So there it was parked in the alleyway behind the theater. Bob's shiny
bus. A guard on each end watched over the vessel. What might the elusive
and mysterious genius be doing in there? Perhaps he's reading philosophy
from the 16th century, I pondered. Maybe he's working on new musical
material? The reality was he may even be ironing his pants while watching
Wheel of Fortune. Nobody seems to know a lot about Dylan. Clearly, it's
the way he likes it. I've seen Dylan perform about 30 times. I never go
with expectations. The guy is nearly 84 years old. Every tour is different
with Dylan. You can count on it. I've never been disappointed and always
left wanting more. This night was no different. Dylan's voice was as
strong as I've ever heard it. Furthermore, you could understand his
words quite well. I've been a Dylan nerd for over 55 years. He resonates
with me. He keeps me interested. Even with my background I often don't
recognize his live songs until I can pick up on a lyric. His musical
arrangements for the songs are never the same as his recordings, or even
the previous tour. I believe his ability to write music, is as strong as
his lyric writing. This may be the first show where I fully heard his
piano playing. His fine and tight band were at a lower volume than I'd
heard in the past. It's been years since I've seen Bob play a solo
set. With the piano, harp and his strong voice, he could do it. His piano
playing was fabulous. Sure, I miss the days when Bob stood strong with
guitar in hand, He commanded the stage with one foot in front of the
other, leaning into the mic and wailing out songs. His band mates would
carefully watch his hands for any clue what he might do next. Yes, I the
younger Bob. This night was different. The band seemed at ease, and I
could not sense any edginess regarding Dylan's next move. Sure, Bob gave
subtle cues and at one point turned totally around to communicate with his
drummer Anton Fig. And unlike in the past, none of the band moved around
including Dylan. Bob has always been known to fidget and walk over to
various band members and say things to them. Not in this case. Doug, Bob
Britt, and Tony all seemed affixed to small spots on the stage. In typical
Dylan fashion they were all relatively close to Bob. I absolutely enjoyed
the show. The musical arrangements were fascinating. A "swing" vibe
surfaced here and there. One couldn't help it dance just a little. There
was a needy loudmouth on one side of the theater. No doubt he was
impressing friends. Bob wasn't fazed. Even the "soy bomb" incident
of 1998 didn't distract Bob. With roughly 5000 live performances
there's no doubt he's seen and heard it all. My favorite was probably
Desolation Row. I honestly have not spent much time with Rough and Rowdy.
Desolation Row is like comfort food. There's a lot of Bob's music that
makes me feel good. It reaches into me and grabs my soul. And while I'm
thinking of it, I believe the first couple verses of this song reflect
1920 angry mob lynchings of three black circus workers in Duluth
Minnesota. As for the rest of the song, who knows, probably about everyday
life. I mean who's not had their post office stolen, or had their
doorknob break? Dylan will never tell us the meaning of his songs. They
will go to the grave with him. As typical some people left the show early
and likely disappointed. They come to see the legend as well as hear his
records. They will never "get" Dylan. I could offer one complaint with
the performance. I was so impressed with the clarity of his words. When he
did the band introduction, he went into his twangy and mumbled Dylanese. I
thought it was disrespectful. So, is this Dylan's last stand? Who knows.
Dylan has said in the past that he will do live performances as long as he
can, and people want him to. Dylan is playing music in the present. He's
still creating, and people are still listening. When we got outside
Dylan's bus was gone. Nothing new. I'm sure he's headed to another
joint.