| Reviews Coventry, England Building Society Arena November 13, 2025 |
Review by Sebastian Bustamante-Brauning
*Not a Rough but a Rowdy One*
This is the third RARW show I've seen and this one was a curious one. I've
been lucky to see Dylan in some of the smallest venues I've ever seen him
in whilst on this tour. Due to its proximity, I went for a large one this
time. The Coventry Arena is a space I can only describe as a military
hangar. There were lots of people crammed in here and the subdued lighting
and minimalism of these shows were somewhat drowned out by the venue and
appalling crew of superhuman security team. It did have moments, but
tonight the circus really was in town, with the agitation of the thousands
present tonight palpable. People from far away seats were frustrated enough
to get up and start filling the sides of our characterless cavern. An
entertaining spectacle as security played a carnivalesque game of cat and
mouse: as soon as they moved crowds, a new one emerged all with another
name. The irony was not lost when Dylan sang of midnight's agents as
security failed to round up the insubordinate crowd that this martial
setting could not contain. The new inhabitants of Desolation Row are moved
on and new faces remerge playing their penny whilst trying to catch a
glimpse of Dylan and a steady rotation of rearranged faces continues for
the rest of the night.
The rowdiness continued when three people in the row in front of us
announced to all around them that they were going home. They've had enough
of Dylan's penchant for Brechtian alienation. If he says he made up his
mind to give himself to them, they are not buying any of it. I wonder if
they had been prepared for the fact that Dylan has been challenging his
audiences like this for the last 60 years. The interlopers announce their
early departure during a moving performance of Baby Blue, at which point
they literally start screaming at the people in their row calling them
rude. Something is happening here and I don't know what it is. Another
disgruntled member of this party screams at another man and reports him to
security for what I can only deduce is their frustration at Bob Dylan and
his endless desire to vex the uninitiated. After a near fist fight breaking
out, it really is all over for them. The highway for these gamblers. This
is a first at a Dylan gig for me. I'm gathering the coincidences of our
pugnacious setting tonight might be causing people to stir. A large part of
the crowd are now walking around desperate to see more and the riot squads
are increasingly restless. It feels like there might indeed be a full blown
riot at one point and Dylan is, of course, oblivious. At one point I hear
someone shout "f**k off". Is this an attempt to tell the skinny guy on
stage to get out of here or perhaps it's directed at midnight's agents.
Dylan is not checking to see no one is being punished for going to
Desolation Row, he just continues to play through this same set. The show
has its moments. Istanbul Not Constantinople (AKA When I Paint My
Masterpiece) is excellent and there are some moments of real groves but it
never quite delivers in the way that the second night at Wolverhampton in
2024 did; perhaps this is down to the setting more than anything. I saw my
first RARW show at the small Oxford New Theatre in 2022 where it never
quite managed to get off the ground due to miss matched percussion. This is
improved as Dylan and his black riders have been playing these songs for so
long now. The peak for me was definitely 2024. There were moments where the
magic struggled to come through a bit tonight. Although the goings on
around me were a bit of a distraction, Baby Blue (with near fist fights)
was a highlight and Desolation Row, was good, but nothing on the Keltner
driven versions of last year; I wonder whether RARW is coming to its
natural end as Dylan seems to have lost some of the passion with which he
delivered these songs a year ago. It makes sense that an artist of his
stature, a first among equals and the last of the best has to play these
larger venues due to demand, but there is a dissonance with the mise en
scène of these shows and its bar room minimalism. The best way to go to a
Dylan show is to expect rain and be pleasantly surprised. Nothing
surprising here (except the near fisticuffs) but not a bad show; just not
excellent. Not as rough as it's been (Dylan's loose arrangements had some
polish tonight) and his vocals were good. What is clear is that he is still
able to make people rowdy 60 years after Newport; y thoughts as I went home
were of fans in Newcastle in 1966 'Bob Dylan was a bastard in the second
half'. During My Own Version of You, Dylan laughs and looks at Tony Garnier
when he sings 'You can feel it all night, you can feel it in the morn'' and
something makes me think there is a lot of intention to what he is doing,
he's sticking in the knife, jump starting his creations, turning back the
years with laughter and sometimes with tears.
