Reviews

Dallas, Texas
Reunion Arena
February 22, 2002


[Thomas Orange], [Michael Nave], [Bill Sigmon], [Brian Doyle], [Eben Hensby]

Review by Thomas Orange


Pre-concert reflections and observations:

The last time I saw Bob Dylan in concert was on May 1, 1976 at Reed Green
Coliseum in my hometown of Hattiesburg, MS when he was with the Rolling
Thunder review supporting the "Desire" album (yes album; there were no CDs
back then).  It was a great show.  Even though I was a big Dylan fan then,
my memory of Roger McQuinn's four songs is far more vivid in my mind than
Dylan's.  I was a big Byrds fan then as well.  But I do recall, as I sat
near the stage entrance, Bob coming out alone and unnoticed while Kinky
Friedman was onstage doing his ribald country set.  I was surprised that
Bob was a much smaller man than I expected.  But when he got on stage a
few minutes later opening with "Mr. Tambourine Man", he completely
dominated the place.  According to a Web-site Bob played 21 songs at that
show; some I remember, most I don't.  He played a lot of his well-known
songs, but I was disappointed that he played only two songs from "Desire"
that night.  My attitude then was it more like a greatest-hits show, with
less of the new stuff I wanted to hear.  Hey, that's Bob in concert for
you.  But enough idle reminiscing.  Those were different times, as Lou
Reed says.

Yes, the times they have a-changed quite a bit since those hazy, crazy
days of the '70s.  Bob's had his ups and downs since then like everyone
else.  And I must admit that I haven't been his most devout fan either,
particularly during the 1980's and most of the 1990's.  But since 1997,
his moon has ascended again and he's making the best music he's done (in
my opinion) since the mid-1970's.  With last year's release of the great
"Love and Theft", I vowed to see him live the next time he came through
Dallas.  And I got that chance in January, when this February concert was
announced.  Fortunately I was able to buy tickets online through a
pre-sale and got seats on the 15th row, stage right on the floor of
Reunion Arena.  Very cool.

An additional bit of cheap, personal trivia: I saw Charlie Sexton at this
same venue in 1987 when he came on stage as a guest guitarist at David
Bowie's (Glass Spider) concert to play on the song "White Light /White
Heat". 
 Frankly, I think he's doing better with Bob than Bowie.

Flash-forward to present-time.  I arrive at the Reunion Arena parking lot
about 7:00pm.  Very nice.  Traffic was pretty good for a Friday night. 
Reunion is showing its age, but it's a comfortable venue for this show.  
The crowd is a mix of old and young of all ages.  Possibly more older than
younger.  There are even some aging hippy-types who take a few "puffs"
from their pipes during the show (how utterly 1960's).  But the people
around us are very nice and mostly big Dylan fans who have been traveling
to many of Bob's recent shows (must be nice to be able to do that).  Aaron
Copeland music (violin, classical) is playing over the PA system (odd, but
interesting).  The arena is pretty full by showtime.

Concert Review:

Band:
· Bob Dylan:    (black suit, white shirt, reddish tie, white cowboy hat) ·
Charlie Sexton:   guitar  (grey suit, white shirt with a wide collar) ·
Larry Campbell:   guitar, mandolin, banjo (grey suit, white shirt) · Tony
Garnier: bass (grey suit, white shirt, black hat) · George Ricile:   
drums (wearing a black beret).

Around 8:20pm the house lights go dark, and the band comes onstage.  To
summarize first, they put on a great show.  The song arrangements are all
very good, Bob's vocals are strong, and the band is very well-oiled and
muscular.  In his suit and hat, Bob resembles a Confederate general as he
leads his band into musical battle.  He seems in good spirits, and smiles
at times toward the end of the show.  At first Tony seems hidden in the
back, but around the middle of the show he begins to prowl around the
stage with a big smile on his face.  Charlie seems very focussed and
serious, keeping an eagle-eye on Bob much of the time.  Larry also watches
him closely.  Tony doesn't seem to pay any attention to Bob on stage (it
seems he knows exactly what's going on despite Bob or anything else).
Neither of the two guitarists seems to dominate or do any extended
soloing.  They do get in their share of licks, though.

