Review by Michael Slagel
What a show! In so many ways. First, I was in the 7th row, clear view of
his hands on the piano and profile. When he sang at center stage he was
mostly looking in our direction. The crowd was awesome. he walked out to a
standing ovation. I know he felt it and fed off of the crowd the whole
night. The thing about the crowd was that they got it. it wasn't the
'where's the acoustic guitar and harp? I don't recognize these songs!'
crowd. They even loved the Sinatra tunes. Now, when I said he fed off of
the crowd, I don't mean that he engaged us, verbally. I did notice quite a
few smiles from him during the show. He was wearing the gray suit with
black piping and white hat. His singing was clear and articulate. His
enunciation was really, pretty good. His phrasing was impeccable. He was
into it, no doubt. its hard to pick one song over the other. Highlights
for me were Hwy 61, Full Moon, High-water, Duquesne Whistle, never mind,
silly to type it out they were all pretty outstanding. The band is really
super tight. The layers of sound that emanate from the stage are
incredible. The melodies against counter melodies. Like scarlet Town. If
music can have texture, it oozed from the stage. His harp playing on TUIB
was a highlight. His piano playing was on target and really up front in
the mix. After Stay with me, he and the band came to center stage and
stood there for about 2-3 minutes, smiling. which, I think is 1-2 minutes
more than most get, lol! All in all, superb. as an aside, I must have
looked like an idiot, up close with binoculars. You know, though, some
Dylan fans need to figure out every little nuance, every little meaning of
every little thing. Sorry if I am rambling, I am not a journalist and I am
still a little high from last night!
Michael Slagel
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