Sebastian Bustamante-Brauning
Review by Stephen Haynes
Almost 50 years ago I set off from my home town of Coventry on a backpacking
trip to America and had the great good fortune to stumble across Bob Dylan's
opening night at the universal studio's amphitheater a few weeks after the
Budokan album had been recorded and so began a lifetime of Dylan concerts in
the uk and some abroad. So when the opportunity to see him again in my
home town I jumped at the chance to get tickets for myself and one of my sons.
I treated myself to an interesting day going to the Coventry music museum, which
is lovely and includes a sweet temporary Dylan exhibition room in honour of the
visit. After that an enjoyable talk in Coventry library from Chris Gregory featuring
his new book Minstrel Boy further whetted the appetite.
To the concert itself, starting with the positives, the sound was very good right
from the start and I felt that Bob was energised from the start. Across the
seventeen songs I really enjoyed all except to be alone with you, which I felt was
pretty "ropey". Desolation Row, Baby Blue and Masterpiece were all excellent and
from RARW I particularly enjoyed Key West and (surprisingly) My Own Version Of
You, not a song I'm a massive fan of usually. It will divide opinion but I felt Bob's
voice was strong and both his piano and guitar parts really drove the songs.
What stopped the concert being really great for me was the general ambience of
the venue, a fairly stark exhibition hall with nothing like the charm of the Palladium,
Albert Hall, the Lucerne palace in Prague Bozar in Brussels a couple of weeks ago or
even Wolverhampton Hall last year! Finally and maybe because of the venue the
crowd overall seemed less locked in than others I've been in, which was a
shame. However as ever a night in the company of Dylan and my son is always a
good one, thanks to both of you!
Steve Haynes
Review by Joseph Neanor
With the ve putting more tickets up for sale a few weeks before the
show (well done the management) I made the long train journey from
London to Coventry Arena.
Every yard was worth the effort.
A very strong performance, vocally and at the piano from Bob, which I
think may have included a short "Putting on the Ritz" instrumental.
Bob reckons his live performances can excel the album track versions. So
it was last night for The Rough and Rowdy Ways songs, delivered with
energy and emphasis, as Bob powered the show forward. It was such fun to
hear and ponder Bob's stream of lyrics, tumbling out in the moment.
From seat X25 in Block B, with the hall floor being mainly flat, Bob
was hard to see behind his grand piano. With his music stand partly
raised, three or four pages wide spread across, my view of his face
stopped at his eyes and the top of his head when he turned his back to
the audience to play guitar. He stood up only briefly between songs a
few times to sort things out.
The hall may have had some shortcomings but the acoustics were good.
As ever this was a pay attention concert for Tony Garnier and his
bandmates, watching Bob's every move, though with fewer Bob and Tony
huddles between songs, presumably because there are not too many changes
to the setlist, show to show.
Had a near perfect sideways view of Bob for the last 10 minutes after
joining the many others standing close to the wall in the far right
aisle, poised for a quick exit and my run to the train station.
Very helpfully Bob came on stage about five minutes early so I got to
see all the show, only missing him and his band taking their bow at the end.
Bob didn't speak once throughout the show.
Joe Neanor
Review by Derek Mankelow
Bob Dylan singing / reciting his own poetry and sounding so clear last night was
indeed a modern wonder of the world, particularly in this shed of an arena. The
band are tight, clustered around the mainly seated bard who I can testify is
playing more guitar than at the beginning of this seemingly Neverending Rough
& Rowdy ways tour. Dylan's songs and the emphatic delivery afforded to them
were worth the trip to Coventry.
Would I rush up to Glasgow or across to Ireland, like I used to, and maybe catch
another show? No, not really.
I'm giving myself to you, I am
From Salt Lake City to Birmingham
From East L.A. to San Antone
I don't think I can bear to live my life alone
I know you have given us all those shows Bob, and I have trailed you from the
Isle Of Wight, Earls Court, Blackbushe, Hammersmith, Wembley, Manchester, and
yes, to Birmingham, and many more English towns now like Coventry where lovely
old theatres have probably been replaced by soulless arenas. I missed Salt Lake
City though I did see you in a beautiful intimate venue in Sun City West, Phoenix,
which was way better than the horrible Tucson Convention Centre. Then there
was Madison Square Garden, Jones Beach, and many assorted venues in
continental Europe to cherish.
You never quite knew which Bob Dylan would turn up. These days it just isn't so.
