April 28, 2011
Review by Greg Brennan
I can't split last night and tonight. During Summer Days I thought you
could imagine the band playing at some army dance during WW2, like those
guys you see in movies in uniform with their hair slicked back. There were
a lot more smiles all round from the band tonight so they obviously had
fun, which must be hard to do night after night on the road. During Hwy
61, Stu was having some guitar problems which didn't seem to effect the
song at all, he even finished off with a nice solo. Watchtower was
different to last night. All the boys seemed to be concentrating on Bob
leading up to the coda, in which it must be said Bob Dylan is the king of
blues codas that bounce out of nowhere and hit you right in the face. The
crowd was cool. The ushers told us Bob likes the first two rows to stand
up against the stage barrier, which caused a bit of a backward domino
effect. I was in row three and stood along with most of my row, but behind
us most sat. The only thing I'd change is I'd give Stu and Charlie a vocal
mike during Forever Young . But you can't have it all. Dan Kelly who was
the guitarist for the support act(Paul Kelly) is worth a listen if you can
get hold of some of his music. Paul Kelly is a Aussie legend. I learnt
more about Australian history from him than I did from any school teacher.
Review by Paul Busch
You think I'm over the hill
You think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
We can have a whoppin' good time-Bob Dylan (Spirit On The Water)
10 songs into his second night in Sydney, Bob smiled as he sang these
lyrics and I laughed aloud. People have been saying Bob has been
finished, well, since he went electric. If you follow his career you are
well aware of the twists and the turns that take us down so many roads.
During some of those travels you sat comfortably on the passenger side,
humming along, and tapping on the dashboard. Other times, you held onto
the door tightly, stomping on the invisible brake pedal on the floor,
hoping whatever was going on would end in a painless fashion. Bob's
impact on you throughout his career can easily define what sort of
concert experience you have when you get to see him live.
Paul Kelly and Bob Dylan paired up was a good choice. Paul has written
some of the best Australian songs ever and he shared a few of these with
the Dylan gathering on this rainy Sydney night. Joined by his nephew Dan
Kelly, an admirable guitarist, Paul gave us a nice taste of Gravy,
Careless and ended with an acapella version of Meet Me In The Middle Of
The Air. Charming and sweet, Paul Kelly is a national treasure, and I
wonder if his singing clearly and succinctly was a tongue in cheek joke
at what we were about to get from Bob.
If you had been looking out the window over the past week or so,
watching the press and the commentary (critics and punters alike) from
Byron to Adelaide, it was like you had fallen asleep and nothing had
changed since you last paid attention. All of these words about no video
screens and his lack of vocal power have been heard before. Granted,
unless you knew the words, as most people would at a Dylan show,
listening to Dylan without sub-titles (like they used for the Blues
singers in Wim Wenders Soul Of A Man) can be an onerous task. For the
faithful who understand this Never Ending Tour, it was a chance to be
with Bob again and laugh and sing and listen.
Long standing co-pilot Tony Garnier was there on bass and Charlie
Sexton, Stu Kimball and Donnie Herron laid down the guitar parts. Bob
was even up on guitar and harp a number of times and was much more
animated than his last visit to Australia. Actually, last night for
their last show in Sydney, Bob seemed to be smiling quite a lot. With a
set list (below) that encompassed poetry from Blood On The Tracks,
Modern Times, Highway 61 and others, it was an excellent opportunity to
see this band play. Some songs were brilliant, some were shambolic, but
that is what you expect. I did find this time around that Dylan seemed
to take back the band leading duties that Tony had handled in the past
and at times his minstrels were looking for where to go with certain
songs or caught off guard by Bob giving someone the nod for a solo. Such
is life on the road, sometimes you have to improvise.
Bob Dylan, as he approaches 70, is doing what he has always done:
Playing music, confounding and entertaining his fans, and taking us
along for the ride. Long may he run!
Review by Lindsay Ditcham
Gonna Change My Way of Thinking would go well at any time in Bob's show but as
an opener it's where it works best, kicking things into the right gear from the
outset. He started both shows with this one and I'll do some serious listening
to it on the weekend.
Less people there tonight but still a healthy sized crowd and more active in
front of the stage than the previous night. Sitting, or standing, close to the
stage is of course the place to be. The atmosphere is more alive, you get to see
the gestures and subtle communications between Bob and the band as well as the
sweat which there's plenty of. The set list was a good one and he stays faithful
to playing that Tweedlie Dum Tweedlie Dee rather than throwing in one of the
better loved classics. He gestures when singing "Me I'm still on the road
heading for another joint", grins slightly for "You think I'm over the hill, you
think I'm past my prime?" and "Everyone is making love or else expecting rain"
and gets plenty of yelling and encouragement from those lines. The band works
well again and Charlie Sexton is Bob's right hand man it seems and puts a lot
into his performance. A three song encore again which feels like a bonus. Good
to hear Desolation Row and It's All Over Now Baby Blue.
After it all they line up on stage, Bob gives a subtle clenched fist gesture to
the audience and grins again. He nods to whoever it is that handles the lights
who dims them on cue. Another nod to the band that i'ts time to leave and off
they all go. You know that no amount of encouragement will bring them back on.
It will be too long before he's back.
Lindsay Ditcham
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