November 6, 2017
Review by Leo J. Fuchs
What looked to be a full house at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh enjoyed
another outstanding concert from Bob. Mavis Staples was great too, and her
set was mostly different from her Akron performance three days earlier.
Bob's set was the same, but to me the Tangled Up In Blue and Tryin' to Get
to Heaven arrangements were slightly different than in Akron. Maybe the
sound was just different to me because I had a much better seat than I did
in Akron. A much better seat.
The crowd was enthusiastic (as enthusiastic as you can be when you
can't stand up) and appreciative. The themes of retrospection and the
passage of time were powerfully presented. Once Upon A Time is such a
great song, and Bob's performance was fabulous. I loved his emphasis on
certain words in Desolation Row--"WAS THAT SOME KIND OF A JOKE?" Awesome.
Highway 61 Revisited, Early Roman Kings, Thunder on the Mountain, Summer
Days, and Things Have Changed were great rockers (it would have been nice
to have been able to stand!). Ballad of A Thin Man, Melancholy Mood, Love
Sick, Pay in Blood, It Ain't Me Babe, Honest With Me, Tangled Up In Blue,
and Tryin' to Get to Heaven were brilliantly dark and dangerous-sounding.
Blowin' In The Wind, Soon After Midnight, Autumn Leaves, Why Try to
Change Me Now, and September of My Years were beautiful. A beautiful
theater, and beautiful music. Most beautiful of all, though, was the girl
sitting next to me. Thanks to Bob, this not-very-much-to-look-at country
boy got to converse with a very beautiful, nice, smart young city-living
girl who was at her first Bob concert. I just wish it could've lasted
longer.
My takeaways from this concert: 1. Bob was sharp, but we missed the
harp. 2. This was my eleventh time seeing Bob, my first show being in
1994, and this was my favorite, thanks to a beautiful girl named Amanda
who liked Autumn Leaves. Unfortunately for me, this Once Upon A Time might
never come again. Thanks for the music and the chance to meet Amanda, Bob.
And thanks Amanda, for talking Bob with me. I hope we meet again
someday--on the Avenue, or anywhere else. I should have told you how
special you are.
Leo J. Fuchs
Review by Daniel Chester
Things: so glad to see him, so sad to see same, tired opener
Ain't Me: one listens to the impassioned '92-'93 versions (Wolf Trap,
Stambaugh) so often that it's tough to measure up and this re-invention
absolutely did not measure up
Highway: a guitar song that with the piano managed to catch a little fire
late
Why Try To Change: best 'Sinatra' offering of the evening and really fit
Summer Days: decent re-imagination that took us nowhere near where has in
the past
Melancholy: not bad, perfect length
Honest: he honestly has 273 better songs (f-i-l-l-e-r) and it sounded alot
like Things
Trying: better than expected
Once Upon: even though seperated the 'Sinatra's' started to blend together
here
Pay: trite snoozer that, again, sounded like Things and Honest
Tangled: Tangled version 58.0 was actually pretty cool with the way the
lyrics were delivered
September: well-done and seasonably and artistically timely
Early Roman: had some stomp to it and crispness, maybe best tune of the
evening (who knew that was possible?)
Soon After: the lighting/backdrop stole the moment
Desolation: solid meshing of piano and lyrics and then it morphed halfway
into the singer/piano/guitar in unison doing this rising/lowering thing
Thunder: near-mangling (why toss away the original's power?) that worked,
especially the mandolin (superb)
Autumn: call it 'Awe-tumn Leaves', what a well-delivered gem
Love Sick: played straight and pretty good, tune's slightly over-rated and
in no way should be in this slot
Blowin': conventional now on the piano, holds up, violin cool, kind of
ho-hum for how iconic this tune is
Thin Man: played straight and really well and yet of his canon that's what
you want to send people out with?
Summary:
-great venue and stage/lighting optics
-the silver jackets and Sinatra tunes and re-engineered classics did feel
Vegas-y -two things can't place: strong guitar work late (Thunder?) and
one tune that felt Zydeco-ish (again, Thunder?) -how magical the strumming
in the dark vibe/sound is at the beginning -band, still on a very tight
lease, truly showed how good they all are (with brushes and mallets on
drums and stand-up bass (and bow) and pedal steel) on the Sinatra tunes
-instead of Things and Honest and Pay and Soon After and Thin Man and Love
Sick, where were the gems of gems like Visions and Spirit and I'll Be Your
Baby and Shelter and Simple and Every Grain and Heaven's Door and Not Dark
Yet and Huck's Tune and North Country and Forever Young and...? -How 'bout
Mavis?! the Marching song and Stop Hey What's That Sound and Take You
There singalong and the personality and joy, wow, what a national treasure
-how in the world did Mavis and the headliner not sing Serve Somebody
together? -if he wants to set on repeat would make Stay With Me the
permo-closer -most valuable songs were Early Roman and Why Try To Change
-all 'n' all, deeply grateful to experience him again
Daniel Chester
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