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| Bob Dylan concert review |  |
There were a lot of good things about Dark. Some very pleasing things can happen in the Dark. But there are things in the Dark that are hidden, yet real. Therefore, God gave us the gift of The Blues. And He saw that it was good. The Blues gave comfort to those who listened to it and God flowed through those who played it. But God, being a loving God, thought it needed a little something more. So, He gave us the gift of Poetry. Even God was a little surprised at the rage and the sorrow that came with the beauty of Poetry. But so intertwined were they, He could not separate them. But He saw that it was good, too. So God then decided to flip the switch and plug it in. And thus He gave us the gift of Rock. And God saw that it was very good and He was well pleased. The forces of evil have tried to pervert God’s good gifts. Sometimes they have taken the form of Michael Bolton, Celine Dion, High School Musical and anything Country and/or Western but as the Scriptures say, “The Lord turneth away and said, ‘Thou doth suck. Yea, verily.’” Friday night at the Les Schwab Amphitheatre in Bend, Oregon, saw the righteous prevail. Most verily. Bob Dylan performed after The Dough Rollers and John Mellencamp opened. It was very good and all were well pleased. It had the feel of a worship and adoration service. Despite the decision by the Overly-Tall People Convention to move in front of the less-vertically endowed in rows 5 and back the moment Mr. Dylan took the stage, the evening was of unforgettable music. Some were overcome by it all screaming “Dylan!” or “Bobby!” or even “(extremely bad word)-ing Bob Dylan!” repeatedly. And they each seemed to really mean it. The short show of one hour and 40 minutes went without break from song to song but was anything but mechanical. Set list? We don’t need no stinkin’ set list. Every Dylan concert is unique and each seems to be less of a performance and more of a jam session that coincidentally has thousands of people in attendance. The band of Tony Garnier on bass, George Recile on drums, Stu Kimball on rhythm guitar, Charlie Sexton on lead guitar and Donnie Herron on electric mandolin, pedal steel guitar and lap steel guitar never took their eyes off the master and kept us all under his spell. Bob Dylan himself played lead several times as well as rhythm guitar, keyboards and, of course, to the great delight of the swooning crowd, harp. He even…smiled. More than once. Really. Despite the legend of the gruff and rugged Poet Laureate of Rock and Roll and the strict security against taking photos of the concert and even more extreme reluctance to give any kind of interview, Mr. Dylan seemed to really be enjoying himself in Bend, Oregon. He encouraged his congregation to sing along during Just Like a Woman and Highway 61 Revisited and the faithful did respond. Most verily. Somehow though, through a trick of the light, the influence of the most awesome of moon rises (with the help of local wildfires) or the simple verity of it all, the stage lights seemed to only cast the shadow of Bob Dylan on the back wall of the stage. It was vibrant and startling how different the shade appeared compared to the other people in the band. How was it done? Does it matter? Not really, because all of Classic Rock owes that much to the influence of Bob Dylan. Unless the music pays homage in one form or another to the roots of The Blues and Bob Dylan, odds are it will suck. And suck verily. Friday night’s show rocked and rolled through fourteen songs and it was only the area curfew that cut it that short. Just one question that matters can be asked after a Bob Dylan concert, though. How did it feel? It felt very good. Most verily.
Set List Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 (Everybody Must Get Stoned) Positively 4th Street Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again Just Like a Woman Honest with Me Spirit on the Water Cold Irons Bound Simple Twist of Fate Highway 61 Revisited Love Sick Thunder on the Mountain Ballad of a Thin Man Encores: Jolene Like a Rolling Stone Edited version of this review is up at: http://classicrock.about.com/b/2010/09/14/in-concert-bob-dylan.htm
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