Reviews

 We got to Dalton really early, and found that the
arena was a neat little place in the mountains -
literally. From the bottom of the mountain, you could
see it perched about halfway up. Did the traditional
milling around talking to other fans for awhile before
taking our pretty-good seats.
 Bob walked out a few seconds before the intro, and
the band launched into a wicked Duncan and Brady. I'd
expected Tambourine Man next, but when Larry grabbed
his fiddle I knew we were in for "My Back Pages," and
we got a great version, complete with harp.
 On into "Desolation Row," which was the same,
rocked-up-but-still-acoustic arrangement it's been for
some time now. Lots of neat vocal playing here.
 The electric started with a strong "Crash on the
Levee," which was a joy to hear. The bass line was
supercool. About midway through, I noticed that Bob
had been taking all of the solos himself - Larry and
Charlie weren't getting much. This continued all the
way through, and the solos weren't just two notes. 
 "Tell Me That It Isn't True" was presented very
straightforward, with Bob playing the Actor. The
vocals that were demanding and nervous at the same
time. ("I need you to tell me RIGHT NOW...but oh
goodness, what if you say it's true??")
 "SIOMWTMBA" was a fun arrangement, with the guitar
sound going all sorts of places. One minute it's this
way, then it's that way, and then back to this way,
and it's all seamless, and Bob is playing up the jokes
in the vocals for all he's worth.
  The next acoustic song started out sounding like
"Don't Think Twice," but then comes that first line,
"Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat" and I
about jump out of my skin. "Mama You've Been On My
Mind!" (y'know. Don't Think Twice Part II). It was a
straight-up, melodious performance, complete with a
lovely,
walkin-down-the-long-lonesome-road-kicking-a-stone-and-whistling
sort of harp solo.
  There was a brief conference between songs (there
was one between about all of the songs - I think
they're up to something), and then "Fourth Time
Around!" Bob used the original tune, but the emphasis
was on the story, sounded like he was saying "I've
heard your version, buthere's exactly how it
happened." It went by quick, ending with somebody
playing the sitar riff from "Norweigan Wood" (ha!)
  "Tangled" was it's usual fun self, and I figured
that'd be the end of the acoustic set - but no! They
came back for a fine "Searching For a Soldier's
Grave," and man, oh man, can Larry and Charlie sing
back up!
  "Standing in the Doorway" was similar to the album
version, and just as powerful. But then came the song
my roommate called The Coolest Thing He's Ever Heard.
  "Cold Irons Bound" ROCKED but HARD! It was close to,
but not quite, the 2000 arrangement. Similar, but
rocked even harder. He'd sing the chorus line once,
with a bit of a meanness, then again, with even more
bite, followed by a wicked guitar riff that kicked you
in the brains. All the while there was a light show in
the back, focusing on the shadows (first you'd see
Bob's silhouette, then Larry's, then back to
Bob...with the lighing on the band never changing) all
in sync with the music. AWESOME. 
  "L-SPBH" was, after that, a little anti-climactic,
but cool anyway, with band intros in the middle, with
the band still playing. Reminded me, in a good way, of
BB King.
  As I said, this is a shortened review, so I won't
get into the encores, except to say that it was great
to notice the Oscar (the real one?) sitting on an amp
behind Larry (My, he must be proud!), and the new
arrangement of Knockin, with Larry and Charlie
Oooh-oooh-oohing, led to the best version of "Knockin"
I've ever heard.

Adam Selzer

Peace, love, and Bob,
Melanie Crowe
The Dalton show was fantastic! I am blown away. All the reviews others
have posted are true, but they don't even begin to capture what it's
really like. YOU MUST GO SEE BOB ON TOUR IF HE COMES ANYWHERE NEAR YOU
THIS YEAR. DO IT. DON'T QUESTION. HE WILL KNOCK YOU SENSELESS AND LEAVE
YOU BEGGING FOR MORE. BY FAR THE MOST AMAZING BOB SHOW I HAVE EVER
SEEN!!!!!!! He really is seeming to enjoy this tour sooo much. He was
doing lots of little Bob moves and stuff. Kind of like a little Elvis,
almost. When he's playing lead and he's got this really good groove going
with his riff, he'll bend his legs a bit under the weight of the sound and
shift back and forth with his weight. It was sooooo awesome! Duncan and
Brady, which I'd never heard before, was quite good.  A nice rollicking
number that had me squirming in my seat.  Next was My back pages, with an
upright bass and an electric freakin' fiddle!  And Bob played the most
amazing harp solo on it. Awesome! Next was Desolation Row, also quite
good. Then Down in the Flood, Tell me that it isn't true, Mobile, Mama you
been on my mind (with another harp solo), 4th time around, then Tangled.
The Tangled kicked sooo much butt. It was the most amazing version of that
song that I have ever heard. The crowd in Dalton was a little bit lame at
first, sitting down a lot, but people couldn't control themselves when
Tangled was played, and from then on people were standing and dancing. It
rocked! Then Searching for a Soldier's Grave, with beautiful three part
harmonies. Very country gospel sounding. Then Standing in the Doorway,
Cold Irons Bound (with a very ambient/Dead-like intro where all the
instruments went from tuning up right into the song), first set ended with
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat. That song rocked as well, and the funny part
about it was there was this crazy lady on the front row wearing a leopard
skin pillbox hat and carrying a bouquet of roses, presumably for Bob. I
don't know if he ever saw her or if she tossed him the flowers, but it was
funny, nonetheless. First encore, Things have changed. It rocked, of
course. Next was Like a Rolling Stone. That was really cool because he
almost rapped part of it, the verse about the jugglers and the clowns. It
wasn't a hiphop type of rap at all, just a rhythmic speaking of the words,
but it was quite cool. Lots of little pregnant pauses and the placement of
the words with the rhythm provided by the band was cool. Hard to explain,
but awesome to hear. Next was When Dogs Run Free. That jazz version is
great! Then an amazing triple punch of All along the Watchtower, Knockin'
on Heaven's Door, and Highway 61. I have heard the first and last done by
him before, but never like this. He totally reworked the songs and they
just really rock now. That's the best way I have to describe it at the
moment. He ended the first encore with Blowin' in the Wind. Fabulous
arrangement for that as well. Lots of intricate accoustic guitar stuff
happening. Second Encore was Rainy Day Women. He rocked this one up as
well. The whole crowd was on their feet at this point, some on the chairs,
and everyone sang along on the chorus. It was great. I don't think I will
be able to move in the morning. I danced in my chair until I couldn't take
it anymore and stood up from Tangled on out. I was totally blown away by
it, and can't really put it all into words. It really is a must see kind
of thing. He was incredible. I've seen Bob 4 times now, and this is by far
the best show I've ever seen. And it's much more of a show now. The guys
in the band all seem to be having great fun, Bob seems to be totally
grooving on what he's doing now, and they are all gelling really well.
It's tight, professional, and a helluva lot of fun. I repeat my admonition
from above: YOU MUST GO SEE HIM PLAY ON THIS TOUR!

Melanie Crowe