November 13, 2012
Review by Bill Royaloak
"Pay in Blood" thank you Bob and his Band. Yes we were the chosen ones to
hear a most fluid track live from "Tempest" last night at the 4500+ seat
Fox in Motown. It was surreal, suddenly a steel run and tada it's live
folks! I still have the hair standing on my neck! This really happened.
That was the ground zero of a fabulous performance 1st by Mark Knopfler's
band and then Bob and that crack collection of talented players he drives
around with.
The day was ominous, chilly and nothing shining...typical November when
the gales come early...Knopfler emerged with the perfect sound for this
late autumn season like steam off the Great Lakes. Lots of bells, whistles
and fiddles, awesome honky tonk piano, mandolin, of course the gushing
guitars and so much more....definitely worth checking out. There were
times during his set that invoked memories of The Band, Dire Straits and
the sounds of Rob Roy (the movie). Just a fantastic sound from eight
players. Bob always brings so much with his shows...Leon, Elvis,
Mark...these are priceless shows!
Then after a beer in the lobby I got my 1st row balcony seat, kiddie
corner from Bob's piano ( great view, great sound)...the band shows up
with IBYBT casually strolling on stage and the mood is set for kind of a
mellow night worth lots of listening in this grand old theater (think a
bit larger version of Bob's HS auditorium in Hibbing). The crowd was full
and appreciative, subdued content to hear our friends play their hearts
out. And they did! Brightening up this dreary night, a Tuesday no less.
Really glad they changed venues from 20k seat Palace to more intimate Fox
Theater.
The song list was well balanced and very enjoyable. Great singing, players
all in sync pretty much, piano leading the way, great arrangements. The
familiar obligatory home stretch flew by especially after hearing "Pay in
Blood". I love all the later records so I shouted "Thanks Bob!" after
PIB, love the new stuff! What a night!
Thank you Mark, your band and Bob and your band for ending the year on a
very cool bunch of notes! Love Theme Time Radio (wanna hear Bob talk? He
talks allot on BDTTRH...tune in)!
Bill Royaloak
Review by Christopher Oxie
It was a brisk November evening as we stepped out of the car in front of
the 90 year old Fox Theater. I was privileged to spend another remarkable
evening with the renowned Dr. Robert Schuler. As time goes on, there are
few things in life that equal what this man has accomplished and to spend
even a few minutes with him makes you a better person. As it has been
these last few years, we had just arrived from an overseas engagement
where Dr. Schuler accepted The Queen's Award for Exceptional Service. We
were joined by The Duchess Susan, who's corsage was led by the sparking
Lady Amy. As we arrived, the ushers greeted the good doctor and brought
us to our Dr. Schuler's private table on the second floor. After an
exceptional meal, we made our way to our balcony seats for the opening act
Mark Knopfler. I am not sure why he was chosen to play on this particular
tour but it is safe to say that the will never be back to Detroit. To
hear him play was like hearing the soundtrack to Braveheart and Titanic
played at the same time. This is not 15th century Scotland and that type
of music was so boring to listen to, it was like having a sharp stick in
your eye for an hour. A rather long set change happened, giving the crowd
a rare glimpse to the loading area behind the stage.
Dylan and the band strolled on to the dark stage unannounced and checked
their instruments. Dylan was dressed in a black suit, with a red stripe
down the side of his pants, but he was not wearing his signature hat. No
sign of his Academy Award. The stage was sparse with only 4 can lights
behind the band and a large spot light on the floor directly behind Dylan.
The band was at an angle to Dylan as he was off to one side with his
keyboard and grand piano to his right.
1. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - Nothing remarkable about this one. It was
the first indication that Dylan was in a good mood and was singing clearer
than I've heard him in recent years.
2. Don't Think Twice It's Alright - Dylan pulled out his harmonica for
the first time. Band was joined by Mark Knopfler who just seemed to
appear with no introduction or notice from the crowd. His strange way of
finger picking his guitar was very loud in the mix.
3. Things Have Changed - A real uptempo treat. Dylan was at center
stage, very loose and almost, dare I say, "head-banging." He was even ad
libbing lines: "...the next 60 seconds can feel like an eternity...and
that's a mighty long time!" Far superior to the horrific version played
in August 2011 at Meadowbrook.
4. Tangled up In Blue - Dylan was a bit out of sorts during this song.
The mic he uses when he plays harmonica dropped to the floor. The crew
rushed up behind him but he never stepped away from it. Eventually, he
reached down and picked it up himself, to the astonishment of all around
him.
5. Beyond Here LIes Nothing - First time Dylan played the grand piano.
Mark Knopfler was still on guitar and walked off, to no applause or
mention by Dylan at the end of the song. Nothing special about this song,
but it did have a very Latin flavor to it.
6. A Hard Rain a Gonna Fall - Again at the grand piano. Nothing new
about the arrangement.
7. Pay In Blood - Another worldwide premiere for Detroit. The last one
was "Get Out of Denver" back in 2004. The absolute highlight of the show.
It was played very well and sounded just like the record. Dylan was
still in very fine vocal shape, with some wolf man thrown in here and
there. Played on the grand piano.
8. Love Sick - Another unexpected song. A fan yelled out a request
before the band started playing. Dylan laughed and said "we'll play that
one later."
9. Highway 61 - This is when the long time fans began to get their
belongings in order. Played at the grand piano, it was the usual
arrangement. Stu Kimball took the leads on this one.
10. Mississippi - Another unusual selection and very well performed. A
180 degree improvement from the disastrous performance debut at
Meadowbrook in 2011. Charlie took the leads on this one.
11. Thunder On the Mountain - I kept looking for the police to see if
they were going to arrest Dylan for subjecting his fans to this song
again. The "hairy one eyed king" logo made its first appearance. It is
such a horrible song, I cannot mention anything more.
12. Ballad of a Thin Man - Another highlight of the show. The lights on
the stage, and Dylan's eerie presence made this a show stopper. It if it
had not been for Pay in Blood, this would have taken the house down.
Dylan grabbed his hat, turned up the echo and really brought it home.
Just think evil carnival barker and you will sense what it was like....
13. Like a Rolling Stone - Nothing new. The typical "Thank you
friends...I'd like to introduce my band right now..."
14. All Along the Watchtower - played at the grand piano, it was a very
fast arrangement. Not like they were trying to get off the stage, but a
rolling version that stood up amongst the other songs of the evening.
Band line up for a 10 second acknowledgement from the crowd.
15. Blowin in the Wind - Performed at a lower tempo than most in the
audience were used to, it was also in line with the rest of the evening.
A quick bow and off they went.
Another enjoyable evening at the Fox Theater. The move from The Palace
was maybe the best call of the year. While the Fox was at three quarter
full (and that's being generous), The Palace would have seemed to be
completely empty. Hopefully, Dylan will make his way back to Detroit,
another residency at the Fillmore would be in order, very soon.
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page by Bill Pagel
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