Reviews

Barrie, Ontario

Barrie Molson Centre

July 2, 2017


[Paul James], [Jim Nichols]

Review by Paul James



Wow! I saw Bob Dylan & his Band tonight in Oshawa. I also saw the
show in Barrie where they received a standing ovation after every number!
Bob seemed to be in great shape and his voice was strong and the band is
sounding awesome under him. I say under because the vocals were mixed
right on top, you could hear every word and vocal inflection, very nice! 
Bob has reinvented himself again! Funny after seeing him perform live, I
am starting to like his new take on jazz standards like Melancholy Mood,
Autumn Leaves, That Old Black Magic, Why Change Me Now, & Stormy Weather,
better than his older material, I never thought I’d say that. Bob is a
Great Crooner and quite original, hitting high notes very sensitively then
low notes with a very distinctive growl, just Fantastic! Did I say the
band was tight? They are sounding better than ever! Make You Feel My Love
was wonderful! Duquesne Whistle was the best I’ve ever heard it, with
train whistle sounds coming from the guitar strings of Charlie, Stu, and
Donnie, the band was swinging! Drummer, George Recile was outstanding on
everything he played with lots of dynamics switching from sticks to
brushes to mallets, depending on the mood of the song, very creative.
Donnie Herron on violin, lap & pedal steel, created some very special
moods with magnificent solo work.Tony Garnier was a rock playing Stand up
bass, then electric, and played nicely with a bow for Autumn Leaves. Stu
Kimball had locked in with Tony and George to form a solid rhythm section
Charlie Sexton, Donnie, and Bob to solo over. It was very interesting and
not unusual to here two solos going on at once on two different
instruments  on many of the songs without anyone getting in each others
way. Candy for the ears! The show was a real treat! *****

I’m so glad i was there,
Paul James

A Paul James Rock & Roll Memory…
Bob & Paul…many moons ago in Toronto, Bob, after not saying a word all
night during his performance, called me out of the audience to join him on
stage for the encore…that’s a night I’ll never forget!
https://youtu.be/4myUIDfDb5M

Paul James Band Website http://www.pauljamesband.com/
Paul James Band Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/pauljamesband
Paul James Band Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/Paul-James-Band-136280766403822/

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Review by Jim Nichols



The Barrie show was well worth the drive from southern Indiana. I'd wanted
to see Bob Dylan outside the United States for years and this show fit my
schedule and budget.

As we know, it's the same basic stage setup and set list as in recent
years. As we're also aware, there are always surprises.

Don't know about you, but I always wonder about the people who are seeing
him for the first time - what do they think? What do they tell their
friends the next day? If they don't own albums from the past 20 years, I'd
have to think they're basically lost.

The entire show was full of the precision you'd expect from the band. But
Bob Dylan's piano playing seemed like it was on a whole other level. You
listen to the bootleg series - especially "The Cutting Edge" - and know
he's always mixed it up. But he keeps doing it. You don't know what to
expect other than music that refuses to rest on its laurels.

That's why Barrie was my 50th show and, hopefully, won't be my last.

The entire show rocked but the trio of "Soon After Midnight," "That Old
Black Magic" and "Long and Wasted Years" pretty much took the cake. Told a
good friend a week before the show that you'd be hard pressed to find
someone who knows, let alone appreciates, "Long and Wasted Years." But I'd
put that song up against anything out there and hope it remains in the
rotation.

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