November 9, 2008
Review by John Levesque
To judge form tonight's show, people with tickets to the rest of the
Ontario leg of the tour are in for a treat. Bob and the band are in
excellent form, his voice is as clear and supple as I've heard it in
recent years, and Bob really works the stage and the songs.
He strapped on his guitar twice last night, during a wonderfully bluesy
Don't Think Twice early in the show, and in the middle of Highway 61,
kicking that song into overdrive. All of the rockers (Highway. 61, The
Levee's Gonna Break, Thunder on the Mountain, Honest With Me) were
absolutely torrid, and Bob sang these songs with the mastery of someone
who's been doing it for more than 45 years.
As reported in previous posts, Bob plays a lot of harmonica, usually
wandering out from behind his keyboard to do so. He also sings at times
from the centre-stage mic. The band is totaly responsive to the needs of
individual songs. Standouts included Blind Willie McTell, a totally
heartfelt I Believe in You, When the Deal Goes Down (with harmonica
solo!), Nettie Moore (a soulful treatment that was sung more than spoken),
and the night's beautiful closer, Blowin' in the Wind. Hell, the entire
show was a standout.
A note about the standing vs. sitting issue: We had front-row seats and
enjoyed the opportunity to sit and fully absorb the music. As we were
streaming out of the Essar Centre, I overheard someone loudly complain
that the people in the front rows weren't even standing, as though sitting
during the songs amounted to a negative verdict on them. There are many
different ways of marking respect for Bob and his incomparable music. We
were on our feet for the encores, but it's also a joy to sit and savour
every moment.
John Levesque
Click Here to return to the Main Page |
page by Bill Pagel
billp61@execpc.com
Current Tour Guide |
Older Tour Guides |
Bob Links Page |
Songs Performed |
Set Lists by Date |
Set Lists by Location |
Cue Sheets |