October 29, 2007
Review by Jeremy Quinn
Last night's delightful Dylan show was my first of the year and his last.
Super to see him back on the guitar, looking out from under the brim of a
wide, Rolling Thunder-era hat; he has a way of noodling & ambling around
the melody - very harmonica-like - during his solos that I could listen to
all night - particularly effective on the mellow, very country 'I'll Be
Your Baby Tonight'. 'You're a Big Girl Now', back on keyboard, was a real
treat, beautifully sung (especially the ascending cry, "I know where I can
find you/in somebody's room!") with a few new lyrics and cries of 'We love
you Bobby!' from the audience. Loud shouts from the crowd at the end of
'Spirit on the Water'; "you think I'm over the hill/you think I'm past my
prime/let me see what you've got", as Bob sang "you've" with an edgy
emphasis not on the record, almost a dare. Some new lyrics for
'Workingman's Blues #2' as well, referring to twilight on midsummer's eve,
and his not believing folks would want him around. . . a measured
performance that opened into the heart of the evening, with a terrific
'Things Have Changed', the best 'Under the Red Sky' I've ever heard (very
complete, very moving and fun; Bob's voice in great form) and an 'Aint
Talkin' with a lively beat, like clicking train wheels, and staccato
fiddle from Donnie which gave the song a fresh and compelling drive. A
warm feeling during 'I Shall Be Released', with Elvis and Amos taking
turns with the stanzas, and a solid, rockin' finish. His voice has become
a pool of water, and he has total control of how much light gets in - it
is sometimes clear, sometimes murky, but always in motion. To more cries
of 'We love you, Bob!' after introducing the band, and as if she were one
of them, he said, ". . .and here's a woman in front who's been working
with her cell phone camera all night - man, she ain't seen or heard
nothin'!" From the line-up, at the standing ovation, he shuffled to the
front of the stage at the end to receive a bouquet of yellow roses, then a
quick wave and one more tip of the hat. Until next year -"
Jeremy Quinn
Chicago, Illinois
Review by Jim Friestad
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
The Good, Amos Lee and Elvis Costello.
Amos Lee kicks serious butt and was the most professional part of the
10/29/07 concert. His group was tight and loud. I've been to many
concerts and those guys can stand up to anything. What a cool lead guitar
player he's got! And awesome rhythm section and keyboard kick ass dude!
They simply kicked my butt.
The last time I saw Elvis was 1977 or 8 in Schaumburg at Beginnings. It
was his first tour of the U.S. with the Attractions and I still have the
pictures. Elvis shows he's the real deal and to this day he can stand and
deliver with the best of them. A real pro. His songs dealt with great
issues of today, mainly a country at war, mostly with itself. He ended
singing straight to the crowd away from the mic, truly stirring.
The Bad and the Ugly,
Bob needs a fresh band I think. He's got a great rhythm section and the
others need to find something else to do. Several miss cues. At one point
Stu Kimball stopped playing during 'Like A Rolling Stone' and Bob was
turning around towards him like, 'Hey, where's that other guy I'm paying
to play guitar?'. Why do they put one guitar player on opposite sides of the
stage, do the guys hate each other? Stu played awesome and the other
guy stunk, accept when he played slide or the jazzy songs. He was full blast
playing leads that a three year old could have played! Time for Denny to
take a break, but if Stu's not going to play sometimes maybe he doesn't
want to be there either.
There was also a serious battle going on at stage right or left as you look at
the stage. Two girls decided to stand the entire concert blocking the view
of several rows of people who continually yelled at them to sit down, even
during slow songs. Security was two Jabba the Huts sitting on the stairs
whose only moves were to flash flashlights at people. Security was
overwhelmed at the end when everyone came down the isles for
up-close looks.
At the end Bob did not seem pleased. A very firm scowl was all I could see.
Hope he takes some action on his band situation.
Jim Friestad
Chicago, IL
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