Bob Dylan Fall Tour 2017

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Radio, Sep 13, 2017.

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  1. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Exactly the problem with the Richmond Coliseum. I'd love to see a Fall 2017 show in a theater or club.
     
  2. JudasPriest

    JudasPriest Forum Resident

    Lovely capture of Boston from the ever reliable Spot. Tasty sound and cracking performance from Bob and the boys. Again.

     
  3. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I'm home from seeing Bob at his last show from the Beacon run, not to mention last show for the year. Let me say, whatever bad and disappointing memories I have of seeing him last summer have now been forgotten!

    The show was marvelous. The opener, Things Have Changed, may have lost a little bite this time around, but no worry, because Pay In Blood was sharper than ever! They cleaned up the chord change that comes up every round (not that there was anything wrong with it before). I've never heard the song sound more sinister. The "Sinatra" songs made excellent punctuations in the set. Seeing Bob posing, swooning, and crooning is a treat. As always, Early Roman Kings was excellent. For sure a song that he missed the mark on when recording Tempest, but he has redeemed it ever since. There were a few songs I've never heard him do before, like It Ain't Me Babe and Honest With Me, but more than anything, I finally, after 6 years and 7 shows, got to see him do Desolation Row! Even if it was abbreviated (I expected it to be so), it was wonderful to hear him sing it. Thunder On The Mountain was an absolute blast. More so than any other performance, this was the one that got you on your feet and out of your seat. Of all the complaints I had with last summer in Forest Hills, only one was directed at Dylan: how could he close the show with Love Sick? Well, this time around, Love Sick was towards the end of the set, sure (and a good version too!) but the encore was a one-two punch of Blowin' In The Wind and Ballad Of A Thin Man. Wind was as it has been every time I've seen him do it, but Thin Man felta bit more tame and subtle than the reverb drenched growls of 2011. I'd say it was just the right mood to finish with. (Still, there may never be a better closer than Stay With Me...)

    The audience was attentive and appreciative. At least the three rows in front of me. As for everyone else, I didn't know if they were there or not. This show is by far the most I've ever spent on a concert (like, double the second most expensive show I've ever attended) but man was it worth it.
     
  4. Erik B.

    Erik B. Fight the Power


    surprised the photo nazis let you get away with that
     
  5. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    [​IMG]
    November 21, 2017 (Tuesday night)
    Beacon Theatre; 2124 Broadway (at West 74th Street), New York City
    Capacity: 2,894

    Having flown into Newark on a $50 direct one-way flight, the idea was to help my sister and aunt drive down south the 13 hours or so for Thanksgiving with the rest of the family. My aunt was also giving me her car, since she retired the previous June and didn’t need to drive to work anymore. So I offered to fly up there, Sunday, while at the same time it would give me a chance to see Bob Dylan (yeah, baby!) on Tuesday. I had caught him last November and needed to catch him again on this leg of the NET. The timing was perfect.

    It's Tuesday evening and it’s time to leave for the show.
    ‘Is he older than me?… No, I’m older than him, maybe’.
    “He was born in 1941,’ I inform her.
    ‘I’m 1940, so I am older than him, only by a year, ‘ says my aunt. 'I once bought a book of his - about fifteen years ago - and read it, but I don’t remember what it was about’…
    My aunt read Chronicles?… Cool. She doesn’t remember reading it? Even cooler.
    She’s lived in New York longer than Bob could stand - going back to 1964. She does a short ‘Beel-ze-bub’ Dylan singing imitation and sends me on my way, telling me to take a cab to the show from here - my sister’s place on 26th - instead of the train, for expediency.

