Reviews

Hoboken, New Jersey

Pier A Park

July 26, 2013


[Scott Kareff], [Howard Weiner]

Review by Scott Kareff



What if everything you heard about Bob recently was true, and he was still
great?

The difference: they brought back Charlie Sexton to lead the band.

Bob's sound was better than Wilco's and don't even mention MMJ or Path
Transit. (missed one due to the other)

Bob finally shared the stage with the help on "The Weight" (a Band song no
less) as Jeff, Jim and everyone else joined in

You had to be on your toes and know every lyric but if you did, he played
some amazing stuff:

She Belongs To Me
Hard Rain
Blind Willie Mctell
Simple Twist Of Fate

But different and hard to follow.  Rewarding if you could.

But even I couldn't follow him down Tangled Up in Blue when
he started with the anthem but then buried the song behind the new
arrangement.

Oh well - swing and a miss.

Rest was good but bob definitely needs an interpreter these days to stand
between the bob-nescenti and the rest of the crowd.

Blues dominated the start then a bunch of Bob.

Way home much easier than the way there

Oh and I forgot that Peter Wolf (J Geils Band - Angel is a Centerfold) was
on The Weight and Warren Haynes played with Wilco on a song.

High Water (for Charley Patton) was a treat

People headed out in streams during bob's set as advertised and his voice
was downright abysmal at times, but at others it was just fine, and when
others left, we got closer.

Was wondering why bob sounded fuller than Wilco and had to be Charlie
Sexton on lead

Venue Ratings:
F for ease of access
A for the view
A for the lobster roll
C for cold coors light (which was warm)
F for the beer tent they put right in the middle of the seating and ruined
the view from the back

[TOP]

Review by Howard Weiner



My latest  Dylan pilgrimage began in The Bronx with a trip to 
Woodlawn Cemetery. As I was standing beneath the shade of
the  tree hovering over Duke Ellington’s grave, I stared at the resting
place of Miles Davis.  Up on the hill, I saw the tombstones of two jazz
legends who played with Miles in the ‘50s: Jackie Mclean, Max Roach. 
On this brilliant summer afternoon, I stood there with Miles and Sir Duke
while listening to In A Silent Way in its entirety.   I then jumped on
the 4 Train,  and transferred to the  2 Train to meet up with my
accountant and dentist at Tobacco Road in Hell’s Kitchen. After
chilin’ and jokin’, we went  to see Dylan in Hoboken. 

In a Hoboken parking garage, we tailgated to Tempest, prior to 
enjoying cocktails at an outdoor bar on Sinatra Drive. I had planned 
on being inside the show for Morning Jacket and Wilco, but we got 
caught up watching the beautiful people of Hoboken parading around on
Friday night. Anyway, we could hear the bands pretty good right where we
were, and we were duly impressed. At 9 PM I made my move to buy a ticket.
The first person I asked about an extra ticket handed me a freebie. Ask
and you shall receive.             

“Love Sick” sounded hot, but the  sound system wasn’t very powerful, and 
lots of Yuppies were chirping and chattering. The view of Manhattan from the 
Pier is spectacular.  I worked my way closer to the sound system and Dylan. I
bumped into some acquaintances and noticed Charlie Sexton was back on 
lead guitar tonight. There hasn’t been  this kind of shuffling in Dylan’s band
since the G.E. Smith replacement tryouts of 1990. The Tempest songs
sounded fabulous, as expected, and “Tangled Up in Blue was one of the
best versions I’ve seen in a long time. Dylan had an interesting, high
pitched vocal inflection on every word that rhymed with
Blue---youuuuuu…shoeeeee….             

Dylan’s set lists have been stagnant the last few times I’ve seen him, but, 
how can I not love seeing “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna  Fall,” Blind Willie McTell,”
and “Simple Twist of Fate” in succession?  Bob’s harp playing was
simple and tasteful throughout. His solos on Blind Willie were absolutely
hypnotic. “Summer Days” featured a sophisticated jam with twists,
turns, and detours. Dylan stirred the stew, but by design, he never
brought it to boil. For the first time, in about my last forty or fifty
shows, there was no “Thunder on the Mountain.” I missed it, that
rocker had become the instrumental highlight of Bob’s sets.  

Hearing “The Weight” was quite a thrill. The Dylan handled the first verse 
and I swear he did sing great, before deferring the other verses to his on 
stage guests. Watchtower and Thin Man  finished off another memorable 
night  with Dylan, a night mostly spent shuffling on the grass by the pier 
with the Manhattan Skyline as the backdrop. After the show , my accountant 
drove us to Chinatown. At 2PM there was a line to get into Wo Hop’s. We 
waited anxiously until we devoured our feast.  I’ve been rolling with Dylan’s 
Never Ending Tour for the past twenty-five years, and he always delivers 
the inspiration.  The train keeps a-rollin’. Here’s to the next twenty-five!
   
Howard Weiner
Pencil Hill Publishing
Tangled Up in New York: Shakedown on the Streets
Tangled Up in Tunes: Ballad of a Dylanhead
http://www.tangledupintunes.com/ 

[TOP]

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