July 15, 2012
Review by Charles Flannery
The setting was amazing, the Roman Arena in the centre of Nimes. The concert was not
a sell out, there were quite a few empty seats, despite this there were many people
wandering around trying to buy a ticket. The opening act Adam Cohen was a little bit
dreary, Cohen maintained the same monotonous tone and rhythm throughout. The only
relief was his spirited rendering of "Marianne" which just happened to be the song which
woke up the audience in the arenas the last time I was there, when Leonard Cohen was
singing it.
Dylan was elegantly dressed in black blazer and white pants sporting his wide brimmed hat.
He was given a good reception. That is normal for someone of his stature. However after
that things were a little disappointing. The sound balance making it almost impossible to
hear Bob's limited singing voice, the melody of the songs was completely lost in the battle
between the driving hard rock accompaniment of the musicians and manly effort Dylan
made to be heard, meaning that the majority of the audience had no idea which song he
was singing, me included. I was happy to find your playlist this morning, while the concert
was still fresh in my mind. However a decent review of the concert is difficult, as the only
two numbers which were recognizable were Tangled Up In Blue and of course Like a
Rolling Stone.
The evening ended badly in a long and hard fought battle, to recover cameras which had
been impounded by security men.
Review by GuillemTM
Reading the only poor and negative review in your site I decided to send
You the small review I posted in expectingrain, where theres other
interesting commentarys about the show with which I agree much more than
with the one in your site:
Good show yesterday, I think mostly thanks to the fact Bob was enjoying
himself at the grand piano. Voice better than last time I saw him, but
mostly reciting and not much singing. But what I enjoyed the most was the
piano, that sounds much better than the organ and the way Bob played it in
most of the songs. And most of them had a jazzy feel that I bnever heard in
previous shows.
The setlist wasn't the one of my dreams, but I enjoyed songs I didn't
expect to, like Rollin' and tumblin' or Summer days. I liked Things have
changed much better than a year ago. Simple twist of fate was great, and
Tryin' to get to heaven too, changing the singing from the version I heard
recently live in 2011 in Hamburg and 2008 in Encamp. Ballad of a thin man
was great too. It seems he felt inspired midways and ran to the piano.
When there was stage rush in Like a rolling stone, I ran there, ending in
front of the front row (where by that time there was nobody) with only two
more people between me and the stage. I think I never had seen Bob so
close, as he wasn't very far in the stage. In Like a rolling stone he
seemed to feel bad. I could see in his face that something was wrong. It
was his seat. He tried to move it while playing and singing at least twice,
but only at the end of the song he managed to do it properly apparently
with some anger. When he started All along the watchtower his face had
changed completely and he seemed way more pleased.
It is also remarcable the huge amount of cameras the organization didn't
let enter the venue, making some of their owners wait for half an hour to
have it back.
GuillemTM
Review by Rick J.
A casual on and off fan of Dylan for the past - 40 (maybe more !) odd years or so - Bob
is someone I have many chances to see, always thought about it, but never actually
followed through.
This time he was close by in the southern French city of Nīmes - 1/2 hour from my
home. Time to see Bob. Having been an on and off fan, and knowing Bob Dylan has
gone through lots of permutations - and having been out of touch with his music
recorded or live - I had no idea what to expect. Had heard some sour reviews (not on
this site) - but I tossed them aside. I was here to see for myself. He has so much
material - what a well to dip into !. What will he choose ? What will he sound like?
I was worried about parking, but as I arrived into the city center and got the parking
for the Arenes de Nīmes, discovered that lots of other folks had the same idea. As I
climbed the stairs into the city-center plaza, I remembered how well kept the area
around Les Arčnes is. In front people gathering outside lined up to get in. Hmmm,
lots of grey ponytails - and the folks in the 50-60 range, though a nice smattering of
younger folks too. Beautiful summer evening in the south of France.
The venue: les Arčnes de Nīmes is a spectacular place to see a show. The only hiccup
was the security guard, who quickly discovered my FlipCam and offered to confiscate
it. No thanks, back to the car. Finally in (with iPhone), I am reminded of what an
awesome place this is. My seats are up in the vomitoire (I`ll not translate that one :-),
essentially the first balcony - stage left. The show is obviously not sold out - perhaps
folks will show up late - quite common in France. Later, my initial observations were
confirmed, it was not in fact, a sold out show. However, the folks that were there,
wanted to be there - and the vibe was very friendly - I was able to quickly make on
the spot acquaintances with the folks around me, who seemed to be somewhat
knowledgeable both about Dylan and the surroundings. BTW - the sound in this place
is excellent for an outdoor arena - the sound system is permanently in place and this
house system was used for the show.
The opening act: Adam Cohen. If the purpose of an opening act is to make the headliner
look good, Mr Cohen couldn't`t have done a finer job. His sort of folksy, groovy new age
whatever, with two other multi-instrumentalists was cute for a song, maybe two. It wore
thin quickly. Say no more. When is Bob Dylan going to take the stage ?. It can`t come
soon enough. Thankfully (have mercy), the clock runs out on Mr Cohen, 45 mins later.
Main event: As the sound crew begins to move the instruments in place for Dylan's band
I see a pleasant surprise - ah, nice grand piano center stage. So Bob has a piano
player - cool. A pedal steel. Like that. No music in between acts - just folks talking, mingling.
I am able to see through the curtains behind the stage a bit - I see a hat - here he and
they come. Suddenly I hear a cranking guitar riff - hmm, this is gonna be a rocker. The riff
continues, the band enters and suddenly - Bob Dylan in White had enters the stage, the
the stage lights are up, Bob`s at the organ - the band is rockin - it`s the blues rocker
"Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat"; The crowd is delighted, not frenzied, but warmly welcomes
this. NIce applause and quickly - yes - Bob is at the piano himself to lead the band in a
country boogie version of an old favorite - "Don`t think twice it`s all right". The band
segues into a shuffle towards the end - it`s an interesting twist on the song. Dylan known
for playing around with his songs - expected. The crowd is pleased, subdued applause.
The next song I don`t recognize, but I do like it . Then he picks one of my all time
favorites - "Tangled up in Blue". Would he play stuff from "Blood on the tracks" ? Yes he
would. Other highlights "Tryin to get to Heaven" - which I had never heard before - but
thought it was one of the show`s best songs - Bob at the piano again - soulful singing.
Loved it. Other high points (of course again tunes I recognized) "Highway 61", a moving
rendition of "Twist of Fate" (Bob`s only song on the Fender Strat if memory serves me
right). Here again Bob shows that he is no Mark Knoffler by a long stretch - but folks,
that's not the point here - it's Dylan doing it his way and it fits - and so...? The show`s
highlight for me was "Ballad of a Thin Man". Here Dylan seemed to come alive - out front
with the harmonica and then sitting at the piano - stabbing, almost angry tone to ".....do
you, Mr Jones?". The crowd rushes to the stage in the pit seating section for "Like a
Rolling Stone". Here I am in awe at the sheer longevity of this song - the one that has
been covered so often buy so many - now it's Bob Dylan right there not so far away - at
the piano "delivering" on this song. Solid rendition. A bit of a downhill slide from here as
"Watchtower" and the encore " Blowin in the Wind" were pleasant, but nothing special.
Summary: I`ve heard an awful lot about Bob Dylan's voice. "Its a growl, you can`t
understand it", and so on. Yes, and.....? It's authentic - real, naked and" it is what it is"
in a way that so few other face-lifted, polished to the fingernail nostalgia acts are not.
I`ll take it.
The Piano: fantastic touch - it HAS to stay. It's just right - it gives Dylan the opportunity
to create a varied experience - out front, at the organ, on guitar - and yes, back at the
piano. He seemed to like - and it showed. The Band: this is a road-seasoned tight little
unit that is just right for Bob now. The country and western touch is great about now.
I sincerely hope these are the musicians on the upcoming record. The unit is tight, gels
very well together and clearly has some solid gigging under it`s belt. I love the pedal
steel. Always liked "Nashville Skyline" - guess Bob does too. I enjoyed - and if Dylan
comes back - so will I.
Rick J.
mrborlee@mac.com
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