I am a journalist, writer and broadcaster ... lately I've been concentrating on music, I spent many years as a music critic and a travel writer ... I gave up my last editorship a while ago and started concentrating on my blog. I was also asked to join AirTV International as a co host of a new show called Postcard ...
The world is now denying us the freedom to get sick and die
As we rested in a mountain bar near our rented home in Marbella, the laughter was gone. Not forever hopefully, but long enough to make you think.
What is happening to us? It’s almost Christmas again and the world below us is lit up like a tree. The Mediterranean looks like snow in the moon-light and Africa glimmers in the distance.
And the world is closing down again before eyes.
The barman shines glasses and slides them onto the overhead shelves, the new travel restrictions on Brits who bought abroad – restrictions affecting getting back in to Britain from Europe in particular – will cost him dearly. Christmas has always been a bonus to him but he knows that fewer families are going to head for their places in the sun now.
“It could cost me thousands,” he sighed. But more poignantly he said: “But it’s not the money so much, we’ve had this bar for two decades and so many of these people who come out to their holiday homes throughout the year are our friends. Good friends, we have a laugh and a drink and celebrate together. That’s gone again.”
It was 7-ish and the couple next to us at the bar were already on the their second bottle of Rioja. But it wasn’t making them happy.
The wife, in her 60s, dripped gold and a hangdog expression as she said: “We bought our villa because it’s in one of the best white villages in the province and we use it as an investment. We’ve another place just down the road where we stay when its rented out on Booking.com or Airbnb.
“People are cancelling their bookings already… we’ve got five bedrooms at the renter and can get £2,000 a week at the right time. But it needs £28,000 a year to wipe its face. We’re okay financially or we wouldn’t be here. But we aren’t rich and things like this make us feel anxious.”
Other people are just going to be lonely for their families this Christmas. Again.
Many of these people here, in this beautifu; pretend ‘ancient fishing’ village on an Andalucian mountainside cheek-by-jowl by Putin’s Marbella holiday palace and Hugh Grants little hide-away villa are business people, they have been prime-movers, shakers and influencers.
But like the rest of us, they are starting to see that they are being controlled. Their personal determination to walk their own paths to autonomy and success has been thwarted by a little fatty bug called Covid and politicians across the world who are seeing something so many of us ordinary human beings have missed for two years now.
Mr Jones has lost control of his nice ordinary bank-balanced life by the sea and didn’t even notice.
Putin might like to live in his sunshine palace overlooking the hoi polloi with all the money in world (almost) oiling his proclivities and be surrounded by gunmen and trained killers keeping him in magnificent isolation. But did we, the ordinary ones, sign up for the poor man’s version of this?
No we didn’t!
And yet the powers, Buffoon Boris, Socialist-Sanchez, Mad-Macron, Fishy-Sturgeon, Murky Murkle and all the rest of the motley crew represent the power to control us more than ever before.
In Austria, the government has ‘imprisoned’ a third of its population as a danger to public health.
And all over the world, it’s the same story – abuse of power.
Freedom that was unquestionable. Our right as human beings.
The authorities around the world are forcing us back in to our boxes
We have vaccines and yet we are even being denied the freedom to get ill and die.
A family-owned television station with almost 30 years of broadcast history has made it into the new age of ‘streaming’.
Airtv International has joined Roku, one of the world’s biggest entertainment and news platforms.
Roku was recently voted ‘favourite’ streaming system, with the most streaming app options, the simplest interface and the best search.
Rodney Hearth, from Manchester, president and managing editor at Airtv, said: “This is great for us and has meant a lot of work for our ‘backroom’ boys. But we’ve got there … the station came into being almost 30 years ago when we spotted a gap in the market for a family-friendly broadcaster.
“The main TV channels were becoming punctuated with violence, foul language and sex – not to mention such a narrow playlist of pop music. Not everybody wants to listen to Agadoo or Tie a Yellow Ribbon and watch negative films and soaps.
“We were living in Spain at the time and I have a background in television, so we decided to launch our own station with good music, wholesome programming and good interesting politics.
“We did well but decided we needed to move with the times. Roku and streaming are the way ahead for us. We are a breath of fresh air.”
Airtv describes itself as Family Safe sharing arts, film, comedy, music, documentary, opinion and news.
Rodney said: “You can watch 11 exciting and educative TV channels for free and in addition more than 20,000 clips and programmes.
“We believe in free speech, and challenging up-to-the-minute news and comment.”
And controversy is always part of freedom of speech – regulars on AirTv are Peter Hitchens, Katie Hopkins, Nigel Farage and Jordan Peterson.
Ex-Fleet Street journalist Leigh G Banks, from Moston, Manchester, who does an outrageous, funny and insightful opinion programme with Rodney, Postcard – The Gentlemen Ranters – every week where they tackle racism, covid, politics – in fact anything in the news.
Leigh said: “Some of the guests on Airtv are a bit controversial and I was invited along simply because I don’t always agree with them.
“Rodney and I also see it as part of our job to puncture conspiracy theories and the fake news on social media.
“I have always been a newsman and it is good to have a platform to attack liars and cheats.”
Roku stock has soared 74% in 2020 as covid has kept people at home and streaming has taken off.
AirTV Arts: Ballet – Opera – Classical Music
AirTV Film Classics: Classics from the Silver Screen
AirTV news channels – 24hr rolling news
AirTV Entertainment: Comedy – Shows – Documentary
AirTV Jazz: Top Worldwide Artists
AirTV Total Music: All Genres and some Surprises.
AirTV Opinion: Challenging up to the Minute Commentary on Today’s Headlines
AirTV First Amendment – moral spiritual and social issues.
Christian Concern Channel – Real Church For Everyone.
Thank you DaDa from Poprad, Slovakia … please watch the video inside …
Violence can smack any of us in the face any time … we live in an increasingly violent society, tragically.
And today weapons are seen as the method-of-choice for the humiliation, insult and scarring of fellow human beings. A straight-forward street-corner brawl involving fisticuffs is not enough today.
In Spain, in the differing worlds of Marbella and Torrevieja, knife crime and burglaries are the things to be feared. In the UK more than 1.77 million violent offences were recorded, according to police crime statistics.
In Slovakia, a country with a population of about five million, around 15,000 cases of violence are recorded each year.
A friend of ours, Daniela DaDa Gregorová, who lives in the Slovak mountain city of Poprad, became a victim of a potentially dangerous incident recently.
She said: “November 25 was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
“I never thought violence could happen to me. I was mostly convinced that it can only happen to pretty women or to those who are challengingly dressed. Then it happened to me.
