it was a foggy night, one hell of a foggy night but the light was there somewhere. we just had to drive and i was in charge. yes, sir-re-Bob. the chick was the driver. freaky. yes because the dudes car called an m3 or 3mbmw or something like that caught fire in his drive way the previous night. a verry weird occurence to say the least. so i was the captian of the ship. never panic was the call. i can handle it. So we hopped in the Coupe De Ville and off we were. you just relax, and enjoy the show. was my motto to the first mate. So we ventured off to the show after some vittles, and brews. i knew it was a matter of time before he could keep still, and he wouldn't shut-up during the whole show. shut up! shut up! these controling men in my life can only control so much. " trust me" i said quietly. "i'll get you to the show on time" TeeeHHeeee. The incence wer lit.the guitar tech tuned all the guitars,and the show had begun before we knew what hit us! Bob was in White tonight. OOOH Momma! What a sight! any way, Maggie's Farm was the opener, but "I'll remember You" just shook the daylights out of me. brought me to tears, i mean that. tears! my dear sweet Friend. I'll remember you. HIghway 61 was "Kickin'!" The wipe out gang blew the roof of the place. The dude with me was busy takin walks and gettin beers, and talkin a lot. i'm trying to tell him i,ll listen to you anytime, but right now i would like to listen to what Bob has to say. Thank You. ok "Accicdnetly Like A Marytr" Bob and the Boys' did with so much feel to it.it moved my soul. Things have Changed wiped everyother person off their seats. I turned around and everyone was up. Everyone! The Place was COOKIN'! Brown Sugar was meltin all over the place. Sorry, Mick. Better than you guys. Bob knows how to build a fire. Then.... Never Gonna Be the Same Again just lifted me off the floor. I tell you no lies. This Man is Magic. "Never Gonna Be the Same Again" was breathtaking, yes, tearful, sad, as though he was resently hurt by a loved one. He could have looked into the soul of any one of us tonight. .....You give me something to think about, baby....Don't worry, You taught me how to love, You taught me,oh,so well." Thank you dear sweet Bob. After this song was over, some dude came over to me and said "Thank You" to me. Whhattt!! "i think he was singing to you, lady"Oh, dear. Do you really think so. "Man, He was lookin' right at ya!" oh, dear. silly boy. "It's Alright, Ma" was as straight as can be. "That he not busy being born, Is busy dying." Then, Girl from the North Country" was the brightness of my day. (being i had a particually shitty day, but that's another story.) Sooo Sweet. One question, Bob. Why are you so good to us? On with the review. The Band had great fun with this one as did the audience. We were feeding off of each others feelings but They controlled it. in a good way, with Cold Irons Bound. Shelter from the Storm was so inviting. "Come in, she said. I give ya shelter.... from the Storm" Warm. This man had the place in a frenzy! I love Neil Young and I love this song. Love to play it myself. Bob and his Greatest Band in the Land is serving it up so well. Back to the keys for "Honest with Me" and then " Just Like a Woman"! Oh MY GOD! ok. i can't stay in here ain't it clear that- I just can't quit... i guess you had to be there. i wish you all were there. "HIghwater( for Charlie Patton) had me dancin like, well pretty girls like to dance. The way Bob does Warren's Mutineer is done with the utmost respect. A Great Song. Grab your coat, let's get out of here. Bye and Bye had the crowd in a sway but the meaning of it seem a bit unclear. I've listened to this song over and over and one person explained it somewhat to me, which made it seem sinister in a way. Wanna show you how loyal and true a man can be. An eye opener. "Summer Days" ! Well Summer Days may be gone but, it's tremendously hot in the venues. I couldn't help myself. I turned around and no one else in the place was standing still either. The Place was-a-JUMPIN' !!! Everyone was Smilin! Bob. Charlie. Larry. Tony. the Drummer. Good Drumming by the way. The Crowd. Smiles everywhere. Blowin' in the Wind, and All Along the Watchtower were melt down for everyone. i wish i had better writing skills to discribe this show, in a simpler way,but i'm no Mr. Brown. Just a simple country gal who will probably be at the next show in this neck of the wood. If he cares to come back here. Please Do, Bob. You are always welcome to come here. As i took my first mate home, he kept saying to me. "I love you mary, man, i'm gonna tell your husband he has the best wife in the world." Silly boys. mary dierwolf@msn.com
