Night two in Orlando started with a flourish. Watching The River Flow
showed Bob in very fine voice, his piano playing off the charts very
early. Halfway through the song I thought to myself that it is certainly
reasonable to go and see Bob just for his piano playing, like how folks go
see certain artists just for their guitar prowess. His playing has become
that impressive and is an integral part of the overall band and flow of
the music. You Go Your Way seemed a little slower and more stilted than
Night 1, but still fun. The rest of the show up until Key West was played
pretty much perfectly, the sound extremely loud and crisp and Bobs voice
perfect. When he took us down to Key West, we encountered a pile up on
US-1. Bob forgot an early verse, repeated one verse three times, and
pretty much butchered the entire song. The moments he did get right were
spectacular, however. A bit chaotic, but the accident finally cleared, and
Bob landed the song beautifully at the end. The audience was cheering him
on as to reassure him. The rest of the show was perfect, no miscues, no
flubs. Just pure exhilarating music. The harp solo at the end of Every
Grain of Sand satiated the requests of the woman behind us who screamed
out “Give Us The Harp!!!!” for practically the entire show. She is surely
to show up on a recording.

That is the end of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour for me. 9 shows on this
tour since 2021, across 4 different states, 5 different venues. It’s been
a fun ride. Looking forward to the Outlaw Tour in the summer with Willie
and Robert Plant and more. Perhaps a different setlist. Thanks, Bob, for
the memories, the new songs, the reworked old ones. I’ll cherish these
moments forever…see you in Jones Beach.

8pm on the dot, the house lights dim and the curtains open. Bob is seated
at the piano, and the band is in place. Instead of one of his more
creative backdrops, this time there were instrument carriers lined up
against a stark black wall as in a black box theater. Bob’s piano was
center stage rather than the usual stage left. No Oscar> on stage, but 
that’s going back a few years.

Mr. Dylan is dressed in a gorgeous black outfit - black jacket with
spectacular sparkly rhinestone designs left and right. Black pants with
similar designs on the out-seams of his pants. White shoes, maybe spats?
NO HAT!

He breaks open with Watching the River Flow -(this part is where the magic
happens), a crowd-pleaser. But hang on to your hats, friends, because Bob 
is gonna take you on a wild ride. The band is tight; playing with 
unbelievable precision throughout the show. These guys are pros. They
watch and follow Bob’s every move, which can be tricky. The bare stage
allowed me to focus on the music, and only the music. Several times I
closed my eyes to experience the full effect of the music. If Calgon ever
took me away, this was it.

Bob played sixteen songs, non-stop, with nine of them from Rough and Rowdy
Ways, and Walking By Myself, a Jimmy Rogers song. The older songs
from his catalog were played to fresh new arrangements, in the style Bob
has of keeping things alive. The jaunty Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
and/or Putting on the Ritz, for example morphed into When I Paint My
Masterpiece. Throughout the show, he gave several thank-yous and
band introductions. His voice is in fine shape, smooth, clear, and at
times powerful, hitting all the notes.

Each song in this show was special for me, but there are two that stood out
- Mother of Muses and Walking By Myself, a song by Jimmy Rogers. 
Both beautiful and poignant.

Before the last song, Mr. Dylan introduced the incredibly talented band
members:

  *   Donnie Herron — pedal steel, lap steel, electric mandolin, banjo, violin
  *   Doug Lancio — acoustic guitar, electric guitar 
  *   Tony Garnier — bass guitar 
  *   Jerry Pentecost — drums, percussion 
  *   Bob Britt — guitar

The first time I saw Tony Garnier was in 1987 at Jones
Beach. He impressed me then, and he still does. He holds the band
together. His bass playing and especially the big bass is an integral part
of this band’s success. Like ages ago when every girl had their favorite
Beatle, Tony is mine here and now.

After the intros, the show ended with Every Grain of Sand, with an added
surprise - Bob on harmonica. No encore.

After every performance, I tend to say it was the best show ever.

Truthfully, this was the best show ever. Bob Dylan at the Dr. Phillips
Theatre, March 10, 2024.