“A guy stopped me when I was going to the station in the early morning hours and spoke to me, Then went away.
“But next I realised he had run up behind me. I was instinctively scared that he wanted to rob me. Well, what followed then struck me.
“I don’t know how strong a person is, when it comes to personalities, he completely parallelized me with fear because I can never know what’s going on in his head.
“That is why it is necessary not to be silent about things like this, but to talk about it even if it may be uncomfortable. Because you never know when it could happen to your loved ones.”
To mark the international day DaDa – as she is known – joined other creative and brave souls to stand out in the crowd and be counted.
Here at The Society we are proud to know and support Daniela DaDa Gregorová and her attitude to life and humanity.
KAYE’S LIFE… THE POWERFUL STORY OF A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR
‘Two symmetrical blue stitches, like fishing nylon, hold me together and a neat clean, mound has replaced my breast. I feel bruised’
Over the next few weeks The Society is publishing the true story of a woman who went to hell and back because of breast cancer. This is Kaye Howarth’s story in her own words. Thank you for wanting to share with us and the world Kaye.
Biography … Bald Bird Surviving Breast Cancer
Part 5 Next Week
23.12.99
I’m in an electrical bed. I can hear the rain beating on the windows. Have I looked at my scars,two symmetrical, blue stitches like fishing nylon hold me together, and a neat clean, mound has replaced my breast, and I feel bruised.
I have no nipple. My armpit is numb. But im alive!! Tubes drain my back, and my newly constructed breast. I remember now being wheeled to theatre. I fall asleep.
I remember waking in the night, shouting, Morphine is injected, I sleep again.
Breakfast, painkillers, Nurses give me a bed bath, what angels! I didn’t feel humiliated as I thought I might, just mildly self-conscious. Now sitting on the commode was a different thing! But needs must. I feel weak and wobbly.
Visitors pop in to see me, Anne from the Children’s Centre, Also Jill.
Dave comes in soaked; he tells me that our central heating has packed in at home, we guess at the odds of resurrecting a plumber on Christmas Eve, Dave rushes off, forever the optimist for the hunt. God, he looks knackered
Pip pokes her head round the door we have a laugh together, she goes.
Mum and kids arrive mid-afternoon…I fall asleep, unaware that the day has blended into night. I wake up alone
Dear God, if you can hear me, I promise that from now on I will lead an exemplarity life, if only you will let me live to see my children grown, please I will give back *tenfold, pleaseee……I fall asleep.
Crappy night’s sleep, full of nightmares. Dream a blackbird is flying at me, gets caught in my hair….I can’t pull it out. Wake up bolt upright, screaming, or so I think. A Nurse injects me in the thigh, sleep, peaceful full heavy sleep.
24.12.99 Dear Diary
I have a visitor, Mr Grahams Surgeon assistant, plus a nurse. Show him new boob. He examines drains; three tubes that come from m wound two in front one behind. I think I must look like an Octopus. All are working well; I wish I could have a bath, feel sweaty, tired, and grumpy. However, wish the staff a Merry Christmas, and could they think Mr Graham for my wonderfully constructed new boob. They say they will.
Christmas day! 8.00am.
In the midst of this conversation two lovely bouquets and a large teddy with a balloon attached appears around the curtain, this is from Dave’s cousin Joanne and family, from Merseyside.
Emotion suddenly hits me; from all the weeks before seeming to burst out of me I cry.
I have a new friend! the cleaner, I am the only patient on the ward, all other patients have been discharged, we chat about this and that she then carries on with her multitudes of duties before her, with a cheery goodbye she continues forth. The nurses are lovely and join me on their tea breaks.
Pippa pops in and goes. I wonder in my mind has the Cancer gone, has the cancer gone, Bert do you miss me, I sure as hell don’t miss you.
Dave comes in frozen to bits. We have a long cuddle.
25.12.99 Dear Diary
Christmas Day, I have had a bath! Oh bliss.
Go with new roommate Diane, who came in the middle of the night (Suspected heat attack) to Holy Communion. Meet the Vicar who I regularly see in passing on Hardy Ward where I work, he smiles a hello. Judy from occupational Therapy is playing the piano. Now it feels like Christmas -sings Amazing Grace, I feel like I’ve been given mine
Waiting for me are Dave, Ems and George, they look shattered, open pressies.
From George a candle with silver stars.
Ems a gorgeous angel in a beautiful card. Children are restless, uncomfortable in their surroundings, ask Dave to take them home, I feel really pissed off as really want them to stay longer. Now I feel sorry for myself, down .Dave tells me chin up, I feel like telling him to piss off, it’s not him laying in this sodden bed is it, he can go out into the fresh air and escape. I can’t, then I feel guilty, he’s looking after my children, working and is worried sick, god im a selfish cow. Selfish cow snuggles down and goes to sleep. I sleep. I wake and my mum is with me, im so pleased to see her it hurts.
26.12.99
Excellent night’s sleep. Felt low yesterday. Lorraine and Alison the Staff Nurses invite me into the staff room, for mince pies, and coffee ,bless um, things like that make such a difference. I then get shown a side room, that has a t.v and a bed in,
I can use that if I want to.
9.00am.Ward round. Bare all. Dr agrees one drain clear; this can now be taken out.
Oh what joy, hope it doesn’t hurt too much I’m such a coward where pain is concerned.
I’m given a Paracetamol,(I know this is a Placebo effect!) in preparation for drain removal. Dave is here phew! Hand holder, gas and air on offer.
Half an hour later, inside ward I lay down, quivering slightly. Deep breathes says Elaine Nurse, I do, and the strangest sensation follows as the plastic tube slides from under my skin and back muscle out of my body. Wow I feel slightly dizzy, and scuttle off back to my ward as soon as the procedure is done
Two tubes to go before freedom. Dave and I go to the TV room, other patients and guests turn and look at me, I carry the bulbs that the tubes drain into in a material handbag, I hope they think I’ve got my knitting needles in there.
I say a bubbly hello.
They seem to all relax.
27.12.00
Good night’s sleep. My heart does beating somersaults as my Grandparents, Aunty Steff and my mum also walk through after them. Never underestimate the power
Of good that a family visit does.
Chat for an hour, then I’m suddenly very tired. Mum sees this, and whisks everyone
Home. Hugs all round first though.
I feel restless now everyone’s gone and can’t settle even though I am tired. I get up slowly and cautiously minding my tubes, pick up my handbag wander down the ward, and come across leaflets by the ward door. The leaflets are on Breast cancer.
Feel depressed, on my beating this Bastard disease. Stand and talk to the passing nurses. To bed now, do really feel physically tired. Write diary first.
