August 5, 2011
Review by Greg Wallace
The Fraze is a lovely smallish outdoor venue tucked backed in the
woods in the middle of the Dayton metro area and this night had a
pretty big crowd. It was hot, humid, and still and the beer lines
were very long. Dylan opened with a spirited Pillbox Hat featuring
his almost r&b organ sounding low and throaty like 50's Ray Charles
and with clearly enunciated singing. Next was a nicely introduced
Girl of the North Country growled incongruously just like it was in
Columbus in late 2010. Things have Changed followed with Dylan at the
mike and it was enough of a romp that it wasn't immediately obvious
what the song was. This version didn't quite stay aloft because the
lyric wasn't well projected after the first couple verses but I think
he's onto something with the presentation and it should be a treat
once he gets it down.
Tangled was better than Columbus 2010 because he projected the lyric
throughout although he omitted the Delacroix and topless bar verses.
Again he was the instrumental focus standing at the mike playing some
proficient harmonica. The crowd seemed very pleased. Next was Beyond
Here Lies Nothing which had debuted when he opened with it at the
Dayton ballpark in 2009. I missed some of it because I went to get my
beer and that was a walkup, sign of an appreciative crowd: nobody in
the beer line on the fifth song.
Mississippi seemed sedate and the crowd didn't really respond to it.
Tweedle was deliciously surly and then we got a real treat with
Desolation Row, omitting only Einstein and the Titanic and very well
projected, although I would niggle about the instrumental breaks where
none of the players really stepped up (probably it was Dylan's spot on
organ and he didn't come up with anything especially memorable).
Levee Breaks was a fine groove but went on for a long time and Dylan
probably sang the taunt twenty times before finishing with some
jeremiad that I didn't quite catch with the band playing a long
finishing chord and Recile swishing the cymbals. There was plenty of
time during that tune to catch up on any new dance moves from strange
big ole white guys approaching unconsciousness.
Trying to Get to Heaven was a lovely performance with some musical and
appropriately very blue harmonica. Highway 61 was a train wreck in
which the band lost their way and Dylan chopped up the lyrical
cadences like a second language student. They were all grinning ear
to ear, either from enjoyment or from the cocked up rendition. Then
we got Simple Twist of Fate which was a fine effort, even if it lacked
the unbuttoned drama of a mid-nineties rendition. On Fate Dylan was
again the instrumental star, this time on guitar playing very tasteful
lower register licks like he was Curtis Mayfield or Steve Cropper. Bravo!
Next was the audience participation boogie of Thunder, not one of my
favorites. Thin Man was rasped with great effect and with the echo
contraption magnifying the singer and made a big impression on the
crowd as usual. Then a wittingly accented Rolling Stone omitting the
diplomat verse and including some interesting pauses ahead of the
verses, perhaps to allow the singer to gear himself up. This Rolling
Stone was not the "if you insist" pace that it often has been but
something more dramatic like the record. Then the band intros with
the echo contraption back on (nice touch!) and finally a brief
Watchtower sans cheese and splendidly projected by the singer so the
words carried all weight and drama (also much like the original record).
Dylan and band wore their grey suits throughout and that must have
been quite warm. But Dylan was clearly very energetic and committed
throughout the show and at 70 he's still learning some showbiz
tricks. He also struggled manfully with his wayward instrument and
seems to have reached a tactical accomodation. There were plenty of
lunges into higher notes, no upsinging that I can recall, and
generally strong lyrical projection which is kind of my measure for
the presence that makes a Dylan show fun. Don't miss him! Alas, no
Visions and no new songs for me, but the Desolation Row was the bomb.
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