August 10, 2012
Review by Peter
I've seen Dylan in concert perhaps half a dozen times since 1978, but
never outdoors. When I heard he would be playing Lloydminster Exhibition
Grounds my mind went immediately to "Dusty Old Fairgrounds'. I pulled out
my vinyl copy of Rare Batch of Little White Wonder #3 and gave it a spin.
Sure enough, it was as I remembered: Well it's roll into town straight to
the fairgrounds Just behind the posters that are hanging And it's fill up
every space with a different kind of face Following them fairgrounds
a-callin' It seemed that if I was looking for a little of the old Dylan
magic, Lloydminster might be the place to find it. Turns out it was well
worth the 950 km round trip. Some rain had fallen earlier in the day, so
the fairgrounds were nicely moistened rather than dusty. The atmosphere
was pleasant and unhurried and there was a good mix of old timers and
young folk. The stage was set up in the middle of the dirt infield and we
had no problem finding a spot dead centre just a few feet from the rail.
Here we were, for the first time in a position to feel the energy
radiating from the stage and able to see every wince and twitch and bead
of sweat on the ol' champ's face. I looked through the crowd behind me
and saw a woman with a leopard skin pillbox hat. Ten minutes later, when
the band hit the stage and launched into a rollicking version of 'Leopard
Skin Pillbox Hat' I knew it would be a memorable night. Dylan spent a lot
of time behind the piano and for the most part I dug what he was doing -
but like his guitar playing it's a little bit sloppy, a little bit choppy,
and a couple of times songs almost came unglued. All part of the charm, I
guess, and in the end we must say that 50 years of practice has really
paid off! From our position the sound mix was good and it was relatively
easy to hear what everyone was doing. Charlie Sexton stood out on Tangled
Up in Blue and Summer Days and played up a storm all night. Stu Kimball
stepped out more on the bluesy numbers. There were only a few numbers
where the three guitars threatened to muddy up the sound. George Recelli
and Tony Garnier kept it tight. Dylan's vocals were not always front and
centre. For instance, Rollin' and Tumblin' could have benefited from a
little more of his primordial growl. Other than that he made the most of
his raw and ravaged instrument and I was pleasantly surprised by the
treatment of some of the softer songs. Don't Think Twice, Tangled Up in
Blue and Simple Twist of Fate were all highlights for me. Sugar Baby was
the one real dud of the night - but I've always hated that song. I found
that many of the songs had a staccato rhythm as did Bob's vocal delivery.
It came close to being overdone, but it occurred to me later that maybe it
was the persistent tic-toc of the clock of a 71 year old man who is
getting down to his last few laps. Anyway, I thought the approach worked
on most songs even while being quite simplistic. The whole show had good
pace and built to a compelling climax with Ballad of a Thin Man, Like a
Rolling Stone and All Along the Watchtower. What will stand out most for
me about the show is the continued passion of Bob Dylan and his band.
Throughout the night there were many exchanged smiles, words and satisfied
glances. They all seemed genuinely happy to be where they were. Even the
legendary sourpuss himself couldn't help but smile at the enthusiastic
reaction of the crowd. It's hard not to miss the nuance, the phrasing and
the power of Dylan's voice in his prime. But one must respect that he is
still out there bringing the songs to the people with an honesty and lack
of pretension that belies his legendary status. Still answering the call
of the dusty old fairgrounds.
Peter
Rosebud, Alberta
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