    The cabbie is a mad man from the Middle East, not the place they call the midwest. He's cursing every time the traffic flow halts going up 8th Avenue - which is frequent. I nominally agree with him, uttering intermittent, ‘Yeah’s as he exhorts his play-by-play on the ridiculousness of other drivers who are less reckless than himself.
    By the time we arrive by minor miracle on 34th street, he takes the cross street and was begins unscrupulously passing people in the parking lane - a big code of ethics no-no among New York drivers; you can at least wait your turn. The lanes funneling into Lincoln tunnel are hardly moving in the 6:30 pm dusk. He backtracks south a few blocks to 10th Avenue, still cursing and passing in the far left lane. At a sudden stop, suddenly there's a big loud thunk on the window, as another cabbie wants a word with him, rolling down the passenger side window. ‘Hey, man!’ said the African or Jamaican driver - ‘You're driving cra-zy, passing in the parking lane. You need to calm down, you'll cause an accident'… My cabbie nods in disgust, yet acknowledges the words from the wiser, and it seems to do the trick… He still drives fast and crazy, but stays out of the parking lane. The whole ride takes about fifteen or twenty minutes from 26th Street to 63rd, even with the made-up speeds during the stretches of clear green lights and open lanes.

    Out of the cab at 63rd Street - the problem is is that the Beacon isn’t on not 63rd St. at all; it's on 73rd or 74th… All around, tuxedoed and perfumed opera-goers are heading to Lincoln Center.
    I head the rest of the way down Broadway on foot 'til I reach the 72nd St. intersection where the Ansonian building and subway station meet up… There, the apparent ghost of hipsters past and present begin to file towards the Beacon of inspiration - a mix of oldsters, newsters and in-betweeners… Some have their kids and grandkids with them. Some their parents and friends. Lovers and loners. The sold out sign is bright. Scalpers of tickets and shirts walk by. Ticketholders are directed to two different entrances standing outside, peering into art deco vestibules and led through the security exchange.
    The Beacon opened in 1929 at the very end of the gilded age - a movie house and Broadway vaudeville revue joint of some ornate decor. My seat is in the upper tier balcony where the vertigo hits you immediately and you have to lean inward to keep your balance, or lose control and embarrassingly fall on someone or off of something; there's nothing to grab onto but the air. A couple pretty twentysomething girls are next to me grooving to Mavis Staples’ last three songs… ‘I know a place’… One of them removed their doctor's bag backpack from my seat, like they've save it for me.
    I had spent the previous day walking around Manhattan - even stopped by Gramercy Park to sit on the steps of #4 a minute. No sign of Bobby Darin nor Bobby Dylan anywhere. Those guys had long gone.

    Dylan and company come on after a short break. The rug of NET shows past is gone, pulled out and rolled up, misplaced or being washed. A hatless Bob shuffles out with a ruffle of Dylan hair, appearing light brownish-green in the stage lighting. He’s got on the white jacket over the black pants with the jogging stripe ensemble. The rest of the band are dressed like they’ve defected from a Havana nightclub… grey suits and black hats for the three rhythmists.

    [​IMG]
    Set List
    Dylan is fully present for this show - into it, up in it and for it, highly engaged, in great voice - threatening to overload the microphone system at times with his own current electricity. He's on his own, and the audience is with him. He’s steering this sternwheeler into the footlights…
    ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ shows that Bob’s voice is nice and strong, articulate and expressive.
    Dylan leaves the baby grand and saunter on a sentimental journey to a microphone stand at mid-stage for his evocative cabaret-crooner spots - much as one could imagine him stepping innocently out from behind the keys to do Blue Cap handclaps while backing Bobby Vee in '59. His now-voice is perfectly suited to these songs in a way that his other past-life voices would only sound out of place...
    ‘Summer Day's’ new arrangement approaches a Bill Monroe-flavored jamboree, but still manages to stay on this side of rock and roll.
    One of these days Bob will merge ‘Things Have Changes’ and ‘Pay In Blood’ into a seamless medley.
    ‘Tangled Up In Blues’ is a bit annoying, due to its unnecessary arrangement shift; it's like, just play the song already - you know this song, guys…
    Vigilant ushers keep a watch out for lost souls trying to find seats, as well as look to bust anyone who holds up a cellphone for more than one second pointed at the stage. It used to be lighted cigarettes they were watching for.
    'Soon After Midnight' reappears, as always a welcome favorite - though sung not quite as sweetly in the past, as if the object of Bob’s tenderness has somehow moved into the chamber of approaching contempt and scorn, as the pumpkin rolls.
    Charlie gets the show spot for his guitar picking on ‘Early Roman Kings’… Rumor is he’s been threatening to wear his hair like it was on the SPIN magazine cover unless he gets more solos… A can of Farrah Fawcett hairspray sits dejectedly on top of his amp, its store price sticker peeling off to one side. Charlie sometimes uses this as a slide.
    ‘Desolation Row’ - when that starts, I’m thinking I’d rather Bob replace it with two other songs, but it is built to build upon itself like the tower of babel, until by mid-song you can only be glad you’re there to experience it.
    ‘Thunder On The Mountain’ is fabulous, sung with Bob’s venomous mid-range voice. It might be the best song of the night, but picking out ‘bests’ here is pointless.
    Can’t leave early during the encore, lest you fall over your steep row of seats trying to leave sideways in the dark. I manage to snap a few photos as the encore ensues, since the ushers just want to show to wind down and quickly go away at this point. I would like to think they (the ushers) will appreciate this Dylan fellow by mid-week of this five-night run, amid their wasted years.

