April 25, 2011
Review by Luke the Drifter
was it just me or was the only recognisable part of "change my way of
thinking" the first and last verse? I didnt recognise (and I couldnt make
out) anything in between. I could make out the band was in fantastic form
and I knew we were in for a treat. It was great to finally hear Dylans
keyboard as I've allways felt it was buried low in the mix on previous
Australian tours. He was really driving the band with it, and his circus
sands sound suits the songs perfectly. Dylan does incredibly simple yet
unexpected things when playing any instrument & his keyboard skills were a
highlight. Charlie sexton is a guitar god and would be a fantastic
addition to any band. Interestingly Tony seemed to be sitting back
somewhat with Sexton front and centre playing off Dylan's quirks with
exquisite skill. Sometimes it seems Dylan builds great bands so he can
subvert them each night, all spanners in the works and wicked grins. This
band is up for him though and turns on the preverbial 1 cent coin. I think
TUIB was the first song that saw Dylan standing with only harp in hand,
chest out & waving his left hand like Al Jolson, showing the kids how its
done. Everytime Dylan picked up the guitar it was with great intent & his
idiosyncratic leads were full of flavour & personality the way alot of
people at a jammfest like this just aren't. Again his guitar was at a
perfect level in the mix. STOF was a lesson in subtelty on the low notes.
Dylans voice was full of gravel and growl, and he is using it well. I was
hoping he would open up on the high notes of the BOATM bridge (no one has
any respect...) like i heard on some european youtube snippet last year
(would love to find that again), but he saved his upper register for a
stunning Forever Now to close with. All in all a great night, crowd
responsive and sang well in LARS but could have done better on FN. Dylan
seems to enjoy the singalong. When he is up and full of energy he allways
supprises with his sprightliness. I will head for the front eairlier
tonight as the crowd was very thick. I can see from most places but I like
to be amongst some people who realise what theyre seeing, there seemed to
be a fair few who were along to watch the geekshow, maybe tonight will be
a different crowd. As a footnote it was nice to see a touch of desperation
on Elvis Costello's face when he came out, he knew he had to pull out all
stops to follow Dylan in that kind of form. He was good too. Byron
Bluesfest has been a fantastic experience that I've been wanting to do for
years, We've heard some fantastic music & found alot of new favourite
bands (Little Feat anyone?)(I never knew what i was missing). As i sit
here writing this & preparing for another great day, one of the only lines
I recognised in 'Change my way of thinking' is echoing around my head -
"Make myself a different set of rules..." When Dylan is in this kind of
form it seems like he can rewrite all the rules and possibly change the
laws of physics! An absolute pleasure to see at work.
Regards All, luke t/drifter
Review by Brett Hay
I made the journey south to Byron Bay anticipating a big show and a great
festival and neither disappointed. Dylan received some bad local press (who
really takes any notice of AM radio talkback anyway?) about the first show
from being late (he wasn't) to talking through songs (he did, but so what;
show me the old time bluesmen who didn't. Woody Guthrie made an entire
career out of talking). Dylan's voice never ceases to send a shiver down my
spine; every cigarette the man has ever inhaled and every grain of sand is
heard in those gloriously shot vocals. The rumbling, the resonance; simply,
expressively brilliant.
Sticking pretty much to the standard fare of 2011, songs from "Highway 61
Revisited", "Love and Theft" and "Time Out of Mind" featured prominently.
Both "The Levee's Gonna Break and "High Water" clearly show Dylan's ever
the political artist; clearly he was aware of the disasters throughout eastern
Australia in January. Unlike the version of "High Water" on "The Bootleg
Series Vol 8" - post Hurricane Katrina - there was no vitriol or anger, only
a lyric delivered with tenderness and sorrow. "Trying to Get to Heaven" was
brilliant, "Hard Rain" probably lost a bit from its jaunty delivery, but, hey,
these are Dylan's songs and, frankly, he is entitled to do what he wants with
them. The man is not a juke box; he is an artist. A couple of
twenty-somethings standing next to me beat me picking up a few lyrics
in the "Guess the Song" game that he plays, proving that the man's music
is timeless and will live on and on and on. The personal highlight for me
was probably "Forever Young" as the finale; what a delivery!
Brilliant show, brilliant festival, I hope Dylan returns. I will.
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