October 14, 2019
Review by T. Way
The last time I saw a show at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheatre was in 1991
to see Miles Davis during his Amandla Tour. Before that, it was Grateful
Dead shows around the time In The Dark was released. The venue has always
had a simple, tree lined, sloping lawn charm about it. Classic California
chill. Reopening from many years of dormancy recently, the venue hosted
another old legend, Willie Nelson a night earlier. General admission with
a crowd whose average age was 50+.
After an announcement warning against photography or recording of any
kind, the show was soon underway. The band, as usual, looking every bit
the part of blues club cool. The addition of a few tuxedoed mannequins
created an air of formal whimsy. Bob came out of the gates playing guitar
(the only time I believe). The sound was very good and the vocals were
clear and delivered with gusto.
New verse lyrics were added to Simple Twist of Fate (good luck finding
that recording!) and was a high point for this attendee. Great new
arrangements were given to just about all the songs. Bob did a few center
stage pose moves and seemed to be in great spirits. The set focused on
music generally outside of his “hit” songs I guess. I loved the
selections. I mean, only Bob could end his show with It Takes A Lot To
Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry. No Forever Young, No Blowing In The Wind.
Certainly not what the masses would come to hear. I sure enjoyed it.
T. Way
Review by Laurette Maillet
From Santa Barbara to Palo Alto.
We took highway 1, the coastal road to Monterey. We keep on H1,
a narrow and winding road between the red forest and the Pacific
Ocean for five hours.A little stop in Big Sur to feel the fresh air and
the frog. The last few miles put me in panic as the gas gauge starts
blinking red. We fill up with 40$ in Carmel and that should take us a long
way. We have dinner of fish and fries at the Fishhopper on Monterey
Cannery row street and go to sleep. The next 300 kilometers to Palo Alto
are an easy ride. The show tonight at Stanford University is GA and open
air. I don't except any front row as I don't have a ticket yet and I don't
want to queue but enjoy the sunny afternoon on the campus. Walking around
and taking photos of the beautiful buildings is a pleasant occupation. At
6pm they open the doors and a crowd of few hundred fans starts rushing in.
At 6.30pm a nice Lady offers me to join her in the line for she has a
ticket on her telephone for me. This is more and more common to use a
mobile screen ticket. Okay. All good. As I walk in I realize people are
spread out on the grass, more or less picnicking. Nothing like the great
enthusiasm we used to have at a GA show. I find my way to the rail on the
left side of the stage and hold the spot for one hour. I will be able for
the first time to see Bob's face. The Lady next to me is an Artist from
Santa Cruz and we have a pleasant chat for one hour. It is dark by now
when Bob and his new Band take the stage. "Beyond here lies nothing" is
remarkable with Bob on guitar. As he puts his guitar down, the electric
cord touches the floor. Bob first makes a move towards the piano but
suddenly turns around , looks at the guitar cord, makes a gesture to pick
it up, changes his mind and moves again to the piano. Weird! He will
pick up that cord after the song. Showing a sign of compulsion? He keeps
on singing the set list with concentration, obviously focusing on the
lyrics. I focus on his outfit! A brand new suit with white flashing
embroidery, a white shirt and a tightly fitted white belt, brand
new shoes looking like sleepers(no more cowboy boots). The
body is skinny but still straight. He is wearing a ring on his right
hand. Alright. All his energy is on the expression of the lyrics.
What ever the song, the lyrics are clear and emotionally expressed.
He is even using his hands and body to add some drama. He is
blowing his harp with energy on "It ain't me Babe" and "Make you
feel my Love" . I see Bob reading the lyrics of "Lenny Bruce" in front
of him, on the piano. Other songs he knows well. I am still not impress by
the Band. Except a solo from Charlie or Bob Britt, here and there. Donnie
being mainly on the violin, with 3 or 4 pedal steal backing up Bob's still
erratic piano playing. The public is polite and one or two wild fans
scream "yeas" and "go on Bob" but nothing of the atmosphere of the past.
I even feel bored on " Trying to get to heaven" and now realize how cold I
am. I am freezing. Bob has a heater on the side of his piano and steam is
coming from his mouth and the mouth of the guitar players. "Ballad of a
thin man" is exceptional but.... This is the End. Bob presented rapidly
the Band tonight. Final bow and all is done. I was happy to visit
Stanford University, well known all around the world. I am happy I decided
to skip the next few shows. I truly don't believe there will be any
improvement. It is possible that Bob will feel more tired moving on.
