October 23, 2008
Review by Jerry Tenenbaum and Lucretia van den Berg
Give Bob Dylan the Nobel Prize for Literature! Give it to him NOW!
The words of these song poems evoke this reaction. The words speak to the
people. The topics are immediate and timely and timeless. So, let's get
on with it.
The show was superb. Having seen a few shows in the past, this one
started with Bob and the band on their game immediately. 'Rainy Day
Women' was exciting and solid. The sound was good for a large hockey
arena and the words were clear. 'Stuck Inside of Mobile' is always
presented well and tonight was no exception. The new arrangement of
'North Country Fair' was beautiful and the joy of the lyrics came through.
The banjo in "High Water' was prominent and very metaphoric.
Themes came through tonight as Dylan played 'Chimes of Freedom",
'Hard Rain' and "It's Alright Ma' and politics, freedom and the terror of
war were presented front and centre with an urgency that is today's
world.
Dylan and the band can rock big time. 'Honest To Me', "Highway 61'
and "Thunder On The Mountain' all shook the listener from toes to the top
of your head. At times it felt like an arrythmia could be set off in the
heart's conduction system. And yet, it was all highly listenable and
played with precision. But the best was "Just Like A Woman'. Throughout,
Dylan was having difficulty with his keyboard. He had to leave it 2 or 3
times while technical help was offered. For "Just Like A Woman' he picked
up a guitar and with that became animated and it was obvious that he was
there for us. At the end of "Highway 61', he tipped his large=3D3Dbrimmed
white hat to the audience. "Beyond The Horizon" was a little ragged in its
playing but the vocal was great. My favourite recent song was 'Ain't
Talkin' and this was truly a gem tonight. The encore was "LARS' and 'All
Along the Watchtower', both played with finesse. Hand gestures in many
songs were a new feature to us. In 'All Along The Watchtower' Dylan would
extend his hand at the end of a line on a number of occasions. Coupled
with some elegant footwork at times with bending at the knees, this was
Dylan in a very positive mood to these attendees.
Not many can rock like this band. More importantly, the words were
highlighted in the foundation of music presented by a most excellent
band.
Jerry Tenenbaum
Lucretia van den Berg
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