The songs are in this order:

1. Duncan and Brady (acoustic): Bob, Charlie, and Larry are all on
acoustic guitars playing this great number very forcefully. Tony plays
upright bass.  It's a brilliant way to start the show. 2. Don't Think
Twice It's All Right (acoustic): Very nice.  Bob plays a little harp on
this and maybe the next number.  But that's all of that for the night. 3.
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) (acoustic): Nice again. 4. Searching
For A Soldier's Grave (acoustic): And another.  Larry plays mandolin on
this one. 5. Maggie's Farm:  The house lights go dark and the band
switches to electric guitars.  For some reason this song has never been a
favorite of mine, but this version is a killer arrangement.  It's a
hard-rocking, foot-stomping burner.  I like it, I really like it! 6. You
Ain't Goin' Nowhere: Nice arrangement. 7. Cry A While: A blues stomper
from his latest and they play it great.  Charlie has a bright red electric
for this one. 8. High Water (For Charley Patton): Another new great song. 
It's a bit harder than on the CD.  And they build it up musically in
concert.  Larry plays banjo. 9. Visions of Johanna (acoustic): Now here's
the night's surprise treat, one of my all-time favorites.  As with all the
acoustic numbers tonight, the entire band is playing.  Bob goes right
after the lyrics, and the crowd just eats it up enjoying every syllable. 
Excellent. 10. Boots of Spanish Leather (acoustic): He follows with this
rare number written long ago about his New York girlfriend (Suzy, I
think).  This one's a bit quiet, and the crowd is very quiet and attentive
too.  That is until the end, when they explode with applause. 11. Tangled
up In Blue (acoustic):  Simply great.  And the band builds it up as it
goes on.  Very, very good performance. 12. Summer Days:  Electric,
shake-yer-butt, good-time rockin' music.  The band is sharp as a tack. 
Bob's vocal are dead-on.  Excellent. 13. Sugar Baby: A quiet moment for
this song.  Bob's voice is the powering instrument here.  Very good. 14.
Cold Irons Bound:  The house lights go out and then come back on in a pale
light, making the stage shadowy as the band does some distorted tuning
that eventually turns into this slow rocker. 15. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35:
 Larry switches to pedal-steel to sound out the main riff.  Charlie gets
some good soloing in as well.  Toward the end the guitars almost sound
like the horns on the original album version.  Afterwards Bob stands
centerstage viewing and acknowledging the crowd, which is estatic.

(1st encore) 

16. Like A Rolling Stone:  The band comes back and does a nice rocking
version of this. 17. Honest With Me:  Then they do a great rocking version
of this new one. 18. Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic): And they end up with
a wonderful anthem-like arrangement of this song, with Charlie and Larry
singing along with the chorus.  It sounds truly great.

The band leaves the stage again with Tony placing his arm around Bob. 
They appear to be talking with one another (hopefully discussing their
next extended encore set).

(2nd encore) 

19. All Along The Watchtower:  They quickly come back and do this 
semi-Hendrix influenced version.  Larry puts in a great solo.

Afterwards Bob and the band stand onstage, taking in the applause. 
Everyone is standing and clapping.  At some point, Bob points his guitar
at someone close to the stage and has Charlie some over to take a look
(don't know).  The audience continues the applause and clapping (and later
stomping).  We do our best to muster another encore but, unfortunately,
the house lights come on and its all over now (to coin a phrase).  But
what a great show it was everyone agrees.

[TOP]

Review by Michael Nave



My friend Nathan and I arrived at Reunion Arena, the place where I saw Bob
for the 2nd time, back in '86 with Tom Petty, at about 7:00pm after a 4
and a half hour drive to Dallas.  We strolled into the arena, checked out
the new t-shirts, and found our seats.  We were seated on the 2nd row of
the risers to the left of the stage.  Pretty good seats for an arena show.
 I hadn't seen Bob in an arena in a long time (Peoria '89 maybe?) and I
soon realized I didn't miss it.  I enjoyed the casual fans seated in front
of us who talked about BB King more than Bob before the show started.  One
even commented that he heard Bob has a son in a band when they were
discussing whether or not Bob is married.  The stoned/drunk guys behind
us, who were a giant pain in the ass all night, singing along, playing
harmonica on the acoustic numbers, hitting audience members by accident as
they danced and got drunker and drunker were a major distraction.

