Review by Michael Perlin
After more than six years away, I went to see Bob last night. And it was
spectacular. His voice was stronger than I have heard in many, many years
(too many to count); the band was tight (amazingly so, given the number of
and recency of personnel changes); the set list included nine songs I had
never heard him sing before (this was my 43d or 44th show, dating back to
Gerde's in 1963...); the audience was exuberant (and put me on the side of
the column in favor of the no-cell phone picture taking rule), and the
entire night (at the Mann in Philadelphia [where I had seen him twice
before, in 1997 and 2011 ]) was nothing less
than exhilarating (I went with my friend Len Colner, our 4th Bobtime
together...).
No surprises at all on the set list, but a few thoughts on each number:
To Be Alone with You: Very strong guitar opening. I don't know either of
the two new guitar players, but the one on stage left seemed to have most
(not all) of the solo time, and he was so strong. I will always miss Larry
and Donnie from past decades, but the two newbies were excellent-plus. And
from Bob's opening lines, he was strong. No warble, no hesitation, no
phumphing. A great augury of what was to come.
Man in the Long Black Coat. I have been hoping to hear this for decades
(I saw Joan Osborne sing it once when she opened for Bob, but no other
covers ever). And it was worth the wait. Tony's bass guitar was especially
strong. The rhythm was a propellant 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3 that totally
worked.
It Ain't Me Babe. Certainly one I had never expected Bob to return to. When
he dropped Watchtower for this, I cringed a little, but no complaints at
all. The audience knew what it was from the first note (no idea how much of
this was people having looked up past recent set lists and how much was
Bobfan savvy), and sang along gloriously on the chorus. A brilliant jazzy
guitar solo topped it off.
Trying to Get to Heaven. This was one of only three songs that was a repeat
from my last Bob concert (Dec. 2019, The Beacon). Going through my head
during the entire piece was Bob's ongoing battle with mortality. I have
seen him sing it many many times, and each one is more poignant to me.
False Prophet. I never went to any of the R&RT tour concerts since I never
felt any connection to that album (for those who don't know me, I bought
Bob's first when it was new and never "first timer" of the night. Was so
great to see Tony playing stand-up bass (which he did on seven pieces,
which I thought was exquisite). More excellent solo guitar, and I began to
(really) notice how good the drummer was in setting a propulsive beat (have
I ever seen the drummer on Bob's left/stage right before? I don't think so).
And more excellent guitar soloing
I Can Tell. First cover of the night (co-authored with, tho not sure ever
credited to Bo Diddley). Done in rockabilly style, again with great
stand-up bass from Tony and solo lead guitar work. And it is a song that
Bob coulda written...
Black Rider. The third of four-in-a-row first-evers for me. Actually, one
of my favorites from the R&RW album, and done near-perfectly I thought.
Again again, excellent guitar work and lots of (appropriate) applause when
solo was over.
Share Your Love With Me. Another cover, and now half way through, it was
clear that Bob was so enjoying both singing and the connectivity of the
experience. As a song it was fine, but I thought, fleetingly, "Bob, there
is so much in your catalog that would have been a better choice," but, you
know, Bob is Bob.
When I Paint My Masterpiece. One of my favorites (amazingly, only the fifth
time I have heard him sing it in person), and totally different from any
other version. The feel was of a 30s big band (Len said, near the end, "This
could be Putting on the Ritz," and I think he nailed it perfectly). I've
drawn on it for use in law review articles twice ("had to be held down by
big police" and "dodging lions and wastin' time;" full cites available on
request), and whenever he gets to those lines I get an extra ping. Again,
like no other live version I have heard either in person or on boots. Just
wonderful.
I'll Make It All Up To You. The final cover (this one by Charlie Rich).
Again it was fine, but, see my comment on Share Your Love, above. I was
emailing with a friend about Jokerman yesterday before the concert, and for
some reason, that popped into my head at this point.
Crossing the Rubicon. This might have gotten the most enthusiastic audience
response of anything til this point. And I finally self-conceded that I
probably haven't/hadn't given the R&RW album its true due. It was really
excellent (what do I mean? Great singing, great guitar playing, more great
standup bass by Tony, great drumming: the whole package)
Soon After Midnight. See my comments about Trying to Get to Heaven and
mortality. What astonishing lyrics (When he got to "it's now or nev-er," the
separation into two distinct drawn out syllables was magic). I've now seen
Bob sing this eight times and it never gets old.
