Reviews

the state of bob dylanıs kneecaps


by bridget, age 13

i thought the concert was supposed to be at pine knob. or dte energy
sponsored by pepsi presents britneyıs new "iım intelligent" or whatever it
is now. the upshot of the matter was, it wasnıt at the large outdoor
place, but at cobo. that alone kind of freaked me out, because a million
people were packed into this arena, with probably a quarter of them
standing on the stadium floor, something iıd absolutely never seen before.
there were a lot of people smoking, which was pretty much enough to upset
me right of the bat (do you know how many people die of cancer from
second-hand smoke per year? a lot!!)‹but thatıs not really the point, is
it.

  suddenly, sitting there contemplating how black or at least 20% cool 
grey my lungs would be by the end of the night, a huge blast of what 
sounded like circus music trumpeted out of the speakers (which were 
numerous.)  something called "rodeo," Iım informed, not by bob. the 
lights go black.  spotlights zigzag across the state. the music reaches 
its highest crescendo and.

  no one comes out. everyone decides perhaps theyıve missed their entrance
and screams, and presently the band straggles into the spotlight areas.
whereıs bob?? where.. is.. bob?? finally, after the musicıs stopped, this
tiny, one centimeter high bright red dot walks out on stage.

  bright red. this was to be an indication of how the concert would be,
dylan-wise. i had never, in my 13 years and 3 times seeing bob before,
even considered that he might be wearing something colorful. red for bob
was ridiculous. any minute now, i felt, he might begin to talk‹something
else iıd never encounteredŠ but now that bob was in red anything was
possible. for those of you that were worried about the state of dylanıs
patellae, donıt you fret. the red kneecaps were twitching like bunnies on
the hunt through the entire show. they started the twistinı and a-rockinı
on the slow groove of "it ainıt me babe." bob dylan was downright
ebullient that night.

  busy in this mire of thought, i totally missed the first song, which was
some kind of brisk country/gospel/something like that number, "wait for
the light to shine." by the second one, "it ainıt me, babe," mom poked me
to inform me this was the song she was dumped to. nostalgia crowded out
other feeling (though the band was fantastic, as was bob) until mom goes,
"oh, no itıs not. this is something else."

  the set list was fairly diverse. "a hard rainıs a-gonna fall," "searching
for a soldierıs grave," not by bob, "tweedle dee and tweedle dum," which
surprised the heck out of me because Iıd heard it earlier and was
commenting on how unthrilled i was by it (sounded considerably better when
sung live,) and "every grain of sand" made up about the first half. four
out of the six were acoustic, and some surprised me by having a melody,
something iıd long since given up on in bob songs. it always seemed like
he kind of grunted superb lyrics out. 

  "floater," "high water," "donıt think twice, itıs all right" (Œthis is the
one i was dumped to, bridge,ı) "john brown," and.. "tangled up in blue!!!"
my favorite song of dylanıs barring jack of hearts (title too long to
type.) that was pretty amazing. though lost the melody on that one as
well, it still sounded great, the band just backing-up away and bob
tootling on the harp at the end for a few minutes. "summer days," which
had them all swing-dancing in general admission, "sugar baby," a song I
donıt recall hearing before but was all right, "cold irons bound," and,
the last of the set, "rainy day women #12 and 35." dylan spoke on that
one, to introduce the band, but i missed it.

  then we encored for a good five minutes before they decided to walk back
onstage (bent on making our fingers fall off) but when they did, thatıs
when i got really into the concert. the first encore‹

  "things have changed," one i really like (deserved an academy award) 
quite bitter and bob sounded appropriately harsh.

  "like a rolling stone," which had everyone in the place singing (loudest
of all my mother and father on left and right, real surround sound) was
dandyrific. 

  "knockinı on heavenıs door," apparently one mom doesnıt care for, 
sounded find to me. very acoustic.

  "honest with me," was something i honestly didnıt remember so refer to
whatever mom says about this.