With the lower level and floor of Reunion Arena nearly full (the upper
level was not sold, of the 19,000 seat arena) at 8:17, the house lights
dimmed and that familiar phrase kicked of the proceedings.  I have heard
Bob open with Duncan and Brady before, but this was without a doubt the
strongest I have ever heard Dylan open a show.  He was dead-on and strong
from the first, as was the band and Charlie and Larry with the backing
vocals.  While most of the crowd didn't seem to recognize the song, they
really liked it.  Then they moved right into Don't Think Twice, which was
also very strong and tight.  Bob looked to be really on tonight doing a
lot more putting-out-cigarettes foot and leg movements, and more hopping
around than when I had seen him last August in Oklahoma City.

Next, It's Alright Ma, admittedly not a favorite of mine, it seemed that
Dylan rushed some of the lyrics, but he did the refrain very strong which
got a good reaction from the crowd, which seemed a little more tilted to
the older crowd than the one in OKC last August which was dominated by
18-20-somethings.

Searching For a Soldier's Grave, a favorite of mine suffered from a really
bad mix of the backing vocals from where I sat.  All I could hear was
Charlie, and just a touch of Larry.  Bob was totally lost in the mix. 
Charlie sounded good on the song, but I really wanted to hear Dylan's
voice too.  As with most of the acoustic numbers, this one began with one
of Bob's harmonica introductions, as it seems he has changed to
introducing the songs with harmonica rather then ending them with it as
has been the case for a few years now.  The crowd seemed to get into this
one though, possibly because of the subject matter of the song and the
times we are in.

I was surprised when the electric set began with Maggie's Farm, in about
the 1000th arrangement for this song.  I thought this was a pretty strong
version and Bob seemed to put a lot into it.

Then I was thrilled to hear (with harmonica intro) the Jim Dirden special
(inside joke) You Ain't Going Nowhere.  It was the same version as in '97
and it sounded great with the harmonies and the acapella ending.  Cry A
While was the first L&T song we got and as reviewers of previous shows
have said, they all were very strong.  High Water was a huge highlight, a
VERY strong performance of this song, harder than on the cd, and the
dynamics of the band on this song were awesome.  Again, I think most of
the crowd, at least near me, didn't recognize the L&T songs, but they
responded enthusiastically to this one.

He followed that with another awesome surprise, Visions of Johanna.  It
was the best performance of this song I have ever heard with Dylan
caressing each and every word carefully.  The red lights on the giant
curtain at the back of the stage only added to the effect of this song. 
Boots of Spanish Leather might have been a bit too quiet for an arena
setting, as some around me headed out for beer during this song.  I
thought the performance of it was fantastic, even though it was difficult
to hear with all the drunks around me talking.

TUIB rocked, sans harmonica, Bob seemed to really be into singing it, even
for the millionth time, and the crowd ate it up. Summer Days rocked, and
Sugar Baby was a treat, even though it is not one of my favorites from the
new album.  This version of Cold Irons Bound was the same as fall '97 and
rocked really hard and was really cool.  Then on to Rainy Day Women, with
band intros.  Bob missed about half a verse somewhere, but since everyone
was rocking out, they didn't seem to mind. 

After a long wait, Bob and crew returned for LARS, which was good, nothing
special.  Honest with Me rocked pretty hard, but it looked to me like Bob
sort of wound down after Rainy Day Women.  He didn't seem into the encore
at all, and especially Blowin'.  I was disappointed with this performance,
and I really love this version, but Bob sung the verses in a sing-song
melody that I didn't care for.  It seemed like he was punching the time
clock on this one.  Then following a pseudo encore, where they sort of
huddled at the back of the stage, they did All Along the Watchtower.  It
rocked hard and I loved the arrangement but Bob didn't seem to be into it
all that much.  After some clowning with an audience member, with Bob
seeming to be asking with a thumbs up or thumbs down if they liked the
show, then apparently trying to ask them what they thought of Charlie,
they left the stage and we got the shortest non-rodeo set of the tour.  I
don't know if Bob was just tired, or saving energy for the next two shows
on consecutive nights or what, but we only got 19 songs.

