Under pressure from my wife I bought tickets to Dylan (she refuses to call him Bob Dylan) in Greenville, SC, on April 26th. Has anyone seen him lately? I liked his earlier stuff, and even Love and Theft, but I'm not sure what he's like these days.
Expect most of the same setlist as other shows. By the date you see him you will be able to check out every other setlist on his website, www.bobdylan.com
He will have an excellent band. The delivery of the songs will be proficient and professional. Often the arrangements of old songs are very different and it might take you longer than usual to recognize the old chestnuts.
Expect Bob to be old, but frisky. I'm pretty sure he still likes what he's doing.
I'm catching the second show of this tour at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. I'll let you know more after April 11th.
For him not to be a great vocalist.... 😉
Saw a sir Bob show in the early 90's and the next day the local paper music critic did nothing but complain about how bad of a singer Bob was.
Bob Dylan. A bad singer. Go figure. 😮
He and his band play top notch music. You probably won't recognize the arrangement of any of the songs. I didn't know what he was playing until I heard the lyrics. If not hearing your fav songs as you know them is a disappointment, try to let that go, because you'll be in for a great night of music. My wife is 1000x the Bob fan than I am but I left my show loving what I saw, because it's not often you see a band that is so tight and so good at what they do.
He and his band play top notch music. You probably won't recognize the arrangement of any of the songs. I didn't know what he was playing until I heard the lyrics. If not hearing your fav songs as you know them is a disappointment, try to let that go, because you'll be in for a great night of music. My wife is 1000x the Bob fan than I am but I left my show loving what I saw, because it's not often you see a band that is so tight and so good at what they do.
That post summed it all up for me. He's a legend who is not to be missed. I've seen him six times and there was not a weak show in the bunch. And a couple of those rank among the greatest shows I've ever seen in my life. Bob is a genius several times over and part of it is the way he rearranges his old tunes to keep them fresh.
Expect your toes to curl when he plays "Like A Rolling Stone" even though his voice sounds dreadful. You're gonna be looking at the Mona Lisa.
[Edited on 3/27/2015 by wearly89]
He and his band play top notch music. You probably won't recognize the arrangement of any of the songs. I didn't know what he was playing until I heard the lyrics. If not hearing your fav songs as you know them is a disappointment, try to let that go, because you'll be in for a great night of music. My wife is 1000x the Bob fan than I am but I left my show loving what I saw, because it's not often you see a band that is so tight and so good at what they do.
That post summed it all up for me. He's a legend who is not to be missed. I've seen him six times and there was not a weak show in the bunch. And a couple of those rank among the greatest shows I've ever seen in my life. Bob is a genius several times over and part of it is the way he rearranges his old tunes to keep them fresh.
Agreed with one exception. The songs are re-arranged to accommodate his ever weakening voice; not to stay fresh
Agreed with one exception. The songs are re-arranged to accommodate his ever weakening voice; not to stay fresh
He has definitely changed his approach to make up for his weaknesses. But he was switching up arrangements back in the early 80's when GE Smith was in his band and even when he toured with Petty.
I think he genuinely likes to mix it up.
The setlist is stagnant and the songs are note for note like the record, but it's worth it for Joe Walsh.
Oh wait! Wrong thread!
If you go to shows in Savannah, Atlanta (and maybe St. Augustine) you can expect to see me there! 😉
All comments have validity. If there has been a common thread or element to Bob Dylan's career it is that he has constantly changed and morphed -either to accommodate his changing voice or merely at his own whim. Expect him to zig - he zags instead - perhaps spitefully so.
As a devout fan, I see Dylan's work as a changing landscape. Look at it closer and it's like several separate artists or careers bound together. The folksinger, the balladeer, the electric rocker, the storyteller - it's all been the same guy but certainly seeming like different artists at various points along the way.
