Reviews

Cork, Ireland

Marquee

June 16, 2011


[Jim Nolan], [Eugene Finn], [Trevor Townson], [Ben Walters], [Jim Carney]

Review by Jim Nolan



So the day finally arrived! After Bob's triumphant Far East and Australian tour in April I 
had high hopes of witnessing yet another really good Irish show, and my hopes were 
fully justified as Bob was in fine form both in voice and mood (lots of smiles) and with 
the added bonus of some crazy dance moves! (More of that later!)

My mate Ken was driving so along with Mike and John, the four of us set off for Cork 
at around 11 o'clock in the morning as it takes a little over two hours or so to get 
there.  After stopping midway for a bite to eat we arrived at about two in the 
afternoon so we had plenty of time to ramble around the city. We checked out the 
English Market which is pretty well known now after Queen Elizabeth's visit there last 
month.  Beforehand we swung by to check out the venue which is about a twenty 
minute walk outside the city centre and already there were a handful of hardcore 
folks gathering outside.

After spending the afternoon in the city centre (including a visit to the Crane Lane 
Theatre where a Pre-Gig music session was taking place) we got great parking less 
than a hundred metres form the venue entrance.

The Marquee itself is a pretty cool venue; I was at Bob's previous visit here in 2006 
and had also attended Roger Waters, Al Green and Nick Cave there in years gone by.

While sitting in the car we heard the band sound check Baby Blue,Tryin' To Get To 
Heaven and a short instrumental that we could not put a name on.

The doors opened at 6.30pm or so with Bob due onstage at 8pm.We all got separated 
going in as there was a wee bit of a charge by those who had been waiting all day to 
get a good spot at the front of the stage and also by Ken who took off like a gazelle 
after handing me my ticket.  When I got in I did not spot Ken or Mike but saw John 
just left of stage centre so I gravitated towards him. I ended up with a terrific viewing 
spot with just a small woman at the rail in front of me. I soon spotted Romy with Ken 
and Mike close by to my left leaning on the rail.

Now to the show itself. This was my first show this year, after the excellent Limerick 
gig last summer. I won't mention every song but here are some highlights:

Gonna Change My Way of thinking  
I know he has been opening with this on and off for some time but this was my first 
time hearing this live and wow! It was fantastic! Bob's voice sounded great and the 
band were smoking hot! It was an absolute jaw dropper for me.

It's All Over now Baby blue
Bob came out to centre stage and I expected him to pick up his guitar for this, but no 
he started doing some 'interesting' foot moves and gave us the first (of many) blistering 
harp solo's of the night.

Things Have Changed
This was a totally reworked version with Bob still stage centre doing some wicked steps 
and again wailing away on his harp. Excellent version! 

Tangled Up In Blue
Again yet another reworked version (and I have heard many over the years) with Bob 
doing the craziest dance moves I've seen yet! Hard to describe but if you can imagine a 
Chaplin-esque Riverdance that would be close! Also some more terrific harp and the 
killer line "I'm still on the road, I'm just trying to stay out of the joint!" 

Ballad Of Hollis Brown
After returning to the keyboard for The Levee's Gonna Break Bob was back out stage 
centre for a haunting Hollis Brown with more wild gesturing and harp. 

Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
Bob on Guitar for the first time tonight to deliver another reworked version of a song 
that I had grown tired of hearing but that tonight was fully rejuvenated and punchy.

I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine 
This was the first real surprise for me as I had only heard this once before in The Point 
Dublin in 2005.And again Bob remained centre stage and excelled both with his singing 
and harp. A real gem!

High Water
Bob centre stage on harp and delivering a yet another blistering version (I'm starting 
to run out of superlatives here!)

Simple Twist Of Fate
After retreating to the keyboard again for Tryin' To Get To Heaven (with a short harp 
solo) and a laid back swing version of Highway 61(yes really!), Bob was back out front on 
the guitar for the second and final time tonight. Simple Twist Of Fate was again a 'new ' 
version and sounded fab with a killer riff added by Bob at the end of each verse. Suffice
to say it was top notch!

Ballad Of a Thin Man
Well what can I say about this that hasn't already been said by anyone that has seen 
him play it. I happen to love this song and have heard many excellent versions over the 
years so maybe I'm biased. But it was just brilliant!

All Along The Watchtower
After a workmanlike (but nevertheless good) Rolling Stone the band launched into 
Watchtower. Again this was a new reworked version that showcased Stu's excellent 
guitar playing. It was not as rock orientated as previous years but a more punchy 
rendition with a great vocal and keyboard riff by Bob with Charlie not getting much 
of a look in and taking a back seat. This was Stu's finest hour and his song all the 
way.

