Why do you go see Dylan in concert at this point?

His voice is shot, he doesn't play much that is recognizable to most, and is he even playing an instrument?
Are people going simply because he's bob Dylan or is there more to the show than that?
I wouldn't mind seeing him before it's too late.

 

I have seen BD in concert 50+ times since 1978 and have rarely been disappointed. I like his current set list, the shows in 2013 and 2014 were the best since 2007 and he has a great band. Don't you dare miss it! Who know how long more we will get to see him.

 

He still plays harp and (typically) keyboards. But he is a true living legend, and there aren't too many of those left.

That's reason enough, IMO.

 

went last november and it was sublime

 

Dylan live 2013. Sounds like someone mumbling in their sleep.

 

A "better quality" video.

 

I wouldn't go if that's how you feel, you'd be wasting your money. I go because I want to be entertained, and I always am.

 

Because he probably scribbled out the whole Modern Times Lp on a cocktail napkin...over a weekend. That's why. Let's see swift and Bieber do that?

 

I've seen him probably 30 times and it is pretty hit-and-miss. I went last time he was here because I had free tix and the first six songs in his setlist were among my favorites. It was bad to the point where I don't want to go again -- just keep my memories. His shows in 2000 and 2001 were among the best I've seen from anyone.

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bob-d...phitheatre-greenwood-village-co-53c6f7fd.html

 

Why do you go see Dylan in concert at this point?

Cause you have tickets?

 

This may not be much of an answer, but because he's Bob ******' Dylan!

 

i saw im in '05. i was towards the back and most of the set i didnt recognize, but i was happy i went just to be in the room with a music legend.

 

He still is an amazing performer. Those who complain about his voice miss the point entirely.

 

Because they want to? Not sure how one should answer such an obvious question.

I have no desire to see Dylan in concert myself, but for those that do then have at it. As long as you enjoy the concert, that's all that matters.

 

This is why I saw him a couple of years ago (and why I went to a Lou Reed concert, even when he was promoting Lulu). That said, I've seen him a couple of times and I don't have much interest in seeing Dylan in concert again. The shows I saw were quite good, but I don't have a compelling reason to see him another time.

 

Because I can.

 

Because he's the guy who created "Bring It All Back Home".

 

Loyalty more than anything else. I've seen Dylan live about 18 times since 1990, in 4 different countries and in multiple venues. He's always been uneven, I've seen him go from sublime to train wrecking some classic and vice versa. He remains unique.

I have to say the last twice I've seen him he's been pretty weak-I also hear he pulled out great gigs shortly afterward-which doesn't surprise me.

In general terms he is in decline, at his age I don't think you can expect too much else. I frankly didn't understand the current set up of the last UK tour where everything was stripped back and the band seemed to be totally secondary-Dylan has used his band to superb effect over the years utilising their ability to give him the support and room to shine-Dylan as the total focal point last UK tour for me seemed incomprehensible. The few moments the gig was close to taking off he fumbled and threw the band.

I agree with the gent above who states 2000 as being a special year that's my favourite Dylan gig although the event of seeing Dylan at the Glasgow Barrowlands was a once in a lifetime moment.

He is Bob Dylan but I think all the signs are unless he pulls another rabbit out of the hat (and that that man does have a 60 acre farm full of such rabbits) then I don't see it going on for too much longer........

 

I think Dylan will die in the saddle: his proudest boast is that he's made a living from making music. He can't/won't give it up.

 

Ive seen Bob 12 times. There is a difference in hearing his voice live in a venue that is acoustically pleasing rather than some youtube clip. Im not saying Bobs voice isnt now shot for the most part, but I am saying that it can be at times an incredible sound.

When the band is clicking and riffing off of each other, the drummer providing the space and Bob putting his quirks and phrasing in the right spots there is a certain magic that happens. Hes been, been around and is a part of this peculiar mercurial sound for so long now that its like an old mulberry tree with deep rings.

Why do I go? To experience those few moments of art and creativity that outdo mosts entire concerts.

I went to a concert in Dallas in 2005(?) and he played "Sugar Baby". It had this whispered ringing quality that just made you feel you werent just listening but were a part of the sound. I just laid my head back and stared at the ceiling feeling the notes play up in the rafters. One of the most beautiful sounds Ive ever heard. The entire concert, to me, was worth that one song.

Now, I will say that I havent been in a few years and I know that his voice is even less now. Still, from what I understand, there are those moments you close your eyes and the whole process just washes over you.

No one plays Dylan like Dylan, then or now.

 

I saw him in 2003 (or 2002?) at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and then at his stand alone show in some auditorium in NO. I have to say, I wasn't impressed at all. His band was the tops, but he was really screwing with the arrangements of his songs. My friends and I actually started laughing at one point because we couldn't get over his audacity on stage, him mangling his songbook. I swore off of live Dylan until last year. I went in with low expectations, plus I knew what the entire setlist was going to be because he played the same one three nights in a row in Oakland, and I hit the last night. Of course, I think he played the same setlist the whole tour maybe, or pretty near it. Anyway, I came out of that show pretty happy. I saw him do a straight version of "Simple Twist of Fate", and that was worth the price of admission as far as I'm concerned. He did "Tangled Up In Blue" but, again, he did a very different arrangement from the original.

I'd go again though. Freakin' Bob Dylan.

 

I don't plan on seeing Dylan in St. Louis, but at least in this internet age you know what to expect.
I wouldn't go and see Brian Wilson because if he was having a bad day I'd be nervous and think that he really didn't want be there anyway.

 

I've seen ol'Bob as many times as I can since 1974 (thanks David Geffen) and when Bob is on, no one can touch him, when he's not is not. I've seen shows where the first 1/3 was a waste and the rest so sublime.

Why go see him because he is Bob Dylan.

 

I think Bob is vastly underrated as a bandleader. He's got a fantastic band, and he gives them plenty of room to stretch out, while having them dialed in incredibly tightly. Any fan of ace musicianship in general should go, and just ignore the old guy mumbling up front.

Kidding. I actually love contemporary Bob, and never miss a chance to see him. He's sly, funny, and still has charisma to burn. He writes pretty decent songs too.

But that's the thing. More than the decline in his voice, I think the major gating factor for most people's enjoyment of the show is how you feel about his albums from 1997 (Time Out of Mind) forward. The current setlist is heavily weighted in that direction.

Here's the one from a couple of nights ago. I've highlighted the songs from the 1963-1996. I may have missed one or two, but there ain't too many of 'em.

• Things Have Changed

• She Belongs To Me

• Beyond Here Lies Nothin'

• Workingman's Blues #2

• Duquesne Whistle

• Waiting For You

• Pay In Blood

• Tangled Up In Blue

• Love Sick

• High Water (For Charley Patton)

• Simple Twist Of Fate

• Early Roman Kings

• Forgetful Heart

• Spirit On The Water

• Scarlet Town

• Soon After Midnight

• Long And Wasted Years

• Blowin' In The Wind

• Stay With Me (from Shadows in the Night!)

Me, I listen to his last five albums more than the rest put together and multiplied by six, so this playlist suits me fine. I could actually live without "She Belongs to Me" and "Blowin' In The Wind" in favor of more recent tunes. (I'm never going to complain about too many songs from Blood on the Tracks, though.)

So there it is. If you're NOT looking for a show that's almost entirely Time Out of Mind forward, his voice will be the least of your issues, imo.

I AM looking for a show that's almost entirely post-Time Out of Mind, so his voice is the least of my issues too. I'll never miss a chance to see him. If there's such a thing as "reliably exceptional," Bob is it. I never fail to have an outstanding time.