Review by Douglas Storms
Dylan's Outlaw Fest shows get flak from some sections of his fanbase,
but I will always look back on the two that I've seen (including last
year at the same venue) very fondly. I would much rather see him play in
an intimate theater in the middle of a city rather than on the side of the
Garden State Parkway, but there was something special about looking over
the lawn while he was playing, and imagining all the people who would be
able to say for the rest of their life that they saw Bob Dylan in person.
Even with any complaints they have about his performance or the fact that
you couldn't actually see very much about him, it makes me happy that
he's spent the last two summers playing for crowds that wouldn't have
otherwise bothered to attend a show of his.
As for this specific show, it was really good! I arrived halfway through
Waxahatchee's set to a fairly packed lawn but everyone seemed to be in
good spirits on a beautiful day. Cheryl Crow impressed, but the crowd
locked in for Dylan. Lots of binoculars were being passed around to get a
glimpse of the man, and a surprising lack of chatter, at least around me.
I will never like this current arrangement of Desolation Row, and as great
Blind Willie McTell is it doesn't exactly get the crowd going to close a
big amphitheater set. Besides that, I have few complaints. Masters of
War, 'Til I Fell in Love With You, Love Sick, Highway 61, and the covers
in particular impressed. Nothing about the performance gave the
impression of a man who is winding down his career.
I'm not a huge fan myself, but I'm glad to have caught some of Willie
Nelson's set. I can't say I saw this myself, but apparently
Springsteen was spotted side stage while he was playing. What could have
been on a gorgeous evening near the Jersey Shore.
PS: I am sending this on Boblinks' 30th birthday, what an occasion!
Happy birthday to the only good website on the internet.
Douglas Storms
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