Dylan doesn't play a lot of guitar these days, which is a shame because he is actually (historically) a pretty decent player. "What?", you ask. Seriously, go back and dissect the music. He displays fluid skills throughout his work. At late as 2006, Bob was playing the bulk of the lead guitar at his shows, leaving mainly the fills for his brilliant sidemen (Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton). I don't know if it's an arthritis related thing or not, but it's more common at recent shows to see Bob playing keyboard or standing out front singing and blowing harp.
Re Dylan's singing voice: this has been an issue throughout his career. Bob has addressed this at several points. He points out that he does indeed (and he does, indeed) hit the notes. What people hear is the tone or timbre - which might or might not meet an individual listener's taste.
After the Allman Brother's Band and maybe Yes, I've seen more Dylan shows than any other artist or band. I choose to take each show and each new album (unlike a lot of artists from his generation - Bob Dylan is constantly putting new stuff out there) as a new canvas. I suspend any expectations for the work to resemble the last. I am a fan of each phase of his amazing life's work!
If you are a Bob Dylan fan, I think you can expect to enjoy a great show.
If you go to shows in Savannah, Atlanta (and maybe St. Augustine) you can expect to see me there! 😉
All comments have validity. If there has been a common thread or element to Bob Dylan's career it is that he has constantly changed and morphed -either to accommodate his changing voice or merely at his own whim. Expect him to zig - he zags instead - perhaps spitefully so.
As a devout fan, I see Dylan's work as a changing landscape. Look at it closer and it's like several separate artists or careers bound together. The folksinger, the balladeer, the electric rocker, the storyteller - it's all been the same guy but certainly seeming like different artists at various points along the way.
Dylan doesn't play a lot of guitar these days, which is a shame because he is actually (historically) a pretty decent player. "What?", you ask. Seriously, go back and dissect the music. He displays fluid skills throughout his work. At late as 2006, Bob was playing the bulk of the lead guitar at his shows, leaving mainly the fills for his brilliant sidemen (Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton). I don't know if it's an arthritis related thing or not, but it's more common at recent shows to see Bob playing keyboard or standing out front singing and blowing harp.
Re Dylan's singing voice: this has been an issue throughout his career. Bob has addressed this at several points. He points out that he does indeed (and he does, indeed) hit the notes. What people hear is the tone or timbre - which might or might not meet an individual listener's taste.
After the Allman Brother's Band and maybe Yes, I've seen more Dylan shows than any other artist or band. I choose to take each show and each new album (unlike a lot of artists from his generation - Bob Dylan is constantly putting new stuff out there) as a new canvas. I suspend any expectations for the work to resemble the last. I am a fan of each phase of his amazing life's work!
If you are a Bob Dylan fan, I think you can expect to enjoy a great show.
A couple of thoughts:
Yes,Dylan has been changing the way the tunes go for a long time,never to accommodate his voice,more often than not taking great humor from the (over)reaction of fans.
Guitar-he can't play due to arthritis-no other reason,not a choice.
Voice and a whole lotta other Dylan stuff-read or see his 40 minute speech at the musicares event in his honor recently.Best to wait to see it because you catch his sense of humor,whereas on paper it may have a somewhat different reaction.But,either way Bob answers alot of questions bout his voice,particularly in relation to others,and why he might be the focus!
The greatest misconception about Dylan is that he's humorless and difficult.Quirky and eccentric,yes,but what an incredible sense of humor he's always had.
The recent speech,Chronicles and his AARP interview reveal a small part of the real Dylan.At heart,a performer,but in many realities a family man 100%.
I'm stuck on Dylan. If you're a musician who likes to play out at open mic nights, coffee houses, open blues jams, etc., Dylan's music is perfect. It seems like no matter what I play I always get the best reactions from the Dylan songs. And, yes, he's a terrific guitarist and his songs are so much fun to play! Right now I'm so stuck on playing "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" I think my wife might shoot me. He's just got so many great, clever, witty, humorous, and thoughtful compositions you can't get to the bottom of his stack. He's been a fountain of creativity his whole life.
He's just got so many great, clever, witty, humorous, and thoughtful compositions you can't get to the bottom of his stack. He's been a fountain of creativity his whole life.
Finally...a REAL use for the word, EPIC.