Under the Red Sky. I never took this song (or album) seriously, but
listening last night it finally resonated with me (it never did in prior
hearings). The line - this is the key to the kingdom and this is the town/
This is the blind horse that leads you around" - spoke to me metaphorically
about the shape our country is in (I doubt that that is what was in Bob's
mind when he wrote it ~ 35 years ago). It worked.
I've Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You. Again, I was kicking myself for
my earlier take on R&RW. The lyrics - from "From East L.A. to San Antone" to
"My eye is like a shooting star" captured and captivated me. Passionate was
the only word I could think of.
Goodbye Jimmy Reed. When R&RW came out, I said to friends, "this will be the
only one he plays after the first year, and it'll be the first encore." So
much for that (though, being the penultimate song, it actually was in what
was always the first encore position). Great, great guitar work (this is a
theme here), and such a rocking version. And Bob played some harmonica.
I Shall Be Released. So, I have been waiting for years and years to hear
this, and somehow missed all the previous 501 live performances. What a
thrill. Played as a soft ballad with more harmonica work, including the last
note at the end (I don't think I have ever heard Bob end a concert on the
harmonica before). It was, to re-use a word I already have used, glorious.
All in all, a wonderful wonderful evening. Home soon before midnight (less
time to get from 95 in Philly to my home in Trenton than from the stadium
to 95, but that is no surprise). As always Bob keeps us all forever young.
Thank you for sharing this magical evening with all of us.
[TOP]
Review by Danny Archer
It was a hot night at the Mann Performing Arts Center in Philly, but a
gentle breeze made it bearable in the shade. I had last seen Bob two years
ago when he played on Willie's tour.
The opening acts were both wonderful. I am an entertainer myself (magician,
not musician), and I do a lot of opening spots at the House of Magic. It's
a tough gig because the audience bought tickets to see the headliner. At an
outdoor arena like the Mann, there is still a lot of audience movement and
milling around.
Brittaney Spencer and Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt-A-Whirl Band delivered nice
sets, with Brittaney's closing cover of To Make You Feel My Love a highlight.
Vaugh rocked hard with a variety of musical styles in his set.
Without any fanfare, the lights came up as the band started playing. Right
away, I could hear the twin guitars, and I knew that Julian Lage had made it
back from Europe in time, and I suspected that Joel Paterson was the other
guitar. They meshed so well with Tony and Anton and provided moments that
felt country, then jazzy, then swing. Their interplay was wonderful, and
they added just the right amount when they each had a chance to solo. Hope
this combo gets some flight time together with some more of Bob's incredible
repertoire.
Like many of the faithful, I had listened to the shows from the past weeks
and knew what (if not who) to expect. They didn't disappoint. Bob's vocals
were very clear and focused. He hasn't sounded this good in a while. As
always, Bob played with the keys, tempo, phrasing, and style of his own
works. Their three covers were all slower songs, and they were very well
done, you could hear by way of the applause. The guitars had to play softly,
and I hope that one day I can hear them of something faster like
Highway 61 Revisited.
I was shocked by how young the overall audience was. Of course, there were
many older folks (like me), but the number of younger people was unexpected.
In front of me were three kids in their late teens who kept yelling "We love
you, Bob!". It was so great to see so many people of all ages enjoying a
national treasure.
Bob's harmonica solos on two of the last three songs got thunderous applause
from the audience. As the final notes of I Shall Be Released wafted out, the
crowd gave the Master (and his Band) a well-deserved standing ovation. This
was my 13th Dylan show, and I was lucky to be able to see him once again. If
you have the chance, don't you dare miss it!
Peace,
Danny Archer
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Review by Timothy Murphy
At the Mann music center.
I don't know how much of this is because I was sitting in the balcony center.
I thought they would be good seats and would sound good. My experience is
that Bob isn't great outdoors. Also it's best to be seated between the two
big speakers on the sides of the stage and not outside of them.
The bass and drums were too loud for the first six songs, until black rider.
I couldn't hear bobs voice very well. I wish the microphone was turned up
or the drums weren't so loud. It sounded like there was a microphone inside
the big drum. I was honestly ready to leave.
I stood up for much of the rest of the show center balcony, and it did sound
better. The songs didn't have as much bass to begin with. There were
often times however that I really couldn't hear Bobs words. I knew the
songs and the setlists but I couldn't make out what he was saying. I'm
not sure if it was the venue (never been a huge fan of the amphitheaters),
or the sound mixing... but it was not one of my favorite Bob Dylan shows.
Sorry to say
Timothy Murphy
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