Thanks for the review!

Bob Dylan is an ever-evolving entity. Unlike most acts from "his day", he seems to go the extra mile to not be a nostalgia act. His shows are usually comprised of material from recent (last 5-10 years) material - with only the occasional chestnut thrown in.

His voice has been at issue since his earliest days. He no longer sounds like all the stand-up comedians who do imitations (if it ever ever did). The people who are generally disappointed are the older folks who are seeing their first show and who are only familiar with Tamborine Man or Watch Tower. Conversely, you can always find some 18 year-olds who are thrilled by every note of every tune.

After the Allman Brother's Band I have seen Bob Dylan more than any other act. And as with the ABB - I have lost actual count of exactly how many shows I've seen. I hope to catch him somewhere this summer or fall.

Rusty-GO! get tickets ASAP-after Gregg passed(& i'm still very bummed about that) i almost felt a sense of obligation to see Bob.A sensational experience every time i see him.

Thanks for the review. I have never seen Bob in concert, but I would love to at some point. I went through and clicked on some random dates and it does look like he mixes some songs in and out which is good.

I never really followed him all that much until I bought Love and Theft. That is a great album. Not a bad track on it. I am no aficionado on him or his work, but really enjoy what he has put out since World Gone Wrong, really love that one too. I have always been familiar with more of his popular recordings , but have started digging deeper and have found some real gems over the last plus 10-15yrs.

[Edited on 6/16/2017 by jszfunk]

Seen Bob six or seven times and he ALWAYS brings it. 2012 at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley ranks up in my top five shows EVER.

LOVE THE "NO PHONE" POLICY! More acts need to insist on this.

Another fan who I was surprised to learn was fascinated with Bob was Gregg. Last night Scott Sharrard performed a solo acoustic show as a tribute to Gregg at Rockwood Hall Stage 3 . Scott came out on stage and immediately told us that he is torn up emotionally with Gregg's passing . He played music from the soon to be released Gregg album including a cool Dylan cover ( I failed to recognize the name of the song) in addition to music by some of Gregg's favorite musicians such as Tim Buckley and Jimmy Reed. Scott told some great Gregg and Chank stories in between songs as everyone at the sold out show listened in silence. Scott also mentioned that Gregg loved Bob Dylan before he started the Dylan tune.
The highlight for me was Scott's interpretation of Win, Lose or Draw . Apparently Scott and Gregg were working on Win, Lose or Draw recently . Scott mentioned it was an incredible experience for him to hear Gregg sing verses from that tune as that song was rarely played by The Brothers ( apparently it was on some setlists back in 76 but never after 1976).

Thanks Dad. i was there, too, and very glad I was though not quite as enthusiastic as you.

after Gregg passed.. i almost felt a sense of obligation to see Bob

Exactly. i did not have tickets until last week, when I realized I had to get back on this train. Bob is just giant for me.

The band is excellent and the overall effect is almost like chamber music... they play in a very confined space musically if you know what I mean... because of that and the way Bob tackles each song without offering distinct vocal melodies, the songs blend together quite a bit to me.

I was quite close and when he started playing "don't Think Twice' (on guitar!), I shut my eyes and just listened and I was overwhelmed and shed a few tears. Somehow the finality that I will never be int he same room with Gregg's voice again struck me fully at that moment. I liked the rest of the show, but nothing else moved me nearly as much as that moment... but that moment of transcendence is worth hours of hiking in the wilderness. it's what we're always searching for.

Agree about the phones!

... I was quite close and when he started playing "don't Think Twice' (on guitar!), I shut my eyes and just listened and I was overwhelmed and shed a few tears. ...

Is Bob playing guitar again? For the past several tours (shows that I've seen) he's relegated himself to piano. Last time I saw him (Jacksonville - Nov. 18, 2016) there was a Strat' and an amp at his disposal but he never made use of them.

He's not really playing guitar Rusty, which made that extra special.

Only song of the night and fairly certain only song of this entire run...

I've seen Bob about 2 dozen times and they range from some of the best concerts I've ever seen to some of the more mundane. The best one was an unannounced show at the student union (EMU) at the U of Oregon 3 days after he played with Paul Simon in Portland to 50,000. The place holds 2,000 or so and it was roomy. I won tickets on the radio and walked to the show. Ken Kesey was standing next to me. It was unbelievable.

I saw all the Dylan/Dead shows, and many others. He was starting to get rather stale in the early '90's and I went when he came close and badmouthed him to others about how he doesn't address the audience, how he seems to not care what he sounds like, etc. and then he came out and just killed it. Put me in my place.
I think his voice is perfect for what he does and always has been.

I saw him up at the Gorge with Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell and he again played a great show. I also once sat in the front row during his opener to see a young unknown woman named Tracy Chapman wow me (I didn't have front row tickets, but no one was around during the opener, so I snuck down).
Bob does things Bob's way and I gotta respect him for that. Oh, and he wrote a million of the greatest songs I have ever heard, can't forget that, either, lol!

He's not really playing guitar Rusty, which made that extra special.

Only song of the night and fairly certain only song of this entire run...

he was on guitar the night before on To Ramona & played once this past summer.

arthritis in back i recall...

Thanks for the review. I love Dylan and he's in my top 5 artist from his era. Would love to see him again but it needs to be in the right venue. First time I saw him was in a mid size ampitheater and it was great. The other time I saw him was in a less than half full arena and it was ok. I thought a 10,000 seat arena was to big of a venue for the sound he wants to get from his band.

He's coming to MI this summer as part of the Outlaw Music Festival tour (Willie Nelson, Jason Isbell, and a few other groups). If this was at an outdoor venue I'd go in a heartbeat but it is at a 20,000 seat hockey arena.

The last 4 shows that I saw were in fantastic, small theaters (Times-Union Center for Performing Arts -Jacksonville; Fox Theater - Atlanta; Johnny Mercer Theater - Savannah; BJCC Concert Hall - Birmingham). All of these venues provided fantastic acoustics, seating, line of sight etc.. All were stellar shows! I have also seen Bob at several outdoor venues (amphitheaters, baseball fields, street festivals etc.). While the performances were good, the sound depended on where you were seated (or stood). I'd recommend a small theater or concert hall for optimum Bob experience.

Oops! Between the BJCC show and the Savannah show I did catch Bob at the Lakewood Amphitheater (or whatever the corporate name is). Great seats = great sound/great show!

[Edited on 6/17/2017 by Rusty]

I've seen Dylan a few times over the years. Always left happy. His band is always tight and Bob is Bob. He changes the arrangements on his classics, which to me, is interesting. And, he's Bob Dylan man.

Who's in the band now?: still Receli/Garnier/Kimball/Sexton/Herron?