Review by Scott Judd
Park West was my only show of the Chicago stand. I'd see both the early and late shows at Dylan's last stop at Park West a couple years ago, and they were major highlights, fantastic shows and the closest Dylan sitings I'd ever had. So I jumped at the chance to go again. Funny enough, the friend who scored the tickets this time invited me to come as a MAKE-UP for his having lost our Phil Lesh tickets last fall.... much as I love the Phil shows, this was a way better option, and we shall never speak of the Phil ticket-loss again! Tangled Up was a great galvanizing opener, people love this song and I'm one of them. Great way to set the tone for the night. Don't Think Twice is another of my favorites and was well received. I don't think I was the only one somewhat unfamiliar with High Water, but it was enjoyable none-the-less. The Park West has phenomenal sound quality, in stereo, and the sound was great, esp. as the band ramped from acoustic to electric and brought out Richie on drums. The house lights were mid- to bright all night, starting right from the first song. This seemed odd, but was less noticeable as we went. I wondered if they tried to discourage smoking? If so, their ploy was less and less effective as the night went past, esp. by the time of Rainy Day Women. But I digress. Sylvio was a great next choice and had the guy next to me freaking out (he'd see the whole Chicago run and said NONE of these songs had yet been played). I'm a Robert Hunter fan (he wrote the Sylvio lyrics), so that was a nice twist to this one. Positively 4th Street is the greatest bitter love note ever, and Bob delivered this one with aplomb, I could hear every word (which was not necessarily the case with the previous number, by the way). Lay Lady Lay - wow, he's really laying it on, playing a greatest hits collection and we're loving it. Larry added some beautiful pedal steel on this one that tied it to the old vinyl version I grew up on. I was completely charmed by our song selection by now, this was right up my alley. Cold Irons was rocking, don't remember much else except that Bob really had the lyric delivery thing going tonight when he wanted it. His piano playing was scant and a little crazy, not mixed real loud - novel to see/hear for the first time, but not something I'd rush back just to hear again. He did a good bit of harp playing tonight too, but it was de-emphasized to my ear, just something to color a song or swing a jam around the bend now and again. It was more about the band and the songs, and it worked. Rainy Day Women was very well-received (judging by the many smoke clouds abounding), but featured a botched/abortive harmonica solo that went nowhere, and ended with Bob hacking up a lung, turning his back on us briefly, bagging the harp, and resuming his gruff singing with no apparent problems. The band, however, shredded this one up nicely and appeared to be having a great time. Tony on bass is very fun to watch - looks like he's seeing conspiracies unfold all around the room, very shifty eyed, and dapper in that suit and hat, a mysterious smirk often cracking through his otherwise serious demeanor. I found him very entertaining to watch the entire night. Once he appeared to look right at me as he scanned the room for the person who might eventually head backstage to steal his lighter out of his coat or something. I was cracking myself up wondering what he was thinking (and probably over-doing it a bit - he's probably thinking "play good, stay in band!"). I also really liked Richie's drums on Rainy Day - he captured the original recording's bar-room/cabaret feel on his snare - bap bap bap bap! It was almost like striptease music, and it really worked. This is a crack band in all respects, kudos to Bob for continuing to evolve his great lineup. Bye and Bye and Dignity seemed to give everyone a break after the opening hitfest. The energy dropped and folks re-focused a bit, myself included. Shooting Star was a great return to the playlist Dylan seemed to be stealing right out of my head - I love Oh Mercy material, and this was a nice, nice treat. Summer Days was a rocket jam and we knew the set was over, but man did it go out with a great bang. Man In The Long Black Coat picked up the Oh Mercy bag and flung it high into the sky, my favorite possible song off this great album (shy of maybe Most of the Time, which I don't think sees much action). I was really beaming by this point and hoped everyone else loved it like I did. Remaining songs were all expected titles but nicely executed versions, and Larry especially looked very proud and pleased to be playing Like a Rolling Stone - he had a huge grin as he looked out around the crowd for the whole song, as if he wasn't EVER going to let a version of this pass w/o connecting to the crowd and the history of this great number. And Larry also OWNED Watchtower. During the intro, I swore they were playing Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple, or perhaps Godzilla by Blue Oyster Cult, until Dylan hit the first vocal line. This was an excellent re-arrangement that stood up nicely through to the end, and sent us home on a very high, rocking note. I saw/heard Neil Young and Crazy Horse do the same thing with Rockin' in the Free World last Thursday, and this Watchtower really connected the dots to that show. What a week of music it's been for us here in Chicago. My advice is take any chance you can to see this band in the small venues like Park West, esp. if the shows are short-notice. The performance and setlist seem to always add up to be extra special, and this night was no exception.