The first time Bob Dylan played the once upon a coal mining town of Wilkes-Barre, PA was just a little over 10 years ago, November 1st to be exact, at a fairly small theater called the Kirby Center. That was back in the wondering what was going to happen days of the Never Ending Tour when he was just starting to get back whatever it was had seemingly vanished the previous year. Two songs that night stick out in my mind because of Dylan's guitar playing, "Don't Think Twice" and "Watching The River Flow." Things have changed a lot since then. An annoying rain was falling after an annoying ride through Philadelphia which for some undetermined reason seemed mired in traffic in the middle of the afternoon and just as we hit the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, one of the worst roads ever built, the rain started and it was the kind of rain that required constant switching of wiper speeds from slow to fast to intermittent and back again. And it was also the kind of rain that got the roads just wet enough for good hydroplaning action and never wet enough to get any real speed happening. The First Union Center was right off the interstate so we never had to actually go into Wilkes-Barre proper and instead went on a wild goose chase in search of our restaurant meeting place passing endless malls, MacDonald's and Home Depots. Of course the restaurant was where it was supposed to be right around the corner from the arena. We finally arrived at the arena minutes before the scheduled show time to find it nowhere near full though by the end of the night floor revealed few empty seats. After the announcement, Dylan appeared in a grey suit that turned white as soon as the stage lights went on, and went right into a "Maggie's Farm" that seemed every bit as strong as the one six days before in Philly. He seemed a bit looser than he had at the big city shows, New York and Philly, his left leg never touching the ground for most of the song, and on the last verse really emphasizing the line "I get bored." The second song, "I'll Remember You," was something of a surprise and this was probably the best version I've seen Dylan do, free of the extra excesses of the album. A charged up "Highway 61 Revisited" came next with superb guitar from Charlie Sexton, playing a blue Telecaster. For whatever reason, my seats were at the perfect angle to really watch what Sexton (who stood out all night) was doing, and his first solo was reminiscent of Robbie Robertson - not what Robertson played on the song on Tour '74, but what Robertson might have played if the song were performed in '65 or '66. One of the things that makes Sexton particular interesting is the way he alternates between fingerpicking and using a flat pick in the same song, and sometimes during a solo. Larry Campbell took the second solo, which was a bit more refined, but just as exciting. Then came the night's transcendent moment, the one song I'd been hoping to see, "Accidentally Like Martyr," and it was beautiful, Dylan singing with real care, watching his vocal and watching the band as well, and putting everything he had in him on the table when he sang the line, "time out of mind." "Things Have Changed" kept the momentum going, and again Dylan was really putting out, almost shouting out, "all hellllllllll to break loose," then "jitterbug RAG" and then on the last verse, "I used to care, YESSS, but things have changed." "Brown Sugar" may have been the most fun version of the four shows I saw, and Dylan was clearly having fun especially on the line "How come you taste so good." Then came another sort of surprise, "Never Gonna Be The Same Again," and I started wondering when was the last time Dylan did two songs from "Empire Burlesque" in the same night, and also wondering if he'd been told about the not-so-complimentary thread on the album on RMD. Every once in a while these things happen. In any case, it was the arrangement of the song he's been pulling out ever since Worcester, but where the one in Worcester seemed constantly in danger of imminent collapse this one held together a bit better. There was one lyric change in the song (I think on the last verse) where he sang the line, "Your touch was like a baby/Your heart broke like the wind." Then it was back to the piano for an "It's Alright Ma," that was good but did not have the anger or the nastiness that was quite present in New York and Philly. In fact, the political implications and overtones of those shows were barely present in Wilkes-Barre. A rather exquisite "Girl From the North Country Followed," but unfortunately it served as a cue for the chatterers to start chattering and the beer drinkers to get up and get beer and food. "Cold Irons Bound," came next and again Sexton really stood out, this time playing a black Epiphone hollow body, and then it was back to acoustics for "Shelter From the Storm," which started out pretty strongly. However Dylan sang the "Silver bracelets on your wrists" verse twice in a row, and totally flubbed his cue for the repeat of the first verse, but did play a rather awesome two verse harp solo, but he did make the line "if only I could TURN BACK THE CLOCK" stand out wonderfully. From then on the rest of the show was, well, a show on this tour, which means pretty damn good. Of the cover songs I've seen, "Old Man" just seems too much like a cover. "Just Like A Woman" cried out for a harp solo that didn't happen, and Dylan's two-verse guitar solo never found what he was looking for. "High Water" was interesting because Dylan was putting more emphasis on the actual verses rather than the "rough out there," "bad out there" parts, as in "Water pourin' into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm gonna doooooooo." "Mutineer" again was just beautiful, and if there's one song on this tour, that seems to truly be the special moment and performed well consistently, this is it. Dylan has truly made it his