Nite. Nite. Write again tomorrow.
3.00am.
Get woken up by an elderly lady being brought in, lady in her 60s.Comes in to have her abdomen drained. Ovarian Cancer she tells me positively. She’s just come back from seeing her daughter in Australia. Sleep.
Ward round.
Drs Says I can now have other drains out. Have first drain out, this is draining my front, my reconstructed breast, it slides out easily, the second pulls a bit, but all is fine.
Guess what the Dr then tells me……! YEP, I CAN BLOODY WELL GO HOME, I CAN GO HOME, ICAN GO HOME, HOME, HOME, HOME! BLOODY HELL HOME!
Mum pops in with Gran and Grandad, and Steff, looks thoroughly worried when I tell her I can go home. Mum worries that I’m not worried, I get cross and tell her I’m so ready to go, mum still feels it’s too early.
Looking back of course, I now see the overwhelming responsibility that mum must have felt, worried that she might not be able to cope with looking after me and my whole household. My Grandparents have rented the holiday house in my street, they say they will help.
Doctor comes round, explains follow up treatment, possibility of Chemo, stitches
Out after tenth day, that will be New Year’s Day then, The Millennium, and the year 2000!
Please I say, one day won’t make any difference, could we do it for a day after, he laughs following my drift.02.01.2000 is agreed upon for stitch removal. I can go home tomorrow. Dave pops in 8.30pmish, I tell him I can go home tomorrow, to celebrate we go for a walk around the hospital, we look at my photo with the other staff members celebrating the opening of the new wing. Dave points to Pippa’s photo and says she’s gorgeous. There’s me just had my tit off and he’s ogling someone else, a word to the wise this really isn’t a good move, I storm off. Dave runs after me; I can certainly shift when I’m pissed off. Dave says he didn’t mean it like that, being female, I store this for back up material, but forgive him, just about.
D-Day I’m going home!
Go home today. Crappy night’s sleep last night, late night admission of a lady wearing an oxygen mask…poor love rattled and wheezed all night.
12.15pm Surprise visitors for me! Bett and Norman Dave’s parents arrive. I am having my lunch they say they’ll come back in an hour. They are helping Dave with some house renovations, Bett has done our ironing…apparently, we nearly have central heating now. Bett and Norman leave after an hour, I sit and chat with other patient’s relatives, one of the nurses brings in her new fella, we laugh, and he goes shy.
Teatime Dave at last arrives to take me home, I’ve been packed since 10.00am this morning. We give my flowers to remaining patients, and fresh flowers and card to nurses. This seems such a small gesture for all the hard work, and dedication they put into their work.
Feel like ive been let out of prison, fresh cold air hits me, I feel rather shaky on the old pins. Luckily Dave has parked close, wheelchair not needed. I sit through the journey home, feeling relieved that part of my treatment is over. I can’t wait to see Ems and George. I will make Sharon and Steve’s New Year Party after all!
Arrive home, to squeals of joy from my babies, we hug in the hallway, eventually they let me go, I go through the hallway upstairs.
I feel disorientated slightly, put things in bedroom, mum has brought a whole new fresh white cotton linen set for our bed, it is gorgeous. I feel tears in my eyes but push them back. Mum comes over from across the street, gives me a gentle hug trying not to squash my rebuild, ran and Granddad also, with Aunty Steff.
Jesus I’ve missed my kids.
Once I’m settled my visiting family say there off but will be back again in the morning.
Go to bed early; find it difficult to get comfy, now I’m not in my super-duper electric bed. I wriggle and huff and puff, then hubby makes me a triangle out of my pillows. He nods off, I stare at the ceiling.
29.12.00
Where my back muscle used to be (Now part of my breast) fluid begins to fill. This is really uncomfortable. Go to hospital. Jan Breast care Nurse drains with a syringe. Ah bliss comfortable once more.
At home watching television I’m suddenly aware that every programme has women with bulging breasts, Nipples jutting out, juggling in my face taunting me. I storm off to bed. Dave follows.
I grizzle pathetically, I’m not feminine anymore, I’m not who you married, I’ve lost my sexual appeal, confidence in my appearance. Dave dives off downstairs and brings back with him our wedding photograph. Dave tells me I am the same woman in that photo, I have not changed in his eyes…. I try and understand what he’s saying.
But you see, laying in this bed is a totally different person, physically, mentally, and spiritually…. totally to that woman in the wedding photo that Dave is looking into the eyes of.
Dave spookily reads my thoughts, and cuddles me gently” Well get through this, us the kids, I love you.”
He kisses my forehead and then gets up to re hang our photo in the living room downstairs.
Bob always wanted to be an ol’ blues man and now, at 80, he’s made it. But don’t forget, Dylan is made of smoke and mirrors and today he might appear to be badly built and walking on stilts … but see what you can see back in his shadowy kingdom.
More reviews, this time from Providence, Rhode Island
Larry Fishman writes:
“I’ve seen Bob three times in this beautifully restoredtheater and enjoy it’s art deco ambience, grandeur and detail. The gig was sold out and filled with the greying baby boomers that you would expect. Bob. Suited and still thin as a yard stick, he spent most of the nightstanding behind his piano and then alternately sitting down to hammer outa solo. On numerous song, he would sashay Biden like a few steps awayfrom the piano and grab a hand held microphone for a few verses. He’dthen scamper back behind the keys with two micro lights no doubtilluminating the lyric sheets. He definitely is less mobile At onepoint, he sauntered over more to the center of the stage for a verse andthe place burst into applause. Think about that. The crowd bust intoapplause for walking across the stage - we’re a crazy lot. He issinging - for the most part - with the precision of a safecracker. Maybeit’s the break of two years or maybe he drinks a few extra cups of tea,but he sounded fantastic. He was focused, on target, direct, near cosmicand nuanced.”
