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Bob Dylan |
Tonight I had the great privilege to see Bob Dylan for the very first time. What luck it was that they would offer special pit area tickets at the last minute (at reasonable cost) and being lucky to snag a pair. My brother and I went to the theatre kind of late. The will call line was short, but we had to wait for the usher to finish talking to this woman so he could escort us inside the theatre. I guess this is a preventative measure to ensure we didn't resell these tickets and that they went to true fans. Once inside we could already hear Amos Lee performing, but I made my pit stop over at the merch booth to pick up a program and a poster. Then we entered the theatre. The chairs were just regular old things so they weren't very comfortable. However, it was nice for once to not have to worry about an obstructed view. We just had to crank our necks up a whole lot. I honestly don't know too much about either of the opening acts. Amos Lee, the former teacher, was casually dressed accompanied by a guitarist, drummer, and a upright bass player. He has a wonderful singing voice...everything that he sang sounded great. The only problem is, and like Jack Johnson's case for me, is the lack of being able to distinguish his songs apart. Perhaps because I don't have his album...yet. I did like his last song, his first single, Arms Of A Woman. Very moving. Merle Haggard & The Strangers (his band of 40 years) was a leading country act in their own right. So I guess it was hard for them to adjust about not being the main band of the night, but they did it for Bob. I really thought that this performance would be different. A bunch of country twang, which I don't mind. It had some bit of a political twist in there as well as he dedicated songs to soldiers and even made a call against the judgment of George W. Bush. Merle was quite the showman and he definitely knows how to play that Martin Fender guitar with the embroidered guitar strap with his name....the original bling bling. "Bob wanted to go out on tour with me....him" he laughed it off...citing once again he wasn't used to being onstage this early. There were a few technical difficulties so the poor tech guys were running back and forth. Merle complained that he couldn't hear himself so he stopped in mid-song several times. During one of them he commented on "isn't Martha Stewart great?" He then said that he and Bob were writing a song about her and that if it wasn't completed by the end of the tour they haven't done their job. He started doing a little sample of the tune, to which we all laughed. The ratio of men to women were shocking. Never before had I seen the line for a men's restroom so long since the electronics convention. I felt like the youngest person at the show, although I probably wasn't. I just look like it. The transitions between the sets weren't long. Before we knew it, it was Bob's turn to take the stage. Everyone had been pondering on what the show would be like since this was a new leg of the never ending tour. Would he sing such and such or will he play the guitar? He got a standing ovation naturally, and went into his first song, Drifter's Escape. Throughout the night he spent most of his time behind the keyboards coming out occasionally to the middle of the stage to play his harmonica. I must say he's looking good, and I know some people weren't too keen on his mustache thing a little while ago...he shaved it. The Man In Me, Stuck Inside Of Mobile w/ The Memphis Blues Again, and Moonlight followed (nice to see the more recent Love & Theft stuff worked in there). Let's see It's Alright Ma I'm Only Bleeding followed and I Don't Believe You. There was a lot of dancing from the row behind us...I'm not one to shake my groove thang. I'm more of a swayer and head bopper.
Queen Jane Approximately, Cat's in the Wall ( I'm not sure, but I believe the set opened up behind the band to reveal a starry backdrop.) The band I might as well mention here had changed a bit. Very talented group though. They really brought the music alive. I loved seeing the violinists. One of them, happened to be the only woman out of the show . Not bad looking, and young, but my brother kind of got disturbed at the fact that she kept "eyeing" Mr. Dylan. Weren't we all there to see him though? I was a bit concerned at times when sweat began to pour from his face onto the keyboards. What if he electrocuted himself??? Maybe I'm just paranoid like that. Anyways, back to the show, during Sugar Baby I believed he put his hat on which remained for the rest of the night. The crowd love it. Watching The River Flow and then probably the first song my brother recognized was Mr. Tambourine Man which was done more like a ballad. It was beautiful though. Another recent one Honest With Me closed out the first part of the show. The crowd cheered. I loved looking back out
at the theatre and seeing all of that love and support. The band returned
with Bob sauntering back out going into Like A Rolling Stone. All
Along The Watchtower followed, and was closed out with Sing Me Back
Home. Absolutely brilliant!
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