own. "Bye and Bye" on the other hand never really seemed to get going and it felt like it should have been done earlier in the set. "Honest with Me" found Dylan rushing through the first part of each line, barely making it fit only to stretch it out at the end and considering he's done this song every show, at one point he totally blew a verse, but ultimately it didn't matter. "Summer Days" didn't seem to have the energy, particularly in Dylan's vocal of the other versions I saw on this tour and only took off when they hit the guitar solo. While Wilkes-Barre did not have the emotional intensity of New York and Philly, in some ways it was more of a fun show, and the energy level stayed higher for a longer period. There is no doubt in my mind that Dylan made a smart move in revamping the show and switching to keyboards for many of the songs. And of course throughout this tour there have been surprises, big and small. Hopefully the rumors surrounding this tour are just that - rumors. If there's one change that's needed, it's that the pacing of the setlists with the switching from electric to acoustic to piano needs to be refined. At times, for all the shows I saw there were parts particularly later in the sets where things dragged when they shouldn't have and songs that should have been high points were just okay. Outside the arena, the rain had stopped, but started up the minute we hit the PA Turnpike for downhill ride to Philly. And in Philadelphia where today the mayor announced a projected a $612 million budget deficit and the loss of a couple of thousand city jobs, a hard rain was falling.
Great show! Bob and Band were great. P.A. sound and acoustics of a probably less than half-filled hall (what's going on Wilkes-Barre?) were no where near as good as Philadelphia - 11/15/02 show. Well, at least where I was seated. The floor seats may have received better sound. Very attentive and appreciative crowd. Sat between two families, which always makes me happy to see young people at Dylan shows. Selfishly would have liked something other than "Maggie's Farm to open, since that's what opened Philadelphia, but one of the other thrills in my life...my daughter, is named Maggie...so I'll take it. I'll Remember You was a nice surprise and done well. Highway 61 never fails whether barnstorming or driving ahead with a mission, like tonight's version. I was hoping to hear Accidentally Like A Martyr or Carrying A Torch, and knew one should show up. Accidentally Like A Martyr sounded good, though I think some of the booming sound took some of the sweet touch out of it. Things Have Changed and he makes no mistake in letting you know. Never Gonna Be The Same had the pauses, which I liked. Nice guitar from Bob during the silence, though this time it was an acoustic and I believe during the summer he played an electric guitar for this. People screamed when he sang for them to. Brown Sugar did not get the whole crowd reaction it got last week in Philadelphia where 20,000 stood in unison within' the first five seconds of the song, but it still sounded strong. It's Alright, Ma had some more purposeful stops in it than I remember from Philadelphia and the music and words fit together the way they should. Girl From North Country, Shelter From The Storm and Just Like A Woman were all treated very tenderly and seemed to be appreciated by the attentive audience. At the beginning of GFNC I heard a lady in front of me say he's whispering which had most paying attention except for a group of chatterboxes taking up a few rows directly in front and to the right of me. Very soft and captivating take on this song. Shelter From The Storm was extra nice especially when we were treated to the only harp solo of the night which eventually made it's way to a nice country sounding end. Before we got Shelter, we were Cold Irons Bound and it may have been lukewarm. I am partial to being blown off my feet when I first heard the start/stop version at Stanhope in July 2000. I was happy to hear the crisp version of Old Man, as it wasn't played last week in Philadelphia. Honest With Me and Highwater, like Things Have Changed, once again showed the wonderful songs Bob has created during the past couple years, and how even his new songs can change a bit. It would be hard to not be a fan of these songs even if tonight, or any of these nights, were the first time you heard these songs. I'm not positive, but instead of "it's rough, tough out there", I could have sworn I heard "it's safe, tough out there" once. Mutineer again is touching and I hope the "let's get out of here" line isn't part of the reason it's been a fixture in the setlist. Bye and Bye was a first for me, nothing spectacular as far as I could tell, and meant soon we would be saying bye. Of course as with Mutineer I hope none of these lines are suppose to be telling us something. One of the families earlier mentioned were at the show because it was the thirteen year old guitar playing son's idea. I had binocular's with me and sent them this kid's way most of the night as I think he was amazed by Larry, Charlie and the amount of instruments passing through their hands. In fact, I heard a lot of comments from people before the show about the amound of guitars surrounding the stage. Anyway, Summer Days was one of the many