Forever Young
This was what turned out to be the last song of the night and again it was great to 
hear.  Bob started the song on keyboards and came out front for some fine singing 
and an excellent closing harp solo.

I don't think I have seen Bob out in front of stage  (not to mention dancing)  for so 
many songs or play so much harp since he went behind the keyboard back in 2002.
All and all it was an excellent gig and it was great to see him so animated and in such 
great form.

And hello and thanks to everybody I met on the day , Romy , Noel , Trevor , Scottish 
Jim , all the folks in the Crane Lane Theatre, the guy and girl form Carlow I met before 
and after the show and of course my travelling companions Ken , Mike (enjoy the 
London Feis guys!) and John ( enjoy the Norwegian and Las Vegas shows!)

Enjoy the rest of the tour everyone. You won't be disappointed! Now I will cross my 
fingers and hope the rumoured European Autumn tour goes ahead and I can go to a 
few more shows!

Until the next time

Jim Nolan

[TOP]

Review by Eugene Finn



Bob Dylan once described his performance style as being akin to the tradition of the 
Shaman - the body as a vessel or conduit through which unconscious expressive 
energies are channelled through the performer by some unknown emotional or spiritual 
force. Watching his incredibly energetic and committed performance from the barrier at 
the Marquee, Cork, on Thursday evening, was to witness this energy channelling at its 
most compelling.
 
A cold, wet and windy day on the outskirts of Cork City didn't deter a dedicated scatter 
of Dylan followers who waited for up to six hours outside the Marquee in an extraordinarily 
civilised and good-humoured queue. A lady went up and down the line holding forth a 
handwritten sign: PLEASE I NEED A FREE TICKET. I doubt if she managed to procure one 
at 70 odd Euro a pop (not a BD decision, but one taken by the promoters).

At six-thirty, Aiken Security staff opened the gates and some over-zealous fans began to 
run into the tent but were quickly held in check by some exquisitely military-style moves 
by one particularly efficient security woman who attended the excited  fans like a motherly 
but stern national schoolteacher. The first people in were rewarded with premium viewing 
points from the front-of-stage barrier. 

Following the usual introduction from BD's tour manager, Bob and the band came on at 
about ten past eight. Bob was dressed in an elegant grey suit with lavender double stripes 
down the trouser legs, with matching lavender jacket collars, with a green diamond string 
tie and a beautiful black fedora with a feather in the band. The musicians surrounded him, 
serious and looking intent on breaking the ice on the first night of the second leg of this 
year's tour. From the first crack of George Recile's drums, the crowd went berserk and 
Bob and his band of roving segued immediately into that "thin, wild, mercury sound" that 
Bob had discovered within the dustbin of American music in the 60s , slightly lost track of 
in the 80s, until again regaining it with some difficulty from the mid-1990s onwards.  Here 
it was in all its blistering and seething glory. It was to be a show in which Bob's performing 
genius was flawlessly on display.

Bob  looked in incredible shape (following his 70th birthday last month) as he and musicians 
launched immediately into a rocking GONNA CHANGE MY WAY OF THINKING, Bob bending 
and twisting the words out and prolonging the vowels wonderfully: "I'm so hungry I could 
eat a hoorrrrssssseeee" (a recent addition to the song's lyrics). It was obvious straight away 
this was not going to be one of those warm-up gigs often anticipated by fans attending 
Bob's opening night gigs.
 
Next up was an incredibly fresh and energetic IT'S ALL OVER NOW BABY BLUE, with Bob 
up centre stage, the band chugging away, and Bob delivering a vocal that would match 
any in his career as a stage performer.  It was almost as if he'd only suffered the famous 
break-up with the subject of the song earlier that very afternoon. The amazing vocal, with 
Bob using his time-worn technique of moving back and forward from the mic and delivering 
the first of a night filled with achingly beautiful harp solos, was accompanied by some 
amazingly theatrical body movements - like a marionette dangling in the crossfire of the 
song's emotions.  Sublime.
 
Remaining at front centre stage, Bob delivered the third song of the night on the theme of 
rejection, transformation and change - a beautifully rendered THINGS HAVE CHANGED 
(the song for which he won the Oscar which sat beside his organ on stage with what looked 
like prayer beads dangling from it). "I'm gonna fall in love with the first woman I meet, Put 
her in a wheelbarrow and wheel her down the street"...  Again, the arrangement was 
altered, more essential and stripped back than in earlier incarnations. 

