Review provided Alistair Hunter

BOB DYLAN @ The El Rey Theatre in LA - Friday, 12/19/97


The El Rey Theatre with it's audience capacity of 900 is a wonderfully 
intimate venue. Again, I'm stage left, on the riser by the speakers, and 
18' from center stage. 


"My name's Sheryl. I'll be opening for Bob". And with that Sheryl Crow 
is into her 45 minute set including, "Heaven's Gate"; "Sweet Rosalin"; 
Hard To Understand"; "I Can Sing My Song Again"; Everyday Is A Winding 
Road"; "All I Wanna Do". A remarkably versatile band.  As is she.  
Harmonica. Accordian. She does her job and the audience is clearly 
primmed for Bob Dylan.


Bob hits the stage about fifteen minutes late. The legendary 1) 
"Maggie's Farm", that started off the very first Dylan electric set at 
the Newport Folk Festival years ago, opens again. Is this symbolic? 2) 
"Man In A Long Black Coat" is a first for this week in LA. He is clearly 
into it. By this time Dylan has started a dueling guitar and eye contact 
with the audience. He even does 'The Dylan Rush', at one point, to the 
very front of the stage. The energy is up. 3) "Cold Irons Bound" and he 
is doing 'The Dylan Stomp'. 4) "Just Like A Woman" ... another LA first. 
Classic timing. 5) "Can't Wait" The audience is ready for a 'new' song. 
6) Silvio 7) "O Babe It Ain't No Lie" (acoustic by Elizabeth Cotten). 8) 
"Love Minus Zero/No Limit" (acoustic) 9) "Tangled Up In Blue" 10) When I 
Paint My Masterpiece" 11) "Joey" 12) "'Til I Fell In Love With You"  
(encore) 13) "Highway 61 Revisited ( Sheryl Crow joins in on  guitar and 
vocals ) 14) "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" ( this is acoustic ...and again 
with Sheryl Crow with accordian and vocals 15) "Love Sick" 16) "Rainy 
Day Women #12 & 35"

Alistair Hunter

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