November 6, 2014
Review by Rod Peck
It had been 18 months since Terri and I had last seen Dylan perform and for a
year of that time I had hosted my own radio segment on him, thereby
broadening my knowledge of, and changing my relationship to, the artist.
These factors and a few others were on my mind as the concert approached.
Last time we had seen him was during the short-lived Duke Robillard era, which
I was happy with because before that I had grown tired of guitarist Charlie
Sexton's visible dissatisfaction with his role in the band. I for one was
disappointed when it was announced that Duke's tenure with Dylan was going
to be short-lived. Off the top, I'm glad that Charlie seems to have accepted
that what Dylan wants from him is to stand in his spot and play some tastefully
understated guitar licks. Charlie did nothing at all Thursday night to draw
attention to himself except play his axe well, as a sideman should.
Now, as for the concert itself, I can say this customer was very satisfied with
the show and the rest of the crowd was very enthusiastic as well. Our seats
were near the rear on the floor and we had binoculars that enabled us to see
Dylan's facial expressions quite well and there is no doubt he was totally
engaged and relishing every minute of being onstage. It was a joy to see him
having such fun with his music. Another aspect of the night I enjoyed was the
simple fact that the show was held in a small Vaudeville theatre from the '20s
that was packed tight for the third night in a row. Last time we had seen him
was at the Assembly Hall in Champaign, IL and the crowd at the Orpheum
would have fit into a tiny corner of that basketball arena. Not only is a theatre
much more aesthetically pleasing, but being in a packed house is obviously more
fun than one that is only a fraction of the way filled. Let's hope he stays away
from basketball arenas from now on.
I'd like to address some complaints I hear from time-to-time about Dylan's
shows. Some people are disappointed that he doesn't stick to a greatest hits
format; I say be glad he doesn't and in fact I am happy for him that he has
such enthusiasm for material he created late in life that he feels comfortable
building his show on these songs instead of singing nothing but songs he wrote
as a young man. I agree that I wish he would do an acoustic set again, but he
doesn't and there is no use in complaining about it. Same with playing the
piano and not playing guitar at all, Bob proved long ago that he is going to do
what he wants and just like the folkies at Newport who booed him for going
electric, we now must accept that this is what he's into at this time and he's
never going to worry about trying to meet anyone's expectations; if he did he
wouldn't be Dylan. I am reminded of the recent comment by Jeff Tweedy of
Wilco concerning whether Dylan ever does anything simply to please the masses;
Tweedy nailed it by saying "Dylan has zero fucks to give about that." You may
say "yeah, but if he doesn't do what I like, I don't have to go see him." Which,
of course, is true, but for me I'm happy that a true living legend of such great
historical importance is still on the road, headin' for another joint, coming to a
theatre near you. One of these days he won't be out there anymore and I'm
going to go see him every chance I get! The man is a national treasure and I'm
not taking him for granted.
And finally, I have to address "the voice." I wish I had a dollar for every time I
heard someone say "oh his voice is gone" or "he's a worse singer than ever" and
this is absolute silliness. His voice ripped a huge hole in my heart from beginning
to end! Of course, it is true he'll never be an opera star, but that doesn't matter
because he doesn't give a shit about opera. Among serious Dylan fans, it is
strongly believed that the raspy old blues singer voice he sings with now is
exactly what he wanted it to sound like all along. In fact, the voice he sang with
50 years ago was basically an affectation of the folk and blues singers he admired.
Back in 1963, and not yet 22, in the liner notes of his second album, The
Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, he told critic Nat Hentoff that "I don't carry myself yet
the way that Big Joe Williams, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Lightnin' Hopkins
have carried themselves. I hope to be able to some day, but they're older
people. I sometimes am able to do it, but it happens, when it happens,
unconsciously. You see, in time, with those old singers, music was a tool-a way
to live more, a way to make themselves feel better at certain points. As for me,
I can make myself feel better sometimes, but at other times, it's still hard to go
to sleep at night." In 2014 and well into his 70s, Dylan is able to carry himself as
his heroes did; his voice has become an authentic tool of a great blues singer
and this is an awesome sound to behold, but to be sure, it ain't for wimps,
weanies, wussies or pussies.
