page by Bill Pagel
billp61@execpc.com
Review by mittensonfire@comcast
Interesting show. Intense versions of "Cold Irons Bound," "Masters Of
War," and "It's All Right, Ma." Lotta drunks and cops in the house. The
cops hauled a ton of potheads out, and the venue security wouldn't let
anybody lean on the railings or sit on the dugouts. But it was perfectly
okay to drive home drunk, as most people seem to have done. Of the three
opening acts, the first was the best, Elena James. Junior Brown has a
great voice, and his songs are quite funny. Jimmy Vaughn was boring, a
real one-note act. BEWARE of buying a program, they're $20 bucks, and
they don't tell you how much it is 'til they bring you back your credit
card and the slip you gotta sign. I'm not saying the thing isn't cool and
all, but I was expecting it to be about half that. I bought a real cool
bootleg t-shirt in the parking lot on the way out, you gotta love those
capitalist hippies. Tony Garnier was mingling in the audience during
Jimmy Vaughn's set, only two people seemed to know who h e was. He danced
with a couple toddlers, it was rather amusing. Did you know he's bald?
I'd never seen him without a hat before. Yeah, he's bald all right. I
went to the show with my wife and two sons (12 and 7). The 12-year-old
dug it real well, and the 7-year-old was into it too, and once the show
got underway, my wife was pleased with most of it. Unfortunately, we had
a big fight right away when we went inside the place. We bought those
presale tickets off bobdylan.com that say "homerun" on them, and the point
of these tickets is you get to go in half an hour early. I assumed that
meant we would go right up front and dig the show from by the stage. So
off I went, everybody behind me, my wife chattering behind me, "Tim, where
are you going? Tim! Tim! Tim!" I turned around and said "Come on!" and
she made a mad face. I'm used to it though, so I kept going. The man at
the border between the regular seats and the field with the stage said we
couldn't bring our blankets out. I protested that back at the show in
2004 we had a blanket, but he didn't care, so we put our blanket on the
pile of blankets other people couldn't take, and I started to keep going.
My wife was arguing with another security guard about 20 feet back, so I
had to wait, a steady stream of people getting onto the field ahead of me,
thus getting better spots. Finally she started to come, so I marched out
onto the field, and got a supercool spot in "row three" (three people back
from the stage) on the left side of the stage. My wife and the boys
caught up, and that's when Lisa and I had our big embarassing fight. She
insisted we sit way back in the seats with all the boring old people,
instead of up front in the exciting part where you can actually see Bob
Dylan. I insisted otherwise. She took our youngest son and stomped off
to some boring old seats way far away, leaving me and our other son up
front. We sat there on the ground for a while, but I got to thinking how
for th e next 50 years I'm going to have to listen to her complain about
how we went to a Bob Dylan concert "as a family," and I made her sit all
by herself with a bratty 7-year-old the whole time, and I'm a big giant
jerk, and I should be stabbed in the face until I'm dead. So off we went,
back the boring old people seats for the rest of the evening. If I'd
known she expected to sit way far away, I would've brought binoculars! So
I couldn't see anything really, just little blurry Bob. But I heard
everything, and it really was a great show. The "Cold Irons Bound" was a
very interesting new version, and the "It's All Right, Ma" was especially
nasty, it was probably the best song of the night.
Review by Stuart Gilmour
A few words about the home opener from a classy little
ballpark on the outskirts of Grand Rapids MI. An astoundingly beautiful
summer evening. Bob and band hit the first notes of Maggies Farm hard and
determined. They never looked back. No rust here. Bob was in fine shape
diving into his keys from his new locale at stage right. He looked
remarkably small flexing down at the keys but small like a lightweight.
The voice was strong as I've heard in a long time. Tony and George are
thee best rythym section out there. The band is certainly a band now.
Dennie and Donnie are solid workmen, well into Bob's groove. The band were
smartly attired with Bob in his blacks. Part way through Mr Tamborine Man
I glanced around at the folks on the floor and noted everyone was smiling.
