9

Reviews

Porto, Portugal

Coliseu do Porto

May 1, 2019


[Laurette Maillet], [Masaki Minonishi]

Review by Laurette Maillet



Porto May 1.I arrived the day before.Checked in a fancy hotel( for my
standard) as I am sharing a room with I.I am the first one to arrive at
the hotel.As I don't manage to figure out how to take a shower....I will
take a bath.I relax and walk the path to the Coliseu Porto ; a sort of
theater with the entrance right on a main street like in Barcelona.That
will be a change from all the sport Arenas. I believe it fits a lot better
the " modern" Bobby:a comfy theater with a respectful public.We go to bed
early. Sleep well.May 1.Early morning rise for a good buffet
breakfast.First good meal for a while for me.I enjoy.Then we split ; I.
will go her way and I'll go mine.I will walk the streets of Porto in
solitude though not alone for the streets ( with names I can't pronounce)
are packed with tourists.I check the back entrance of the Coliseu. The
buses are parked on the streets. Bob will have to step in his bus from a
car.There is a First May demonstration in the downtown area and the r
streets are blocked to the traffic.Bob and the Band will arrive 1 hour late.
Maybe too late for the sound check.Anyway Bob steps out of a dark car,
hoodied with his Blue/green sweater, a white windbreaker on the top and
Jeans which seem to be way too big for his skinny legs.He hops in his bus
undisturbed. I NEVER mention my presence to him. It feels incredible to
see that HUGE/little man just being dressed casual and trotting away.I go
back to my hotel, 2 blocks away to be ready for the show.That "uncounter"
with Bob completely changed my mood. I am in a much better spirit now. I
am confident I will find a ticket.1 hour later 3 young men approach me
and hand me a ticket. They speak a perfect English but are from
Porto.They ask me if I am a real Fan and if I will not sell that
ticket.Of course I am REAL fan!.I propose to walk inside with them. They
are so kind to take me all the way to my seat; on the floor, row 23, seat 6.
On the side of the piano.Stravinsky music intro and George back
on his "Boom boom" to notice the Band and Bob to take their
space.Immediately there is a standing ovation from the public. The
atmosphere is hot.After "highway 61" it is obvious that the audiance is
a well educated Bob Dylan crowd.The clapping is almost natural for the
beginning of each song but stops as soon as Bob starts
singing.Applauding at the end is always when George beats his last
beat.Woah!What a great public!Bob feels it and he is definitely looking
towards the public.He will move center stage after almost each song and
will pose ( in the dark) before moving back to the piano.His voice is
clear and more powerful. I can feel his happiness. He is enjoying
himself.I am still not enthusiastic on "honest with you" and " trying to
get to heaven" but this is MY problem.Anything else is a Perl.They don't
leave the stage after "serve somebody" which might be a sign of his good
humour.The last song is a WONDER! BOB moves center stage , pose for
quite a while and....send a real kiss to the audience.The bow .... And
off he goes.For the many followers on that Tour this show was 1 of the
best if not THE best.Thanks to the beautifull public reaction!I love
Porto and Portugal. I certainly will come back on vacations one
day.Thank you all the good people in Porto.Thanks Bobby.Thanx the
Security guards who didn't stop me to watch Bob stepping in his
bus.Thanx the crew people.Thanx the Band.I hope you enjoyed Porto 
as much as I did.See ya all in Sevilla!

[TOP]

Review by Masaki Minonishi



Perfect!! Everything was just perfect. Beautiful city, beautiful theater,
great audience, great sound. Bob seemed happy too, and his performance was
nothing less than phenomenal. He seemed to be satisfied with the show too,
as he smiled , took a pose,  and then blew a kiss to the audience at the
end of it. Having experienced such a perfect show I couldn’t help but
scream “Bobby Thank you!!” as he went off stage.

All of the songs were highlights. But some standouts for me were,
Dignity- It was great on the last show, but tonight it was even better.
The arrangements were tight and his vocals were strong. If the rumors were
true, and he started doing this for the “Dignity never been
photographed” line, we might have to thank the Vienna audience for
taking pictures and getting such a great performance out of him.

When I paint my masterpiece - Starts kind of like a sketch with almost
nothing but Bob’s vocals and piano. And then the band kicks in at a
perfect timing. It suddenly becomes like a full colored painting. It’s
like he’s painting his masterpiece as he sings.

Scarlet town - Great singing. I really loved it on the last show, but
what’s better today is the audience’s response to Bob’s singing
which made the song even better. Bob seemed really pleased with the
result.

Like a rolling stone - This new arrangement really makes the audience
nuts. It really refreshed this classic, and Bob seems to be really
enjoying this song once again.

Don’t think twice - This slow and tender version seemed dull on some of
the recordings, but tonight Bob’s phrasing were beautiful and heart
wrenching. Perfect with the harmonica solo in the end.

Lovesick- Bob seems to really enjoy singing this since he stretches out
the vocals and play with the vocal effect as he sings.

Gotta serve somebody - On the last show I couldn’t decide whether I like
it or not, but today I have become to Love this new really rocking
arrangement. And the new Lyrics like “You may be hallucinating or you
may seen a ghost” and “you might call me mystique, or you might call
me soul man”, are so hilarious it made me laugh.  I don’t know what it
means but I love it. Even Bob himself  bursted in to a laughter as he
sang.

It takes a lot to laugh - A perfect ending to a perfect show. Bob smiles
as stretches out his vocals like “If I die on top of the hiiiiil” or
“I want to be your lover, baby, I don't want to be your boooooss”, and
also rocks the audience with his piano playing. Hoped it went on forever.

[TOP]

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