Review by Stefan Flach
Due to our very premature arrival at the venue (four hours before show
start), Annika and I finally found ourselves among the lucky few who made
their way to the first row. Some chats with "neighboring" fans made time
fly, as did a makeshift attempt at playing Battleship (not reommended when
standing next to each other). At around 7:40 the lights went out and five
silhouettes entered the stage ...
"Absolutely Sweet Marie"
made for a better opener than in Leipzig the day before, when the fact of
seeing "Cat’s in the Well" being replaced for once was spoiled by Dylan's
hesitant and unsteady vocal approach to the song. This night he was more
confident, at least after he's gotten past the first verse; already his
singing of the first bridge (OK, let's say, the second) was more flexible
than on most of the entire Leipzig show.
We were also most delighted to see Dennie Freeman using again his
customary Stratocaster which he had sadly traded for a Gibson jazz guitar
the day before (songs had rocked considerably less thereby).
Things really got started with
"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
Dylan leaned into the lyrics with "that inimitable authority" (Clinton
Heylin) which enables him to move statements from 45 years ago to the one
and only present, to assimilate them and distance himself from them at the
same time. In blessed minutes like these there's no meaning of words and
verses that has to be detected "on paper" - you're invited to "understand"
(emotionally visualise) them via the way Dylan utters them, together with
all sorts of mannerisms found on the way. Like in the mid-'90s, the song's
classic heyday was the "I'm walking down that long and lonesome road,
babe, where I'm bound I can't tell" lines - a cascade of words, sung at
breakneck speed. A couple of splendidly accomplished instrumental verses
enframed his vocals in a most fitting way. In my mind I presented Dennie
Freeman with his first gold medal of the evening ...
"Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues"
which uses to trade places with "Watching the River Flow" in the song # 3
slot on this tour, then introduced two features that were to characterize
most of the show: a) the prevalence of blues rock songs, b) the
"roughcast", yet nonchalant and even ironic vocals. Almost everything that
was easy and lightweight about the song in former years (but listen to
Tampa, September 21, 1993 for a stunning exception) has adopted an edgier
and gruffer quality since it was played in Bruxelles for the first time
this year. There's even something "pissed" (for want of a better word)
about the way Dylan focusses on the lyrics. In Berlin he partly sounded
like a guy ordering one drink after the other while telling the story of
his life and interspesing some jokes about it. The succession of equally
constructed verses sustained that impression. After the second
instrumental verse (preceding "I started out on Burgundy") he slighly
lossed the momentum, but nevertheless: the air in the bar was still
smoke-filled.
"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"
then strode the arena like a giant - the giant it's always been.
Everything was pure expression of clamour here. It was strange to see the
"old" (2002 ff.) and the "new" arrangement (debuted in Amsterdam this
year) being mixed; while I thought this could only result in watered-down
crossbreed, I was quite disabused: a new, bluesier quality has invaded the
song by now. It rocks convincinly hard but in a casual, laid-back manner.
Dylan's singing was superb throughout, as was his guitar playing (even
when it was an "air guitar" at some points - Annika laughed and tried to
call my attention to the fact that he only "fanned" his right hand but
didn't hit the strings). During the penultimate verse he came across a
vocal "spark" when raising his voice frantically on a specific word of
each line - It made for another proof of his adorable pigheadedness when
he retained it until the song was over. The audience's response was all
heat and flame.
In the darkness between songs he put the guitar aside and went over to the
keyboard.
"The Levee's Gonna Break"
I hadn't heard in concert before but only on tape. A few times I had
appreciated it (especially the Philadelphia version from last fall), most
other times it had been a bore. But, like it's always the case, you can
only fully assess the merits and debits of an artwork when you've
personally encountered it. Immediately (or after one or two verses) it
became evident that the zest of the song's unchanging sequence of
seemingly disjointed verses lies in their frenetic succession. The
despaired plea of a working man that's at the centre of the "narrative"
regulates the tempo of Dylan's delivery, the song's drive might be a
direct result of the plea's immediacy. When the song was over I realized
that I'd never understood its rebellious and even riotous quality before.
It's as if "Union Sundown" was resumed a quarter of a century past
"Infidels", together with a first-person narrator who's the offspring of
Dylan's empathy with the disabled American working class.
Even when it's a travesty to say a song that's about ten minutes long was
the "lightest" of the evening, I thought it was the case with
"Desolation Row"
which others, who generally love the song better than I do, could probably
review more appropriately. Dylan's singing I thought was more focussed
than on most other recent versions I've heard, but overall my ears and
mind took a break during the song. Side note: Stu Kimball looked quite
bored and underutilized when strumming along on the acoustic guitar
throughout.
"Honest with Me"
Each time I don't immediately "get" which song is played in a concert I
try to surpress the recognition as much as possible. The song goes
"incognito" that way, without its clog of connotations. Sadly, I never
make it past the first sung words, if at all. "I'm stranded in the city
that never ..." was soon converted to "Honest with Me" = the stubborn,
hard-boiled, "adults only" rocker I've always appreciated so much.
Following the above mentioned main qualities of the show the song was most
appropriately chosen, of course. Dylan spat the words with conviction and
zest, and played around with them as if they'd never been written for
another purpose. Tons of exclamation marks were delivered in addition. The
"When I left my home ..." verse was a especially delightful as it was
brimful with vocal eccentricities. Again, I felt sorry for Kimball who was
restricted to rhythm guitar only. Even during the instrumental break
(which comes so surprisingly late in the song) the guitar "soli" weren't
distributed, like it's been the case in former years, but Freeman handled
all of them.