  "blowinı in the wind," which just made me want to stand up and shout to
the world, or cobo stadium if you want to be accurate about it, "i had to
learn how to play this on the recorder! i can play this too!" i didnıt
shout. it was still good.

  and then, after a few minutes of the tiny red dot looking at us all
applauding again, dylan and the band picked up their mini-instruments and
played "all along the watchtower." that surprised me as well, because iıd
only ever heard that by hendrix and u2, which are two vastly different
versions. bobıs was fine, teerriff.

  that was that, it seemed, for no amount of applause would bring him back.
we picked up our jackets and other outdoor accoutrements and went outside
into the comparatively clean air. (it was detroit, people.)             

I've been to only four concerts in my life- two by the
Stones ('97 and '99) and two by Bob ('00 and '01). 

Now, the Stones are an over-the-top group of men who
trot out the same predictable songs in the same
predictable way. Not Bob Dylan.

It had been just 369 days since the first Dylan
concert I went to, but it was a completely different
experience. 

For one, I could tell what Bob was wearing- a dark
pink suit, with a black shirt underneath. Is there any
other 60-year-old that can dress any better than that?


Two, the crowd on the floor (where I thought there
would be seats) were like a mosh pit, pushing into
each other, swaying to the way Bob, Tony, David, Larry
and Charlie jammed. 

Three, even if Cobo Hall has a "no smoking" policy,
Dylan fans were lighting up to the left and right to
me. (And I'm pretty sure they weren't all tobacco
cigarettes, especially during "Rainy Day Women #12 &
35"). 

Now, my thoughts about the 21 individual songs:

(1) Wait For The Light To Shine: very appropriate
opener, Larry and Charlie had great harmonies to
accompany Bob's unique voice. I love it when he plays
songs I don't know.

(2) It Ain't Me Babe: Nothing like the 1964 album
closer from "Another Side". Nothing like the 1975 live
version on "Live 1961-2000". Beautiful, nonetheless.
The crowd was jumping, they didn't stop. Bob was on
harp, one of four magical moments.

(3) A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall: Larry played bouzouki,
all the older people there (there weren't many) asked
"what's that?". A favorite of mine.

(4) Searching For A Soldier's Grave: another song I
didn't know. I liked it. Bob's turned me on to that
old-time music. It would have been well-received in
Appalachia in the late 1800s.

(5) Tweedle Dee And Tweedle Dum: A new song! Finally!
Even without Augie and Clay Meyers, this song rocked.
Just goes to show- you don't need EVERY element of the
song for live perfection.

(6) Every Grain of Sand: Another harp solo. I didn't
realize what it was until about 90 seconds in. Bob
kind of reminds me of a white Howlin' Wolf. I can
never tell what Wolf is saying when I listen to his
records.

(7) Floater: He messed up! "Romeo said to Juliet you
got a poor complexion, it done give the appearance of
a youthful touch, Rome, err, uh, Juliet said to Romeo,
why don't ya shove off if it bothers ya so much."
Floater's my second favorite song off of "Love and 
Theft". This version was great. 

I prefer 60-year-old men in pink suits and white hair
messin' up a song that they actually wrote to
25-year-old men who go through 750 costume changes and
lip-sync their way through songs their manager gave
them.

(8) High Water (For Charley Patton): The man would be
proud. Patton, that is. I loved this version. I liked
the album version a little better, though. (Auggie
Meyers' accordion was missing). I wish I could play
banjo like Larry. Bob and Charlie's guitars were
great.  

(9) Don't Think Twice, It's All Right: Again,
different from the original, but great nonetheless.
Better than Bob's re-vamp of "I Don't Believe You"
from "Live 1966" with the Band.

(10) John Brown: Didn't have a clue at first. This
song made me realize that Bob's got a really good
backing band.

(11) Tangled Up In Blue: Bob on harp for the third
time! 

(12) Summer Days: Tony on upright, the 3 guitarists
trading off of each other. I wondered why Charlie was
playing the Gretsch. It matched Bob's suit. My 3rd
favorite song off of "Love and Theft" was marvelous.

