Reviews

Bob at UMBC’s new event center is about as close as he’s gonna get
to my land in a long, long time 	So it was that i scored floor seats,
early on for me and my pal…both of us long time fans…hell, i’m 80
gone on 90, and he’s no chicken either. 	Don't like driving at night,
especially into a college round about or two, since they had classes on
Nov.  12 and well, you know. So i called a limo driver i know and asked
if he could pick us up at the farm..;.he said yes and the event was
on.;.
 
Opening with Things have changed, well they have…Bob’s i fine ,
strong, emotion  filled voice…for sure…and the band…tighter than a
rat’s ass…i mean they rocked as good as any band now or then
 
Special renditions for me were Lenny Bruce and Girl From the North
Country, reminding me of the ladies i’ve loved and who’ve loved me
as we both cuddled and listened to bob.
 
He’s been with me on so, oh so many love times…
not dark yet…rings in my ears as i near the end of my own big lonesome
 
Special also was simple twist of fate…changes and still the same…all
is what he can do with music that reaches into our hearts and
souls…healing and soothing
 
Ballad of a thin man, has to be an encore and he delivered…he made me
feel good about my many concerts with him, he still provides what this
tired guy needs. the crowd was enthusiastic and rewards were offered to
the boys when they took their final bow… it was, simply put, as good
as it gets…
 
May not pass this way again…who knows…for now, it’s him and me and
the rest of the rockin;’ world..
 
Todd Holden
Forest Hill, Maryland

Freezing. Is it fall or is it winter. I’ve got a bad case of “the
blues” in this depressing season. And then Bob Dylan came into town.
It’s a great town to see Dylan. Such a brilliant show. What a thrill
playing guitar to start the show and again to start the encore. Dylan’s
singing is amazing. Better than ever. How is this possible? Lenny Bruce is
not a great song but it sure was great last night followed by amazing
amazing Early Roman Kings, Girl from the North Country and an exquisite
Not Dark Yet. The whole show was so great that the Beacon marathon is very
tempting. Howie X and Eric and Shaz will surely be there. As for me. See
you at the close at the Anthem. Can’t wait. 

David Mendick
 

Bob Dylan on fire tonite in Baltimore and still rockin' it at 78. Gone is
the Sinatra; in are songs all parts of his catalogue. My faves: the
heart-breaking GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, his soulful tribute to Lenny
Bruce, a sizzling GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY. Audience was spellbound.

Tim Shorrock
Washinton, DC

 

I have had the great fortune of seeing Dylan anytime he is within a
three hour drive of Baltimore, since I first saw him at the Baltimore
Civic Center in 1978. This was one of the most uniformly satisfying
Dylan shows I have seen in years. I had read very positive reviews
about this leg of the tour and Tuesday night saw Bob in great vocal 
form.  He was engaged and his phrasing was superb.  Beyond that, 
many of the night’s highlights were infused with a real emotional i
nvestment on his part.  It Ain’t Me Babe,  Girl from the North Country 
and Not Dark Yet had tender, wistful qualities and the well worn 
“patina of age” in his voice gave these songs added resonance.  The 
crowd response to Girl from the North Country was testament to this.  
This contrasted with ferocious and snarling versions of Highway 61 and
Ballad of a Thin Man and a terrific version of It Takes A Lot to Laugh
and a Train to Cry.  While I was not a fan of the reworked version of
Can’t Wait, everything else really landed for me.  I loved the
addition of the violin and Bob’s upright piano added a great new
dimension.  The band was tight and taut—playing  with restraint that
at times created a kind of crackling “live wire” tension and
energy below the surface.  This,  and the staging/lighting (which was
the best I have seen), created a pretty compelling atmosphere.  It was
a thrill to see this with my daughter  who was seeing him for the
first time and came away thoroughly impressed.

John Frisch
 

     "I know this city is a city filled with bells."
	--Bob Dylan (speaking to the crowd in Baltimore on November 8th 1999)

I can't believe its been twenty years since that fantastic FALL 1999 
performance…which is still one of my all-time favorites of the 40 odd 
shows I've attended since 1995. The Larry & Charlie days…one of the 
highwater marks of the on-going stage strutting journey of the mercurial 
Mr. D. 

Walking into the new UMBC Event Center I was somehow transported 
back to that night. The room had a similar vibe…a similar layout…just 
enough to remind me of the historic downtown Baltimore Civic Center 
where my mother saw the Beatles in 1964. I immediately bought a poster, 
fearing they would sell out, and the guy handed it to me with a laugh and
said: "hey man you got number 99!" It was at that moment I knew the 
night was headed in the right direction.

The past few weeks had me worried about my seat. I bought it during
the pre-sale…a third-row seat on the right side. After the tour started 
out in California the news spread east that Bob had left his baby grand 
piano somewhere and adopted instead a square school-house upright 
piano.  Musically the idea sounded perfectly rock & roll…but the report 
from the front spoke negatively about the difficult sight lines the boxy
instrument caused for folks close on the right side.  I thought maybe 
my lucky ticket would prove pre-mature.

The intro music started…the room went dark…and through the cracks 
of the stage gear I saw a white glittery jacket enter stage left and then 
disappear into the piano. The darkness remained vigilant…the opening 
piece was being tickled with new notes…the band settled into place…a 
minor romp began…the lights shot on and then there he was, as if he 
emerged out of the piano…center stage…playing the guitar…looking 
right at our section:

       "people are crazy & times are strange"

The young people around me were still standing….they couldn't hold 
back their excitement like the polite mass that settled so quickly back 
into their seats….they stood and swayed to the minor key…and I heard 
a boy shout: "there he is, F*cking Bob Dylan!"   The sound engineer 
must have been scrambling because the sound was not dialed in yet…
but it didn't matter…because Bob & his Band were ready.