A few observations:  The sound was the best I have ever heard at any arena
show for anyone.  The sound in Reunion is usually echoy and just plain
bad, but kudos to Bob's sound crew, it was magnificent.  Also, why is he
playing half-full giant arenas instead of smaller venues?  In Dallas the
Bronco Bowl seats about 5,000 and would seem to be the perfect size for
Bob's crowd.  I think it would be a better atmosphere than a giant
half-full arena.  

I would have to say all in all, it was another great Dylan show like he
has been consistently doing since about '94.  The strongest songs of the
night were High Water and Visions of Johanna, and maybe You Ain't Goin
Nowhere.

Robby, I wish you could have been there.


Michael Nave
Tulsa, Oklahoma

[TOP]

Review by Bill Sigmon



Well, show time was 8, and I showed up at 7:45. I had to go to will call to 
pick up my 11th row center, slightly stage left seat. Once I did, there was 
a ridiculously long line to get to the floor: they made everybody floor-bound 
line up, and gave them wrist bands, then marked a big x through their tickets; 
this took time, and I thought I'd miss the start, but it turned into a blessing; 
no one got down that didn't belong, which meant lots of room on the floor. 
Security was non existent at the stage, and from the third song on, I was front 
row center, leaning on the stage, for the whole show, with room to dance a bit 
even.

I'm guesstimating this was the 20th time I've seen bob, which began for me in 
March of 1979, when I was 15.  Bob is as the wind, and from tour to tour, his 
diversity and the re-working of his songs is truly mesmerizing. 

This latest and greatest incarnation includes the same band he's had for a few 
years, with the exception of a new drummer (forget his name, but obviously a 
jazz guy).  The show was almost exclusively acoustic. With Tony (I forget his 
last name) mostly on Standup bass, for much of it.  I witnessed between Bob, 
Larry Campbell, and San Antonio native Charlie Saxton, no less than 8 different 
guitars used by each of them over the 19 song show. Larry was most varied, 
changing from a Strat, to a mandolin, banjo, cittern, and a plethora of steel 
acoustic guitars.  Mostly played gibson's. Bob varied a lot too, all standard 
electric acoustics for the most part, with the exception of a fender electric 
for what for me was the best solo of the night, at the end of Boots of Spanish 
Leather. In addition, Bob showed off his harmonica prowess. The steady jazzy 
drums kept it all in pretty good synch too. It was interesting that I saw Bob 
playing primarily nothing below the 5th fret, playing mostly below the 7th. 
I wasn't sure of his tuning, but I know it wasn't "standard" ever.  The 
re-workings of the "standards" was the most varied as I've ever heard. Bob has 
always done "All along the watchtower" the "jimi Hendrix way" as a homage to 
Hendrix, since he died. No more! This re-working was so complex, it took me 
about 30 beats to realize what it was. As far as Blowin' in the wind goes, it 
literally took me til the chorus to realize what it was; quite extraordinary.  
The band in general was sort of bar/bluesy, and in the realm of the band from 
the movie "Oh brother where art though"; though more musically gifted for sure.
The entire show lasted 2hours and 15 minutes.  At over 60 now, Bob Dylan is a 
phenomenon to say the least. He sure doesn't need the cash, yet his never 
ending tour continues, always touring with not less than 165 dates a year; 
quite astonishing. Long live Bob Dylan.

The songs:
1-duncan and brady (an old cover, not sure who by)
2-Don't think twice, it's all right 
3-it's alright ma, I'm only bleeding
4-searching for a soldier's grave (oldie bob likes to play these days)
5-maggies farm (pretty amazing, 3 of the first 5 songs from 1965's bringing it 
all back home)
6-you aint going nowhere(my fav of the night, from the band sessions, makes me 
cry for some reason when I hear it live; I did hide my tears successfully 
though)
7-cry awhile-from the new one, love and theft
8-high water -from the new one, love and theft
9-visions of Johanna-amazingly fresh and reworked, of course a classic from 
blonde on blonde
10-boots of Spanish leather-sweet and beautiful-closest of the night of the 
oldies to the original, off another side of bob Dylan, circa 1963, a year 
before I was born
11-tangled up in blue-from blood on the tracks-1974, similar to how we all 
know and love it
12-summer days-I forget which this is from; I think Nashville skyline, circa 
72ish, reworked
13-sugar baby-the only song of the night I just didn't know
14-cold irons bound-off time out of mind, the album before the latest, 1998
15-rainy day woman #12 and 35-always a classic, reworked, and the guy to the 
right of me got kicked out during it for throwing his beer towards bob on 
stage; bob was very animated during this, and did band intros during it; the 
first time I've ever seen him do that; he focused on local boy Charlie who 
fans were cheering for.

