October 30, 2019
Review by Bob Shiel
At 78, Bob Dylan rolled into Chicago tonight and delivered his best
performance here since 2014 when he did a three night stand at the
Cadillac Palace Theater. The superior acoustics at the Cadillac Palace
were the only thing making those shows better than tonight’s. As
good as Bob’s voice sounded 5 years ago, it sounds much better now.
Maybe it’s all those American standards Bob has been crooning in the
recording studio and onstage in the ensuing 4 years. His enunciation
and ability to punch a mouthful of lyrics is noticeably improved.
First, Bob Britt on guitar and Matt Chamberlain on drums are welcome
additions to the Never Ending Tour. Is Britt a better player than Stu
Kimble? Who is to say? I, for one, was quite impressed with him.
George Recile was more flamboyant than Chamberlain, but the band
does not suffer one bit with Chamberlain behind the drum kit. We all
wish George well with his medical issues.
Unquestionably, all sorts of new sounds are coming out of the band on
this tour. For example, I heard what sounded like an organ on the opener,
Things Have Changed, but no organ around, just three weird mannequins
and a Romanesque bust, all befitting lots of Halloween orange and black
lighting. I think the organ auditory illusion was the interplay between
Donnie Herron’s pedal steel guitar and the Fenders Charlie Sexton and
Britt were playing. Even though I have probably heard this song live a
dozen times, it has never sounded better, melodically reworked and Bob’s
vocal high in the mix from the get go.
Bob, as he is wont to do, rewrote quite a few lyrics, notably when he
gave a sentimental nod to Echo Helstrom in 1958 in Simple Twist Of Fate.
Then, on the middle 8 in Can’t Wait the reverb on Bob’s hand-held
microphone was turned way up with eerie results, as Bob gazed aimlessly
into some far off place. On When I Paint My Masterpiece Tony Ganier is
adding soulful descending bass notes between verses, after the song’s
tempo is completely sped up about halfway through. Honest With Me
has become yet another of the countless entire makeovers of this song
off Tempest. On Pay In Blood Britt is given room to stretch out his
guitar solo while Bob and boys treat us to a new rhythm and melodic shift.
Lenny Bruce was the show stopper. Everybody in the 7 rows in front of
me sat down for the first time. The last verse concludes every wound,
as opposed to every victory, still hurts. Bob had we the audience by our
throats from this point forward.
Early Roman Kings has been reinterpreted into some kind of modern day
blues classic, with the band sounding its best of the whole evening. Not
Dark Yet has a new, spooky melody, perfect for the Halloween season.
Bob flubbed coming in on time on the last verse on Thunder On The
Mountain, not that anybody really noticed except Tony, whose infectious
smile was beaming away, and afterwards Bob and Tony had a little
discussion about something or another before Soon After Midnight, which
came off sensationally as the lovely quick step waltz it is. Tony’s playing
on Make You Feel My Love and Soon After Midnight featured a bouncy,
thumping style I had never heard from him reminiscent of Rob Stoner.
Loved it.
Then, Gotta Serve Somebody was quite the rocker highlighted by Britt
and Sexton playing a descending guitar duet between verses that set
Bob up in his wheelhouse to start the vocal of the next verse. Finally,
on Ballad Of A Thin Man it was a dinner invitation expected, not a check
from a tax deductible charity organization, and It Takes A Lot To Laugh,
A Train To Cry took us out on a slow blues chocked full of Britt and Sexton
guitar solo punches an upright piano fills from the man we all came to see.
I have often joked over the years that my 61st Dylan show would be my
last. Well, tonight was 61. I especially enjoyed sharing it with Patrick
Boyle, a Blood On The Tracks fan at his 3rd show. If it turns out to be
my last, because you just never know, it will be an unforgettable memory
of a fantastic concert, testimony to the fact that Bob Dylan is never to
be underestimated or deemed down for the count. Just when you
wonder if he’s knocked out, he loads his gun belt for another shootout
in the halls of musical Americana. Bravo, Bob!
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page by Bill Pagel
billp61@execpc.com
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