Larry Fishman
[email protected]
www.thebigstockbroker.com
Laurette Maillet writes again:
“He is RIGHT on time. No Beacon crowd by the bus."Watching the river flow" is again a rehearsal for the sound. By now it should be perfect ?? Bob is holding the piano, more incertain of his stand than ever."False prophet" is behind the piano. He tries a step or two on "Black rider" but holds the piano again. His voice is great though. Powerful.Only "Save somebody" is waking up a dead audience.No piano on "Melancholy mood" and Bob moves next to Tony only during the second part of the song. Bob scooped and static.ERK is definitively boring. Should try another song.The public is polite or bored. Difficult to know! But for sure extremely quiet.I check Bob Britt guitars. On " Key west " he's got one with a funny shape; a rocket for the space? With Donnie's accordion it gives something to look at. They're all dressed in black and except for Doug Lancio...all static.My highlight would be "To be alone with you" and "Jimmy Reed " indeed.Not the best show ever. Of course I know the setlist by heart and the routine. Bob again cracks a joke before introducing the Band. But tonight with no conviction or reaction from the crowd. A kind word for Donnie Heron and also Tony Garnier. And I leave. I want to see the Star escaping the Fans. Of course EGOS is on. Well! Of Fan there is only me. Across the street. Because I have my phone out, a member of the Dylan crew, decides to take my photo. After Suzie, another girl...I must be a big menace !So I take a video. Bad girl! Bob is all wrapped in black and grey hoodie. Walking all by himself with Suzie and the bodyguard just behind.The musiciens follow in their own bus.Bye Bobby. See you tomorrow.Take care”
PICTURE THIS – HOW THE SHADOW, JIMMIE RODGERS AND A SIXTIES LENSMAN BECAME THE BONES OF BOB’S NEW ART
Somehow Bob can’t forget his good ol’ rambling days as he tours the world again at 80
ANOTHER SIDE OF BOB’S ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS … HOW 50 YEAR OLD PHOTO TOLD THE RIGHT TALE
In 1964, Bob Dylan’s Another Side was released much to the discomfort of people who had already claimed the youngsinger as their new god of traditional folk.
Little did they know how he was about to really rock their their staid beardy banjo-ey world twelve months later.
They just stuck their fingers in their ears and said young Bob had “lost touch” and was trapped by fame.
Meanwhile, photographer Ian Berry, from the scruffy UK industrial city of Preston, Lancashire, had made his reputation by exposing the horrors of South Africa, Sharpeville in 1960. Photography was his own way of making a protest.
In 1964 – when Bob was showing his other side – Ian was schlepping around Paris and London. Then, one day, he took what he thought was a good photo of the UK’s smokey cellar club life.
Funnily enough Ian says that in the 60s he had only a sketchy vision of Dylan’s existence.
But roughly 50 years later their paths crossed in a most unexpected way.
That photograph became the cover of Bob’s stunning Rough and Rowdy Ways.
Today, Ian, who is in his 80s, admits that he still doesn’t know a lot about Dylan and his music. But he said: “A record cover for Dylan is a great compliment.”
His photo shows a well-dressed couple dancing in a club – a man leans over a jukebox behind them.
And the historic photograph has all the romance of the hedonistic Sixties.
Ian took the picture at an old underground club on Cable Street in Whitechapel in East London.
He had been commissioned to get images of black culture in England. “I was working quickly, and in very poor light, shooting away with a 35-millimetre camera,” he says. “I knew at some point I’d have to leave because I hadn’t asked permission to be there.”
After about 15 or 20 minutes , he says people started throwing beer bottles at him.
Rough and rowdy ways, so to speak!
Today, Berry’s vast archive is controlled by the Magnum Photos agency. The agency previously made a deal with the Dylan camp for Bruce Davidson’s 1959 photograph of a young couple making out in a car, which appeared on the cover of 2009’s Together Through Life.
Although Ian isn’t that familiar with Dylan’s music, his wife is a big fan. “She’s more enthusiastic than I am,” he said. “But of course I’ve regularly listened to ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ and so forth, but they are her records rather than mine.”
Dylan is possibly the most prolific artist alive. He has made 38 studio albums, 91 singles, 40 music videos, many films, 11 books, a Nobel Prize, the American Medal of Freedom from US President Obama and has performed thousands of live concerts.
He has been the hokey, the mountain man, the rock god, the Southern preacher man, gospel performer, country god, the cowboy, the wild child, the Lothario, the drunk, the addict, the river boat captain, the general, the old blues man, the hippy, Elvis, the crooner, the punk, the eccentric… his guises are as many as his musical abilities.
The title Rough and Rowdy Ways is a homage to Jimmy Rogers.
Picture of Ian by Daniele Mattioli, cover art originally Ian Berry, Dylan pic, Pixabay
New reviews, obviously from five believers… not you Mr Jones
Review by Peter Smith
From a longer piece written for Bill Pagel’s brilliant Bob LinksIt was a long time since I last saw Dylan at the Beacon in late November, 2019. With the pandemic I wondered if that last time was the final time, but happily the NET continues. The show started promptly at 8pm and ran for a tight 98 minutes. The sound was extraordinarily clear; Dylan’s vocals were up front and distinct fromthe band. His voice was expressive and energetic, albeit within hislimited range. I can’t help but think what a great release this wouldbe: Dylan at the Beacon 2021 -- Bootleg Series XXX “Autumn in NYC.” Itwould be a nice counterpart to Springtime in New York.Dylan moved from center stage upright piano to stand up mic with thesprightly hop he had in 2019. There were touches of Dylan humor addedsince the tour in 2019 -- he engaged a shout out from the audience forPretty Boy Floyd. He said you’re in the wrong place - this isn’tSpringsteen on Broadway. The stage was a vision of darkness and light - the band in all black was set up on large illuminated panels of white- an intimate interpretation of the bright stage platform used by “those British bad boys” on their recent tour, closer to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. In his homage to NY he mentioned it as thebirthplace of Herman Melville and the home of “Jackie O.” Althoughnot played, I couldn’t help but think of Murder Most Foul from RARW asit was the day before the anniversary of JFK’s assasination.The lights remained out for longer period after Every Grain of Sand asthough he just might come out for another, but it was not to be.
Review by David Namerow
Ah, the Beacon. Legendary ornate , Neo-grecian brainchild of RoxyRothafel as the smaller sister venue of the famous Roxy downtown. And so, after a year and a half of Covid related dormancy, the NeverEnding Tour is back on track with the Rough and Rowdy Ways World WideTour, which began Nov 2 and will continue through 2024, when Bob will turn83! The stage? Spare, lit curtain behind the band. No more replica grecian statues, even the fabled Academy award statue (homage to “Things have Changed”) is gone. Also gone is either the Copland Americana music, or the Stravinsky Rite of Spring from the past. The band launches into “Watching the River Flow”, with Bob’s voiceunfortunately drowned out by crowds cheering, standing and the band a bittoo loud. After a nice rendition of “Most Likely You go Your way.”,the sound is balanced and Bob steps forward— almost on bended knee —for “I Contain Multitudes”. False Prophet was on fire, with Bob’s voice carrying the band alongwith him. Masterpiece was a bit muted, with the lyrics “Everything isgonna be beautiful” for poignancy. While “Black Rider was wonderful - and ominous, “My own version of You” was simply amazing, with Bobclear voiced, nuanced and enunciating every syllable carefully. “Key West” wasanother highlight, Bob saver-ing every line with a slightly differentarrangement than the album.. “Serve Somebody” got every body up anddancing, but I really could’t make out most of the lyrics (“You mightbe in the White House……”). And, by the way, Bob actually spoke. First, when some fan yelled for
“Born in the USA”, Bob quipped “you’re in the wrong theatre,that’s Springsteen on Broadway.”