Encores:
At this point, the 18-20 year old girl to my left here asks me if I think she 
should throw her bra on stage, I of course say yes. She tells me her husband 
will be pissed, she looks and sees him not looking; she asks me if I'll throw 
it up, I told her to herself. She does, and it's very funny.

16-like a rolling stone-again, reworked like you wouldn't believe
17-honest with me-not sure what this one's from
18-blowin in the wind
19-all along the watchtower

[TOP]

Review by Brian Doyle



I spent the day in Dallas basically taking it easy and trying to navigate
the various highways, byways, and loops. Dallas has more loops than a bowl
of Kellogg's fruit loops and it seems like you are never going to get to
the bottom. I spent  two hours of reflection at the scene of John F.
Kennedy's murder as it was the first time I had been to Dallas since 1962.
I was amazed at just how close the book depository is to the actual
street, somehow those Zapruder films always gave me the impression of a
greater distance. The Dallas Reunion arena is only a few blocks from there
and it seemed eery. I wondered if Bob had ever met John, and I am sure
that John was aware of the charisma that Dylan lent to the civil rights
movement. In a way, that brutal attack was the same as the carnage of
Sept. 11th, it grieved a nation into a turning point for postive change. I
hope History will someday write of the postive changes that will occur
from recent events as well. I was also intrigued that even after all these
years the various markers and memorials all referred to Oswald as the
alleged sniper. Maybe the truth really is known in Texas, and maybe the
truth will be revealed............ I am making this review rather brief,
as it seems already well covered here. I did expect Bob to be a little
more on tonight after a night off from Houston. Duncan and Brady seems to
have lost the energy that it once had for an opener, it doesn't gush with
the urgency that it once had. It was certainly a treat to hear "Visions
and "Boots of Spanish leather". I also like the harp intros and the
acoustic sets in general. The new arrangement for "Maggie's farm" is a
great touch, it makes the song sort of ebb and flow, not the darting and
shouting I had heard before. 'Cold Irons Bound" was another personal
highlight. The band is certainly out of sync with the new drummer, and I
suppose that is natural whenver a newcomer is included at such a critical
position. This sounds like it contradicts my statement about the acoustic
sets, but this is really where it is most noticeable. the fall show in
Denver was better, but every Dylan show is good. From Maggies's Farm on,
the show definetly gained momentum.   

[TOP]

Review by Eben Hensby



Sometimes it's difficult to go from seeing Bob close-up to seeing Bob
further back.  Mind you, at the Dallas show, Martin and I weren't all that 
far back anyway: we were in or around the 30th row.

We left the Red Roof Inn at quarter past seven and headed for the Reunion
Center for the 8:00 PM show.  At 7:45 PM, we (Martin, Lewis, Kait, and I) 
were still in a long lineup to park and some of us were getting a little 
nervous.  We parked at about 8:00 PM and rushed into the arena (luckily we 
had parked very close to the arena).  After presenting our tickets at the 
door, we got a wristband for the floor section and headed on down.  Kait and 
Lewis had seats in the tenth row or so, so Martin and I were trying to see if 
we could somehow move up there.  It would be difficult because they had the
first five or so rows blocked off.  Later in the show, they had staff in
the rows, but, in the end, our 30th or so row turned out to be pretty
good.  While standing up with Martin, looking for an opportunity to get
closer, a young woman came up to me and told me she recognized me from the
pool!  She was 'lectricityhowls!  There's something very neat about having
someone come up to you and introduce themselves before a show.