Following this was a TANGLED UP IN BLUE as good as it's ever been and sounding close to 
the spirit of the original BLOOD ON THE TRACKS version, reminding us of how far the man 
has come and yet how universal and adaptable his songs remain.

After this superb trio of songs from front of stage, the recurring themes of change and 
transformation gave way to the first of a number of songs featuring death and disaster of a 
particularly American kind when Bob returned to the keyboard for a riotous THE LEVEEE'S 
GONNA BREAK with Charlie Sexton and Bob exchanging licks and George Recile and Tony 
Garnier providing a tough and lean rhythm section. 

Bob was out again at centre stage with harp for a stupendous BALLAD OF HOLLIS BROWN 
voiced starkly against the skilful banjo picking of Donnie Herron. This was a highlight with 
Bob pouring himself into the plight of the poverty-stricken farmer he'd written about over 
forty years ago. Absolutely riveting to watch the dramatic actor-performer in Bob personify 
his subject with such feeling and intricate vocal nuance. 

TWEEDLEDEE AND TWEEDLEDUM from the LOVE & THEFT album was next, Bob strapping 
on an electric guitar and giving this one a funkier feel than the original and almost bring the 
tent down around us.  "They're like babies sitting on a woman's knee...Tweedledum and 
Tweedledee..."

Next up was one of the real surprises of the evening, a rare live performance of the JOHN 
WESLEY HARDING jewel, I DREAMED I SAW ST AUGUSTINE, rendered again from front of 
stage, and sang with a sense of what seemed like self-disgust, anxiety and a deep, deep 
indignation. It was as good as anything I've seen or heard Bob perform in his long career.  
Interesting that Bob changed the lyric in the last verse from "I awoke in anger so alone 
and terrified..." to "so alone and mystified" putting an emphasis on the last word. The 
performance ended dramatically with a harp solo that almost brought Bob to his knees. 
The theme of social and natural disaster reappeared when Bob centre stage yet again for 
a coruscating version of HIGHWATER (FOR CHARLIE PATTON) again featuring the pristine 
anjo playing of Donnie in a rendering that surpassed the original by a long stretch.
 
Then Bob was back to the organ for a great version of TRYIN TO GET TO HEAVEN in 
which he and Charlie Sexton traded licks, Charlie watching the bandleader with an expression 
of deep and single-purposed concentration. It was amusing to see how Bob teases the band 
along with his on-the-spot re-arrangements. Then, still at the keyboards, Bob and the band 
were straight into the fantastic (and much more laid back) recent arrangement of 
HIGHWAY 61, Bob spitting out the lyrics as if he'd written them the day before 
yesterday. 

Once again, Bob was back with guitar at centre stage mike for a fine rendering of his BLOOD 
ON THE TRACKS brief-encounter classic, SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE.  Although this was a 
concert that was largely free from any stage effects, a light placed at Bob's feet for this 
number threw his shadow high onto the back of the stage - it was quite an eerie effect as 
the shadow recalled startlingly the familiar swaying pose of the somewhat younger Dylan of 
the Rolling Thunder Review. The performance here was every bit as good as anything from 
that tour. 

A beautifully-cooked THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN was next in another terrific rocking 
arrangement transcending the album version and keeping the crowd on their toes for the 
approaching finale.

Then the lights went down, and the crowd roared in recognition of the familiar opening chords 
of BALLAD OF A THIN MAN. Bob delivered a version of the song that reminded us of how much 
time has transpired since his peak in the 1960s and yet again how he manages to adapt and 
expand the meanings and moods of his vast song repertoire.  Bob's facial expressions and his 
wildly theatrical physical interpretations of the phrases he sang were entertaining and amusing, 
and appropriately, given the song, somewhat chilling. 

Then it was the grand finale with fantastic versions of LIKE A ROLLING STONE and ALL ALONG 
THE WATCHTOWER. For the encore, Bob did a beautifully mellow and understated version of 
his great paternal hymn to youth, FOREVER YOUNG. The commitment to the vocals on this 
were genuine and heartfelt. For the last verse he came to centre stage once more to deliver 
the final verse in a raised pitch that almost took the roof away. It was followed by a searing 
frequency-defying harp solo that sent us all into the night stunned and feeling, well, privileged 
and forever grateful. 