Jeff Dellin
Settled in for the Sunday show, the third night of the Beacon Theatre run.One thing that struck me was how stark the whole stage was. No more shadowlighting or spotlights or starry backgrounds - just pale curtains andminimal stage lighting. Everyone dressed in black. Bob's piano withexposed wood facing forward. Minimal. Not that his staging has ever beenelaborate but this was basic and did not change all night.I would advise any fan to see this tour if possible. The Rough & RowdyWays songs were given the full treatment by Bob. You knew he was lovingplaying these songs when he would bend down low behind the piano at theend of songs to play a little solo obscured from view, just the top of hishead in sight. For me Black Rider and Mother Of Muses stood out as majorhighlights, very much in the moment performances. I could make out almostevery word of the new songs. The older material was given a bit of a shortshift this time around. To Be Alone With you felt fresh and Every Grain OfSand was outstanding. After dozens of shows over 35 years., I saw a first at this show. Bobseemed to acknowledge somebody who yelled out a request from the audience.I did not catch the whole thing but Bob seemed to say something like: "Ifyou want that you'll have to see Springsteen on Broadway. You're at thewrong show". And he chuckled. It was real and funny. .Started right on time and was over in a tidy hour and 40 minutes. All inall, it was a show with no big surprises but plenty of small surprises tomake it a meaningful night with Bob Dylan in New York.
Barry Gloffke writes:
Our hero’s third, and last, night at the Beacon Theatre for 2021 was, inmy estimation, the best of the lot. Each Dylan show lives and breathes onits’ own… slight cadence changes, lyrical nuances and unexpectedoccurrences imbue each concert with a unique character… it’s likewatching the sky on a cloudy day… you will never see the same cloudformation twice, ever… and you’ll never hear the same Dylan concerttwice, ever.From WATCHING THE RIVER FLOW to EVERY GRAIN OF SAND the maestro was on top of his game. He was relaxed, laughing, grinning, ad-libbing and veryanimated. He spoke more than he has in a dozen shows from previous tours.My girlfriend and I had spectacular seats, 2nd row, with a perfect line ofsight to see Bob behind the piano. Watching him was fascinating. He commanded the proceedings from the sanctuary of the piano and he banged those ivories as if he was a young boy in Hibbing (especially enjoyable on TO BE ALONE WITH YOU). His voice was once again powerful and clear… only a few miscues… nothingto really note. A really great show from start to finish. Review by Roland PabstDo you remember the scene in the movie “Rolling Thunder Revue” when ayoung woman at the end of a concert couldn’t hold back her tearsanymore, and she started to cry and cry? Today I was sitting between aheavy man on my left and a young girl on my right. I really didn’tnotice them. I was concentrating on the songs, the band and Dylan untilDylan performed Key West. The girl started to shake and cried and put herhead on my shoulder and cried and cried. My sweater was wet from hertears. She apologized with her teary eyes and whispered that Dylan wassuch a big part in her life the last 1 ½ years. She said: “whatevermood I was in, I found a song which helped me. My mother bought me thisticket. She is waiting for me outside. It is my 1st Dylan concert.” Whata great, sweet and touching story.For me it was my 55th concert. Therefore I can say this is probablyDylan’s strongest year in decades. Today he is a Story-Teller. Heperforms his own songs with such an intensity and power and nuance. Todaypeople are respectfully quiet during the songs and burst into aspontaneous applause after certain words or phrases. His band was greatsince years. This band is top notch.We all know Dylan from Theme Time Radio show and were surprised how funnyhe can be and talkative. Tonight somebody must have shouted something.Dylan laughed and mentioned Bruce Springsteen on Broadway show. You areatthe wrong place. The band introduction was the longest I ever witnessed.It was very refreshing. One song comes after another and today there wasno intermission. One of the many highlights for me was Key West. Paintingmy masterpiece was another surprise. It had a completely different feelingthan what I heard in December 2019 here at the Beacon.In the meantime everybody knows that the stage is poorly lit and nothingdecorative at all. This gives you the chance to fully listen and focus onthe performance. His voice is the best I heard in decades. When he standsbehind his piano you would never guess that a 80+ man is performing.However when he moves around the dark stage you can see an older man. Whata pleasure to see Dylan.I lived in New York for almost 20 years and Thanksgiving seems to be agiven time for Dylan to play in New York for days. He must be happycelebrating Thanksgiving somewhere around New York City. Isn’t it nicethat we know so little about his private life? I love it. Hopefully he will visit us in Santa Fe, New Mexico my new home town soon.
Scott Kareff writes:
It was a treat to renew acquaintances with Bob Dylan for the final Beaconshow of this 2021 run. The set list for the 3 shows was identical but thatwas perhaps the only disappointment of the night. Bob was in fine form andthe new lineup was sharp. I was partial to the new versions of the classic songs, listening for thenew and reworked lyrics. The new arrangements were all revelations. Eachone worth the price of admission.I can’t prove it but I take “I’ve made up my mind to give myself toyou” as a message from Bob to his audience and we are all thankful hedecided to live his life this way. Bob was engaged and even said somethingto an audience member about being at the wrong show, the person shouldhave been at the Springsteen show on Broadway and then something aboutSylvester Stallone being from NY.Thank you Bob! See you next time.
Review by Michael Paul Thomas
During the phone booth scene in Don't Look Back, the reporter holding hiscigarette and the phone in one hand and a pen and notebook in the other,says to his editor "'The times are a-changing' Dylan sings. They sure are,especially when a poet, not a pop singer fills a concert hall." This was Bob Dylan night number 35 for me (which pales incomparison to others I know), since 1995, and I heard a passionateperformance by the poet at 80. Bitterness and melancholy seemed to be most apparent, as well as sweet declarations of love (“I’ve made up my mind togive myself to you” and “I’m so deep in love I can hardly see”) along with acceptance of the next, uncertain worlds approaching.
How New York became a beacon to Bob as (it appears) Mr Jones ignores him again
We’ve been sharing rave reviews here at The Society since the beginning of November when Dylan finally got the chance to take his strolling bones back on the road again after Covid, the tragic hint of a sex scandal and the release of the stunning beautiful Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And the reviews, mainly, have been written by the man-and-woman on the street who’ve got other things to do with their lives but took the trouble to jot down notes and thoughts and their enthusiasms for Bob and his band landed in places like Milwaukee, Bloomington, Hershey and Moon Township.