We had obtained these tickets through a contact given to us by Peter Stone
Brown.  We were seated beside Paul Pierson (who had sold us the tickets), 
his wife, and one of his friends.  Also, the soundboard was just to our left 
so I knew we'd be getting pretty good sound.

The famous Copeland classical music started up (what a great way to prelude 
to Bob!) and I noticed the Dylan eye logo projected onto the curtains behind 
the stage.  Bob and the band came out, he wearing his cowboy hat.  For most 
of the show, Bob was a body with a cowboy hat floating above (his face was
completely shaded).  When Bob came out, the floor all stood up and we
stood for quite a few songs, which is great: I love being able to dance at
a Dylan show.

Duncan And Brady: Bob opened with Duncan And Brady, a surprise as I
was expecting I Am The Man Thomas.  I really love Duncan And Brady because
it's one of those songs that really allows Bob to use his wonderful
phrasing; it's a great warm-up song.

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right: For the next song, Don't Think
Twice, Bob pulled out the harmonica and gave us a great intro.  This song
already had Bob right into it.  He was treating the song with very
mournful-sounding singing.  Already, I knew we were in for a better show
than the Houston show from two nights before.  Bob's guitar solos during
this song were beautifully executed.

It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding): The familiar tune of It's
Alright, Ma started up and this is a song that the drummer George has
helped to recreate.  This is one of Bob's great songs, and he gave an
appropriate rendition of it.  The end was great, with the lights dimming
on the band members and a spotlight falling on Bob.

Searching For A Soldier's Grave: The harp starting the next song,
Searching For A Soldier's Grave, was one of those great Bob harps, with
him just hitting all the right notes.

Maggie's Farm: I was waiting to hear a rocker next, such as Tweedle
Dee & Tweedle Dum or Highway 61, and he came through with the first
surprise of a night filled with several: he gave us a newly arranged
Maggie's Farm.  It was very cool and I can't really describe it: it's one
of those things you've got to hear.  All I can say is it no longer sounds
like the Folson Prison Blues version he was doing before.  Bob was also
really getting more and more into the phrasing with lines like "just for
kix" and "paaaaaa/maaaaaa no more", and he was even getting into his knee
bends.

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere: And the next song was another surprise:
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere!  Bob opened the song on harp, and Martin and I
looked at one another, realizing what we were getting: a great show! 
Larry was over on pedal steel, one of my favourite instruments as of late.
 I just wish Larry's instruments were more upfront in the mix: it seemed
like he was always mixed into the background.  Anyway, this song was
great.

Cry A While: Next, Larry put the bottleneck on his finger for some
slide guitar in Cry A While.  The guitar solos by Bob were again dead on. 
Also, the last verse had wonderful phrasing.

High Water (For Charley Patton): Out came the banjo and Charlie on
slide guitar, and they went into High Water.  Tonight's was a much better
version than that of the Houston show, but I still wish we'd get an
acoustic High Water.  The song just seems like it's one that should be
subtler or something, and not belted out.

Visions Of Johanna: When the next song started, with Bob doing the
intro harp, Martin and I couldn't believe it: we were stunned.  Yes, it
was Visions Of Johanna!  Bob was nailing this song.  For the last verse,
his phrasing was phenomenal.  He was semi-crooning and I was nearly in
tears as it just blew me away.  Visions Of Johanna was certainly a
highlight of the show.  I mean, what could he possibly do next?

Boots Of Spanish Leather: Well, he could always give us a Boots Of
Spanish Leather with an intro harp!  Wowee!  This was turning out to be
one heck of a show.  I don't think he nailed Boots as well as he has
before, but it was great to be hearing it.

Tangled Up In Blue: Next a familiar tune started up: Tangled Up In
Blue.  Yeah, people back home look at the setlists and say "Oh not Tangled
again" but when you're in concert it's different.  Tangled's a wonderful
live song, and it really gets people into the show.  At times, George
really pounded on the drums to give a neat effect.

Summer Days: I had been dancing throughout Tangled, so when Summer
Days started up I knew I wasn't going to be getting any rest.  I think
it's criminal not to dance to this song!  It's a great song to dance to
and it draws people in.  Also, the instrumental jam is just something
else.

