October 23, 2011
Review by Ap Apasie
A full König Arena at Oberhausen 'with two
concerts in one eve' from two amazing world
leading music artists that has milion lots of
people inspired and fascinated over the years -
and still they does! - with their albums and
concerts.
I've seen Mark Knopfler a few times, the last
time was with Emmelou Harris at Hamburg and that
was relaxing good. Knopfler and his band at the
König Arena Oberhausen was also amazing, relaxed,
wonderfull playing his songs with a loving
repertoire, with a enjoying clearity and passion.
Dylan I saw many many times for over forty years
in his small and big concerts at several places,
most of the time surprising, great, amazing
setting and beautifull doing his job.
Late eighties, begin nineties it was a sad period
of time to see him struggling with his
repertoire-performance in a dark shot at the back
of the stage. He mummled unintelligible his songs
in the microphone with a loud playing and a
'rumble' band. But also in that time there were
still surprises with some of his songs that he
plays in different surprising versions. Later at
the nineties and in the 2000years Dylan renewed
still his songs, his band and himself that
brought wonderfull concerts , new songs and
albums. I did enjoy enormous and loved his
performances, repertoire with the perfect
musicians in his band. Dylan did his performances
in variabel ways, with accoustic versions,
arrangements with the subtilety of the
instruments and the subtilety from his band-
individuals, also with his voice full with
timbre, diction and timing.
Now at Oberhausen - tour 2011 - I'm shocked. I
heard Dylan singing with a voice as a
rasping-saw, a voice that is fully brokin' and
crushed, the voice is crude that hears as the
polyps are fully damaged. I heard a black crow
rasping his songs into the audience. That's very
pity to see and hear that's this well respected
singersongwriter does his songs on this way.
Dylan's voice needs rest, a lot of rest !!... or
- if possible? - a doctor to heal it. Better
Dylan stops with doing concerts and do only new
albums with a better and healed voice, maybe
incidental a few concerts if Dylan's voice can
handle it, no a running tour in this way. All the
people around him must see this and should
respect a time-out for his voice so it can heal,
all the money in a second place! Further I heard
Dylans organ with solo's that's hear as the Ken
Griffin Cuckoo Waltz, but that's Dylan, always
surprising! But ..all over this... I hear a far
to loud equipment that's disturb my ears. The
sound-loudness - of the same! equipment - with
the Mark Knopfler performance sounds a lot
friendlyer, I don't understand this!
I don't understand people here on the reviews
they wrote "they did hear and see the best
performance ever", that's simple could'nt be
true! I saw a lot of people that went out at
midtime of the show. After the show I spoke
disapointed looked people that also hates the to
heavy loud sounding wall with high biting-
screaming guitars and Dylans raspin' voice,
crowly-sung in this loud wall of sound. The
soundtechniciens should be better do their job !!
The band does their job full passion and also
Dylan does with timing and diction, but also said
the technical equipmentloudness and Dylans voice
makes this show disapointed. Whole repertoire was
coming in the same loudness. No encore was realy
needed!
Dylan did'nt speak, we already knows that for
years! Did his fourteen tracks with routine, did
only the daily spoken names of the
bandindividuals and a fast going from the stage
with a daily 'adieu'.
I hope - and many folks with me - there comes a
better Dylan-voice in the next future - if
possible! - and maybe a litlle more respect for
the ¤uro-paying audience; for sample could be the
friendly Mark Knopfler and his band that was
realy shining at all and makes the price of the
tickets reasonable as well!
Ap Apasie
Review by Johannes Heilen
I didn't follow the work of Mark Knopfler since Dire Straits, so I didn't
have any expectations and I liked his show. Yes, he played two familiar
songs (Brothers in arms and So far away).
Knopfler joined Dylan for the first four songs of the Dylan set and was
not mentioned by name. What kind of respect is this? I have attended
twenty Dylan concerts since 1978, so I have many shows in mind to compare
this evening with. The 2011 Oberhausen show was one of the worse. I don't
like his stacatto phrasing. I don't like his keybooard playing. And I
don't like the new arrangement of some of the songs (Leopard skin pill box
hat, Spirit on the water, All along the watchtower. I don't like some
songs at all, but who doesn't? I listended to some beautiful renditions in
Oberhausen (Blind Willie McTell, Levee's gonna break, Hard rain, Tryin' to
get to heaven) and I got no encore at all. The members of the band were
introduced by his Bobness, while giggeling on the keyboard. Most of the
audience could not hear their names. What kind of respect is that? By the
way: I love Bob Dylan and I don't want to miss any concert not even the
Oberhausen concert in 2011, because Bob Dylan is the most exciting
performer on earth. Or has he been???
Johannes Heilen
Review by Stefan Bleckmann
"That´s the point of time to set things clear: This indeed wash´t the best
dylan show i´ve been to, but all four Oberhausen shows since 2000 were
that great: what a bad audience this was tonight! Sparkling wine drinking
ladies in the fifties with their husbands, hearing a - good! - Knopfler
and talking all the time during Dylans performance. And oh my god, he
didn´t thank MK- what do you expect? MK seems to be OK with this . I saw a
great performance for the first four songs with Tony helping MK to be part
of the band, Dylan with a strong Love Sick, a great Blind Willie and a
strong Ballad of a Thin Man; a much better Trying to get to Heaven than in
summer, when he did play keyboard on it. All in all a solid show with an
ignorant audience - and hey, if you don´t like his voice, then why don´t
you stay home and leave tickets for those who do?
Stefan Bleckmann"
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