Our Beacons of Light in New York … Bob Russell writes:
“I had a chilly but very nice pre-concert dinner and drinks with the delightful Nancy Cobb at the Owl’s Tail, a little bar around the corner from the Beacon, practically in the shadow of Dylan’s bus. Moving into the warmth of the theatre, I took my place in Row M of the orchestra, quite a good vantage point. Sitting just three rows ahead of me was the great Steve Earle, who I called out greetings to (I’m sure that was a great treat for him. ??)The stage was as you have seen from others on the tour, high lit floor, simple curtain in the back, sparse lighting, especially for Bob (reminded me a bit of the dim stages from September 1993). The band was tight, guitarists Britt and Lanciolurking in back and getting off the leash a bit. Drummer Charlie Drayton was crisp and Donnie and Tony were their usual selves.I won’t go over every song (check the setlists), but almost half the set was devoted to Rough and Rowdy Ways. Bob sang these with as much intensity and passion as I have seen in the 123 Bob shows I have attended. After the climactic Mother of Muses, a spirited Jimmy Reed, then band intros, and a PERFECT Every Grain of Sand concluded the evening.”
Intrepid Laurette Maillet writes:
“Arriving at 6pm. The Bob Dylan bus is parked there but no activities. Bob is locked in there. In a golden cage!See Donnie Herron getty out the Beacon hotel. I tentatively say ' hi Donnie!'. He is as cold as a stone. :(. See Tony Garnier getting out the Beacon hotel, tightly holding his 25 years girl friend. I say nothing. Well! I had better feedback with the Vietnamese restaurant waitress :)Bob starts a bit late. Waiting for the fans around the bus to disappear?I immediately focus on his pants :) woah! Nice pants. They look like really shining and tight. Black embroidered , as well as the jacket.Red shirt(it seems). It starts hard. The sound is perfect. Never been that good. Guitars are loud. As well as the drums. Bob is in a good mood. His voice as loud as it could be. Loud and clear. Nothingto do with Hershey.'False prophet' is a wonder. The hight light of the show tonight. Bob is eventrying a little dance on the side of the piano. Powerful."I'll be your Baby tonight" is also standing up by the side of the piano. Bob bending on his knees. A couple of times he decides to move from piano mike to center free hand mike and that will surprise the sound engeener. We missed few words :)Each song is a piece of Art. Even my least favorite is doing fine with me tonight.I believe he did twice the second verse of "key west". I have to listen to the recording ??The audience is up on its feet for " You've got to serve somebody ". Other than that , public is polite , reacting to a word here and there.”
Earlier: A tough crowd in New York… but Bob is still standing. They won’t get him beat
You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat, when I leave New York, I’ll be standing on my feet – Bob Dylan
It’s always been seen as a fair game to boo, lampoon, insult, attack, complain about and scoff at Bob Dylan.
This attitude has made me furious over the years … of course he can sing, he is probably one of the most inventive singers since the beginning of popular music and has influenced the whole inflection and style of rock music.
Bob is a writer of stunning prose too of course, but he is first and foremost a musical poet, a bard, a troubadour, an unfinished work of art.
We’ve been sharing rave reviews here at The Society since the beginning of November when Dylan finally got the chance to take his strolling bones back on the road again after Covid, the tragic hint of a sex scandal and the release of the stunning beautiful Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And the reviews, mainly, have been written by the man-and-woman on the street who’ve got other things to do with their lives but took the trouble to jot down notes and thoughts and their enthusiasms for Bob and his band landed in places like Milwaukee, Bloomington, Hershey and Moon Township.
And then he arrived in New York and he got ignored and insulted.
No New York Times review (if I’ve missed this please send me a link, I’d love to be wrong) and a handful of bad reviews from the Mr Jones’s on the street. We share them here:
Dave & Molly from Montreal, Quebec
EXPECTED SO MUCH, RECEIVED SO LITTLE
Dylan has always been one of my favorites. This was the 3rd time seeing him in Montreal, I was ready for another treat. Had fabulous $$$ seats 100 feet from Bob. The lights came up and there was Bob dressed in white, standing in front of the black, grand piano banging out his first tune in a surprisingly low pitch, gravely voice. His guitar lay across a chair a few feet away with his white brimmed hat atop, We would never hear that guitar or see him with hat on. Instead he alternated playing old and new songs either sitting or standing at the piano then grabbing a mic stand at the back wall of the stage as far from his audience as possible as he crooned old American standards. I came to see Dylan play guitar and sing like he meant it. Not a single word was uttered to his fans, not a smile, not a nod. Between songs he shuffled to a table to get a drink, hanging on to equipment as he walked. He looked old and disinterested. What an utter disappointment for me and my girlfriend.
P. A. C. from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SELFISH, DISENGAGED & UNDECIPHERABLE DYLAN AT THE MET PHILA.
When the best part of your concert event is the newly renovated Met and the outstanding food at Osteria, you know it’s going to be a bad night. A 60th birthday present from my daughter who is a singer and astute listener of all music. She knows how much I love Dylan’s music and wanted to take me to see him for the first time. It was an utter embarrassment. Dylan voice itself was as good and raw it’s always been but we couldn’t understand a word as he mumbled and garbled every word. His arrangement changes on some songs such as Like a Rolling Stone, were shockingly discordant to the essence of the song. And for 1 hour and 30 minutes, as we sat hoping things would get better, he didn’t muster one single word of welcome, thanks, or appreciation to his audience of 3,500. As we walked out on Bob 30 minutes early, he had me feeling badly for my daughter who certainly lost some respect for one of the musical heroes I spent years extolling. Bob my friend, it’s time to retire.
Sarah from Columbus, Ohio
GROSSLY INACCURATE VISIONS OF BOB DYLAN
If you attended Bob Dylan’s concert last night at the Palace Theatre expecting to see a lounge act and almost unrecognizable versions of Desolation Row and Tangled Up in Blue then you got what you paid for. If, like me, you were hoping to see Bob with his harmonica and guitar playing Just Like a Woman, Don’t think Twice it’s Alright, Like a Rolling Stone, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door…ANY of his songs – in their original arrangements – that define him as one of the best poets/storytellers/lyricists to ever live, then you were left absolutely heartbroken like me. Before going to the show, I had heard that for years Dylan hasn’t been great live, that he doesn’t acknowledge or interact with the audience, that he doesn’t play many of his classics, so I guess I’m the fool for not listening to those comments and thinking my experience would be different. As I sit here today listening to live Dylan albums from ’67, I can’t help but cry for the artist I never got to see live.