I have to say that this night in Cork was probably the best performance I've ever seen Bob put 
in. Unsettling in its intensity, it was yet quite a laugh as well watching Bob's Chaplinesque body 
performance from close range from front of stage.
 
Afterwards, as the crowd thinned out into the damp but still bright June evening, awed and 
dumbstruck, there was a real sense of satisfaction in having witnessed the Shamanic 
poet-singer-performer at his very best. Good luck to him as he departs to London and then 
on to Israel and beyond for the second leg of an enormously impressive 2011 tour so far... 
Thanks also to Dylan show buff Markus, who provided those on the front barrier with 
off-the-cuff information about Bob's shows and to the nice young guy from Dundalk 
beside me...

Eugene Finn

[TOP]

Review by Trevor Townson



"Did you send him a card then?"
A colleague asked me that question whilst walking past me as I am sitting at my
desk in the office half day dreaming about something or other. I quickly looked
at the calendar to see the date, 24TH May. Even after all the hype I had
forgotten. How would any fan know how to go about sending a birthday card to Bob
Dylan anyway, then why would he want to receive cards from people that he does
not know. Although Bob has given many of us so much, we cannot even repay him
back just a little with the smallest of gestures by sending him a card. OK, so
may be many of his fans and followers did send him a card and that is why I am
just looking for an excuse now because I am feeling bad about forgetting and not
doing so. Just like when facing other problems in life Bob can sometimes pop up
in some shape or form to give a helping hand. Here he pops up again by giving
clarification over the China tour controversy. Even that then causes controversy
in The Community as people debate was it really written by His Masters Voice
himself. Well of course it was written by Bob, who else but a genius would have
thought of suggesting ringing up the Chinese authorities to check. Well actually
even I thought of doing that before I realised that my mobile phone was almost
out of credit. Proof positive if needed though is that only Bob would know a
number as big as a gazillion and then go on to talk on something totally
unrelated about books. That however was the answer to my dilemma of forgetting
the birthday card; I will scribble him a book instead! I did not have long to
complete my book before the moment for the gesture would be lost so the volume
of content would perhaps need to be compromised. Fortunately in these Modern
Times the definition of a book continues to blur so whilst it used to be easy to
define a book as a collection of printed pages bound within a cover (hard or
soft) that can be placed upon a shelf, this is no longer truly so. As changes
have gone on in the music industry to the definition of what a record is, so too
with writing as the electronic age changes the format of a book so that today
even blogs are becoming acknowledged as books. Perhaps soon a few words scrawled
in the sand will be a book to some people as the world continues to get taken
over with text speak and the like....... Almost five years now since I saw Bob
play here in Cork, the last time being in 2006. Almost half a decade later and
with Bob being considerably older now and into yet another decade of performing,
plus in addition him now being over 6 months and a birthday older since the last
time I saw him perform, surely it is just a case of how bad is the deterioration
in him and his performance going to be? Even before the start my fears seemed
truly grounded as the security guard sitting centre stage and facing the
audience puts in his ear plugs with just a few minutes to go before show time at
8.00pm. Lights out and then the usual spoken introduction as the band followed
by Bob walk out onto the stage in darkness to lots of applause and cheering from
an enthusiastic crowd. Then lights go on to create an even louder cheer from the
crowd as Bob stands illuminated and defiant at the keyboard as he gets straight
into a truly strong and powerful version of Change My Way Of Thinking. Have
heard this opener quite a few times now but this was easily the most purposeful
and focused I have seen and with the clearest vocals I can recall. Three in a
row with Bob centre stage with just his harp and mic starting with It's All Over
Now, Baby Blue which was a total surprise in the number 2 slot but surely
stripped down? Things Have Changed had again changed and was yet again another
enjoyable version for me. Tangled Up In Blue however it gets sung is always
going to be a great song but to see it performed by Bob like he did makes it
greater still. Ballad Of Hollis Brown, another great song and done in a style
that I have probably heard similar before  and was very enjoyable in part. Bob
did however seem to rush through it too quickly for me and it was also spoilt a
little bit I felt by the way Bob would sometimes scream or bark out the endings
of certain lyrics. For me I would much rather hear the lyrics sung down and low
