Reviews

Bobby D. performed 2 shows in the beautiful Egyptian Room at the Murat
Temple.  The Egyptian Room is a small, intimate, general admission (read
everyone stands and dances if you got the beat).  Jim and I greased our
throats with an Optimator at the Kellebar, still discussing the wonders
that were had at the YMSB show in Cincinnati.  Could Bob keep up with
those 25 year old maestros?  In a word...yes.  By the way, why can't
Hoosiers buy a beer before 6pm on election night (odd to see the
pre-Dylan crowd at the Kellebar drinking coffee and water). We had tix
for the first show.  Bob started promptly at 7pm with a blazing, all
rock Maggie's Farm.  What's this, Bob on electric piano? Charlie Sexton
wailing on the 6 string.  That segues nicely into the 1985 gem from
Empire Burlesque, I'll Remember You.  A tender, loving rendition. But,
this band only has a limited patience for tenderness, so tear into a
punked up Tombstone Blues, Bob still on piano.  Now the first real
surprise, the Don Henley/Bruce Hornsby tune, The End of the Innocence.
Cool.  Bob picks up the harp and goes to Watching the River Flow playing
both harp and piano.  The band is warming up to something....a balls
out, garage band reading of Brown Sugar...Bob has finally picked up his
guitar and we have a 3 guitar, 3 chord assault.  Good soloing by all. 
Acoustic time as we get a strange (and somewhat unfulfilling) Mr.
Tambourine Man. But the band is simply resting for one of the
highlights...Highway 61 Revisited in full rock glory.  Bob back to piano
for Sugar Baby and acoustic guitar for the minor surprise, The Times
They Are A-Changin'. Into an acoustic Old Man (which I missed)....by
this time, Jim and I had decided I ought to check out the scalper scene
outside for the 2nd show. I am back with Honest With Me leading to Bye
and Bye.  Again, the band building, building to ...another highlight,
Summer Days.  The solos were Freebird-like (up and down every rock
scale....and LOUD.)  We've been dancing and mostly rocking for the 14
song set...Bob waves bye.  But he's back pretty quick (knows he has
another show to do in an hour or so), for another surprise...Knockin' On
Heaven's Door.  Very nice and cool I haven't seen it before.  Throughout
the show I'm yelling for Things Have Changed...but didn't get it and
didn't expect it since he's only played it once or twice on this leg of
the tour.  Jim and I have our tix, so we have to exit and re-enter on
the other side. Second show, again starting pretty promptly near 9:30pm.
We're in the show talking to a dude about YMSB...he's a big fan, plays
in a bluegrass band himself (Jim...recall the web site?)  What will he
open with?  Will it be near the same set?  Hell no, a real
shocker...Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum (to my knowledge he hasn't played
this at all).  Real rollicking opener transitions into the gentle Van
Morrison tune, Carrying a Torch (where the hell did that come from?) 
Third song, again, is Tombstone Blues, but a funkier, 60's
psychedelic/blues version rather than the punky version earlier.  Then
into You Ain't Goin Nowhere.  Oh oh, what chords are those I'm hearing? 
Couldn't be could it?  Yeap...Things Have Changed and I am all dancing,
grooving smiles.  Thanks Bob!  It's rockin' and groovin' and I hear a
familiar chord, right into Brown Sugar.  Again the version here is more
bluesy and jamming than the 1st set. (Bob has played piano the first 5
tunes), but he's into blues lead now on Sugar.  Picks up the acoustic
and does My Back Pages and picks up harp for Drifters Escape. Back to
piano for High Water (For Charley Patton) and back to acoustic for Tear
of Rage and another Old Man (I hear this one...very nice, wish I could
contrast it with the first show for you).  Back to piano for Honest With
Me and Floater (Too Much To Ask).  Finally closes the set with another
Summer Days that was even more rocking and stretched than the first
set's.  Band takes its bows and gone...but back for nice acoustic
Blowin' In The Wind and rip the roof off All Along The Watchtower.
Pretty fine, like aged wine and a nice bookend to the recent Elvis
Costello and YMSB shows.  4 to 4-1/2 hours of Mr. D...it just doesn't
get any better for this Hoosier.  Definitely the most rocking Dylan show
I have seen.  Jim, did I ever stop dancing?