(13) Sugar Baby: A mellow song, right between two
jumpers. The purple lights were very mellow. Very
similar to the album version.

(14) Cold Irons Bound: Harmonica Bob struck again. He
just kind of walked back to his amp, picked up a harp,
and blew all our minds during this upbeat number. The
mosh pit came alive!

(15) Rainy Day Women #12 & 35: Here's where the
cigarette smoke turned south. The mosh pit didn't
quit. Larry's pedal steel was light, but it worked.
I've always wondered how Bob would do playing this
with its original instrumentation. Has he ever done it
that way? 

... and the concert seemed over. People started
leaving. I knew better. 

(16) Things Have Changed: I love this song. Always
have. Always will. It is true that all the truth in
the world adds up to one big lie. Bob Dylan knows how
to write a song!

(17) Like A Rolling Stone: This was a closing song,
except that 4 songs followed it. The lights went up,
the crowd screamed "HOW DOES IT FEEL?" Who needs an
organist?

(18) Knockin' On Heaven's Door: Sweet harmonies. Bob's
singing, albeit nothing like the original, was still
as effective. Also a closing song.

(19) Honest With Me: The last new song of the night. I

loved it, it too could have closed the concert.

(20) Blowin' In The Wind: Now, I figured this was it.
It was 10:45, the concert had already gone an hour
over the length of my first Dylan concert. The song
was slow, quiet, it could put a baby to sleep. (If
only that baby didn't have the munchies from all the
marijuana smoke.)

...and then the concert seemed over. But, there was
another encore.

(21) All Along The Watchtower: Goodbye, hearing! I
still can't hear very well after this LOUD rendition,
using a modified Hendrix arrangement. You've got to
hand it to Bob, he can play the guitar!

In all, the concert was great. I missed "Bye and Bye",
but, with Robert Dylan, you know you'll hear it
someday. He's going to live forever.
             