Finally, Terri and I usually travel to these events by ourselves and usually meet
up with some friends at the venue. However, last year I met a fellow Dylan
fanatic who lives in our neck of the woods and so we all decided to travel
together for this trip and it was quite a fun experience. From the time we got
to his house on Thursday morning until we got back Friday afternoon, it was all
Bobtalk all the time heh heh. Thanks for being part of the experience, Pat. :
11/11/14 followup:
Ever since Terri and I saw Bob Dylan perform at the Orpheum Theatre in
Minneapolis last Thursday night, I have been struggling to get my head
around all my thoughts and feelings I have from what was a truly
transcendent evening. First and foremost, I reached a new level of
understanding about the greatness of the latter-day Bob, and being the
passionate person that I am, I wish everyone could have heard what I heard
that night through my ears. I am fond of using the word I invented to
describe such events, the “Bobpiphany.” Now, I realize that most people
have more practical things than music (careers, family, those type of
things heh heh) which they devote their lives to and that not everyone can
be a hard-core Bob Dylan fan, but it is my firm belief that it is
important for any lover of music to take in a Dylan concert whenever
possible, and hopefully be able to appreciate him as he is now.
Grateful Dead scholar, publicist and Garcia biographer
Dennis McNally recently released a fascinating study of American music and
its impact on our culture and society titled “On Highway 61: Music, Race,
and the Evolution of Cultural Freedom.” He ties up his thesis and
research with statements like “Bob Dylan would ultimately become the
greatest artist of this tradition” and “it all came together in the story
of Bob Dylan, whose music had at least as many black sources as white, and
who returned to the black-white fusion that is rock ‘n’ roll as his career
matured, and whose songs, whether overtly political or more personal and
even surreal, always concerned freedom.” The idea that Bob Dylan is the
greatest American musical artist of our time is not something I dreamed up
by myself; it is a widely held belief shared by many people who care
deeply about such matters.
One of the most amazing aspects of Dylan is that he keeps on
keepin’ on, not just in touring but in creating new Bob Dylans, and this
leads to a lot of misunderstanding about his present self. Just the other
day a lady at a checkout counter told me “I saw Bob Dylan and it was
disappointing because he didn’t sing ‘Lady Lady Lady’ like he did on the
record.” Sorry, ma’am, Dylan ain’t no oldies act, that’s for reunion tours
by the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. In 2006 Dylan set a record for being the
oldest artist to hit #1 on the album charts with Modern Times, then he
topped that record in 2009 when “Together Through Life” accomplished the
same feat. The setlist of this performer supposedly tied to the '60's is
75% songs he has written since 1997......Amazing! It is true that even I
wish he’d at least do a short acoustic set or at least play some guitar in
his current shows, but he doesn’t consult me or anyone else. The thing is,
since the beginning, even before he went electric at Newport in ’65, Bob
Dylan is who he is in the moment, and he cares not about anyone’s
expectations. As Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy recently said “Dylan has zero fucks
to give about that.” Dylan does as he wants, as any great and true artist
will, it’s up to us to keep up with him.
So, these are my thoughts on the current state of Dylanology
and the Never-Ending-Tour. It’s my sincere hope that someone here among
you will not only be inspired to go out and see the great Dylan perform
soon but be ready to appreciate him as he is. The Dylan of the early ‘60s,
and the mid-60s, and the mid-70s and so on were all just phases, and when
he’s done with that one, he makes up another other side of Bob Dylan. Now,
in 2014 at age 73, he’s the rambling old man who sings the blues in a deep
and raspy voice that Rolling Stone once called “a sinister, rusted-muffler
growl.” I’m glad he’s still on the road, headin’ for another joint!
Rod Peck
Muscatine, IA.
Maggiesfarm99@hotmail.com
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