-Marc

Oh, boy am I glad to be able to report to you the fine show that i saw in
indy yesterday! shooey! it was well worth the money and time. Zimmy came
out for the first show and it was clear that they were not putting too
much effort into this show. The setlist was close to identical to what I
saw in chicago with the exception of a couple songs that were both
standouts. The sugar baby with bob on piano was just fantastic! bob really
nailed this one. the times they are a changing was great for election
night too, but i left this one thinking "that kinda sucked." trying to
assure myself, i thought "oh well, a perfect show is a rare thing and it
requires a perfect atmosphere of venue and crowd. i guess i just was not
quite in the right space for that first show either. all and all i left
disappointed, but curious as to what the next show would be like. 

the venue was cool enough, especially when the lights were dimmed. it was
a shriner hall that was egyptian in motiff and they had ancient egyptian
pictures and hyroglyphs that lined the walls. the room was actually not
that bad sounding because they put up curtains in the back and on the
sides to prevent the sound from bouncing around. the second show bob came
out smoking and opened up with the tweedly dum for the first time on this
tour. it was my first time seeing this one and the band was warmed up and
ready to rock it. everything seemed to have this nice fully realized tone
to it and it was clear from the start that bob would be throwing down some
biggies. the next song was a van morrison song called carrying a torch
that he has only done once previously in i think san diego. this song is a
great one! after that he did tombstone blues and even though this was one
of four repeats it still rocked. something completely different was in the
air for this show and the band was just hitting everything beautifully.
zim was on top of everything except maybe a few guitar solos. 

then he totally rocks my world with the first you ain't going nowhere i've
ever seen and it was a great one!! "tomorrow is the day my bride's gonna
come, oh we gonna fly down in the easy chair." i've wanted to hear this
one for a long time! this show was really getting going and i just had to
boogie. the place only held 2000 people and the second show did not even
sell out! there was plenty of room for everyone. many people did not even
know the second show had been added, so friends who had arrived thinking
there was only one show found 3 free tickets outside the place and decided
to stay! i guess 20 dollar tickets were easy to come by. so the place was
comfortable as far as how many people were in there and who those people
were. lots of smiling, dancing faces as far as i could tell and this show
had all the right qualities to make it an exceptional show and indeed the
setlist reflected this. 

then bob played the things have changed and it was a great one, and the
brown sugar again which was fine with me. my back pages with larry on
violin was very pleasant. then he toally rocked out the drifter's escape
and i thought is this set coming to a close already? heck no! he was just
getting started and played an incredible high water that just hit so much
harder than the one in chicago, but was that all? fuck no, bob just pulls
out the Tears Of Rage after that!!! holy cow!! this was the first time i'd
seen this one too and it is one of my all time favorites and bob and the
band just nail it!! i'm enough of a blissful state that i've got a smile
from one end of my face to the other, so the rest of the show is gravy at
this point. bob plays another old man and i don't mind hearing this one 3
out of 3 either. just a great cover for bob to be doing and everything
just has this great spirit at this point in the show. everything is just
hitting home and it just a great feeling all around. bob pulls out the
second honest with me that night and it's another good one. mucho
celebrations during this one and zim is having a ball up there singing.
his words are all clear and cutting straight thru to the soul. anything he
touches is turning to pure gold on this night, but my first Floater was
just a biggie. 

After all of the great stuff he's played that night who'd a thunk that a
floater would be the highlight? well, it was. the crowd hung on every word
and laughed and clapped during the most poignant phrases. the band had
this floaty sound to this song that was perfect and bob hit it so hard.
well, it was celebration time and the summer days is just a great song to
get up and boogie too. so everybody was twisting it up and having a ball. 

encores were blowin' and a rockin' watchtower that just sent everybody
home fully satisfied. this was one of the best dylan shows i've ever seen.
compares to santa cruz even. just incredible!