After I got out of work yesterday at 5, some friends and I hit Interstate
94 to Detroit from Ann Arbor. We made it to Cobo around 6:30, and were
directed down an escalator to the floor line, which was already relatively 
long.  After standing around a while and getting arm-banded, we were whisked
through metal-detectors (surely not all recording devices would set these 
off?) rushed for standing space. I ended up around ten-rows back, dead-center. 
Excellent. Then the hour of standing around talking, the crowd seemed to have 
a good number of young people, which is always good to see.  I worry about my 
peers often, nice to see that thousands of them actually do have decent taste 
in music. Finally Aaron Copland comes on and the lights go down, the reserved 
seating looking only 1/2 - 2/3 full at this point."Columbia recording artist 
Bob Dylan" and band step out. Bob was wearing a burgundy suit with an olive 
shirt (is this a first?), and the rest of the band is in black and grey as 
usual. Bob's hair seemed whiter than  ever also.  Wait For the Light to Shine" 
is a kind of nice, upbeat old-time gospelish song. From where I was, I could 
clearly see every facial expression. From the get-go he was raising his 
eyebrows often and throughout the show seemed to be close to smiling (or maybe 
that is a full smile for Bob). This was the first time I've heard "It Ain't Me 
Babe" live--> it was very subdued, I thought it might have been "Girl of the 
North Country" at first. It was a truly beautiful arrangement, more sad than
harsh, sort of in the vein of the New York Sessions "Idiot Wind" or "Sugar 
Baby." The best part was an amazing harmonica solo that ended the song. Just 
when I thought he was going to end it, he started up again and kept going. 
"A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" was excellent, I don't think he pronounce "hard" 
the same way twice-- Bob's phrasing and shaping of words is one of the best
things about seeing him live. I'll admit "Searching For a Soldier's Grave" 
didn't do a ton for me, it didn't seem very excting or impassioned, plus, I 
was really looking forward to "This World Can't Stand Long." Oh well.
"Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum" seemed to be quite well-recognized by the crowd, 
and it was pretty driving, much like the album, although the guitar didn't 
seem to be as loud in the mix this time. I really couldn't figure out what the
next song was, but once he started singing, realized it was "Every Grain of
Sand," which made me happy, as it is a song I've always wanted to > hear live.
The bulk of the crowd didn't seem to know what it was (I guess "Shot of Love" 
and "The Bootleg Series" aren't the first Dylan CDs most people get around to
buying, eh?). I am not sure what I think of this arrangement, but I was
grateful nonetheless. "Floater" was next, it wasn't one I
desperately needed to hear, but it is great to watch and hear him deliver some 
of these lines! He had a little trouble with the Romeo and Juliet line, but he
quickly corrected himself. I saw Larry get handed a banjo and then yelled out 
"High Water!" I don't know if those around me actually believed Bob was
listening to my suggestion or that I was psychic, but that doesn't matter, 
because this song was on fire! "Throw your panties overboard!"  -I can die 
relatively content now that I've heard Bob utter those lines.  "Don't Think 
Twice" was bittersweet and well-received as always, and  "John Brown,"
while not well-recognized by the crowd, was great to hear in these times. If
that isn't an anti-war song, I don't know what is. It was great that he played 
"Tangled Up in Blue!" It is the single show I've heard him play every single
(6 now) show I've been to, but it is the one I don't get tired of.  "Summer 
Days" was really swinging of course, the crowd bopped along and continued the  
moving that began during "Tangled." Next, was the highlight of the show for me. 
Eerie swirling lights were projected on the curtain behind the band, and the 
crowd fell into silent respectful awe during "Sugar Baby." This > should have 
won Best Male Vocal Performance-- you could hear every single word so clearly, 
and every subtle instrumental sound. Utterly amazing and beautiful. The 
recording is a must to get ahold of if only for this song. Breathtaking. 
Truly wonderful. "Cold Irons Bound" was bloody great as well, this live 
arrangement is excellent, what a beat. The lights were also very cool for 
this song, alternating giant silhouettes of Bob and the band members appeared 
on the curtain behind the stage. If I had known it was the debut of harp on 
this song, I would have payed more attention, because I can't for the life of 
me remember how the solo went and where it was in the song. "Rainy Day Women" 
did its usual job of getting the crowd to yell "Everybody Must Get Stoned!" 
out of sync with Bob's own singing. Bob introduced the band during this song, 
and he told a David Kemper joke!  Has he done this lately? It was something 
like "If you are wondering what is written on his boots, those are footnotes." 
Haha. The guys stood and basked in applause, and Bob gave a little bow and 
gave a 2-fisted point to the crowd before they exited into darkness. I love 
that guy.  My friend had noted that he wanted Bob to play "Love Sick," so I
yelled out "Things Have Changed!" as the guys came back out, just to spite 
him.  And also becuase I wanted to hear it more than "Love Sick." And I got 
lucky!  A great version again, followed by the always crowd-pleasing "Like a
> Rolling Stone," with the spotlights on the crowd during the chorus. I 
looked up into the stands and spotted this old guy (70?) in a suit and tie 
and his probable wife standing up clapping along. That's great. I hadn't 
heard "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" live before, except as a duet with Paul 
Simon.  This version however was much different. Larry and Charlie sang 
haunting "oo-oo-ooo"s for the intro and conclusion, and joined in on the 
chorus.  Excellent. Sweet, "High Water" just came on the radio as I am 
typing this (following Iris DeMent's "Wasteland of the Free"). I love this 
station (http://www.wcbn.org)! Anyway, back to last night. "Honest With Me" 
was another rollicking jaunt down to Memphis or somewhere. An obligatory
"Blowin' in the Wind" closed out the first encore, and finally an "All
Along the Watchtower" that admittedly seemed to have a different, and not  
as ood, arrangement than versions I've heard from last year. But it was 
still very good, and the crowd loved it. It seemed like he went through all
the lyrics twice to prolong the song. I waved goodbye to Bob, and they left 
us in the dark for several minutes in order to make their great esacpe to 
the freeway.  