And yet Allison Rapp, a professional writer, had this to say: Dylan, perhaps more so than any singer-songwriter of his generation, has continuously asked his listeners to, in essence, think again. Newly arranged versions of old songs were peppered throughout the evening, including completely reimagined versions of Tempest‘s “Early Roman Kings,” Slow Train Coming‘s “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “To Be Alone With You” a track from 1969’s Nashville Skyline which Dylan has not performed live since 2005 and the also recently reintroduced “Every Grain of Sand” from Shot of Love. A Frank Sinatra cover, “Melancholy Mood,” which Dylan performed on his 2016 album, Fallen Angels, also appeared.
Dylan did not come back for an encore, perhaps choosing to save his energy for the next two nights of shows at the Beacon, plus the string of East Coast dates he has planned for the rest of this month and the beginning of next. But at 80, the legendary musician seems energized by simply being back on a stage, surrounded by a supportive band, performing new compositions that most Dylan fans have spent months listening to in the confines of quarantine and now get to hear in their full live glory.
As his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour moves on, ticket holders can expect a wonderfully rested and still remarkably enigmatic Dylan to greet them, even if it is with only a few words in between songs. As he sang in 1961, “You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat, when I leave New York, I’ll be standing on my feet.”
Meanwhile, here are four professional reviews by newspapers along the way. Let’s see what they are having to say compared to the fans who have become writers and critics for their love of Bob.
Reviews rocketas Ol’ Bob lands on Moon Township…but is age beginning to tell?
The first review to mention Dylan and the rigours of age…
Mitchell writes:
I feel that the reworking of the set list was more than just publicity
for the new album. All of the song selections were clearly pointing to
the past (high points and regrets) and looking to the future-a future
not in this world. It is contemplative and other worldly. And like it
or not, I do feel he is trying to bring a message with the two gospel
songs he brought back.
As to individual songs, “Mother
of Muses” is even more hymn-like than on the album. Clearly a prayer
and an offer of thanks. Sent chills up my spine.
The thing that made me sad about the show was the clear physical pain Bob is in. He is clearly still very sharp mentally, he was great with the lyrics, his voice was
fantastic and he looked to be enjoying himself. But, in contrast to
his standing center stage pre COVID, he just couldn’t do it now. He
had to hold onto the piano and even then, retreated behind the piano
mid most songs. He sat down behind the piano a lot. He doesn’t stand
straight. He got help going down the steps from the back of the stage.
Clearly his back/hips are hurting. I think we have to face it- as much
as he has, does and always will mean to us, his body is that of an 80
year old man.
I don’t know why he continues to do show after show when it is so
difficult physically. Maybe it is part of a “deal” he made many years ago as he once said.
Daniel Chester writes:
Watching: a rollicking tribute to Pittsburgh and its rivers
Most Likely: good energy and crisp and friendly and faithful and pretty
well-delivered
Multitudes: great feel/sound for a great song and sung well...how amazing
is it that this same guy wrote Song to Woody 60 years ago and is still on
the road heading for another joint
False Prophet: dull approaching OK (bluezzzzzzz)
Masterpiece: wonderful (violin and piano and acoustic guitar interwoven),
lucky to hear this again
Black Rider: nice atmosphere but nothing special...would rather hear
something off of New Morning or Infidels
I'll Be Your Baby: completely different version, had a nice little drive
to it (as opposed to the leisure pace of original)
My Own Version: another cool atmosphere and some very cool lines sung
well...maybe a performance where a tight little guitar solo would have
elevated it
To Be Alone: the acoustic guitar and violin and standup bass make a potent
combination...fun choice
Early Roman: pretty much a slog lacking necessary stomp...not a huge fan
of this tune but not sure any tune could have survived this treatment
Key West: piano picked some nice notes and accordian worked and some swell
lyrics ('if you lost your mind you'll find it there')
Serve Somebody: almost a different tune yet it grabbed the attention,
particularly with the new lyrics, and made its own way and was quite
enjoyable
I've Made Up My Mind: well-conceived and delivered and completely fit the
evening with certain lines grabbing the attention again
Melancholy: short and sweet (and sad) and totally fit this show
Mother of Muses: tender and well-wrought and sung well...piano and guitar
on the breaks were nice together...didn't really know this one yet really,
really good...'I've already outlived my life by far'...could have closed
with this one
Jimmy Reed: not bad...way better choices for this valuable slot
Every Grain: one of his all-timers and perfect choice to send people home
with...blessed to hear again
Laurette Maillet is back:
The venue is a stadium, maybe 5000 seats. I've been here few years ago. I
don't like stadium anymore. I prefer the cosy atmosphere of the theater.
I believe Bob will start late as it takes time for the audience to fill up
the venue. But...
He is right on time.
Dressed in black.
“Watching the river flow” is a bit confused at the start. The
Musiciens are not in tune!
Bob, as usual, is moving from the center mike to the piano, most often at
the piano, except for “I contain multitudes” where he is bending on
his knees...
“When I paint my masterpiece” is a wonder! I feel like dancing
Bob seems to be happy to be here. I am too far to see if he is smiling but
I can believe he did.
Again 'Mother of muses' is not my cup of tea but I close my eyes and focus
on Bob's voice and it does the trick. I feel transported in another
universe with Bob Dylan 'chantin' to me.
Great show.
Laurette muses over Bob’s ‘mother’
of a show in the city of Muhammed Ali
Bob hit the home of Muhammed Ali and fried chicken – and while reviews had been thin on the ground from his performance in Johnnie’s Knoxville, Laurette Maillet made a circuitous and frustrating journey – caused mainly by Greyhound bus delays – to end up in Louisville for his November 11 show.
Laurette, on her journey around Dylan’s shows, writes in Bob Links:
“The theater is gorgeous, a museum in itself. Bob Dylan decides - after 15 minutes and so pass show time - to appear all in black. Immediately the public are up and will stay up until the 7th or 8th song. Good for me. My seat is on the isle and I can...dance! Bob is picking up on the good vibes and delivers a remarkable show. I will not pick a highlight as ALL the songs were perfectly executed. At least I enjoyed all of them.Just, for me, a minus on "Mother of muses". There issomething in that song I quite can't connect with! A sort of borringprayer? But nothing to complain about the perfect diction. Bob cracks a joke I don't get and presents the Band.The entire theater ison its feet for the final. Bob spends, it seems, few more seconds facingthe crowd before disappearing. Excellent communication tonight on bothsides.Louisville is a great city!”