Sugar Baby: The curtains behind Bob were lit up with a purple
light.  Over the purple lights were greenish-blue lights that swirled
around in a water-like effect.  Sugar Baby started up and I must say I
didn't like it as much as I did at the Seattle show last October.  At the
Seattle show, Sugar Baby was the highlight.  Here, it just didn't have the
same power.  Maybe it has to do with the drums?  George plays drums on
Sugar Baby, but David Kemper didn't.  Maybe that stood out more to me.  Or
maybe Bob was just more into the song at that Seattle show.  Actually,
around this point, I felt as though the show lost a bit of the momentum. 
The first half of the show was the better half in my opinion.

Cold Irons Bound: The mystical percussion intro to Cold Irons Bound
filled the hall.  After some great guitar licks and playing, they jump
into the next song.

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35: This is one of those very fun concert
songs; it really succeeds in getting the crowd involved.  People up off
the floor were starting to dance and stand now too.  At the start, Charlie
and Bob started off facing one another playing to each other.  Bob
introduced the band during RDW, and after the Formation, a whole bunch of
lighters went up and the crowd cheered a lot.

encore 1:

Like A Rolling Stone: To start the encores, Bob kept the crowd
involved by blasting into Like A Rolling Stone.  Bob didn't get into this
song as much as I've seen him get into it in the past.  I noticed around
this point that the stage had a very unbalanced appearance: George, Tony,
and Charlie are on one side, Bob often joining them, while Larry was on
the right all by himself.  It doesn't seem to bug Larry though: he's
always smiling away.

Honest With Me: Larry got the slide guitar ready again and they
rolled into Honest With Me.  It was good, but not quite as good as the
Seattle version from last October.

Blowin' In The Wind: I was hoping to hear the Oooo Oooo part for
Knockin' On Heaven's Door next, but it was Bob on harp, giving us the
intro to Blowin' In The Wind.  It was a bit odd that Bob was already
playing this song, but I was already getting quite drained from such a
great show that I was ok with it.  The harp intro was very good.  After
this song, there was the second Formation.  At this Formation, like with
the first one, Bob stands there looking at the audience then gives a
thumbs up which becomes a thumbs down.  He then cocks his head and turns
around to leave the stage.  This is the same kind of thing he did two days
ago at the Houston show.

>encore 2:

All Along The Watchtower: They came back for a second encore and
gave us an incredible version of All Along The Watchtower.  This was
another great highlight for me, surprisingly.  The guitar playing was
unbelievable, but I couldn't figure out if it was Charlie or Larry or
both.  They were both moving on those guitars, so I imagine it was both of
them.  Anyway, the song rocked.  The crowd went crazy again.  As Bob and
the band stood in the third Formation, he pointed to someone in the
audience.  He then pointed to Charlie.  Charlie pointed to Bob.  This
interplay continued for about a minute or so.  Then, they turned around
and left.  As they left, the curtains on the backdrop closed and then the
eye logo returned.  That was the end.

I left feeling that we had just experienced a great show - comparable to the
Corvallis show.  Bob seemed much more into the 10/07/01 Corvallis, Oregon show, 
but mind you I was third row at that show so that might've influenced my
opinion.  I couldn't really say which show was the best, but both were
phenomenal.

On the way out, I headed out to get two posters (one for me, one for Martin 
Barrack who had asked me to pick up a poster for him from the Dallas show).  
I went up and got to the front of the merchandise table fairly quickly.  I then
noticed that the person beside me was 'lectricityhowls.  Anyway, we waited
at the front of the line for a loooong time.  Finally, I asked the lady to
please allow us to buy the posters.  She obliged, and we got the last two
posters.  This means that I'll give mine to Martin Barrack and will have
to get myself a poster at Bossier City or Austin.

And as we drove out, I thought about what a great show we had just experienced. 
Sure, we weren't front row or anything, but we it makes it much easier when we
know we have 3rd row tickets for the following show in Bossier City!  Woohoo!  
Well, off to Louisiana.

[TOP]

page by Bill Pagel
billp61@execpc.com

Current
Tour Guide
Older
Tour Guides
Bob Links
Page
Songs
Performed
Set Lists
by Date
Set Lists
by Location
Cue
Sheets