    What stands out is the band’s slavish devotion to Dylan; they have the slunken auras of resigned men who have have no other genuine interests in life other than to don the stage with Don Dylan. You know they'd take a bullet for him, and serve as his own personal bomb squad and human moving wall-shield, trudging up and down the streets of Beirut or Newark if they had to - standing between Bob and the anonymity of the apocalypse. They are the pallbearers of hope.
    Danny has gone from being a castoff from the set of Fargo to being the secret weapon. Not that he wasn’t always the secret weapon, he just wasn’t implemented as such. Here he’s come full circle from his original jack-o- all-bit-roles into the man with a purpose - adding color, the atmospheric scenery changes of fogs shifting upon the moors… which fit in perfect with the Parisian reveries and boater songs. The ambiance even spills over to the between-song changing of dimensional radio stations.
    Everything about Bob's performance is so smooth, like a radio dial that is a little ahead of itself. As for the styles, it’s as if Dylan threw a dart and it landed on 1957… All roads meet there and are fine with it. There’s a 17-year-old onstage living in Bob that is peaking out, fighting his curfew, and having lost his yearbook. I actually prefer this Dylan to the Rock-90s Bob that was guitaring it up on either side of Time Out Of Mind… He could play solo shows now with just plays piano and vocals if he wanted. He doesn’t really even need his band anymore (except to shield him from the apocalypse).

    Forget getting a cab. I wouldn’t take one if it was free. I filed out with the rest of the satisfied crowd, descending stairs and walking straight to the tube station on 72nd. One the 1 train local there’s a drunken lady and guy friend fresh from the concert - they’re talking about Joe Namath and Joe Frazier for no apparent reason pointing at advertisements of a line drawing, drunk and happy and a little stupid on purpose.
    The train leads straight down to 28th Street in a some short minutes… which turns out to be just a few blocks from my sister’s place. I suppose I should have listened to her instead of my aunt. But a crazy aunt will send you on a convoluted journey uptown for no reason. They wonder why I'm back so soon; it's only 10:45 pm; they don't want me to have gotten ripped off by that Dylan fellow. Tomorrow we have to drive south all day long towards Thanksgiving, by which time this show will be a distant, yet fond, memory.

    Previous Dylan show: Nov. 2016 #3549
    First Dylan show: July, 1987 #102

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Dave Gilmour's Cat

    Dave Gilmour's Cat Forum Resident

    Thanks, notesfrom, for your wonderful and detailed review.
     
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  7. C6H12O6

    C6H12O6 Senior Member

    Location:
    My lab
    I was at Wednesday's show myself, and yes it was EXCELLENT. I stopped going to Dylan shows for a while because the last one I went to was terrible, but I was going to be in NYC that day while everyone I know was going elsewhere for the holidays, and it had been a long while so I figured why not? Glad I went, it was easily one of the best shows I've been to. From the looks of it, he hasn't been mixing it up on this tour, just doing the same show over and over again, and at least for the Beacon shows, it looks like he played the same exact setlist (unlike Mavis who was also awesome). I think that may be the reason why these shows were so good, because compared to the last few shows I went to in years past, this was incredibly tight, focused and lively as hell. The band played MUCH better this time around, and Dylan was great at the piano. I heard some people complain about the same setlist, and I guess I would want to complain if I paid to see a bunch of shows only to have him do the same songs over and over again, but hey, I just went to one, so I lucked out. I couldn't believe how different everything sounded. I haven't listened to any of the boots of any shows in recent years, so I had no idea what arrangements he was doing now, but with a few exceptions almost everything was all-new arrangements to me, to the point where I felt like I was listening to brand new songs. Honestly, if he wrote new words to these same arrangements, he would have enough to make an album's worth of solid, all-new material.

