| Reviews Albuquerque, New Mexico Sandia Casino Amphitheater June 26, 2026 |
Review by Noel Trujillo
To begin, I've been a Dylan listener since 1963 when I was a sophomore in
high school. I've been to twenty-five concerts, and I thought his last
visit to New Mexico was the crossing of the Rubicon for both of us. But,
I was pulled into his latest visit with little hesitation.
This concert was different. There were no moments of wanting to dance.
After a day to contemplate what happened, I experienced a moment of deja
vu to 1963 when he entered my psyche and never left. This was not the
most entertaining of his concerts I've attended, but perhaps the most
profound. "False Prophet," "Dark Rider," and "The Man in the Long Black
Coat" were dark and ominous. "I Contain Multitudes" is a modern version of
Walt Whitman. "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself,
I am large, I contain multitudes." (Song of Myself). Needless to say it
inspired me. to re-read "Leaves of Grass."
The concert began under a glorious New Mexico turquoise sky with the full
moon stage left low in the sky. To me, the selection of songs were
intended to be heard and reflected upon not for immediate reaction. They
may stay hidden in the subconscious for the rest of life. This
observation is justified because Dylan was essentially invisible hidden
behind his keyboard with the shadow of his face visible as a white image
underneath a black hoodie. Although Dylan's enunciation were clear, the
heaviness of the content could not be easily deciphered by a casual or new
listener. A Dylan fan would have the beginning of understanding from
listening to his albums. But I even realize that meaning is in the head
of the beholder and open to interpretation.
The steadiness of the drum beat carried throughout the concert. At times
the band extended into glorious extentions and solos. Unfortunately those
moments were few with the band putting on the brake rather than stepping
on the gas. Maybe Dylan wanted us to think, not about him, but about us.
Ending with "Every Grain of Sand" was a perfect ending to the show. "I
hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea. Sometimes I turn,
there's someone there, other times it's only me. I am hanging in the
balance of the reality of man. Like every sparrow falling, like every
grain of sand." (Every Grain of Sand) This time I have crossed the
Rubicon.
Noel Trujillo
Chimayo, NM
Review by Edward Snow
If you want to know why it is such a pleasure to see Bob Dylan performing
well into his eighties, you should consider Paul McCartney's recent
criticism that Dylan should be performing his greatest hits because that's
what people want to hear. In addition, McCartney believes songs should be
performed exactly like they were recorded. I recently saw McCartney
celebrate an anniversary of Band on the Run by performing the album's
title track-it sounded precisely the way it sounded when first released.
Why bother? Dylan doesn't do that, thank goodness. I don't think he could
if he wanted to. Last night, he sang the songs he wanted to sing,
including three covers of songs I did not recognize. There was only one
(or two) of his own songs which might be regarded as iconic. Many songs
were from his most recent album but even those songs have transformed
significantly. Not only are the arrangements different but the lyrics
have evolved as well. Every song was thus new. He was in surprisingly
strong voice, the band was terrific, and the sound in the venue was very
good. As much as I admire McCartney, I have zero interest in seeing him
or anyone else just trying to be indistinguishable from what they were
half a century ago. Let me sit outside while the high desert sun sets
listening to a first-rate band led by a great and very old soul still in
love with creation.
Review by Tripper
Cool little venue - intimate vibe under the big sky, clouds drifting
overhead - thunderstorms over, the air cooling down. Perfect evening for
a Bob show.
We have seen many - not as many as the die hards who follow him down,
but more than most.
Saw him last year in California - a really great show so we were hoping
for more of the same or better.
It wasn't that Friday's show was a shambles or anything like that, it
was just a bit lackluster with Bob still hiding under his monk-like hood
- retreating inward like some arcane priest on a vision quest - coming
up short.
Britt seemed isolated - indeed he was on his way out - and Tony
huddled with Julian who is off on his own trip too, leaving Bob without a
guitar player for now.
In hindsight all of this played out on that stage on Friday, explaining
not only the somewhat subdued energy, but the evident friction between the
Bobs that cast a shadow over the night.
The darkened stage and the hooded singer only added to the bleak vibe. Not
quite what we were hoping for, but strangely right for songs like Long
Black Coat and Soon After Midnight.
Black Rider has lost that spooky feel with the echo but Julian was adding
some tasty licks throughout the night on several songs that teased a
possible change in direction that could not come soon enough.
Bob is in fine voice - honestly these past couple of years has had him
sounding better than he has in decades, but he sounded a bit tired on
Friday - and he was clearly in a mood. Tony and Anton are faultless; these
guys go way back and you can tell, they hold it down effortlessly and one
can even imagine just the three of them - in a jazzy, more
improvisational iteration.
One can dream.
Feels like Burque was the last stop for RARW - apropos for the city that
sits on the longest stretch of Route 66 - iconic in itself.
Looking forward to what the next stretch of road brings.
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