I walked out of the arena on the Detroit River side, the beautiful skyline 
on Windsor glowing in the darkness, and then Detroit's even more impressive 
downtown coming into view as we walked around the arena. It was a great 
night, Bob seemed to be enjoying himself in his glowing suit, and I surely 
was. I had just gotten my twice-yearly Bob fix and was smiling.  This 
capped off a week and a half of 5 concerts by various artists for me. 
I love my life.

Peace,
Brandon            

I know that I did include some brief remarks of criticism within my review
of Tuesday's show.  I'm not sure I can really find anything to criticize
about this show.  The show was on, and the crowd was very respectable. 
Right from the get go, Bob stunned us all by coming out in some kind of
pink suit.  Yes, I said pink, not the usual black attire.  This resulted
in an even bigger uproar than usual for his initial entrance.  Beyond
that, he was animated from start to finish.  We got Waiting for the Light,
which I hadn't heard before this.  I like it a lot, I like Hummingbird a
lot too.  Hell, I like pretty much all the covers he does for an opener. 
Next came one of the highlights, It Ain't Me Babe.  This is my all time
favorite live version of  song that Bob does.  We got a harp solo that was
the longest solo I have heard him play in my few years as a fan.  After
that, the #3 spot was not the usual Desolation or It's Alright Ma, but it
was Hard Rain!  This was my first time to hear this live, and I enjoyed
it.  I figured Charlie and Larry would join in on the chorus of this one,
but I guess Bob doesn't need them when he's got the entire crowd to back
him on it.  Searching for a Soldier's Grave followed, then came TD & TD. 
I was surprised to hear this because he kinda left it behind a couple
weeks ago.  It is back!  Every Grain of Sand and Floater were both played
about the same as Tuesday, so they weren't as special as they were then,
but still great performances.  High Water was another absolute highlight
of the show.  I love this live version.  It is better than the recorded
version without a doubt.  It is rocker now.  Don't Think Twice, John
Brown, and Tangled filled the second acoustic set.  All good performances,
but nothing out of the usual to mention here.  Summer Days and Sugar Baby
were about the same as Tuesday.  At this point, Bob really came alive! 
Cold Irons Bound and RDW rocked hard.  This was something else.  Believe
it or not, we got an extended band intro.  I would probably guess it is
the most he has said to a crowd over this tour thus far.  We got a Kemper
joke and everything!  The response was huge and Bob was energized.  The
encores consisted of a great Things Have Changed, a so-so LARS, and a
beautiful Knockin on Heaven's Door.  I am glad that he is playing Honest
With Me regularly.  My only requests for this tour were to hear
Mississippi and Honest With Me.  I still haven't gotten Miss., but I don't
really care anymore.  Bob has definitely given me enough.  Our show
concluded with the usual ending of Blowin' and then Watchtower.  A girl
next to me had some flowers that Charlie picked up and put on top of his
cabinets.  When the cool lighting came on during the intro to Blowin, the
flowers were displayed beautifully.  How can Bob possibly get better?  I
don't know how he can do it.                

Ryan P. Shadbolt
shadbolt@msu.edu             

Bob arrived about five minutes late and was introduced in the usual way. 
He came out in a bright red suit with black details and the pointiest
white cowboy boots you have every seen.  After the show, he could of gone
out pimpin' on Cass Avenue.

The show as a whole was excellent. The band was tight and Bob was
energetic and moving.  He did  six songs from his new album and you could
tell the band was really into them...  Excellent renditions with High
Water , Summer Days, and Sugar Baby the best of all.

He seemed to concentrate on the anti-war theme a little bit with the
inclusion of Hard Rain and John Brown.  John Brown was done with a
spotlight on Bob, and very little backing by the band.. very chilling...
very well done.

Cold Irons Bound was done in a off-tempo boss nova style... very cool,
very different. Don't Think Twice was slow and easy and beautiful. 
Blowin' in the Wind was the best I have seen with the band harmonizing on
the chorus.  And then he rocked out with Watchtower, puttin' old Jimi to
shame.

Great show... keep em' comin' Bob.