Review by Michael Smith
My brain is scrambled after four shows in four nights but here goes . . .
The Park West was a damned interesting show. Before it began, speculation
was running high in the crowd that it would feature the "best" setlist of
the four Chicago shows. In a way, it did; Dylan surprised us all by
playing a lot of the most-frequently played NET songs that he hasn't
happened to play in a while. In fact, the boot could be called "Greatest
Hits Live" as 10 of the 18 songs are featured on Greatest Hits Vol. 1 - 3,
including every song he played that was released before Oh Mercy. And,
let's face it, a lot of the newer songs are going to wind up on Greatest
Hits Vol. 4.
About the venue: the Park West is so small and so intimate, it's just
unbelievable. Supposedly, it can hold a thousand people but that's hard to
believe when you're inside and looking around. The stage is small and very
low to the ground - lower than my waist. There is also no rail in front of
the stage. What that means is that to be in the front row is to be leaning
on the stage with Dylan and band just a few feet away. It's an incredibly
strange feeling, almost like you're a part of the show, interacting with
the performers. I can't imagine being physically closer to Dylan and the
band at any other venue. This is, however, both a blessing and a curse.
While you can clearly see the blue in Dylan's eyes and the subtlest
expressions on every band member's face, the sound down front leaves a lot
to be desired. Dylan's vocals were nearly drowned out by the instruments
from where I was standing. I'm sure the sound was excellent elsewhere in
the venue though. Having the audience that close also affects the
performers; as opposed to the first three Chicago shows where Dylan
positioned himself to face the audience diagonally, mostly looking out at
those in front of Larry Campbell at stage right, Dylan was looking
straight across the stage at Larry for almost the entire show at the Park
West. Being that close to the audience clearly made Dylan uncomfortable
and he therefore made much less eye contact than he usually does. In fact,
the only songs where he really looked at the audience were High Water and
Shooting Star. This isn't to say that he wasn't having a good time or
working hard. For the most part, he played and sang very well and he
smiled a lot at the other band members.
And now, the blow by blow:
1. Tangled Up in Blue - This was a real treat as an opener and a fantastic
performance. Larry played acoustic and Freddy played electric. Dylan sang
great and nailed all the words. Most intriguingly, he even sang the
"topless place" verse for the first time in who-knows-when. From where I
was standing, Dylan's keyboard was loud as hell and his playing was very
good.
2. Don't Think Twice - This was the same arrangment from last year with
Larry picking out the melody on the cittern; it was also the first true
acoustic performance I've seen from Dylan in a long time (meaning both
Larry and Freddy were acoustic) but the performance was just okay. It
sounded a little rusty, to be honest; Dylan's keyboard playing was off-key
and he flubbed the opening line of the second verse by singing, "It ain't
no use in calling out my name, babe . . . the light I never knowed." It's
always a treat to watch Larry work the magic on that cittern though.
3. High Water - A killer version. Sounded pretty much like it always does,
which in my opinion, is a good thing. I think this is one of the songs
from L&T that comes off the very best live. He ended the last verse by
singing, "Don't reach out for me, she said, unless you're happy too."
4. Silvio - Excellent. The band rocked really hard and Dylan sang this
confidently - almost cockily. Crowd loved it.
5. Positively Fourth Street - Once again, a little rusty and just okay.
Another lyric flub as Dylan conflated a couple of verses, singing about
four random lines in a row that didn't rhyme.
6. Watching the River Flow - This was a fun, high energy performance.
Sounds pretty much like it always does.
7. Lay, Lady, Lay - One of the unexpected highlights of the night. Great
singing from our man. One of the best versions I've heard in recent years.
8. Cold Irons Bound - This song is almost never less than great live. And
it is always great in Chicago, especially when you've been waiting in line
all day and the winds have torn you to shreds.
9. Rainy Day Women - Believe it or not, this was a lot of fun to hear
after some time off. Larry played slide guitar on this, not pedal steel.
Dylan ended this, like he always does, by making up some lines on the
spot. He also grabbed the wrong harmonica, played it for a little while
and then threw it behind his amp.
10. Bye and Bye - The absolute low point of the show. Unlike some fans,
I've actually heard performances of this that I like but tonight it seemed
meandering and brought the energy level down. Richie was the sole drummer
on this one and it's obvious that he has no clue how to fit into the band
just yet so a lot of it could've been his fault. I really hope he's fully
integrated by the time he needs to replace George.
11. Dignity - This was very well performed until the penultimate verse
where Dylan sang dummy lyrics ending with "edge of the lake" about three
times in a row.