Real happy smiles. Nice. The set was over in a blink followed by the
traditional encore which really had the crowd in full grip. An outstanding
show. Tip 'o the hat to the openers who all worked very well including a
deadly set by Jimmie Vaughan and company. Do whatever needs done to ensure
you catch this show. Just wonderful. Thanx for this great site Bill. Thanx
to the Folks in Comstock for their gracious hospitality!
Stuart Gilmour
Hamilton, Canada
Review by Ray Padgett
Next up...the poet laureatte or rock'n'roll, the voice of the promise of the 60's
counter-culture, the guy who forced folk into bed with rock, who donned make-up
in the 70's and disappeared into a haze of substance abuse, who emerged to find
Jesus, was written off as a has-been by the end of the 80's, and who suddenly
shifted gears, releasing some of the strongest music of his career beginning in the
late 90's...Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan. As the stage techs set everything up
though, we noticed something strange. Bob's keyboard, instead of being in its usual
place stage right facing left, was stage center facing right. And I mean directly right,
not angled towards the crowd at all, but rather facing a wall. Meaning our
theoretically great spot was actually mostly staring at his back, with guitarist Stu
Kimball occasionally blocking him completely. Yikes. Needless to say, this caused
much consternation among us on the rail. What are you going to do though? Bob is
Bob. Trying to predict his moves never works out well. It was really unfortunate for
Jane and creature though, who didn't have the height advantage Dan and I
enjoyed, and could barely see his head.
Anyway, Dylan finally came out, dressed in all black with the cowboy hat (no more
Zorro) and the band in matching grey suits, all hatted save Donnie. Denny and Tony
have switched to the other side of stage, and Stu has taken their place. Donnie is
directly behind Bob (couldn't see him at all) with George to his right. Not a great
set-up by any stretch of the imagination. On to the songs:
Maggie's Farm - Was hoping he'd open with something different, but no luck. A song
with a stronger riff would be better; this is just kind of muddy. A solid delivery, though.
He did something very nice when he said "I get...bored", barking out bored short and
clipping it off.
The Times, They Are A-Changin' - While I would have liked a setlist changed, I'd never
heard this live before, so that was nice. A very nice performance of a song that has
often been massacred in recent years, with a killer harp solo at the end (behind the
keyboard; he never ventured center stage). Denny's guitar work, I started to notice,
has far improved, and would just get better as the night went on.
Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum - Confession of the day: I thought this was Drifter's
Escape during the opening riff. I have no idea why; maybe I'd tried to forget this song
even existed. Too optimistic though, as exist it did. Solid, which is better than you can
always say. It'd be a lot of fun if he just didn't perform it every night.
Mr Tambourine Man - In 05 this song was a highlight of every show, in a surreal,
languishing arrangement. Unfortunately, that arrangement is gone. In place is one that,
while not bad, is less creative. Bob didn't do much until about halfway through, when
he suddenly kicked into gear and really wrapped his voice around the lines. Ended with
another nice harmonica solo. The king of the three-note solo, the harmonica
performances these two shows were the best I'd seen him do.
It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - I was getting a little worried at this point by the set
lists. No surprises at all; almost all hits. I didn't pay too much attention during this one.
Just Like a Woman - Bob the greatest hits jukebox just trucks along. What made this
song somewhat special were the choruses though. He would let the audience sing "just
like a woman" and then echo it with his own quick "just like a woman". That's about as
close to audience interaction you get at a Dylan show, but it was a nice touch.
Cold Irons Bound - After a slow start, things began to look up here. This version took
me a few listens, but it is truly incredible. A slow-burner that builds and builds, but never
really climaxes. It built more towards that final explosion tonight than it used to,
however, getting pretty raucous by the end. Great vocal delivery and the band was
smoking, Denny especially (never thought I'd say that). Not surprisingly, I was the only
one who clapped after the "winds in Chicago" line. One of the clear highlights, for both
the music and the vocals.
Shelter From the Storm - Oh my God. I thought it was Boots of Spanish Leather when
Stu started his acoustic intro, but when Bob came in with "It was in another lifetime" I
almost passed out. An incredible song off of my favorite Dylan album, I hadn't thought
to even hope he'd play it. An incredible song doesn't always translate to an incredible
performance though; I remember on one of its few outings last year this was of the
worst upsung songs I'd ever heard. Here, however, it was incredible, sung slowly and
deliberately, each line being turned a different way. Of special note was the way he sang
the fifth line of every verse, higher than the rest and jaw-dropping each time. He ended
by repeating the first verse. Seeing it performed at all would have been enough, but the
way it was performed was unreal. Out of eight shows, the best performance I've ever
seen him do. Unreal.
Masters of War - I was still recovering from the previous song for the beginning of this,
but it was another very nice performance of a song I don't think has ever been
performed badly (first one to say Grammys 91 gets smacked). Very spooky ambiance
created by the band and the lighting. With the terrorist attacks and all, it seemed as
topical as ever, a fact Bob was probably well aware of.
Highway 61 Revisited - Was expecting this one, but was disappointed because it meant
only one more surprise slot. Even still, the band rocks this one out and didn't fail to here
either. It's never one with subtle, nuanced vocals, but Dylan did a good job enunciating
them. Even still, though, this song belongs to the band, especially George.
Sugar Baby - Another highlight. I'd seen it performed in West Lafayette 2004, but this
version was far better. I like the arrangement and it made for a nice break between
Hwy 61 and Summer Days. Bob was really putting effort into these vocals, probably
realizing it was his last chance this show to focus on them in a non-rocker. I didn't think
I was a huge fan of the song, but he convinced me otherwise. The chorus is really
great, not ending at all how you'd expect it to.
Summer Days - Would he do two Love & Theft songs in a row? Yup. This song is a great
rocker live, but would be better moved around, as now it's always tempered by the fact
it signals the show is almost over. Nevertheless, it was quite good. As it is often a vehicle
for a Tony bass solo, I guess now would be the time to mention how horrible he looked
tonight. Not just bored and tired, but about to pass out, eyes rolling around. I've never
seen anyone more out of it on stage. Maybe he was sick, maybe he does a lot of drugs
(seems unlikely, but who knows), but he looked horrible. Barely standing. Oh well.
Encore break.
Like a Rolling Stone - I'd heard that this song has been reinvigorated in 06, but I didn't
see any evidence of that. Same old crowd-pleaser, only now missing Stu's solo which
was my favorite part of last year's performances. Turning the lights on the audience
during the chorus is fun if you're in the pit though, just cause everyone goes nuts.
All Along the Watchtower - Unlike LARS, this is a daily song that is killer every time. I hope
he never drops it from the set; it's the perfect way to end every show. George's drum
roll after the first verse literally makes me shudder every time. It is just perfect. Some more
very nice solos by Denny. He used to be so boring, but he's really picked up recently. Not
great yet, but he could be there by the end of the year. The echo effect was used on a
couple lines in the last verse, but only minimally. Stu's acoustic guitar, which seems like a
bizarre idea for a song this hard-rocking, actually works nicely, coming through occasionally
when the electric take a brief break.
All in all, a very good concert. Not great, but with a Shelter that was to die for. It was also
nice that the set list was a little mixed up, even if it was still mostly hits. George was great
as always, Denny was much better then I'd expected, Stu was non-descript, Donnie's
instruments might as well not have been plugged in, and Tony was about to pass out.
Bob, while not in top form, was reasonably close, and made for a very nice opening night.
Review by Tamra French
I just wanted to put in my two cents about the Comstock Park, MI show
Saturday night. I was just psyched up. I hadn't seen Bob since 4/20 in
St Louis, which was just a terrible show for me, personally. I was just
ready to dance and have a good time.
I had brought my boyfriend to the show. It was his first Dylan show after
two and a half years of listening to me tell him how great the shows are.
We drove seven hours, got in line at 1ish and waited for the early
admission gates to open, got our place in the second row, front and center
only to be shoved out of the way by the most rude person by far I'd ever
met at any show.
Elana and her band rocked! I could watch them for hours. They are true
performers and a joy every time I've seen them. Junior Brown, one of my
boyfriend's favorite performers, was just amazing. He's funny and full of
life and just worth the price of admission. As has been said before,
Jimmy Vaughn was a little long and just not my favorite of the night, but
an energetic performer and certainly talented.
Then there was Bobby. That nasty person in the crowd still couldn't take
away from how good it was to see him. He was just smiling and dancing and
having a great time. Maggie's Farm, the opener rocked. Cold Irons Bound,
Just Like a Woman, Tweedle Dee, Summer Days, it was all just awesome, and
so many had been reworked.
My two show favorites, Its Alright Ma and Highway 61 don't ever
disappoint. But the highlight of the night for me was Shelter From the Storm.
My boyfriend, who had never heard the song, took my hand and I was in
heaven. My two favorite men in within thirty feet of one another. That
was cool.
My boyfriend now wants me to make him a cd of all the songs on the set and
I think, has come away with a new appreciation for Dylan, which makes me
so happy I can't even express!
Tamra French
Review by Eric Shaver
Just a few words about Bob's show Saturday night. The crowd appeared to
be much smaller than when he played there with Willie a couple of years
ago. And while I thought that show was pretty good this one turned out to
be much better. While the set list might not appear to be terribly
exciting, the performance more than made up for it. Dylan was animated
and played with great energy. I thought the lead guitarist looked a little lost
at times, but the arrangements of the songs were so good it really didn't
matter. I thought the bluesy arrangement of Its Alright Ma I'm Only Bleeding
was just excellent. It really kicked the song up a notch, and it's a dandy of a
song anyway. The toned down version of Cold Irons Bound was very cool as
well. Perhaps the highlight for me was Shelter From the Storm which I've
never heard Bob play live. This version wasn't too far from the original,
and was very well sung. And by the way I didn't think Bob's organ playing
was bad at all. True it was turned down in the mix, but what I could hear
was decent. This was definately one of the better sounding concerts I've
been to in awhile. I was up pretty close to the stage and the mix was
crystal clear, not too loud and not too soft. In my opinion Bob is
performing better than ever and this tour should not be missed. If you
haven't seen Dylan in awhile do yourself a favor and check him out. I
can't wait for the new album. That's all for now, see you down the road.
Eric
Review by Christopher Oxie
It was a great night for a concert in small town America. It was sunny
and humid. The sun left for a while but the temperature was just right.
The ballpark itself is small, home to the minor league Michigan White
Caps. As we were in line to get in, a man walked up to the local band
playing the parking lot, Mike Moran and the Big One's, and announced that
the door's would open 15 minutes earlier than previously announced. Once
the doors opened, we ran down to the field and set up about 15 feet from
stage left, right in front of where Dylan would perform the set. This was
by far the youngest crowd I have ever seen at a Dylan show. Many young
people, in tie dyed clothes, knappy hair, and torn pants, all trying to
pretend that they were there from the beginning. A couple of rock and roll
grandma's were there as well.....
The Hot Club of Cowtown came on and blew everyone away. I don't think the
crown really knew what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by the
group. They played a very tight knit set that was highlighted by Willie
Nelson joining them for the last song.
After the HCC set, a heavy set man came out and started talking about was
everyone ready for Willie? He then announced something about Farm Aid 19
in Seattle WA. and invited everyone to come out there for it. He then
announced that Willie was running for President and tossed some "Willie
Nelson for President" posters out to the crowd.
Willie cam on and did a great set. From his own songs, to Merle Haggard,
to Hank Williams, to "Amazing Grace", he was in a great mood, smiling an
waving to the fans. He tossed is American Flag cap into the crowd.
Someone threw a black cowboy hat on stage and Willie picked it up and wore
it for the rest of the show before throwing that to the crowd as well.
At 9:30pm the Dylan theme music began and the "Poet Laureate of Rock and
Roll" speech started. Dylan came out in a black suit, a white cowboy hat,
and a burgundy shirt. He pants were darker than his coat, perhaps the
coat gray? Elana Fremerman joined Dylan for the first two numbers and
after the performance she gave earlier, it was well deserved. Dylan was
in a great mood and smiled and laughed throughout the entire set.
1. Down Along the Cove - This was a great song to open the show as it
allowed everyone to get in their place and not miss a song that they
really knew or liked. Elana Fremerman added a nice touch with the fiddle.
2. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - This was song that I personally hoped to
hear. Again, Elana added her fiddle and it added a new dimension to the
song. There were solos for Elana and Stu. Dylan repeated the last verse
again after the solo's. 3. Cold Iron's Bound - This was a great rocker.
The echo effect was bouncing off the seats behind us. 4. I Shall Be
Released - We knew this was coming. When Dylan took the stage, you could
see Willie's guitar in front of the drums. Willie, and his two sons came
out for this song. Willie and Bob traded lyrics, with Bob missing his cue
several times and laughing when she messed them up. Bob gave Lucas Nelson
the nod and he tore off into a short solo. When the song was over, Dylan
walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder as he made his way for a
hug with Willie. 5. Highway 61 - This song still rocks, night after
night. Due to age of the crowd, many people did not know this one until
they heard the long "Highway 61". The crowd was really into after that.
6. Mr. Tambourine Man - Again, many people were not into this one,
somewhat of a let down from the previous rockin number. Got a polite
response afterwards. Lots of strong harmonica playing by Dylan during
this number 7. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee - This was a bit rushed and
while performed well, it was not well liked by the crowd. "Watching the
River Flow, or Cry Awhile" would have been a better fit. 8. Girl of the
North Country - No one knew this song. It quiet during this performance
as people saw it as a chance to go get a beer or hit the bathrooms. 9.
This Wheel's on Fire - Another one like GONC. I think that Bob was
resting his voice as he went from the high pitched voice to the growl
several times during this one. "Senor" or "Moonlight" or "It Takes a Lot
to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry" would have been better. 10. Honest
with Me - One of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen. The crowd
did not really know this one, they were jamming to the rocking guitar of
Stu and Larry and then it happened. Bob jumped up, literally, from the
keyboard and danced over to the front of the drums. I said DANCED. He
then turned to face the crowd and started DANCING to the music. The other
band members were looking at each other and were laughing their heads off.
Bob really proved that white men can't dance. He would turn to each of
them and pointed with both hands and they would shoot into a short solo.
Bob did this for a short while and walk back to the keyboard. Definitely
the highlight of the show. 11. Masters of War - Again, somewhat of a
letdown here. I would liked to have seen another rocker come out, like
"Cat's in the Well", or "Lonesome Day Blues". 12. Summer Days - This song
is still one of my favorites on "Love and Theft". It got the crowd
jumping up and down and everyone got to solo a bit during this one. By
the time Bob Got to "I'm leaving in the morning, as soon as the dark
clouds lift", it started to rain a little bit. You could barely hear the
song over the screaming.
Once it was over, Bob came to the center and took his obligatory cheers.
He seemed pleased with the show and walked off.
14. Like a Rolling Stone - Nothing much new here. Bob forgot the words a
few times and when Larry caught him, Bob laughed through the next verse.
Bob walked to the center and did the band introductions. His best moment
came when he introduced the drummer by saying " next is a man that is a
great friend of mine and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him and there's
nothing he wouldn't do for me. That's how we go through our lives, doing
nothing for each other..."
15. All along the Watchtower. This was the highlight for most of the
your people in the crowd who had been waiting to hear Bob do that Jimi
Hendrix song, as one kid said to me earlier. The song came off pretty
good. When it was over, the band took to the center and when they walked
off, we all thought we would get one more and the stage was lit for a good
long while, like they were really considering it. In the end, the lights
came up, the rain stopped. This was the very first time a concert was
held at this ballpark. I'm sure they were very happy they chose Bob to be
first.
Chris
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