Reviews

Lubbock, Texas! If any concert on Bob’s “Rough  and Rowdy Tour”
would be the most magical, Buddy Holly’s birthplace had be it! Dylan
told us in his speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature that It all
started seeing Buddy Holly perform at the Duluth Minnesota Armory. His
best friend Louie Kemp watched amazed as Buddy Holly locked eyes with the
skinny kid in horn-rimmed glasses, and in that moment Bob knew what he
wanted to do … and, as Bob puts it in “False Prophet”, never have an
“unlived, meaningless life”. Always improving, overnight Bob premiered
a new arrangement of “Key West” and absolutely aced it! Earlier he
switched out “Early Roman kings” for “Crossing the Rubicon”. I,
like a lot of Boomers, live that song. The band has reached a peaceful
co-existence and jam between Bob’s verses. They then quiet down and let
his voice and words be heard, and his voice has never been stronger! He
only played the harmonica once, but instead he walked out from behind the
piano after several of the songs to the absolute delight of the audience.
I was especially happy just in case Buddy Holly was watching his protege
from above. Speaking of which, The Buddy Holly Center (museum next to the
large statue of him) is worth a trip to Lubbock. And, to complete the
Buddy-Bob connection, thankfully, the Duluth Armory and the historic stage
and concert area where it all began are being restored, with The North
Country Music Exhibit, featuring Bob Dylan’s formative years, directly
under that historic stage! At the same time, Bill Pagel, who owns Bob’s
family’s first home in Duluth, MN, and the family's second home in
Hibbing, MN, is starting to restore both of them. I’m off to San Antonio
next, but on the way read that Bob, between gigs, just announced he wrote
a new book. Eighty is the new Twenty I guess!

Susan Phillips
Austin, Texas and Northern Minnesota

From Albuquerque to Lubbock.
March 7th.
I enjoy a free day. In the evening Debbie and Mark invite me for 
dinner. Mark is a Bob Dylan bootlegs collector. And other collections. 
By 10.15pm they drive me to the greyhound station to catch my 11pm 
bus to Lobbuck, a night bus. That bus is already 2 hours delayed and 
50 patrons have to wait one more hour. When the bus pulls out from 
the station we are 3 hours delayed. The problem is ... I have a 
connection bus in Amarillo and by now I'm pretty sure I will miss it and 
be stuck in Amarillo.( Not in Mobile) with the Memphis blues again!
I am pissed off because I got two tickets for the Lubbock show. 
Thanks to Simon and John. They combined their effort to offer me 
those tickets. But miracle happens. The second bus is waiting for 5 
folks going to Dallas, and Lubbock is on the way. I am more than 
relieved when I seat next to a gentleman with a little dog and doze 
a bit.

March 8th.
I am the only one stepping out for Lubbock.
I walk empty streets to reach my hotel Super8. I'm allowed to 
check in only at 3pm, so I decide to offer myself a breakfast. I 
bump into a man and spontaneously we start chatting. His name is 
Fred Goldstein and he reminds me of Stanley Goldstein, Bob's cousin 
I knew from 81 and 84 Tours. Same physic and same gentlemanly. 
We finally end up eating a breakfast together at IHOP.
The story of his life is the first I even heard: he was a bank robber 
and served 10 years in jail. He is just released and just moved to 
Lubbock. He never used violence. In fact I find him sweet and 
intelligent, even sharp. He is also an Artist and his body is full of 
his tattoos :) I offer him my second ticket. 

By 6.30pm we meet at the entrance of the Buddy Holly Hall 
which happens to be one block from my hotel. At 4.30pm I had
checked behind the Hall to see the buses already parked there, 
including the Dylan bus. I don't know if Bob was inside(I will 
never know :).

We get in the BH Hall. Splendid building brand new and huge. 
I'm pretty sure it's not sold out. With Fred we decide not to 
take our seats on the balcony but to find two empty seats 
closer to the stage. In the back of the floor section many 
rows are empty. So we seat there.

The show starts right on time.
"Watching the river flow" is totally massacred; long intro, 
particularly Bob on piano,(not too sweet with the keys :( ). 
The mic is not open or Bob too far :(
The rest of the songs are fine but Bob seems to be in a rush. 
I stand dancing on "Serve somebody" "Melancholy mood" 
"Jimmy Reed" and the final "Every grain of sand". Doing 
karaoke. "No one in front of me, nothing behind." ....
I am far from the stage but somehow I feel as if Bobby was 
playing in my living room. The public is hyper quiet. It feels 
strange to take everything as a routine but for some people 
tonight, it's the first and last show. 

Roger(the new security man) comes next to me. So I ask 
him about Barron. He says he retired (at 55 or so??). I feel
sad. I miss the "Samurai". I hope he's happy. Love you 
Barron!

Back to Bob on stage. From my angle I see him seating at 
the piano stool few times and drinking. He had a chat with 
Tony another one with Donnie. I thought he would change 
a song. Nope. He rapidly murmurs something, about Buddy 
Holly(?) before introducing the Band. 

He talks less and less. Changed some lyrics on some songs, 
said Caroline Schwartz.

The lights in the public are on during the entire show. 
Public quiet except a woman front left, enjoying the 
show. Maybe Caroline???

I rapidly steps out as I want to try to sell some of my 
prints. Fred helps me and I make some bucks. 
Lubbock is not "key west". No paradise on hearth. :) 
Large streets and buildings and no people??? Where 
are the Lubbockists ??? But a Buddy Holly Center and 
a beautiful brand new Buddy Holly Hall.

I had a great day with my new friend and a fantastic 
evening. Thanks to Simon and John for the tickets. 
Sure John, I'll paint you a masterpiece.

I will see today if I visit the Buddy Holly Center before 
heading to Dallas.

Thank you good people. Take care and see some of 
you on the road.
If you see me, say hello!
Farewell Barron. I (still) love you :)

Dylan played an energized set in the Buddy Holly performance space in
Lubbock, Texas yesterday evening. Although the set list was his standard
set of songs, in the same order as we’ve seen on the current leg of the
tour, the performance featured a version of Key West that was changed
completely from two nights before in Albuquerque. The crowd responded
loudly to the line in the song referencing Buddy Holly, but the chording,
tempo, and beat of the song was completely different. All night, Bob’s
voice was clear, with louder emphasis at times than two nights before in
Albuquerque, and was the best instrument on the stage. That’s saying
something: Bob’s drummer, Charley Drayton, is superb. And Tony Garnier
is as good as ever. After Key West, both Dylan and Garnier immediately
looked to each other to get a sense of how the changes sounded and 
nodded enthusiastically. Dylan is clearly having fun this tour, smiling often,
and proving yet again he’s first among equals, and truly the last of the
best.

Miles Hanisee