    Oh, and Charlie Sexton was AWESOME. One great solo after another. These guys are seriously ready to cut a new album of originals, like NOW.
     
  8. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I used to think the novelty of an ever-changing setlist was the be-all end-all. And sure, it is awesome when you get something totally unexpected. But the reality with such an operation is that there are gonna be some duds. With a static setlist, the whole thing is well-oiled and ready to roll. Not a hint of trepidation.
     
  9. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    One or two different songs a night would be nice. Especially for the people that see him on consecutive nights.

    Throwing in the occasional 'Like A Rolling Stone' or 'Tambourine Man' would be tres cool at this point.
     
  10. tkl7

    tkl7 Agent Provocateur

    Location:
    Lewis Center, OH
    I was at Friday's show, and I agree he was on top of his game. Much better than last time I saw him.
     
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  11. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Agreed. I saw him do To Ramona in 2011. I had never even heard the song before, but I was instantly taken by it. Definitely a highlight of the night.
     
  12. zenarrow

    zenarrow Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wyoming
    Saw Dylan for the 2 night stand in Salt Lake City in Oct.
    Admittedly I had low expectations. The last time I saw him and his band was in 13 at the Americana tour with My Morning Jacket and Wilco. Both bands blew Dylan out of the water. Having to follow 2 great shows, coupled with the turmoil then with Charlie Sexton and Duke Robilard, the show fizzled.

    Charlie having left or ousted for improvising, I believe. So Duke took over for a while and same thing, Bob had his clamps on him, and soon Duke was out the door. So the shows at that time you weren't sure if you were going to get Duke or Charlie.
    Charlie thankfully for me was the guitarist at that show in Denver in June of 13. Still Bob had his piano center stage and really clanked it loudly and out of time I felt, especially when ever any band member tried to step up and bring a little life to the show. I am a big fan and have seen him 10 times and I was quite embarrassed after talking him up. Soon after the show began people started heading for the exits.


    So when I heard Bob and his band were going to be in SLC I figured close enough, these will be my last shows.
    But .... even though the setlist were the same both nights, they were 2 of the best shows I have seen from him. Don't know if Charlie and the band fell in line or bob loosened the reigns, but what ever they had worked and worked very well. I was aprehensive about the "crooner" songs but these turned out to be the best songs both nights. His voice was clear and the band was tight.
    We had 4th row seats the first night then side box seats the 2nd. I would recommend being a little further away from the stage, as he and his band stay quite a way back. Furthermore, the closer you are the less you see him behind his piano. Which, by some miracle his playing was super intense and spot on. If you are on the fence about seeing him, I hope I have persuaded you to go and see him. They are in top form.
     
  13. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Come on back to Tejas Bob.
     
  14. JudasPriest

    JudasPriest Forum Resident

    Based on the recordings, this could be the best leg in a long time. He actually sounds like he's getting younger and stronger
     
  15. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I saw the Americana tour too. It was the one night Beck was playing, filling in for My Morning Jacket. It was my first time seeing Beck, and I was excited, but he seemed a bit off, perhaps because he only had half of his band. I saw him again a week later with his full band and that was much better. Still, Dylan's set that night had a whiff of "auto-pilot."

    Interesting that you found the crooner songs the best. I think I might say that for the 2016 show I saw. Not to knock the standards that he did perform this time around, but I might have preferred if he had swapped a few out. I would have loved to see him do Stormy Weather or What'll I Do. That said, Once Upon A Time was a highlight of the show. And for all of the songs, he really lets the band sink their teeth into the numbers.
     
