| Reviews Camden, New Jersey Freedom Mortgage Pavilion September 12, 2025 |
Review by Mike Skliar
Back from Camden, NJ (the oddly titled 'Freedom Mortgage Center", the late
George Carlin would have had a field day with that title!) to see another
Outlaw Music Festival show- Waxahatchee, Sheryl Crow, and Bob Dylan
(Willie Nelson was the headliner but for a number of reasons we had to
leave before Willie's set- no worries, I saw him last month at Jones
Beach)
We had great seats for this (fourth row center) and the venue for this
type of thing was comfortable and well laid out.
First up, Waxahatchee-- a fine band, tho I think they could have been a
bit more dynamic and powerful if they had more creative musical
arrangements...also a bit sabotaged by the sound, which made understanding
the vocals difficult. still, a good band with potential.
Then came Sheryl Crow and band, who were tremendous. Fantastic musicians,
energetic and varied setlist, Sheryl gives it her all, as well,
encouraging the crowd, telling personal stories, singing great rock and
roots songs, with a tight and very musical band. I had never seen her
before and I was very impressed.
Now on to Bob- who I had seen last about six weeks ago at Jones Beach,on
an earlier Outlaw tour show. (and about my 80-something-ish Bob show since
my first back in 1978). I have to first mention the (hooded) elephant in
the room. Starting a week or so ago, Bob has taken ever-more extreme
measures to not be seen clearly on stage. He now sits at a bigger grand
piano, with the built in large music stand in the upright position,
blocking his face from many. He surrounded the piano with four bright
lights and two kind of Christmas-tree light up fixtures, which further
block people's view. On top of all that, he wore (on a beautiful night
without any rain in sight, and this is a covered venue, not fully
outdoors) a large hooded jacket with the hood up. He sat most of the time
at the piano, and the few times he stood up, you could, at best, make out
the bottom half of his face for a split second, and not even that. (Plus,
he's disabled the screens they use for all the other performers)
There are many theories for all this, ranging from his supposed anger at
people taking photos and video to the thought that maybe he does not want
to be distracted by seeing the audience at all. Still, even for me (and
the friends I was with, almost all of us long time fans) , I have to say
it took away some enjoyment out of the whole Bob concert experience. I
don't feel he 'owes' us anything, and yes, I'd rather have an engaged and
hard to see performance (which this mostly was) then a 'here I am doing
classic rock hits halfheartedly in full view'....but it doesn't have to be
one or the other. I think some of the tension could have been easily
defused if Bob first (or even at any point in the show) came center stage,
acknowledged the crowd, and then went behind the piano to do his thing.
Even better, (yeah, I know this would never happen) he could actually come
center stage, say , here I am, take your photos, now lets all put our
phone away and be in the moment!" Unrealistic for him to do this, but it'd
be wonderfully disarming and instantly get a much more engaged crowd.
Oddly enough, the crowd, despite all that, was engaged, tho frequently
puzzled- but it was a much better crowd then I got last year at another NJ
shed venue, where the crowd up front was more interested in talking and
drinking then the music.
So, all that being said, on to the music, which is the main event. The
great news is that Bob's band and performance were very good indeed. There
were a few swallowed lines (in To Ramona for example) but on the whole Bob
was very vocally present, with his ever-inventive phrasing, and he did
that little 'add a word in here and there' thing that is usually a great
indication that he's firmly inside the song he's performing, giving it his
all. The band's arrangements continue to evolve. Highway 61 has this neat
descending riff that is a fantastic idea, I can't wait to hear a good
quality recording of it, if it surfaces. Desolation Row continues to
seriously percolate, and the various covers are all well done. I'd use
'stunning' to describe that incredible 'tempoless' version of 'till I fell
in love with you'- its almost psychedelic in its creative energy ,and
unlike much else. Tho 'soon after midnight' and 'under the red sky are not
particular favorites, I heard strong echoes of 1950's pop tunes in both of
them, which perhaps explains why Bob likes doing those songs so much. Oh
and it was a blast to hear Masters of War right up top. done in a powerful
version indeed. (At my last show that slot was filled with 'serve
somebody' and I'm glad I got a masters of war instead) Don't think twice
also continues to evolve, being maybe even more gentle yet creative then
what I heard in August. All in all, a fascinating but very puzzling and
somewhat strange Bob show!
Mike Skliar
Review by KD
Came to Philly from SoFla to catch one last show on the 2025 Outlaw Fest
tour. My first time at the Camden venue which I give high marks for great
sound. We timed our arrival to catch the last half hour of the Sheryl
Crow set which was fun and set a fun mood.
Bob came on about 10 minutes earlier than expected. He opened with a
strong Masters of War. No need to warm up the voice tonight as Bob was
strong vocally from the get go and remained as such throughout the
evening. The current band lineup is really great and they have put it all
together for a great Bob band sound. Other highlights for me were Under
the Red Sky which was sung perfectly, Watchtower (really like the
arrangement), Love Sick was as good as the versions from the Time Out of
Mind days, Highway 61 was played with an understated yet pulsing energy,
Soon After Midnight was perfect, and the closer Don't Think Twice with a
ballad like arrangement hit home. Bob played harp on 4 songs and on each
occasion was really strong. On the down side To Romona was a bit of a
trainwreck and aside from the harp at the end. Blind Willie McTell, which
is one of my favorite tunes, didn't click tonight. Overall a great show.
As for Bob's hoodie and hide behind the music stand and lights stage
set up, that's Bob and at the end of the day it's about the music.
Outlaw fest shows and their venues, unlike the sit down RRW shows, give
fans a chance to get up and dance and let loose. My sons and I and others
around us sure took advantage of that opportunity and had an absolute
blast. Sadly it is the last night for us for 2025. Hope 2026 brings more
great times.
| Click Here to return to the Main Page |
page by Bill Pagel
billp61@boblinks.com
| Current Tour Guide |
Older Tour Guides |
Bob Links Page |
Songs Performed |
Set Lists by Date |
Set Lists by Location |
Cue Sheets |