At times it's redundant to see the "rockier" and the "softer" songs in
direct alternation all the time (it's been that way for years now), as
there's no continuity for either of them. It's like alternating between
salty to sweet food throughout. Occasionally, we may feel thankful for
stark contrasts, though, like when "Honest with Me" is followed by
"When the Deal Goes Down"
Dylan adopted a different, smoother vocal approach for this song, of
course, but still incorporated some of the previous harshness - which made
for a most delicious interaction. "We eat! and we drink! We feel! and we
think!" He was all assertive yet tender - but not in a premeditated way
(the song and its harmonic structure forwards a somewhat rhetoric vocal
approach on lesser nights). It all seemed a result of his momentary
inventiveness.
Freeman played two gorgeously versatile soli during the instrumental
verses and was applauded overwhelmingly. While most hardcore fans are
stubbornly blind to his abilities, it seems to be different for casual
audiences ...
"Rollin' and Tumblin'"
was the only song that I thought was more convincing in Leipzig the day
before, where Dylan's vocals supplied it with a strongly boisterous drive.
In Berlin it was as enjoyable as any good rock song you accidentally hear
in a supermarket and forget as soon as you're back on the street.
"My Back Pages"
entered the stage like a dignified senior celebrating his jubilee - but
perhaps all too much so. The song's "inbred" solemnity was taken too much
for granted for my liking. In order to become concrete, the envisaged
quality would need a "shadow", a setoff. The dignified senior would have
to loudly blow his nose at times - or Dylan had to use his guitar on the
song.
When he played harmonica during the intro he suddenly went over to Donnie
Herron, nodded his head and walked over to his "accessory" desk and
grabbed a different harp. The grumpy look on his face (raised eyebrows,
pursed lips) when he turned around was priceless.
"Spirit on the Water"
is perhaps my favorite song on the album, but not off the album - live
versions hardly hold a candle to the wonderfully accomplished studio take.
Dylan needs to be strictly focussed on ALL of the lyrics (their
composition, their flow), which is rarely the case. I'm not sure if the
Berlin version turned another page in this regard but it was certainly the
most colorful and versatile. "I'm as pale! as a ghost / Holding a blossom!
on a stem!" - vocal emphases came by truckload, and one was more beautiful
than the other. An adequate and satisfying version.
"Tangled Up in Blue"
was as subtle as a stadium announcement in Leipzig and featured more lyric
flubs than you could count. I was a tad scared when the well-known intro
was played once again. Dylan seemed to have learned by the latest
experience, though, and tried something new, which made for a utterly
fascinating and bizarre impression. After he had played a magnificent,
extended harp intro (covering two or more verses) that was pretty much an
autonomous song, things got tangled up. Moving his hands over the keys
(without striking them) many times, it seemed as if he was to set up an
adjuration of some kind. On one verse he virtually whispered some of the
lyrics. Sadly, he never seemed to get a precise idea of what he wanted to
achieve after all - and mostly lost sight of the ghosts he tried to
conjure up. They ended the song rather abruptly.
"Nettie Moore"
If there's one song in Dylan's current repertoire that makes for a
literally intimate experience it's this one. Owing to the subdued backing
you can hear his voice as clear as a bell - tolling in the wilderness.
Even though he sings in front of thousands upon thousands of people you
get the stunning and exquisite impression to spend time with him off the
record, privately, in full confidence. No other song since "Sugar Baby" in
2001 has presented us with this special gift - which we maybe have hardly
unwrapped by now. More than any other song on this tour, "Nettie Moore"
equals an autonomous character; each of the four times I've heard it I
felt as if I'd met someone - an entity that isn't identical with Dylan nor
with the lyrics. It'll be a future task to describe it as good as it gets.
Freeman played some spellbinding licks during the third chorus - and got
another gold medal.
"Summer Days"
was enjoyably rollicking, Tony laughed many times and swang his upright
bass around. Once again, it was not so much the song in itself that was
played but the song on the basis of its hundreds of versions over the
years. Side note: as the much-loved jams have become less prominent in
recent years it's Dylan's singing that plays pretty much the leading part
(for an especially interesting vocal check out the version from Sheffield,
April 14, 2007).
"Blowin' in the Wind"
was presented as an anthem. Period. Sparklers were lit and swung around in
the audience - an appropriate response.
"Thunder on the Mountain"
When I wrote in my Münster review that the song is strangely hard to focus
on and always seems to slide off
http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/040507r.html#5 the same was true for this -
vastly superior - version. Actually, it was my personal highlight of the
show. Both Dylan and the band were nothing but aggressive. While he barked
the vocals in an incredibly barnstorming way, they encircled his deliverly
like only "some tough sons of bitches" could with whom the first
person-narrator has liked to "recruit his army" with. If you didn't know
whether to take shelter or join forces with them you had to decide quickly
... It was a fantastic experience to witness qualities taking shape I
never thought the song would have. Even though the Berlin version
naturally recurred to the album take it was obvious that the latter's a
mere blueprint, a vague sketch of what the song is able to become. We got
a precise glimpse of it - and can never state anymore that we haven't. An
adorable condition.
"All Along the Watchtower"
Imagine you were asked to tell about the way that one tree next to your
house looked yesterday evening, could you ..? Aha. But you could tell it
was still there - ancient yet fit as a fiddle. That you'd miss it
incredibly if was gone one day. That you actually would like to thank the
gardener for all his care. No, he won't be around the next weeks. But
let's hope he'll come back soon - thankfully, he seems to like our
backyard.
Stefan Flach
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