After 60 years of confounding audiences, Bob Dylan is still at it. He delivered 
a stellar set in Bangor, highlighted (in my opinion) by "Love Sick," "Highway 61," 
and "Blind Willie McTell." Dylan was in great voice, and the acoustics were clear 
and crisp from my vantage point near the back of the front middle section.

But as has been widely discussed on social media, Dylan never appeared before 
the audience. I never saw him from 20-plus rows back. He was partly obscured 
by the array of white light trees that have been arranged atop of his piano 
during recent shows. On this first night of the last leg of this summer's Outlaw 
Tour, there were more of those light trees than when I saw him in New 
Hampshire a few weeks ago -- and I noticed that a few lights were removed 
before the set began, so there had been more lights on the piano shortly 
before he came on stage.

But more than the lights, he also just simply never showed himself. As 
expected, he was behind the piano all night, and on this night, he wore a 
hoodie pulled tight over his head. I know that only from photos I saw 
after the show. He stood at least once to raise him arms in acknowledgment
or triumph, and I heard him say thank you more than once. But otherwise, I 
only saw his shadow and silhouette, which I think was both intentional and 
appropriate.

All that aside, he delivered a spectacular set. From the outset of "Masters of 
War," it seemed obvious he was in a good place. I enjoyed "To Ramona" 
more than other recent live performances of the song I have seen or heard. 
There were no lulls, no clunkers. This seven-song sequence was sublime:
 

6.
Gotta Serve Somebody (Bob on piano)

7.
Under The Red Sky (Bob on piano)

8.
I'll Make It All Up To You (song by Charlie Rich) (Bob on piano)

9.
All Along The Watchtower (Bob on piano)

10.
'Til I Fell In Love With You (Bob on piano)

11.
Desolation Row (Bob on piano)

12.
Love Sick (Bob on piano)
 

But most interesting to me was both the general crowd reaction, which was 
negative, and my personal reaction, which was extremely positive. People 
were perturbed they couldn't see him, and those feelings were enhanced by 
the wide, long-distance views that were offered on the side-stage video 
screens. The video feed offered no details or even images of Dylan. As a 
result, people on the lawn had no clue what was happening on stage. But 
here's the deal: Generally, neither did people with great seats. If the sound 
quality was as good on the lawn as it was up front, then Dylan managed to 
turn the summer-shed concert experience into something that everyone 
could enjoy, or not, on equal or similar terms. 

By staying in the dark, he focused attention on his band, and he made the 
experience entirely about the music. You must listen, and when you do that 
– guess what? – you can understand his lyrics. He remains a brilliantly 
courageous artist, and I absolutely love the fact that people are still grumbling 
when they leave his shows.

Bob Keyes
Waterville, Maine