July 24, 2007
Review by Phil Vega
Dylan fans, I say Bob and the band are in pretty good form on this tour.
With no opening act, the crowd was caught almost unawares that the show
was going to start at the AVA Amphitheater in Tucson. The outdoor
venue has about 1,600 seatbacks in a sheltered area, while the grass holds
another 2,000 or so. For those on the lawn, a bit a rain didn't deter them
from having a great time. A group of us headed out to the show and for
some it was one in a series of having seen Dylan. For others, it was their
very first time. All of us came away with thinking it was worth the trip.
Like others who have posted, Bob on guitar is still a sight worth seeing.
I'd add that his work on harmonica can still make the hairs stand up on
the back of your head. You can go to the set list to see the tunes that
pierced the Arizona skies. Suffice it to say, the mix of old and new
numbers was great. I hadn't heard "Senor" live and was taken with Bob's
phrasing and the band's playing. "Lonesome Day Blues", "Highway 61
Revisited", "Rollin' and Tumblin' " were played with enthusiasm, vitality
and what appeared to be Bob having a pretty damn good time. The
double highlight for this old-timer was "Masters of War" which is just as
relevant today as when it was first penned in 1963. "All the money you
made, will never buy back your soul".I wish that line wasn't so true.
Reading the other posted set lists, I was sure the encore closer was going
to be "Watchtower". Instead, Bob rolled out a fantastic version of "Blowin
in the Wind" with an arrangement that was elegant, updated and true to
the song's sentiments. By that time, we were at the front of the stage
as the security was pretty lax. As the lights came up with Bob and band
posing center stage, the looks of satisfaction in the audience down close
were prevalent. As Bob and the guys walked off, those standing at the
front begged the crew for the set lists that must have been littered
around stage. Unfortunately, the roadies said they'd be fired if they let
us have them. No doubt the vagaries of capitalism and the stink of eBay
has overwhelmed true fans' desire to keep and cherish a bit of history.
Keep rollin' Bob, your fans - old and new - appreciate your tour that
never ends.
Phil Vega
Review by Howard Moneta
Bob Dylan came to Tucson last night and played a fantastic set at the AVA
Amphitheater. I drove down to Tucson from Phoenix with my mother who is
also a huge Dylan fan. She remembers going to see Bob in the 1960's at the
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. While she assures me that she was not one
of the two girls who hid in with the equipment and caused the big ruckus
in the parking lot, you never know. ;)
I've become a huge Bob Dylan fan over the last year and this being my
first opportunity to see him, was a huge occasion for me. It was my first
of many live Bob Dylan shows but already, I cannot possibly imagine
enjoying myself any more than I did last night.
Wouldn't you know it, Tuesday night was one of the few nights this year
that it has rained in Tucson. My heart sank as I sat in a restaurant
looking out the window about an hour and a half before the show watching
the rain pour as fiercely as any tropical storm that I've ever seen. AVA
is an outdoor theater and with that kind of weather, there was a good
chance that we weren't going to be able to get through the flooded streets
to the show. We tried to keep our spirits up by thinking of all the songs
that Bob could sing if we ended up watching the show in the pouring rain:
"Shelter from the Storm", "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall", "Buckets of Rain",
"Watching the River Flow", "Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35", "You Ain't Goin'
Nowhere", and "Down in the Flood".
Thankfully the rain cleared up about 45 minutes before the show and the
evening turned out to be as perfect as anyone could possibly ask for while
enjoying a show of live music outdoors. Instead of hot humid Arizona
Monsoon weather, the night was just beautiful!
The crowd which consisted of all ages packed into the theater. I got to
talk to a few of the people around me as we waited anxiously for the show
to start. As "Fanfare for the Common Man" came over the loud speakers,
people started cheering for Bob.
As the band stepped onto the stage, they understandably looked a little
tired from such intensive touring, but from the moment that the first note
played until the end, I could not have imagined things coming together any
better. We had assigned seats but not much time was spend "sitting" in
them as the urge to stand up and dance with whomever was in the next seat
over was just too strong. Some highlights from this great show for me
included back to back "Senor" and then "Highway 61 Revisited" followed
later by "Summer Days" and then the most amazing rendition of "Masters of
War" that I have ever heard. The music was just incredible and so haunting
which was evidenced by people swaying in unison to each note. It was a
really good thing that we had a few minutes to recover before the encore.
I could tell that everyone around me was feeling just how intense and real
this song is.
Bob and the band finished up the evening with a great encore. The lights
came on, the guitar started playing the opening notes that we all know so
well and then the massive eye logo unrolled as the band exploded into
"Thunder on the Mountain". By this point we were all running on pure
emotion and with the final song being "Blowing in the Wind", it seemed so
fitting that my first show would end with one of Bob's earliest hits.
We spent the car ride back to Phoenix looking back on this great evening
and looking forward to Thursday morning when we will jump back in the car
and drive up to Costa Mesa for part two of my unforgettable week of Bob.
THANK YOU!
Howard Moneta
Review by Dennis Wolter
This was the only show of this tour I was able to attend. Didn't really
get time to listen to the earlier shows of this tour (I have downloaded
most of them). Anyway the show came at a time when I needed a boost and I
got it. Met up with a few fans from past shows and sat in an area with
casual fans that really enjoyed the show. Nice mix of ages, with several
parents and college age children attending in the area I was seated. They
enjoy Bob but aren't caught up in him as some of us can be at times.
I live west of Phoenix so it's a couple of hours drive to Tucson. Just had
time to stop at 4th Ave and pick up a few things at Native Seed Search.
http://www.nativeseeds.org/v2/default.php
While checking out the other shops along 4th Ave I managed to score an
advertising poster for the show!
If you get to Tucson some day don't miss 4th Ave and the area around
Congress St. Until recently Tucson seemed to be what a city in the desert
should be like. Things have changed. If you want to know what Tucson will
be like soon, visit Phoenix.
This turned out to be the best seat I've gotten in the presale offers.
The venue is a really nice small outdoor mostly covered amphitheatre.
There were lots of storms in the area, part of the local monsoon season.
We only got very light showers but did get views of a double rainbow. It's
part of an Indian casino and as such comes with it's own quirks. Last time
Bob played there they were expanding the casino, construction is done for
now. Access to the site is still a major problem, but the amount of road
work going on shows that next time it will be better.
Last time, there were metal detectors to pass through to get into the
show. Not this time. The bad news was they didn't let in binoculars, it
they could see them. This really sucked for me! Even at shows when I've
been at the rail I've watched Bob with binoculars. Once I left the
offending article back at the truck I asked about renting binoculars but
of course they had no clue about why it was a problem and blamed the
artist for prohibiting them. Luckily several times during the show the
lady next to me shared. Thanks!
I'm unable to offer the kind of review which says this is the one you
should have been at. It worked for me and those around me. Highway 61
ROCKED! I always like Masters and this was no exception. Masters brought
out the vocal around me. (Sorry for the small interruption, but please
support the veterans) . Shelter and Senior, yes. And my favorite from high
school, Lay, Lady, Lay, which of course didn't help me any back then.
But the entire show was great. As my wife always says (she didn't get to
go to this one) "you always say that". I did have to laugh several times
when watching Bob react to Stu. Back completely to the audience, hands on
the hips, physically expressing what the F to Stu.
I had a great time and wish I could have gotten to more shows.
DW
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