June 29, 2015
Review by Giuseppe Curzi
All day I was humming to myself , "tre streets pf Rome are filled with
rubble .....etc. etc. and they are both material and human. It's been
the same set list for the last 2 years, so I won't bore you with the
details . Being of a certain age, I prefer the oldies greatest hits,
but hey, I am becoming a believer. I do not know any of the words to
the new songs , but they seem to be about relationships and as is his
style, we don't know if he is singing to himself or to is? As the lady
behind me had been repeating all night in Italian, "ms a 74 anni " and as
the young guy beside me said, "I can't believe it is really him!"
The thing is is that he is still at 74, a genuine hipster, he is now on a
slower speed and mellowed. The band is great and the sound was
"country music style". The night was perfect for an outdoor show
and the sound was pretty clear. What stood out though was
the" coolness" of Mr. Dylan. In this ancient setting, he looked like
he did in the Arena di Verona 29 years ago. What a spectacle. He is
"the Poet Laureate " of many generations". What a troubadour!!
Displayed beside his Oscar was a white marble bust of an ancient Roman
lady , not unlike the many that you see in the museums in Rome, Some
of us of a certain age wonder what we are doing still attending these
shows and what I can say is "what an honor it is to have him amongst us "
Today I saw 2 great men: Pope Francesco at the Vatican who blessed us
from his window and Bob Dylan who graced us with his presence.
Giuseppe Curzi
Montreal , Quebec, the land of "The Poutine"
Review by James Lattimer
My wife and I spent a very pleasant evening with Bob in Rome on Monday. Best
moment was surely Full Moon and Empty Arms, delivered hand on hip like an
awkward crooner to a splendid full moon perched above the Caracalla ruins.
Highlights included Simple Twist of Fate, Full Moon and Empty Arms, She Belongs
to Me, Early Roman Kings, and Waiting for You (the latter song was much nicer
than the version on the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood soundtrack).
Lowlight was Pay in Blood. The band is more subdued than ever: sound mix for
the guitars kept very low, George relying on brushes for most songs, and the
tempo kept consistently slow. Dylan has thankfully replaced the Hammond organ
with a baby grand piano. His playing is much more audible on the piano and he
plays well on most songs, notwithstanding the occasional meander among
discordant notes. Over the last 14 years (since Love and Theft) Dylan has drifted
into the musical terrain occupied by the likes of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra,
and he is firmly planted there now, hand on hip. All songs (even Blowing in the
Wind!?) have been rearranged to blend into the jazz-inspired sound. The only
two songs that strayed noticeably were Early Roman Kings wherein Charlie was
unleashed to deliver some great blues riffs, and Love Sick, whose arrangement
was quasi-rock and roll.
My first listening of Shadows in the Night left me thinking it was surely the most
somnorific product to be released since valium, but I have since come to
appreciate it. His singing voice on that album is certainly the best it has been in
many, many years (since Time out of Mind?) and the crowd warmed to both
Autumn Leaves and Full Moon and Empty Arms. The gig might have disappointed
on so many levels (only 5 songs from his pre-Love and Theft canon; very slow
jazzy tempo all evening; croaky voice; etc.) yet somehow it did not disappoint.
The crowd was very appreciative, especially of the new material, and were on
their feet crying 'bravo' and 'ancora' as the evening drew to a close. I wouldn't
go so far as to say Bob had the Romans eating out of his hand, but the
ambience was highly supportive, bordering on reverential.
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