Was there really much more to savour about the 13th November? The traffic
was horrendous, the digital ticketing system a nightmare. "Are you sure you are
in the right seat? Wait I'll check, my phone is my ticket after all... oh no I won't..."
Apologies go out to the Blk A, Row N5 ticket holder who sat in my seat N3 while I
occupied his all night, as I realised much much later.
The fans treated the old songs "Baby Blue", "Ain't Me Babe" ecstatically, but there
was markedly less interest in the pedestrian re-worked versions of "Watching The
River Flow" or "To Be Alone With You", which might have had novelty value in the
early days of this World Wide Tour but not anymore. This night Dylan accidentally
started "To Be Alone..." with the opening line of "Watching The River Flow" but
I'm not sure anyone noticed the error, or really cared. Certainly not the hordes
who got up and shuffled past those of us glued to every nuance (and our £100+
seats) in the middle of even his greatest moments on the evening, and even
those were only marginally outdone by a few who demonstrated the attention
span of gnats and blabbered on during the performance forcing some of the
diehards to get up and seek a spot where sound and vision were less impaired by
the dross. Cause and effect. The seats in block A faced forwards towards a stage
that was, in fact, elsewhere adding to the frustration which was compounded by
this area being closest to the exit doors, and the bar of course.
As for "Rough And Rowdy Ways" , the album, and the songs - after over four
years they have surely run their course and outstayed their welcome. That is not
to diminish any of the true brilliance of that work and this Tour concept, but, for
me Bob, enough is enough. There I said it. About time the Emperor found out
some different old clothes to wear if there are really no new ones to appreciate.
Derek Mankelow
Comments by Martin Gayford
My last Bob show of the season was another strange one. Some beautiful moments -
My Own Version Of You, Key West, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, Mother Of Muses)
and some bizarre ones. I'm certain he changed keys during Desolation Row (and the
band didn't). To Be Alone With You almost fell apart after Bob began hammering
out a different rhythm to the band. Goodbye Jimmy Reed and some of the other
blues didn't take off like they did at Brighton. False Prophet was probably the best
I've seen though. I got down to the front to see him off again. I have a feeling
Brighton may have been the show to see on this tour.
Review by Chris Job
On entering the rather souless environs of the Coventry venue for our 12th
RARW show, my wife and I were worried that it would not be a conducive
setting for such a show. We should have known better, as Bob and the band
transcended any shortcomings and delivered what we thought was the best of
the 12 shows. It is extraordinary how Bob continues to produce such a
level of performance, especially when these shows are so dependant on his
vocal strength. We have certainly never heard him sing with such
expressive power as he did on the likes of Key West and Mother of
Muses(although it is invidious to pick out any particular song). Bob was
in excellent humour throughout, often smiling broadly and seeming to enjoy
his guitar playing. It was lovely to hear such expressive soloing from
him, and the other band members appeared to be enjoying his playing as
well from the looks on their faces! There was a nice moment at the end of
Key West when Bob beckoned Tony over and they shared a joke. I wondered
whether it was related to a moment mid-song when someone loudly shouted
"fuck off" and there appeared to be some activity necessitating swift
action by security. I continue to be struck by the live evolution of the
RARW songs and it seems to me that Bob's evident fascination with them is
akin to ,for example, Monet's obsession with water lilies in the latter
stages of his life. The manner in which Bob has been drilling down into
these songs for the last four years, each performance revealing different
nuances of meaning ,seems to me to be the musical equivalent of Monet's
relentless visual pursuit to find meaning and truth in the water lilies. I
also wonder if Bob's interest in working with iron and his interest in the
concept of gates/doors, which he has revisited in his sculpture, is also
related to his relentless examination of this set of songs. The central
example in these shows is Key West. As many fans on this site have noted,
it is each show's centrepiece and tonight it had evolved once more. It is
now quite different from the virtually a cappella version performed on the
2024 U.K. tour, Anton Fig's subtle percussive effects adding a dreamlike
quality to the already hallucinatory quality of the performance. Bob is
engaged on a fascinating artistic journey and we are privileged to be
along for the ride during these shows. Let us hope for many more
opportunities to come.
Chris Job
| Click Here to return to the Main Page |
page by Bill Pagel
billp61@boblinks.com
| Current Tour Guide |
Older Tour Guides |
Bob Links Page |
Songs Performed |
Set Lists by Date |
Set Lists by Location |
Cue Sheets |