Knacksville in Knoxsville! Well, who said ol’ Bob doesn’t talk to his audience … he’s got the knack!
And now he can out rock the mountains and out croon the moon
It looks like the reviewers are having a bit of a rest, which is sad really. It’s been fab keeping up with Bob’s shows, his performances, what he’s wearing, how he’s singing and what songs he has been choosing.
More than anything though it’s been good to read the authentic voices of real concert goers saying what they think.
And the one thing that comes across is that Bob Dylan at 80 is still one of the best and most transcendent acts in the world today… he’s not a dinosaur, not an old crock living off past successes. And he’s not churning out geriatric songs to satisfy his own ego and the nostalgia of a bunch of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income grandmas and grandpas who still want to be thought of as sageness hippies!
Nope, the voice of so many generations is managing to stay forever young and has remained the alchemist of vocals, stage presence and performance. Fifteen years ago he was croaking like a battered old frog and not even I knew exactly what he was trying to achieve – although I respected him enough to assume he was trying to achieve something.
And what was up-singing all about? And that clunky flat piano? It was like listening to Victor Borge in a drunken church choir.
Now he can out rock the mountains and out croon the moon.
So, until the reviews start rolling in again we’d like to leave you with a short vid from Knoxville where Bob has a chat with the audience and introduces his new and very able band… I’m sure Painted Passport won’t mind us sharing it although his camera-pointing could do with a bit of polishing!
Below are a few thoughts about Bob and his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour and the many reviews we’ve picked up along the way… have a scroll through, meander, have a listen, spend some time with some ordinary people who, like me, just want to take in the artistic genius of an extraordinary man.
As soon as the reviews start appearing again, we’ll start sharing them! In the meantime send us your thoughts, reviews etc.
Anyway, have you ever been to Milwaukee?
Have you ever been to Cleveland?
Have you ever been to Chicago, Cincinnati or Bloomington?
Well, you can go there (below) – when you want to go…
Cheers Leigh
BOB, THE MAN IN BLACK, SUITS THEM PERFECTLY DOWN IN CINCINNATI
More thoughts and insights into Bob on his almost-never ending tour – and this time, what does Dylan wear boys, what does Dylan wear?
Ol’ Bob has had some sartorial disasters over the years – his almost Elvis-style suits in the late 70s should have been made street-illegal.
In the 60s though he was a style icon with his Cubans, shades and polka dot shirts. And in the 70s he was the hippest of hippies and for the first time donned his now trade-mark Fedora with aplomb. He apparently bought it for a couple of dollars from a thrift shop.
In the 60s he went for the working man’s dirt road look, in the 70s waistcoat and leather jackets, in the 1980s he was more often than not suited and booted, sometimes animal print shirts, in the 90s cowboy-cut waist jackets and latterly the river boat captain and gambler in many guises.
At the beginning of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, some say he made a mistake by wearing his big creamy David Byrne-style jacket. It just makes him look on the portly side, particularly in poor quality bootleg recordings. Dare I say it looks like a very big covid mask!
Anyway, now Bob has gone back to black and some of the reviews from the Cincinnati show have taken this into consideration… see what you think and share your comments.
Cincinnati reviews etc below this preamble:
REVIEWING THE REVIEWS:
We are still reviewing the reviews as Dylan, at 80, gets ‘rough and rowdy’ on the road … but we are still mystified as to why so few appearing in the traditional media.
Its like local journalists and editors are treating Dylan’s new tour as a bit of a clod-hopping dinosaur outing or a day out from the rest home of elderly rockers!
But Ol’ Bob is once again working his magic across the world, singing – most say – better than ever, entertaining, chatting, inventing, stylising, reworking and setting new standards for himself and his audiences.
Confounding and wrecking expectations…
Here are some of the first audience recordings we’ve seen and heard that have survived the robots of internet control.
The first one is It Takes a Lot to Laugh – from Chicago and Every Grain from Cleveland… keep reading and scrolling, there are quite a few reviews now from each venue.
Should we used the videos?
Well, there is a dichotomy of attitude towards copyright and sharing on the internet in 2021 … the spiders might as well be from Mars and the robots wield a sword of control as draconian as Damocles.
It could be Bob’s people of course throwing a cloak over the stolen moments of his concerts – and quite right they should too.
But bootlegging has been a major part of Ol’ Bob’s career, it gave him an underground reputation, made people hungry for his work and helped us feel that we were part of something special.
And we were – we were a part of the confusing, passionate world of imagery, angst and fabulousness that Bob had created.
We felt closer to him because we’d become the elite, the fans who got the latest from his world first.
So, from being stuck inside a mobile with the Chicago blues again, we’re sharing this video.
Below are a selection of the first reviews as Bob Dylan hits the road again on his Never Ending Tour … if you’ve managed to see him over the last week or so, share your thoughts here.
Cincinnati November 9, 2021
Laurette Maillet writes:
I have a vivid memory of that show. Not the best ever for me. But I, somehow by impulse, gave a sweet kiss to Barron (Bob's bodyguard)who had always been kind to me. Fans , they don't pay too much attention to the 'entourage', or never heard about the name of Bob Dylan's bodyguard, and his devoted career of 30 years.Nothing I knew, then, about what would be a world disaster. And that
“Times would be changed forever”. The virus pushed people inside their home and inside their mind, agingbefore time. I aged!So, let's start a'new.Cincinnati , here I am. All dressed in Black; musiciens and Bob. Bobby wears regularly now a blackpants with whites stripes on the side (adjusted with a blak/white belt). Ablack shirt (with or without embroidery) a white or black jacket withembroidery. His shoes are no longer the cowboy many years boots but flatblack or white 'boat' shoes?Bobby looks like a ghost. No kidding! As for Bob? Only the piano was his instrument. No guitar, no harmonica :(He rapidly disappeared after “Every grain of sand”. Escaping the finalcrowd photos from the past when he and his Band used to bow. Smart!
E.B writes:
The Bob Dylan Concert poster proclaims “Rough and Rowdy Ways” but forthe standing ovations our crowd at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati werenot rowdy.Yes, it is still Pandemic O’Clock in the Queen City (and the home of theold King Records as Bob so well noted in his brief remarks later in theevening) Bob performed standing up behind his upright piano to the right of thestage surrounded by his band. Sometimes Bob retreated to the safety of the piano after coming centerstage to sing every now and again - doing some impressively deep sidewaysknee bends and dance moves and proving his bell still rings - but whatstood out for me this night was his impressive vocal performance, strongand commanding and telling tales warningly, emphatically and enigmaticallybut oh so compellingly.As the old poster used to proclaim: “In Show and Concert…. