Reviews

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida
UCF Arena

October 10, 2010


[Oscar Montes], [James Hope], [Tom Thoeni], [Kenny D.], [Sharon Lewis]

Review by Oscar Montes



Great show in Orlando! A day before we visited Universal Studios and took
some pics of Bob's memorabilia in the Hard Rock Cafe!

Great to meet again my friends from Italy Rita & Doddie and Simone from
Greece! Noel, Nichole, Susan, Vera, Denise, Ed, Michelle, all of them were
there!

Bob started with an excellent Leopard Skin, and an awesome Don't think
twice playing the guitar was next; Stuck inside was so great with Bob
playing the guitar as well. Just like a woman was better than the 2
previous nights. Rolling & tumblin' was so much better and more rocky than
previous performances of this one in this leg of the tour!

TUIB with Bob on center stage and harp was wonderful, a powerful Highwater
was next with Bob also playing center stage and harp; the next was Tryin'
to get to heaven, beautiful delivery I must say! Cold irons bound was the
second of three songs of this night from Time out of mind, Bob played it
center stage and harp!

A magic moment came when Bob performed Every Grain of sand! Everybody was
so excited for listening this classic Bob tune with him playing harp. A
powerful and shaking Highway 61 was the following. A great surprise was
next, Not Dark Yet! I was really hoping Bob to sing this! Just wonderful!

Thunder on the mountain made everybody dance and shout! Mr. Jones as good
as the one in Gainesville with Bob on harp.

The encore, a great Jolene performance! Really rocky! And an awesome Like
a rolling stone closed the show!

Everybody agreed it was a great show! Now I'm in the parking lot at the
Civic Center in Tallahassee waiting to see the last Florida Bob show of
the season! See you soon guys!

Oscar Montes
forever_young74@hotmail.com

[TOP]

Review by James Hope



I spent yesterday unsuccessfully trying to explain to my wife what a
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat was, and thus you can imagine the grin that came
over my face tonight at the U.C.F. arena when Zimmy's opening salvo was,
"Well I see you've got your brand new Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat... ." This
was about my 15th Dylan show over the years, and I must say that in light
of some of the very recent Florida reviews, my expectations were
exceedingly high.  As I was walking out I heard an older woman remark,
"That was not the best Dylan show I've seen, but it wasn't the worst." Her
sentiments tracked mine for the following reasons: The college arena was
set up as a half-bowl, with the stage in the center. This gave it the feel
of a much smaller venue, which was good. Ironically, however, the sound
quality was actually much better for the opening number, and deteriorated
by the fifth tune; Rollin' And Tumblin' was quite a muddled-mess (as was
Cold Iron Bounds), and oddly the drums (especially the kick drum) was  way
too high in the mix.  Curiously, I've never really been distracted by
drums at a concert before.  Another odd distraction was the guitarist who
kept crouching down as if to fix a broken string on a tennis racket-- but
he stayed down there and played. It was like a Chuck Berry move, but
without the movement across the stage.  Every few minutes he'd crouch down
again, like he needed a medic.  Anyway, the show seemed to get back on
track with a very welcomed Every Grain Of Sand, although Bob's harmonica
solos were-- given what he is capable of-- mailed-in, as the saying goes.
The exception to the less than inspired harp playing came during on Ballad
of A Thin Man, and revealed a glimmer of harmonica greatness. In all I
thought the set list was quite nice, with the exception of having both
Rollin' And Tumblin' as well as Thunder On The Mountain in the same show;
both have the same vibe, but Rollin' is far weaker in concerts these days.
Give that song-slot to another tune. The last observation is that after
not much more than a 2 minute time-out, Bob retuned for the encore and
literally looked as revitalized for Jolene and Like A Rolling Stone as he
had first looked for the opening number. So there you have it; I went by
myself so I could be my own fan and own critic, without hearing a friend
say, "Why didn't he play such-and-such," and all that drama.  When Bob
comes back to the Sunshine State, you can count me in.

James Hope

[TOP]

Review by Tom Thoeni



The weather in Florida has been absolutely pristine for the last couple of
weeks.  It seems like a day off in the Florida sunshine did Bob and his
band quite well.  Bob looks great.  His color was good, his mood was up. 
He smiled frequently and even danced a bit.

I first saw Bob Dylan in 1988 in Gainesvile, FL (The City of Champions) in
an absolutely flat and lifeless performance.  Reviewing the setlists from
both shows I have noticed some similarities.  The same number of songs
were performed.  5 of the 16 songs were the same each night.  But  22
years later the shows were polar opposites in energy, creativity and life.
 I have seen Bob eight times now and have seen mediocre performances and
excellent ones.  This was the liveliest show yet.

Tangled up in Blue was a revelation.  With him standing at mid-stage with
nothing but a harp, his hand gestures and timing brought an aspect that I
had never considered before.  Sure TUIB is a story but Dylan now excels
with the persona of a story-teller.  He is now that peculiar old man that
can spin a yarn and keep you attention all afternoon.  

I know his organ playing has been an issue of consternation for quite
while but last night, while quirky, it made sense.  My companion for the
evening said she tried to burn each song into her memory so she could
remember how amazing it was.  Alas, even this morning the specifics were
fading but the memory of an amazing night watching an awesome band at the
top of their game back a legend whose music is just as relevant being sung
by a 69 year old as it was when a 25 year old rebel belted them out, will
remain.

GO SEE THIS TOUR.

Tom

[TOP]

Review by Kenny D.



My oldest friend Gary and I travelled upon from Ft. Lauderdale to see the
show in Orlando.  After the performance Wednesday night I was preparing
myself for a possible let down as the Davie show was truly amazing.  Bob,
however, was having none of that let down stuff and he provided another
thrilling night.  On this night Bob was a presence at center stage, took
some solo turns on keys and guitar and, of course, some nice harp solos.

On this night he open with Leopard Skin - not a favorite of mine but
nevertheless set the tone for a rocking evening.  Up next was Don't Think
Twice - a sweet version of the song.  Very old style and Bob sang the
verses with great phrasing and rhythm.   A highlight for any show for sure
and for this night it was only the second song in.  After Stuck inside of
Mobile came what is becoming a nightly show stopper - Just Like a Woman. 
Another great delivery with Bob pausing for the audience to chime in with
the chorus.  

Bob again upped the tempo with Rollin and Tumblin which led into Tangled. 
For Tangled, Bob was front and center, harp in hand.  It was played with a
deliberate pace with Bob giving an animated reading to the lyrics.  Cool
cool version of this classic.

The band then cranked out High Water and then slowed it down a bit with
Tryin' to Get to Heaven.  Then the show once again soared with a flat out
great rendition of Cold Irons Bound which led into the next highlight of
the evening.  While Wednesday's show brought me Desolation Row tonight
Bob's gift was Every Grain of Sand.   Truly spectacular!!!!  

But Bob was not done - he and the band then nearly brought the house down
with Highway 61.  Not Dark Yet was up next - and once again Bob delivered.
 

After a raucous Thunder on the Mountain Bob again took center stage and
delivered Ballad of a Thin Man which it seems night after night is
delivered as a tour de force performance.

Alas the show ended with Jolene and LARS and as Bob took his final bows my
thoughts could only turn to the thought that each evening with him is a
treasure.  I hope that he doesn't wait another 5 years between visits to
Florida.  If you have a chance to catch him on this run - don't u dare
miss it and Be in Town Early!

Kenny D

[TOP]

Comments by Sharon Lewis



Outstanding! The night was perfect for an evening with Bobby. I had no
idea he could step it up like he did. Doesn't matter what he sings to me,
just as long as he's singing those songs that seemed like they came from a
tight connection with a soulfull heart. The kind of heart filled to the
brim and overflowing with the greatest of love. Had a hard time getting
there, my vehicle kept breaking down, tires went flat, I forgot my pot at
home, along with my ticket. Hoping to get lucky, I forged on hoping to
find Chumley there with an extra ticket to pawn off. Finally arriving at
the venue, I got my wish, someone gave an extra ticket for free. Can you
believe it? Didn't want any money for it, just gave it to me as a gift.
How happy I was. Hoping to catch the show further down the line if at all
possible.  Safe journey love! Thanks for the performance. 

[TOP]

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