guitar treats for this kid to experience. It was a great version that as usual kept going. Charlie once again kicked George's cymbals and I think Tony not only did the hurt his back thing, but basically did a prat fall that had him almost on the ground and Larry cracking up. The band did seem to have lots of fun throughout the night and smiles were on the stage a lot. Both of the two song that made up the encore were not anti-climatic to me as others have expressed from previous shows. Blowin' In The Wind prompted the couple of the other family next to me, who had their seven or so year old daughter with them, to have a special moment. I remember how pre-9/11 we would usually be sent away with the wist of hope that something Blowin' In The Wind might make things better. Now we are told we better keep lookout from the Watchtower. I'd say this was a very enjoyable show with a different setlist for me. Philadelphia seem to have a little bit of an audience energy edge and better P.A./acoustic sound. This show was great to sit back and soak it all in. It looked like the floor was into it and standing up the whole time. Bob acknowledged those up front a lot and Charlie also gave those close to the stage a couple appreciative gestures and tributes while playing. Hope next time to not have some of the side view cable and floor mounted obstructions that don't block everything, but slightly get in the way. For some people those floor monitors on the side corners of the stage must totally block their view of Bob, Tony and who knows what else. Actually, I should probably just hope that there is a next time. Thanks Bob! It's always such a special treat!! Nick dnroseto@aol.com
A Dylan Diary, Wilkes-Barre November 22, Wilkes-Barre-This was my final Dylan concert this tour in my (personally) unprecedented eight concerts in 13 days. What can I say? I greeted it with a mixture of sadness and accomplishment. It was more difficult than I thought driving up and down the East Coast, and it gave me some measure of how difficult it must be for Bob to do it over a period of months. Touring, I now realize, is not all fun and games. The traveling is exhausting, and there's the additional pressure of an audience and critics to appease. I used to note that Dylan sometimes has off nights; now, I understand why. Additionally, I've now confirmed from more than one source a rumor that this is Dylan's last tour for a while, if not permanently. Personally, I think that this tour has been Dylan's best ever, but it would be just like him to confound his critics and go out while on top. I thought I could see his exhaustion on the stage tonight, and he is over 60. And I could see his reaction tonight when he sang, "I'm painting the town red, I'm on my last go round." There's not much new to report from tonight's concert. There was the usual treat of a special song(s); this time my favorite was from Empire Burlesque, "I'll Remember You." And it was far from a sellout so I was able to move up real close to the stage, having a floor ticket to begin with. It was a nice way to conclude my trip. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to Bob Dylan. Bob, thank you for the role you've played in my life through the journey of discovering your songs and feeling that somebody understood through your lyrics. Thank you for not compromising and your honesty for telling us the way things really are. Thank you for sharing your Christianity with us but not beating us over the head with it in recent years. You made me a Christian, Bob; you've saved my life; you've been there when no one else seemed to care. You've helped me through broken hearts; you've stopped me from becoming hard and bitter. You've been a rallying point for me, and you've been part of my identity. But through it all, you've affirmed me and told me to trust myself. And you've done it in so many times. Here's five songs and lyrics that have been extra special to me. Songs: Death is Not the End A Simple Twist of Fate Trust Yourself When You Gonna Wakeup Shelter from the Storm Lyrics: How long can you hate yourself for the weakness you conceal? They'll kill him with self-confidence after poisoning him with words. From darkness, dreams are deserted. There's only one road, and it leads to Calvary. And don't go mistaking Paradise for that home across the road. Thank you, Bob, for pouring out your soul to us. I urge you to keep on touring, but if you don't, your true fans will remember and understand. Willy Gissen wgissen@netzero.net