Next, they started into IT AINT ME, BABE (I was crossing my fingers 
for BABY BLUE). Bob sat down at the piano and now, as reported, my
section could not see much more of him than the top of his hat-less 
head. The song started low and built to the "No, No, No, No" chorus…
which got a little loud and jarring, but he had to hit the extremes so 
the sound could be set….by the time they launched into 
HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED the sound tightened up just enough to 
bring to life the lives of those strange characters struggling to make 
up their minds on that mythical stretch of road running from Duluth 
to New Orleans.

Standing at the piano // BLUES // Sitting, Ballad // a lyrical walk down 
by the water front docks….that old SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE….and 
with Bob out of view it gave me a serene moment to meditate on 
one of the other major characters gracing the stage…THE MUSE, 
who some say is named Poesy.

       "while I pondered, weak and weary" - Edgar Allen Poe

When the show began her face was completely dark. During the 
second song the slight light revealed an expression that seemed blasé, 
but during the third song she seemed happy…it must have been the 
sound of the blues.

There is a reason she is there and so for the remainder of the show I 
thought about the songs from her perspective. During 
SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE she seemed conflicted…perhaps about the
identity of Bob's other date…the one that couldn't wait.

Hearing the harmonica for the first time got the crowd excited…and
it was at that point that the show really found its footing. Bob stood 
in that magic spot where both side-stage monitors hit him hard 
between the ears. He rocked back and forth while leaning over to 
blow those sweat Hohner notes.

The band then rollicked into a great CAN'T WAIT. When he arrived 
at the "stormy weather" verse Bob really leaned into the vocal and 
the music shifted and with each line the crowd roared more. Bob 
knows how to make a lonely song come alive in a room full of 
strangers…He had our attention and the show took a turn toward 
the timeless…or to put it more mysteriously:
  
       "the end of time has just begun"

When there is no time there is a room. When there is a room 	there 
is sometimes work. Where there is work there is sometimes 
inspiration….and every century or so the combination produces a 
masterpiece. But we didn't stay there too long…a few verses later 
and we're landing in Brussels and Bob wants us to know that the 
plane ride there made him ill.

After MASTERPIECE the show produced a series of trios. Song trios. 
Up first an exploration of Honesty, Eternity & Love.  After that we 
were hit with the other side of the coin…Murder, Censorship & The 
Phony Elite in their Sharkskin Suits.  

While we seemed to be in ancient Rome and the Mississippi Delta all 
at once for a while we seamlessly drifted back to the Civil War and 
heard a melody brave & beautiful making full use of the violin, piano 
and cymbal flourishes. It sounded amber and arousing where I was, 
and the wash of the cymbal made me believe something new was 
happening to something very old. The next number followed suit…. 
the tour stand-out: NOT DARK YET.  Writing letters. Kind letters. 
But a little too much noise to "hear the murmur of a prayer."

Surf Music // my favorite instrumental addition to the arrangements 
in the past few years. The honest gremmie beat and Beach Boy 
bash LPs. THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN blasts down and beats us 
all with fresh heat.  Many got up on their feet. The end of three 
trilogies of three songs each.

        "It's soon after midnight and my day has just begun."

SOON AFTER MIDNIGHT. A new shade of blue. A Fuller sound. 
Some folks maybe wanted another rocker…they force themselves 
back into their seat… but I was still hanging on. This song isn't 
everyone's cup of tea…or meat. But I consider it a third shift 
demi-dirge….an ode to the graveyard shift workers of the world 
with troubled minds. 

GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY. Bob opened with this song many 
years ago at the [COLE FIELD HOUSE] (College Park, Maryland).  
Here it was completely new in arrangement and attitude…a final 
statement instead of an opening statement.  The 17th song…
ending strong…and the lights were quick to set, and the stage 
was empty again… except for Poesy…she was still reflecting on 
the lingering echo from the pedal steel slide.

Then we got our book end. Bob, center stage, wielding a guitar. 
This time the sound was dark and solid, and Bob ripped into a 
couple of minor key solos that were intense and remarkable even 
against the consistent class work from the new Bob Britt and the 
Veteran Charlie Sexton.  He gave us all a lot to think about. 
Colleges are full of THIN MEN. Professors, you know, can only 
forge a guess, and some folks don't mind getting paid to lie…
while others are poor their whole life trying to walk the line 
toward some sense of the truth. 

To close the show Bob sent us packing…telling us what it takes 
to laugh and why it takes a train to cry. The music stopped 
suddenly, and he pointed out to the crowd and sang:

      "Now, the wintertime is comin', the windows are filled with frost
       I went to tell everybody but I could not get across
      Well, I want to be your lover, baby, I don't want to be your boss
      Don't say I never warned you when your train gets lost"
	
I could wax philosophical and try to pry some sense out of it all…but 
in the end it was plainly a rock & roll concert & show. It was a 
significant departure from his recent tours as it included no 
American Songbook selections and no BANJO.  Donnie Herron stuck 
to the violin and the lap & pedal steel. The banjo was there at the 
beginning of the show, but the tech took it away before the show 
started. Does that mean anything? Probably not, but the 
instrument does conjure so much thought and confusion.  
Sometimes it only sounds good acoustically anyway. 

We were still in the shadow of SCARLET TOWN though…which 
isn't too far from Baltimore where Miss Mary Jane lives. Maybe after 
the show Bob went wild on a buggy ride. I think maybe his whole 
life has been one long buggy ride. Maybe next fall he'll open his 
window again and serve us some songs…and hopefully in the 
meantime he greases up his wagon and keeps his axel from 
draggin.'

Mike Herme
Transpeninsular Line, DE, MD