Review by Thomas Kirby
Bob sounded great at the Rady Shell in San Diego on 6-21-26. The song
arrangements were more mellow than usual, but this allows his vocals to
shine through. His voice was amazingly clear the whole show. The
arrangements have been dialed down a bit, leaving his crystal clear
singing front and center. I've seen a lot of Dylan shows since 1978,
especially in recent years, and I was very pleasantly surprised at how
great he sounds on this tour. You really got to hear it to believe it. The
mellow arrangements may be too far afield from what a casual fan wants to
hear, but they are perfect for us long time Dylan fans. His vocal range at
age 85 of course is not what it once was, but now he stays within the
range that he can sing comfortably. I can't find much of this show on
youtube yet, but for a good example of what he sounds like now, check out
this full show audio recording from the Berkeley Greek Theater on 6-13-26:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS1tF-GctOI
The highlight of the San Diego show for me was Crossing the Rubicon. It's
so clear and compelling. Great vocal phrasing, and what great lyrics,
especially for this day and age. Goosebump material.
This is the first time Bob has played this outdoor venue that is on a
grassy city park surrounded by San Diego bay on 3 sides. It seats 7,400
and was a sell out for this show. The acoustics are very good at this
venue. When Neil Young played here last year, he commented on how good the
acoustics are. This is where the San Diego Symphony Orchestra plays in the
summer. Hopefully Bob will return to this venue.
Julian Lage, the new guitarist, sounds good. He's primarily a jazz
musician, and Bob's arrangements have a bit more of a soft jazz feel to
them on this tour.
If you are considering seeing Bob on this tour, but are not quite sure,
listen to that Berkeley show and you'll be going for sure, if you can. I
recall David Crosby once saying that fans of the Grateful Dead were lucky
to have something so great to love. The same can be said for us long time
Bob Dylan fans. We are very lucky to have something - and someone - so
great to love and appreciate. So don't you dare miss it! The John Doe Folk
Trio and Lucinda Williams were both very good too. An overall great show.
Best Regards to all you fellow Bobcats. And thanks to Bill Pagel for this
great website.
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