Posted on 10/24/2006 10:41:44 PM PDT by pissant
Even if you couldn't see his face beneath his black bolero hat, you could sense a twinkle in Bob Dylan's eyes as the legendary singer-songwriter neared the end of “Spirit on the Water.” It was the fifth number in his frequently stirring concert Sunday night at SDSU's Cox Arena, and the lyrics in the final verse of the song – which he performed live for the first time anywhere – drew a resounding cheer from the multi-generational audience of 7,881.
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As his five-man band laid down a light swing vamp behind him, the 65-year-old pop-music icon crooned the final verse of “Spirit,” the first of four songs he performed from his enchanting new album, “Modern Times.” He brought a winning combination of playfulness and quiet confidence to the concluding lines: You think I'm over the hill / You think I'm past my prime / Let me see what you got / We can have a whoppin' good time. Dylan, who rarely looked up from his electric keyboard, delivered these lyrics in a manner more matter-of-fact than boastful. As if to prove the weight of his words, he exuded infectious vigor and passion when he and his band then ripped into a rollicking “Highway 61 Revisited.”
There were other musical treats – and a few sly tricks – during the 16-song concert, which triumphantly finished with wonderfully revamped versions of “Like a Rolling Stone” and “All Along the Watchtower.” In some instances, the treats and the tricks were one and the same, such as when the brooding “Desolation Row” was recast with a surprisingly jaunty musical arrangement.
Then there was the dramatic reinvention of “Cold Irons Bound,” a choice cut from Dylan's epic 1997 comeback album, “Time Out of Mind.” On his concert tours in recent years, “Cold” would literally explode onstage. On Sunday, the song's power came from its carefully modulated restraint and understated tension.
The 107-minute performance was Dyan's first show here since a 2004 Cox Arena concert exactly two years ago to the day. His repertoire Sunday ranged from such early favorites as the concert-opening “Maggie's Farm” and “Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues” – both from his masterful 1965 album, “Bringing It All Back Home” – to the country-tinged lament “Workingman's Blues #2” and the Chuck Berry-fueled “Thunder on the Mountain,” both from the rootsy “Modern Times.”
But seriously, 65?? (! ! !)
Whatever happened to "never trust anyone over 30" :-)
Time to croon the Geritol bottle...
Cheers!
Dylan never was one of those types. He idolized a bunch of old folkies, bluesmen and crooners. Now he is one.
"Dylan never was one of those types. He idolized a bunch of old folkies, bluesmen and crooners. Now he is one."
I like Dylan and almost all of his music through the years.
His most recent CD disappoints my wife and I. We would both rather hear him put down fresh tracks of some of his oldies.
I guess that is how some of us get in later years; pining for the glorious past.
That's funny. Because I think his last three albums, including the latest, stack up with everything he's ever done, and I just saw him week live. Excellent.
I saw Bob Dylan on his tour just recently. It was my first ever Dylan concert, so there were no expectations on what to expect. It was an honor just to see him, a legend in his time even if he really couldn’t carry a melody, or if he ever had consistently over a very long and distinguished career.
It was disappointing, even being 12 rows back not to see much of his face, since he didn’t move away from his keyboard much, just maybe to catch a sip of water.
I did maybe expect to see him play a guitar, but it was not to be on that particular night. Someone said he may have arthritis, or whatever, and it would have seemed that watching a concert with the main star who cant carry a tune, or play a guitar, or move about the stage would be a bad show.
But not the case, Bob Dylan at 65 has a stage presence and a command of his band and audience that is awesome and of course, he can still play the harmonica beautifully, sending chills down a spine.
Every rock star for the last 40 years has had to come to realize that there is more than just music, or profound words and poetry that have real meanings; there is an essence of spirit to move the masses, that only Bob Dylan has been able to capture and still does for what ever reason.
Thanks for sharing. I don't know when you saw him, but his most recent leg of the tour, starting two weeks ago, has been getting rave reviews. He ain't slowing down either. He's been on the Never Ending Tour since 1988!!! LOL
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