California was a pleasant journey. Bye bye Bobby. See you on the east
coast.
Review by Pete Shanks
In the Frost Amphitheater at Stanford, Dylan seemed to have as much fun as
the audience did. He was on excellent form, and his band is (as usual)
superlative. His voice sounded gruff early on, powerful and effectively
raspy — Beyond here lies nothin’ — but by the time he reached the
end it was clear that the way he sings is a choice, not a collapse. When
he wants to, the notes are clear; maybe this is the benefit of the
Sinatra-style recordings, who knows? He also played much more harmonica
than we’ve become used to: most of the time he was “center stage”
(see the set list) there was a harp in his hand, and sometimes when he was
at the piano, too. Perhaps this is a way to rest his voice (and maybe his
hands) while also definitely giving the people what they want — his
harmonica solos have given us high points throughout his career. The whole
stage was lit, not just spots on the singer, the whole band (in uniform;
dark suits) deserved the attention. Weirdly, at times he reminded me of
Liberace, as portrayed by Michael Douglas — a pro down to his toenails,
though Bob shares very little else with old Lee except that they both are
(or were) exactly who themselves and no one else could be. Also, less
weirdly, he reminded me of the way he did Charlie Chaplin bits in his very
early performances, funny little dances that just make you smile. When Bob
and the band hit the stage, the audience rose as one to our feet, and most
of us stayed there pretty much all of the time. It was a joyous
celebration, probably my favorite of the gigs I’ve attended since, er,
maybe San Jose in 1992; not up to Rolling Thunder in Boston but then what
is? There are three dozen more shows on this tour — catch them if you
can!
Pete Shanks
Review by Michael Lederman
The carnival came to town. On a beautiful Bay Area night, Bob and band
brought their A Game to Frost Amphitheater on the Stanford University
campus. From beautifully sung renditions of songs both old new, to
haunting melodies played by his latest touring band, Bob and company did
not disappoint. In fact, having seen Mr. D many times during the Never
Ending Tour, tonight ranks at or near the top. Highlights: It Ain’t Me
Babe - sung with tender clarity. Paint My Masterpiece - performed as a
ballad. Wow. Girl From The North Country - you could hear a pin drop. As
beautiful as I have ever heard Bob sing. Not Dark Yet - Again, every word
crooned. Just magical. DO NOT MISS THESE SHOWS!!! Bob at his best. Thank
you Mr. D
Review by Issie
Oh my God. Mind blowing show last night. Probably the most satisfying
and radical rearrangements of songs across an entire show since the ‘78
tour. New drummer and guitarist have inspired Bob to keep moving forward
and staying fresh. The band gets in a tight groove on every song that
hypnotically sweeps you right into the moment. And rather than
deteriorating into an ever more raspy and gravely voice Bob’s singing is
now somehow as strong live as it has been at anytime this century.
My neighbor Michael, who also attended the Tulsa World of Bob Symposium
with me and is a recently rediscovering Bob fan, joined me for this show.
We got to the venue at 5pm and we’re rewarded with front center spots
with just a few folks in front of us. We instantly connecting with Sam
to our left and Larry to our right, as Dylan fans often will, and the
waiting time passed very quickly exchanging Bob stories and thoughts. It
was definitely an added bonus to see the show from so close and I’d
highly recommend it to anyone planning to attend upcoming general
admission shows.
It was great to see Bob play lead guitar on Beyond Here Lies Nothing. And
the man is smiling again, a lot, apparently enjoying himself knowing this
new show is smoking hot. To my ears, literally almost every song was a
stand out knock your socks off highlight. To my ears, the only non
highlights, which were perfectly fine in their own right, we’re It
Ain’t Me Babe, Highway 61 and Make You Feel My Love. I honestly
don’t know how any longtime Dylan fan can see this current show and not
be totally blown away. Noteworthy, the sold out crowd had a noticeably
lower average age than I am accustom to seeing at Bob shows. Sure, plenty
of aging baby boomers but lots of 20 and 30 somethings too. And that’s
a good thing. Bob is still alive, still amazing, still reinventing
himself, and still so uniquely relevant without peer. Pass it on.
Issie
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