  16. zenarrow

    zenarrow Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wyoming
    We saw beck the next year I believe in Salt Lake, and it was a $5 show. I remember them saying Once you leave you will not be allowed back in, and will be asked to pay another $5 for re-admittance. It was at an outdoor park Downtown SLC, that was the most intense concert I have ever saw. The crowd was insane, SLC yeah I know. But between every song Beck had to beg the crowd to try and stop pushing forward. Me and my daughter were in the 2nd row, and it was too scary. After he started playing loser, like 5 songs in, I decided to have my daughter pulled from the crowd. It was a fun night but I am too old for that stuff. Hahaha
     
  17. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    I've seen him twice in standing room general admission settings and, as high energy as both shows were, they were not nearly that intense! And also more expensive than $5...
     
  18. zenarrow

    zenarrow Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wyoming
    It was like a city concert series, where they just wanted to promote Downtown. So I am sure Beck was paid a pre determined amount. Bit so many people..... A band I had never heard of opened for him though, and now I am quite a fan of theirs, Future Islands. Quite impressed with the lead singer.
     
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  19. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    I saw the second Beacon show last week, and yeah. Dylan and his band are a well-oiled machine. So tight, so controlled, and yet - so on fire!

    For me, as great as Thunder On The Mountain was, the highlight was Once Upon A Time, which Dylan has simply stolen from Tony Bennett. Love & Theft, indeed!

    The old guy next to me did not have nearly as good a time, having clearly marched in with the attitude that the crooning should never commence, much less reappear every other song, or so. The poor sod would hold his head in agony every time! He reminded me of the hippy dude immortalised in Eat The Document whose rage over the electric tunes knew no bounds.

    I felt sorry for him, cluelessness being a mighty infliction. But, not much.
     
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  20. zenarrow

    zenarrow Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wyoming
    I think it funny when I talk to someone who is going to their first show, and they are expecting Dylan to come out with an acoustic guitar and sit in a chair. And sing The Times that are a Changing, along with other protest songs.

    Or this one, takes the cake. We went to London back in 2015 to see David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall.

    Talking to a local about shows we seen before the concert, I mentioned how great Dylan was now a days. He agreed and said that he was going to go see him soon and how impressed he was with the "band" Dylan had. I was like yeah, Charlie Freakin Sexton is a Beast on the guitar and kinda is a draw himself. The guy shrugged his shoulders, and literally said he had "never heard of the bloke" I was like you are in for a good show my friend.
    He then started talking about how he hoped they played the song The Wait.... I was like, Hmmm never heard of it. He kinda dismissed me after that.

    Then like an hour later it dawned on me, The Weight by The Band. Not the Wait, and not Dylan and his band, had a good laugh with my wife who still didn't understand. Boy that guy was in for a shocking experience.
     
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  21. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    The "old guy" and the "hippy dude" MIGHT be the same fellow! It's possible.
     
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  22. revolution_vanderbilt

    revolution_vanderbilt Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Well, Dylan did play The Weight a few times on the Americanarama tour. And lately, Mavis has been doing The Weight in her set. But yeah, that guy had no idea what he was in for!
     
  23. Dark Horse 77

    Dark Horse 77 A Parliafunkadelicment Thang

    I have to say after seeing Bob in Philadelphia for the 9th time that his vocal chords have either somehow gotten some new life from the different way of singing all the old standards or he had some sort of surgery. I saw him last summer and I noticed right away how much smoother he sounded and he sounded even better this time. The pacing was really great as Bob & Co. left maybe ten seconds at most between songs. I'm definitely looking forward to what he puts out next.
     
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  24. adamos

    adamos Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southeastern PA
    I was at the Saturday night Philly show and really liked it too. It’s interesting about the pacing; I actually thought that the gaps between songs were too short - I needed a little more time to process each one. In some ways it almost felt like they were trying to get through the setlist as fast as they could. But regardless I had a great time and I’m really glad I went.
     
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  25. Dark Horse 77

    Dark Horse 77 A Parliafunkadelicment Thang

    I caught the Sunday show and thought Bob & The Band were great. Would you agree about his vocals being much improved?
     
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