12. Honest with Me - Great as ever. George always shines on this. Dylan
seriously considered picking up the electric guitar on the rack behind him
before it began but, sadly, it was not to be.
13. Shooting Star - The absolute high point of the evening. Very similar
to the Euro version, with what sounds like a slowed-down version of the
Mississippi riff before each verse, but much more INCREDIBLY SUNG. The
last verse, especially, was goose-bump inducing.
14. Summer Days - Very nice. Not quite as good as the Vic because Dylan
cut the jam way short but he at least sang the whole thing very well. Once
again, Dylan almost picked up the guitar; in the middle of the song, he
crouched down and strummed the strings with his finger (while it was still
on the rack) and twiddled with the knobs. But then, he called Tommy over
and Tommy picked it up and proceeded to play it from the shadows. After
this, Dylan walked out center stage and faced the crowd head on for the
first time. He looked hilariously awkward. It looked like he wanted to
wave to the crowd but didn't quite know how. He kind of raised both his
hands to wave but looked like he wasn't sure what to do. The Baker's Son
and I gave him a thumb's up and he shot us back two thumbs up in return
before leaving the stage.
15. Man in the Long Black Coat - We knew we were in for a treat when the
band returned to the stage and Larry strapped on his acoustic guitar! When
the familiar intro to MITLBC began, I knew we were in for a four song
encore. Next to Shooting Star, this was the highlight of the night. And,
as with Shooting Star, he sang the bridge twice (complete with the new "I
went down to the river but I just missed the boat" line) and the last
verse twice. Beautifully sung, appropriately spooky.
16. Cat's in the Well - Well done. I like this new arrangement with the
minor chord thrown into the bridge.
17. Like a Rolling Stone - A highlight at all of these shows. I'm glad
this song has been given a new lease on life, courtesy of the new chorus
part. Also, I can't say enough good things about Freddy's soloing on this.
I love the way he steps out with his rubbery legs and his head tilted
back, his mouth wearing a kind of frown as he squeezes out those high
pinched notes. The band leaves the stage and we know they're coming back
for a second encore.
18. All Along the Watchtower - The band returns and Bob introduces them
from center stage. They proceed to play a very fine version indeed and
then they're gone.
All in all, it was just incredible to see Bob up close at a venue this
intimate. It was also a very fitting way to end the run of Chicago shows.
The whole weekend felt like a three-act play - with the Aragon and the Riv
as the first act, the Vic as the second act and last night as the
resolution. Bob definitely rewarded us by mixing up the songs last night
and by throwing an extra song into the encore. But, to be totally honest .
. . I felt last night's show wasn't nearly as great as the Vic. While the
Park West highlights were incredible (Tangled, Lay Lady Lay, Shooting
Star, Man in the Long Black Coat), as with a lot of Dylan shows it was a
night of highs _and_ lows. The low points - Don't Think Twice, Positively
Fourth Street, Bye and Bye - were performances that felt a little rusty
and/or uninspired. The rest of the performances fell somewhere between
these two extremes. So if any of you reading this only get one of the
Chicago boots, I think it should definitely be the Vic. While I felt all
of the Chicago shows were very good-to-great and each had more than a few
magic moments, the Vic was the one show that approached dazzling
perfection, giving us a Bob Dylan at the peak of his current performing
powers. There was not a single weak performance at the Vic; it was really
just one incredible performance after another for the entire damn show.
Next up for me - Milwaukee.
Review by Jeffrey Johnson
For the Chicago finale, He moved upmarket to the Park West and fed yuppie
egos big time. When He played Tangled Up In Blue they talked about how
they recognized it. When they couldn't recognize Highwater, they talked
about not recognizing it. (When 7 guys collectively can't identify
Highwater, you have too many yuppies in a 1000-ticket venue!)
Unlike the Riviera and the Vic, the sound in the pit was mediocre, but
stellar throughout the room. Thus, the dogfight for position was
counterproductive. The show bore no resemblance to prior spring 2004 shows
and repeated only Cold Irons Bound and the encores.
Those who missed the November 2003 London shows must preface all comments
with that caveat. Thus, for those who missed the London tour, the Chicago
tour was arguably the best He's done since the twin MSG 2002
masterpieces. Freddy is now fully assimilated into the band. He and
Larry have a nifty cross-stage exchange goin' on. While we did not
experience the London excitement, 40 different tunes in four nights, was
worthy of the global convergence on Chicago and more than enough to keep
us coming back.
Jeffrey Johnson, at tour's end (or intermission)
page by Bill Pagel
billp61@execpc.com