than sung up especially on songs like this one. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum I know
is not liked by everyone as a great Bob Dylan song but I have always loved it.
First song with Bob on guitar tonight and another seemingly experimental version
that to me seemed to have the guitar of Bob in conflict with the guitar of
Charlie in parts. As if they were playing different tunes or something so
perhaps it was a little under rehearsed whatever that means with Bobs style of
performing! Then totally out of the blue it sparked brightly for a brief moment
as Bob seemed to go alone on guitar, only a short burst but it came alive. I
think that the band are really lucky that Bob does hold back quite a lot
particularly with his guitar playing as you get the feeling that he could really
show off if he wanted to. Complete restyle of Highway 61, no longer the rock
anthem it has become but something much softer and more acoustic sounding and it
really worked. A very entertaining and refreshing change with an arrangement
that seemed to suit both Tony and Stu really well, Stu in particular was really
clear. Actually Stu was very present during the performance tonight, probably
more so than I have seen (or heard) him in shows before. To be in a Bob Dylan
band for any length of time you have surely got to be a good player so there is
no way that Stu is not a great guitarist whatever some of his critics may say,
so why is he so seemingly underused? There must be some purpose for Bob in
paying to have him stand there in the wings every night. Tonight at least he
came out and made a big difference sound wise to quite a lot of the numbers and
how they worked. In fact Stu could not wait to get strapped up for Ballad Of A
Thin Man and was even changing over guitars before Bob and the rest of band had
finished the previous number. With Thunder On The Mountain still not closed Stu
was already proudly standing there with electric guitar at the ready. With this
current version of Thin Man Stu even gets to share some of the spot light in
addition to getting animated in shadow on the back drop in part. Boy did Stu
give it his all tonight during Thin Man but his greatest moment was still to
come during a fantastic reworked Watchtower. I had the feeling that they had
been playing around with this song for some time, well whether that be right or
wrong something came of it tonight as even the most frequent of followers were
given an almost completely new number during the encore. Recent reviews have
stated how uninspiring Bob has been playing his harp lately, well it changed a
bit tonight with some very purposeful harp playing included all over. Never say
"best show ever" where Bob is concerned as there are always more to come to
prove you wrong or to make you see things differently. Has the turning of
another decade had any effect on Bob Dylan, not a bit, well apart from him
seemingly growing or starting to grow a beard of some kind....... With a
gazillion books already out or coming out another one on top would need to be
radically different in order to have any chance of standing out. But what could
I scribble that would add to what has no doubt been written about Bob already by
people more knowledgeable than me. I say no doubt because that is probably my
failing as I have been too busy listening to Bob doing what he does best that I
had overlooked reading up on him to any great degree. The few books on Bob Dylan
that I have read are "Down The Highway" but I cannot remember much of that as it
was a long time ago now. "Behind The Shades" but not the latest version so I
have not got a clue about what Bob has been up to in recent years. Best book to
get the basics of course was "The Rough Guide...." which I think I read all the
way through but I may have skipped the Wilburys bit. Lastly "Chronicles" of
course, well only part of that really as so far I have had two attempts but
never got beyond Chapter 2 for some reason. Ah Boo, may be third time Lucky.
Some books about Bob Dylan have I believe been written by people who do not know
the man and some who may not even have ever met him. Writing a book like that
must be a really difficult thing to do as I am not totally sure that even Bob
will know who he is most of the time. Anyway with Bob being the biggest story
teller of them all why should we start to believe him and his Chronicles now!
You never know, somebody might have a great book in them. So writers and critics
who prophicise with your pen, perhaps the best book on Bob Dylan has not been
written yet? Then again may be it never will be written for surely someone would
have done it by now. All may not be lost however as thankfully it is Not Dark
Yet. Due to the present electronic age in which we now live my book did indeed
end up radically different to all the rest by being the shortest book ever
written on Bob Dylan. In addition I had also managed to do something that the
man himself on his own admission couldn't do. So here it is my book for Bob to
wish him a Very Merry Unbirthday. Titled, "Bob Dylan In Twenty Five Words"