Well, I was able to get in one more show before the end of this year's concerts, and I'm glad I did. The trip to Wilkes-Barre from my cousin's house in the Poconos was an easy one, although the mountains wreaked havoc with my ears, and the fog made for an interesting ride through the mountains. My cousin went to the show, even though he's not a Dylan fan, and afterwards he told me that it was better than he expected. I haven't won him over yet but he did ask for the song titles so he could check out some studio versions. So, I will continue in my quest to bring people into the fold. Bob came on at 7:45 and started with "Maggie's Farm." As I said in the review I did for the Philly concert, I won't bore you with details on songs that were repeated in the four shows I saw, unless something really stands out. If you are interested in hearing my thoughts on those songs, and I know you are, check out those reviews. Anyway, after a solid opener, expecting "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," or a cover, I was happy to hear "I'll Remember You," a great song I have never heard live before tonight. The arrangement was different, of course, but Bob gave it a nice treatment, delivering the words with what seemed to be genuine emotion. Then, expecting "Tombstone Blues," I was surprised to hear "Highway 61 Revisited" in the third slot. It got a good reaction from the crowd, and was well-played. It was interesting to hear this done with the keyboards, and was a nice switch from "Tombstone" which I heard in the three other shows I saw last week. After a new arrangement of "Highway" Bob did the first cover of the night, "Accidentally Like A Martyr," one of my top five favorite Warren Zevon songs. The performance seemed a little ragged and rough around the edges, but it was a treat just to hear it, so I'm not complaining. Bob followed this personal highlight, despite its few minor flubs and flaws, with "Things Have Changed" and "Brown Sugar." These were both crowd pleasers, and appeared in the same slots as most shows, if not all, in the past two months. Then, for the first acoustic song of the night, Bob and the boys did a fine rendition of "Never Gonna Be The Same Again." This was never one of my favorites, but on hearing it again live, and paying attention to the lyrics, it is, like many Dylan songs, a very well-written song that gets over-looked by most casual listeners of Dylan's music. "It's Alright, Ma" came next, followed by a tender "Girl of the North Country." I thought we might get some harp in this one, but Bob didn't reach back, although I saw him move one over while the lights were out, before they started this amazing song. Again, I'm not complaining, just returning to my personal feeling that a harp solo brings a song up to another level. Regardless, Bob and the boys really nailed this one, and it got a fitting response from the crowd. "Cold Irons Bound" followed next, in the spot it shared with "Wicked Messenger" and "Drifter's." Then, as Bob has been doing these past few weeks, he did "Shelter from the Storm." He did the same arrangement as he's been doing, but brought this song to another level, at least in my humble opinion, when he reached back for the harp and gave a great harp solo before returning for the last verse. This had most of the appreciative crowd on their feet. "Old Man" and "Honest With Me" were both played well, with a little more jamming on "Honest" than the versions I've seen this tour or heard on mp3. Before the next song, I saw Bob move a harmonica closer to where he stood at the microphone, and so I expected a solo. When "Just Like A Woman" started, with Bob on acoustic guitar, I was sure we'd get one. However, like the other night in Philly when I saw the same thing before "Don't Think Twice," Bob opted for a jam at the end but no harp solo. The performance was stellar, even without the harp. I'm curious to know what inspires Bob to pick it up or forego doing a solo. Whatever the case, it was a great performance. I'd have to hear a tape of it to compare to last week's Garden version, although that's not really necessary. Both were done with great skill and power. There's nothing to compare. There's just two versions to enjoy and to listen to in amazement of this master song writer. "High Water," "Mutineer," "Bye and Bye," and "Summer Days" rounded out the set. All were competently played, and it was nice to hear "Bye And Bye" again. I'm not sure, but it seemed like there was something going on in between songs during these numbers. Bob kept looking at the cue sheet, and walking back behind the amps. I don't know if something was wrong, if he had to cough, or if he simply needed to confer about something, but it was odd. It didn't take away from the show, but it did make me wonder if Bob was a little road weary, or if there was something else going on last night. Given the two months on the road, it isn't hard to imagine Bob feeling the effects, especially so close to some much deserved time off. "Summer Days" started out a little rough, with Bob missing the first line, but it quickly gained momentum and made up for any flubbed lines in the extended jam. Then, the lights came up, and Bob and the band left the stage. They returned soon after for "Blowin' in the Wind" and "All Along the Watchtower." Both these songs were performed with the usual emotion and power behind them. After "AATW" the lights came up, Bob and the boys stood, soaking up the applause, then they were gone. The cheers continued until the house lights came up. Bob and the boys were off to another joint, heading south to Virginia and one last show for the year. I know I'm not alone as I wait for the spring tour to be announced. Until then, I have my concert memories and a growing number of live mp3's to hold me over. If you have any comments about my review or just want to talk Dylan, give me an email at dylanfan522@aol.com. Brian J. Slattery
page by Bill Pagel
billp61@execpc.com
Current Tour Guide |
Older Tour Guides |
Bob Links Page |
Songs Performed |
Set Lists by Date |
Set Lists by Location |
Cue Sheets |