Reviews

Oxford, Ohio
Miami University
John D. Millett Hall
November 4, 2000


[Joe Hollon], [Mike Failor], [Chris Henry]

Review by Joe Hollon



I Am The Man, Thomas (acoustic)- fast paced rockin' acoustic opener just
how Bob likes 'em.   Mr. Tambourine Man (acoustic) - Great performance! 
Very slow, sincere with crystal clear vocals.  One of the highlights of
the night. It's Alright Ma (acoustic)- I was very pleased to hear this one
live for the first time.  Bob did not disappoint.  Once again great
vocals. Chimes Of Freedom (acoustic) (Larry on bouzouki) - This was a very
welcomed surprise!  I have grown fond of this song in recent months and
this was a great performance. Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) - TUIB seemed
to lack it's usually power tonight.  Not sure what it was.  This is when I
first noticed the crowd's lack of enthusiasm.  Not very many people were
standing at all even during this normal crowd pleaser. Searching For A
Soldier's Grave (acoustic) (Larry on mandolin)- Nice song.  I heard this
for the first time back in July and I could kinda sing along.

Country Pie - I really like this song live.  Very rockin'!  
Love Sick- New spot in the line up.  Good version but I still prefer the
old Bucky Baxter days with this song. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The
Memphis Blues Again - Crowd pleaser.  Nice version. Not Dark Yet - I was
surprised by the crowds reaction to this one.  I would say Not Dark Yet,
Tangled and Like a Rolling Stone were the three biggest crowd pleasers. 
NDY must be benefitting from it's inclusion on the Wonder Boys soundtrack
and The Essential Bob Dylan cd.  Very spooky version with great lighting
effects. The Wicked Messenger (Bob on harp) - Not one of my favorites but
Bob seems to enjoy playing it.  Everyone loved the harp solo. Leopard-Skin
Pill-Box Hat - The band plays a nice live Pill box hat. (encore) 

Things Have Changed - Something about this one is not quite as good as the
recorded version. Like A Rolling Stone - If Dogs Run Free (acoustic)
(Larry and Charlie on electric guitar) - I was curious to hear what this
one would sound like and I thought it was great!  Wonderful vocals and the
sound was pretty true to the New Morning version. All Along The Watchtower
- First time live for me! Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (acoustic) -
This was the highlight for me personally.  The band and Bob were both
perfect on this one. Highway 61 Revisited - Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic)

I cannot stress enough how great Bob's vocals were tonight.  Probably the
clearest of any of my eight shows.  There should be some quality tapes
circulating based on the vocal quality and the sound system in Millett
Hall.  Best songs were Don't Think Twice, If Dogs Run Free and Chimes of
Freedom.  Another great show overall!  

Joe Hollon
Hwy61Joe@aol.com

[TOP]

Observations by Mike Failor



Just got back from the Miami Concert, and I felt like
adding one short note to the list of reviews( I am
sure they all will be glowing, for this show was
excellent).  I was fortunate enough to have second row
seats, and though I have only been able to see a few
Dylan shows believe that his "Not Dark Yet" was the
greatest song I have ever seen live, by anyone.  I
simply watched every ounce of emotion drain from his
body as it seemed he poured his heart and soul out
into this one.  I was so moved by the way this song
was played, that midway through, my eyes started to
water.  
Just to let you know,
Keep on Rockin' ~Mike Failor 

[TOP]

Review by Chris Henry



First of all, I admit to being a relative newbie on the scene. I'd
seen Dylan back in the 80's a couple times, but didn't GET IT till I
saw him in the fall of '97. I have seen him 16 times since then. My
wife and I made the trek to Miami U from Athens, Oh - a 2 1/2 hr
drive. We were anticipating a bad traffic situation due to the fact
that we had been told it was "parent's weekend" at Miami and there had
been a home football game that day also. But traffic wasn't too bad
and we had some time to have a drink before heading down to Millet
Hall. I had heard that Guster (?) was opening, but when we arrived it
was to the mediocre bleating of one guy and a guitar. Nothing to speak
of. Millet Hall is the largest venue on this tour, and it was more
than half full. But this was definitely one of the strangest crowds I
have seen at a Bob show. Many parents were in attendance along with
their collegiate children, and many of them were probably there only
because they had originally purchased Don Henley tix - who later
cancelled his gig for this venue/this night. I saw someone use a
Henley ticket to get in, so they must've been accepting those as well.
I also saw the oldest attendee I think I've witnessed at a Bob show -
this lady must've been 80 - at least. An interesting mix, to be sure.
We found our seats to be particularly lousy and so headed for the back
of the venue where we found plenty of room to hang out and stretch our
legs.However, at this distance there was no hope of watching Bob's
expressions - an aspect of a Bob show which I find particularly
entertaining aqnd intriguing. Oh well, at least we were there. The
show begins:

I Am the Man, Thomas: Suprising starter - I hadn't seen this one since
Oxford last year. It was fun and energetic - wailing harmonies and all.
Mr.Tambourine Man:  Also suprising to me - a good version, though no harp
and no match for this summer's Alpine version. Bob already was doing some
twitchin' It's Alright Ma...: A first for me and very nice - Bob singing
clearly and movin' around a bit.Didn't stress the naked president part
enough. But hey, that's Bob. Chimes of Freedom: Kind of expected, but
still very cool to hear. Suprisingly good crowd response. TUIB: The usual
Searching for a Soldier's Grave: Why? Country Pie: I don't love this song,
but loved this version. Great dueling guitar whizzes. Love Sick: A strange
spot for this one - has he ever played it outside of the first encore spot
before? A solid version. Stuck Inside of Mobile: They seemed to really
stretch this one out and it rocked pretty hard. Not Dark Yet: An excellent
version of a powerful song -a highlight, to be sure. I got goosebumps!!
Wicked Messenger: I like this one - cool riff - harp solo too short - but
hey, that's Bob. It rocked. Leopard Skin Pillbox-Hat: Never tooo excited
to hear this one, but usually love it by the end.This didn't disappoint.
THC: Got a great groove goin! Crowd seemed perplexed. LARS: Fucking
great!! Even the parents could relate. Finally we start dancing. If Dogs
Run Free: Was waiting for this one, even though I've never heard the song.
It was very, very cool and the crowd was very appreciative, clapping along
in unison throughout the song like someone snapping their fingers in a
lounge in Vegas. I was trying to catch a shot of Bob laughing with the
binoculars, but didn't see him crack a smile. Watchtower: Not too
suprised, but pleasantly so. It rocked. Don't Think Twice: A suprise. A
pleasant suprise. I love this song live and Bob did it right, once again.
Hwy 61: Kinda tired of this, but blazing guitars swayed me by it's end.
Blowin in the Wind: Kinda tired of this. A good show which I would have
appreciated much more if a little closer to the stage - or a lot closer.
Bob seemed to enjoy himself - twitchin', twisting, and mugging throughout.
He looked healthy (through the binoculars) and kinda tan(?) to me and his
hair was even alright. There were no real suprises in this show, but you
just never know with Bob and I've learned that you just gotta accept what
he gives and chances are it'll rock you, even if you've heard the friggin'
song 20 times. I will continue to catch every show I can. 

[TOP]


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