He's just got so many great, clever, witty, humorous, and thoughtful compositions you can't get to the bottom of his stack. He's been a fountain of creativity his whole life.
Thank You. The most pertinent and truthful statement I've seen in this thread.
The recent speech,Chronicles and his AARP interview reveal a small part of the real Dylan.At heart,a performer,but in many realities a family man 100%.
It was the AARP interview that got us interested in going to see him on this tour. Funny...back when I started going to concerts in the early '70's I never thought I'd be getting my inspiration from an AARP interview. 😮
After 30 some shows I would say Bob is like a box of chocolates ... you never know what you're going to get (but I've never gotten anything that made me want to toss those remaining chocolates away ... I still enjoy seeing him). As many others here have said - what you're going to get is Bob Dylan. And that in itself is something that is pretty remarkable. And you never know ... you may even get to talk to him ... 😉
http://clclt.com/charlotte/bob-dylan-is-a-poet-even-in-the-john/Content?oid=3075547
[Edited on 3/27/2015 by lolasdeb]
http://clclt.com/charlotte/bob-dylan-is-a-poet-even-in-the-john/Content?oid=3075547
"It was 1975 and I had just quit college to try and be a singer/songwriter. You know, the gig Dylan invented. He made it seem cool, streetwise and mesmerizing. Years later, John Mayer turned it into the musical version of the Moe Howard two-finger eye poke."
Good stuff! 😛
One unique thing I have observed about Dylan is that his artistic side, unlike many other creative people, survived his celebrity. Sure, other artists keep on touring and playing and going through the motions, but Dylan has maintained his restless creative fire to write in solitude, just for the sake of his artistry far longer than most people after they have achieved celebrity and financial success. That's a true artist to me - external circumstances don't affect his urgent need to observe,express, and create.
[Edited on 3/27/2015 by wearly89]
One unique thing I have observed about Dylan is that his artistic side, unlike many other creative people, survived his celebrity. Sure, other artists keep on touring and playing and going through the motions, but Dylan has maintained his restless creative fire to write in solitude, just for the sake of his artistry far longer than most people after they have achieved celebrity and financial success. That's a true artist to me - external circumstances don't affect his urgent need to observe,express, and create.
And it's not just expressed through words and music ... he's also talented with visual arts ... just another way to observe, express, create ...
http://www.halcyongallery.com/artists/bob-dylan
The inside of Bob's head?
Nobody can be cooler at 70 than his bobness
well, I really enjoy Bob's singing so take my opinion for what it's worth, but I don't see or hear the weakness in Bob's voice, and I prefer his voice now as well as anytime in his career. His music defies a name really, its bluesy, rocky, country, jazz swing maybe, with dark and melancholy overtones. The last shows he did which covered the fall U.S. tour , are talked about as among his strongest ever. Part vaudeville and part theatre, 2 sets, which seperate the different acts of the show, but I notice the break also keeps Bob real strong all the way through.Plus, I like hearing Bob speak, even if just to announce the set break. Everybody get Your butts to these shows this spring!!!! Midwest people get to South Bend!!!!........Peace.......joe
I had a great time at the Lyric Opera House on Saturday night. I was front row pit in front of the piano and was able to watch Dylan sing, smile, dance, and (apparently) mumble a bit to himself.
He seemed to be having a great time. The band is top notch. The song selection covered all the bases.
If you like and understand Bob Dylan you probably already bought tickets for any shows in your neck of the woods. You don't need me to convince you to go.
I was very happy to be spared and opening act. Bob hit the stage at 8:03 and sailed through two pretty joyous sets.
Set I
Things Have Changed
She Belongs To Me
Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
Workingman's Blues #2
Duquesne Whistle
Waiting For You
Pay In Blood
Tangled Up In Blue
Love Sick
Set II
High Water (For Charley Patton)
Simple Twist Of Fate
Early Roman Kings
Forgetful Heart
Spirit On The Water
Scarlet Town
Soon After Midnight
Long And Wasted Years
Blowin' In The Wind
Stay With Me
