November 17, 2017
Review by Gary Jacobson
Mavis dished out a whole lotta “secular gospel" that was the antidote to
the news on TV. Her optimistic performance was delightful and powerful,
yet I wished for something that referred more to fire and brimstone.
Bob and his band were challenging and powerful. I won’t do a song by
song thing, but will try to get across what I was left with. I’ve been
to countless shows through many years, the last one being in summer 2017.
Last night’s show wasn’t easy listening but the crooning was
predictable and grounding.
While the song selection was familiar to regulars and the initiated, their
arrangements had references all over the place with only some of it
comforting. Some of it had me thinking of an inscrutable Thanksgiving meal
of blended turkey and a raw potato with sprouting eyes. Tangled up in Blue
couldn’t have been performed in a less familiar way and seemed to be
purposefully something else. The distorted timing and phrasing had me
experiencing discordance similar to the twisted version of an imperfect
but once reasonably functional democracy we have here in the USA. You know
it’s in there somewhere but it’s confusing and upsetting. Ballad of a
Thin Man was distinguished as perhaps the clearest familiar rendition of
the night. Highway 61 was a bit contained and never risked leaving the
rails. It too was a familiar rendition. Desolation Row nicely devolved.
Bob and his band often sounded like an orchestra playing a single
instrument, and in that vein the first songs were tied together like
movements in a symphony. Musical and crafty, these folks aren’t sleeping
up there on stage. They’re all working hard. I heard minimalist
classical, much jazz, the expected hair blowing electric rock assault, and
other sounds that we have associated through the years with Bob and the
music he loves.
I hope you catch a slice in time and transformation when you can and while
it lasts. It can’t go on forever. I’d love to catch a show at the
Beacon, but it’s not in the cards. What’s next besides something else?
Gary Jacobson
Rosendale, NY
Review by Larry K.
After seeing Bob at the ironworks in Kingston this summer and seeing a set
list that varied little from that show, I was surprised to experience a
totally reworked performance in Albany. Bob was in good voice, and the
band is terrific. The show is presented as an orchestral or symphonic
flow, no pause between songs, sonic filler creating a transition. Many
high points, a few misses...the first 4 verses of Desolation Row were
magic; the drum solo in Thunder on the Mountain was fantastic; Love Sick
was perfect. Summer Days was remade successfully into a bluegrassy
romp...It Ain't Me Babe rocked. A slowed-down and stretched out Tangled
didn't work for me.Likewise, Pay in Blood seemed to lose its acrid
thrust in this incarnation...Thin Man was majestic...the crooned ballads
were handled much better here, as Bob continues to work on his
jazz-influenced technique. It struck me that he has chosen these ballads
to fit his unique current life status...like a well-trained classical
ensemble, Bob and his band use the repeating set list to hone their
performances, trying to hit each note with energy and attitude while
keeping it fresh somehow. You're not likely to see anything stronger
around now.
Larry K.
Review by Terry O'Brien
The show last night was a testament to Bob's conviction and dedication to
his art. Make no mistake, he is an artist, an artist at the top of his game. I
attended with some trepidation, having sworn off any more shows after 2006.
Something told me this time would be different. It was. Great care has been
taken in the preparation, presentation and performance. The stage set-up was
unique yet workman-like. A day at the office with no unnecessary frills, allowing
Bob to move from piano to what is, now, not quite center stage but rather in
his apparent comfort zone between Tony & Charlie toward the back - where
he crooned and showed off his moves on 4 timeless standards. This is the best
and classiest light show in the business, elegant and tasteful, never drawing
your attention away from the music.
The set list was also constructed with great care and the pacing was the
key. No surprise substitutions and it's easy to see why - it works. My only
thought was Lovesick should have been placed elsewhere with something
more rousing to close the night, perhaps Highway 61.
I think Bob has found a formula. A smoking band with world class players
who can turn on a dime, a piano technique that both embellishes and
conducts, who knew?), a back line that operates with military precision and
an audience that was there for the right reasons. Not once did I see a cell
phone light up. If you're near NYC check out the Beacon shows, you'll be
glad you did. I was.
Terry O'Brien
Review by Steve and Leslie Goldberg
Always wanted to see a concert at the Palace Theater, a restored Art Deco
masterpiece from the 1930s. It’s truly magnificent and well suited for
Dylan and the boys. Mavis was fantastic as always. This is the fourth show
for us this year and Scarlet Town was a nice surprise. Four Sinatra songs
is better than five. As try as I might I can’t say I’m warming to the
new arrangements of Trying To Get To Heaven, Tangled and Honest With Me.
The crowd seemed to really enjoy the Sinatra stuff and was on its feet for
the entire encore. Now as heretical as it may sound, I am yearning for a
new sound, a new band. One more show for us at the Beacon.
Steve and Leslie Goldberg
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