Birth without choice.                                        
Life fragile as a water bubble,
brief as a lightning flash.                                        
No meaning to the illusion, just some songs.                                       
Thanks Bob, Brilliant!

Trevor Townson

[TOP]

Review by Ben Walters



For me, this show was marked by two things: Dylan’s
choreography and the version he played of ‘It’s all over now Baby Blue’. 

The first was beguiling. Dylan shimmying, dipping, swerving,
bobbing and weaving, shuffling, dancing. Grinning! In my photos, he looks like a
refugee from a Samuel Beckett play. Trampish, Chaplinesque. A veritable
Vladimir. Existential, cabaret hobo, Vegas man. Really, the trickster.

‘It’s all over now Baby Blue’ showed one thing, but one
important thing. Every released version of a song is simply that: a version. The
song arrested at particular point in time. A lot of the people around me
complained: they couldn’t figure out what songs were being played. They wanted
to hear a series of moments of arrest (easily identifiable, easily confused with
full realisation). Moments when the songs were recorded (but what does that
mean: nothing really. Who knows what status a recorded version has: a week later
and they would have been different songs).

But why replicate that moment of arrest? Why repeat, year in,
year out that moment that may be ‘success’, that may be  ‘failure’?
Surely, no song is ever completed? Interrupted due to constraints of finance,
energy, imagination, fatigue. But completed? I don’t think so.

The conveyor belt of festivals, the endless oldie shows on
radio and television, concerts where whole albums are being revived and played
in their entirety. Note ‘perfect’. All these contribute to perpetuating the
myth of the ‘finished’ song.  But song is a world, an environment in which
to live and become. It never finishes. And, watching Dylan tonight, you could
really sense his keen awareness of this. Nothing has been ‘completed’.
It’s not all over now. It never is.

I thought Dylan’s harp playing was excellent. The sound
quality where I was (front row right) was superb. Crystal clear.

Loved the versions of’ Tangled up in Blue’ and ‘ Simple
Twist of Fate’. The first emphasised, to great effect, Dylan as storyteller .
The second, had a really great ‘flatness’ to it, each verse ending with a
strong , insistent, heavily atmospheric hook. I never liked the ‘lightness’
of this song and tonight I got the version I wanted. To my mind, the changes
took the song from the realm of story to the realm of myth: gave it the feel of
something really fundamental, something really substantial, timeless.

Also, and fans would know more about this than I would: I
always felt that Dylan’s work had a sneer, a cynicism to it that took the edge
off the songs (by limiting their range). Tonight, though, the sneer seemed
absent. I felt this really opened up the songs to releasing other, more nuanced
feelings. Particularly so in ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, where the sneer gave
way to a wonderment or quizicallness (‘how DOES it feel...’). Far better (to
my mind)

 The only downside of
the show was Charlie Sexton’s (guitarwork. Really, really third rate.  The
local bar bands here are full of players like this. Competent, surely.  A
boogie player, a shuffle player but nothing else. Not at all up to the job at
hand. If I was Dylan, I would be saying adieu to Mr Sexton at the first
opportunity. Listening to his contributions, you feel like you are witnessing a
car driving through mud with the brakes on.  The man beside me was distraught.
He felt Sexton ruined the whole set. I wouldn’t go that far but , Jesus, he
made listening to some of the songs heavy going.

Ben Walters

[TOP]

Review by Jim Carney



It's hard to reconcile what I saw in Cork with the reviews below from the Feis. It's 
always tempting to think that the most recent Dylan concert is the best you've 
EVER seen. I was fortunate enough to be present for two exceptional shows in 
the Point in 2005, and I was also very lucky to have been in Pamplona in 2008 for 
another memorable Dylan performance. But Cork last Thursday was different to 
any other Dylan concert I've been to, and what  a night to be a Dylan fan.

Dylan was in fantastic form from the off. First time I heard Gonna Change live. 
Great opener, and it just kept getting better. A beautiful Baby Blue, a magnificent 
Things Have Changed and a spine tingling Tangled. They were all going by so fast 
it seemed. Bob front and centre, dancing, pulling on his belt, arms splayed, raucous 
harmonica solos, an ecstatic crowd, extraordinary energy. Some real belters followed, 
High Water the highlight with Donny's banjo and Bob's organ playing great fun. A 
jaw-dropping St. Augustine and H61 like you never heard it before building to 
another great close with Bob dancing and swaying behind the organ and surveying 
the crowd like he was an old lighthouse. Ballad of a Thin Man, the set closer and 
another huge highlight. The encores were very enjoyable. I preferred the old 
apocalyptic, doom-laden AATW, but its new incarnation is still a marvel, and 
Forever Young provided the best finish to a Dylan concert I've seen.

I know he (nearly) never comes back, but how he refused the Cork crowd a second 
encore, I don't know; they were going insane. And maybe that's the difference 
between what I saw in Cork and the reviews from the Feis - the venue and the 
audience. The Cork crowd were totally into what Bob was about. The venue is 
small, though there were still between 5000 to 6000 packed in, creating a really 
special atmosphere and bringing out the best in Bob and the boys.

Was this the best Dylan concert I've seen? Yes, definitely. Anybody going to see 
him on this tour is in for a real treat. As the poster says, don't you dare miss it.

Jim Carney
Tullamore

[TOP]

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