Marc Schemansky

Wow.  I am still looking for a word or two to describe the euphoria I am
feeling after this concert - and all I can come up with is, "Wow."

Bob pulled out all the stops tonight.  But it was more than Bob and the
Band that made this show great - it was the friends and fans around whom I
was surrounded!  My girlfriend and I got there a few hours early to wait
in line for general admission.  We met so many great people there!!  We
all have one great thing in common, and that is our love for Bob.  When
the doors opened, we all ran to make sure we got front row, and discussed
favorite boots and our first shows and exchanged e-mail addresses for an
hour and a half before HE came out.

And boy, did he come out.  Waiting for the Light to Shine was great.  The
people around me wanted HummingBird, but I was kind of hoping for this
tune.  My girlfriend (not really into Him, yet - but after the show she
is) really liked this song.

We were all wondering what'd be at number two.  It Ain't Me Babe.  And no
one saw it comin'.  This was the first highlight of the night; his
phrasing was incomparible, and sung so soft and so sweet - but the real
treat was the nearly THREE minute harp solo!  Great stuff, Bob!

Hard Rain - first time I'd heard this live, and it was incredible. 

This was the first time I actually got to see the band up close.  They
looked so happy tonight.  So ON!  Tony Garnier is incredible, he's so
mysterious - yet is always smiling; Charlie Sexton - is he a super model
or something?  Incredible guitar work.  Larry Campbell is PHENOMENAL. 
David Kemper looked so suave behind his shades and cowboy hat on the
drums.  

I'd like to say that this band ROCKS HARD!  Everything is played with such
passion and such drive - and they are all so happy to give everything they
have.  RDW, Summer Days, Watchtower, Things Have Changed, and Honest With
Me are so pure with this band.  I'd like to give props out to my buddy
from MSU who picked - out of nowhere - Cold Irons Bound in the 14th spot. 
Incredible.

During RDW, Bob introduced the "greatest band of all time." - Mentioning,
"If you want to know what is written on David Kemper's boot, it is a foot
note." .. Still has the humor!  Bob LOVES Michigan!  I had never seen him
smile as much as he did, giving looks, and playing toward the audience
many MANY times.  Even LARS was played with the intensity it had been
lacking in previous shows.  He messed up a line in LARS, and stuck his
tongue out!  Wow!  It was great to hear Tangled again.

Every Grain of Sand is now one of my favorites live.  Does anyone else
think that his voice, though scratchy and raw, is one of the most
beautiful sounds?  Sugar Baby proved this.  

John Brown - which I am glad to see has been reocurring throughout the
shows, was beautifully done again - however, I caught a mistake (or
thought I did) "But the SCARE that THINGED me most...."   We'll see if
it's on the boot.

Don't Think Twice is my favorite song of all time, and I was so lucky to
hear it tonight.  It was the song that one the award for making me tear up
tonight.  Bob is amazing.  Such passion here.  Don't Think
TWIIIIIIIIIICCCE, it's All RIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGHT.  Watching his face during
those words will be something I will never forget.  

As for the guitar head - Bob Dylan signature guitar.

All in all - this was the best concert I have ever seen.  The aura of the
show was phenomenal - everyone was so friendly - thanks to everyone who
helped make the show a great one.  Remember, friends, when things aren't
lookin' up, we always have that one special thing to fall back on:  That
skinny, big-haired man with the wobbly knees and the beautiful voice,
whose smile makes us swoon, and whose words are to die for.  May you live
forever, Bob.  And, as always, thank-you.

