In the Wind" in an arrangement similar to the
last tour, though perhaps slightly slowed down. The arrangement is sort
of like the Stevie Wonder version meets Fats Domino and they go to jam
with Duane Eddy on the edge of some Ray Bradbury carnival at the collapse
of the world. It served no apparent purpose except that the people at the
show would be able to say they saw Bob Dylan sing "Blowin In The Wind."
"Thunder on the Mountain" had the longest intro ever while a roadie did
something to Bob's keyboard. Dylan seemed about to say something, like
maybe introduce the band, decided not to, and the band started the
atmospherics that led into a reasonably intense "All Along the
Watchtower."
There was nothing really to complain about, some highlights here and
there, and in the end, a show - and shows are one of the things Atlantic
City and casinos are about.
Peter Stone Brown
www.peterstonebrown.com
Review by Howard Weiner
I prefer to see Dylan after he’s had a few shows under his belt on
a given tour. Tonight’s show had some exciting highlights, and some
cobwebs. Seeing Dylan play guitar again wasn’t all that thrilling. Right
now, he’s at his best, leading his Cowboy Band from his keyboard perch.
The first four songs featuring Bob on electric guitar consisted of Cats,
Don’t Think Twice, Watching the River Flow and It’s Alright Ma. This
segment of the show was lackluster. We can chalk that up in large part to
the beginning of the tour. The other problem I detected is that the band
doesn’t jam when Bob’s playing guitar. It’s like they are scared to step
on his playing. I was elated when he decided to slip behind his keyboards
– it was then that the ceremony began.
In the fifth spot, Moonlight was an unexpected delight. Bob served
up some new lyrics during one verse. Denny Freeman uncorked sublime jazz
guitar leads that are his forte. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ was an uplifting
chaser to Moonlight. The stage was then set for a poignant Shelter from
the Storm. It was a sweet as Tupelo Honey, yet typically, a creature void
of form. What I’m trying to say is that it was fresh and rearranged, like
it is every tour. Bob sounded like he was in mid-tour form, on top of his
game. On this night, Shelter had a nice easy pace as Freeman peppered some
nice solos between Bob’s gripping vocal interpretation. By the way, was
that still Donnie Herron still mastering the multi-instrumentalist role?
With all his new facial hair, he looks like a member of the Beatles after
they were influenced by Dylan.
Till I Fell in Love with You was performed in a solid, similar
manner to the way I had seen it in fall 2006. Spirit on the Water was
boring. I have distaste for these strange concert moments where everybody
in the crowd roars at a certain line. In this song it’s the, “You think
I’m over the hill/ you think I’m past my prime” portion. I flat out don’t
like this number live, Freeman’s excellent solo non-withstanding. I’ve
seen Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again many, many times,
but tonight, Dylan pitched a wang dang doodle. He was on every line,
seemingly striking a pose after each one. It was an unexpected
development, seeing the man who changed pop culture and the world of
songwriting reconnecting with one of his most brilliant songs. Once again,
Mr. Freeman elevated his game delivering quality rock and roll guitar
leads.
That miraculous devil of a song, Nettie Moore, ensued. Music is my
religion and this is my favorite spiritual. Dylan botched some lyrics
during the third and fourth stanzas, but just imagine if you had to
remember all these words. He’s an amazing individual. Highway 61 was
brutally brief. Bob; let’s put this one on the shelf with the pitchfork. I
saw a version from Portland on 11-09-6 that rocked me down to the very
marrow. The last three or four times I’ve seen 61, it’s been painfully
short. Unleash the beasts, let the Cowboy Band jam!
The concluding number was an old friend dressed up anew. I hadn’t
seen Blowin’ in the Wind in awhile, so it was fun seeing a funky version
that was almost danceable. I liked it a lot. The encores were Thunder on
the Mountain and Watchtower. During Thunder, Bob sang, “She’s got the pork
chop I got the pie,” pretty kinky. That’s right folks, no Rolling Stone,
Summer Days or band intros on this night. The 15 song set was a song or
two less than I expected, but this is opening night. After many years of
touring I know how he operates, and all things considered, this was a
strong beginning to our Summer of Love. The crowd was relaxed, it was a
surreal atmosphere. I don’t know what it is about the Borgata Hotel here
in Atlantic City. Dylan seems to really like this place; I’m expecting a
barnburner tomorrow.
Howard Weiner
www.visionsofdylan.blogspot.com
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