God bless,
Jeff Green
Silvarma@msu.edu

The detriot crowd was great and I was right up there
on the rail after having stood in line since about in
the afternoon.  Bob started it off slowly and I felt
he still had some anger left in him from the fight
between he and Charlie in Toronto.  I saw him give him
a few nasty looks through the show, but he livened up
by Searching, which I always love to hear because the
boys do such a great job backing Bobby up!(Bless their
hearts.)   Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum was rockin and
the crowd was way into it.  Every Grain of sand was
not such a surprise since he played it in Grand
Rapids, but it was a beautiful and welcome change even
with the 2 minute intro.  After Highwater which was
what I was really hoping for the whole time I chucked
my ceremonial flowers onto the stage and they got
picked up and stuck into Charlie's amps. I know a lot
of people were glad to see Tangled go, But it a was
nice to hear it again, though it was a little less
inspired than before.  During rainy day women, he told
a joke which I haven't heard in a while and it was a
riot  FOOT NOTES!!!   The encores were what I expected
and they all did well.  But, I was so sad to see bob
go, I nearly cried!

After having driven around the Midwest and South to see Bob over the last 
twenty months,this time I let Bob come to me.  Or us,as it were.  My good 
friend Bubzdaddy careened down I-75 with Dan Teo and I in tow,and dropped 
us off at historic Cobo Arena.  Historic in the sense that The Doors,Jimi 
Hendrix, Led Zeppelin,and The Rolling Stones all played here back in the day,
and of course KISS recorded their first and finest live album here.  Back 
in the days of my own flaming youth I had seen the likes of Alice Cooper,
The New Barbarians, The Kinks, Blue Oyster Cult and Ted Nugent in this 
hallowed hall.

But tonight it was Bob, himself having not appeared here since October 24,
1965(!).  Dan and I entered the building and immediately hooked up with 
another good friend,Paula, looking lovely as usual,and two friends of hers.
Together we strode to the main floor,where we met up with yet two more 
friends,Rob and Kristie.  So as you can see,this evening was about 
celebration of friendship, a precious possession made even more valuable 
in these precipitous times.  Things have changed, don'tcha know.  The band 
opened with the Fred Rose cover, "Wait For The Light To Shine", as has been 
customary throughout most of this tour, and two songs after we got a great 
reading of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall".  This song, along with "Searching 
For A Soldier's Grave" and "John Brown" are given new emphasis in the 
meaning of life during wartime 2001.  I was most interested to hear "Love 
And Theft" material, and we got six of those neo-masterpieces, commencing with 
"Tweedle Dee And Tweedle Dum".  The sweetness of "Floater(Too Much To Ask)" 
and the who-needs-ya-anyway tone of "Sugar Baby" were among other contrasts 
Bob painted for us this night.  One of the numbers I most wanted to hear was 
"High Water", and the band responded with a rendition that I could've 
listened to many times over.  The Swing stylings of "Summer Days" got the 
crowd rockin', as did "Cold Irons Bound", the only "Time Out Of Mind" selection 
of this performance.  Two lightning bolts that really struck me between the 
eyes: "Tangled Up In Blue", now that it it not trotted out de rigeur,is crafted 
beautifully in the hands of this band,and is a pleasure to listen to once again.
Bob doesn't race through the lyrics as though he's trying to get home before 
Letterman,and the song regains it's rightful place among his most classic 
compositions.  The other one that raised an eyebrow was "Rainy Day Women #12 
& 35"; once merely a whimsical throwaway, Bob and company have dispensed with 
the whistles and kazoos and turned this into an actual SONG.  Not that there's 
anything wrong with whimsy, mind you, but now this tune can stand proudly shoulder-to-shoulder with it's more impressive brethren on "Blonde On Blonde".  
Bob says to be "Honest With Me", so I gotta admit:in my quest of celebration 
I didn't even realize we got a scarce "Every Grain Of Sand".  Somebody smack 
the reviewer upside the head!  Oh well,there's always Columbus.

Another successful show.  Bob Dylan, more than just a trivial popstar, has 
become a way of life, as I try to average a gig every three months.Afterwards 
we all moved to the Nu Way Bar in Ferndale to catch local punk combo The 
Ruiners,whose set features lots of shredded paper and a snowstorm of styrofoam 
pellets flying around the room.A contrast to be sure,but somehow I think had 
he been there, Bob would've had a few laughs with his friends.It's rock 'n' 
roll, don'tcha know!

Don Ely
Rochester,Michigan
kingsnake78@hotmail.com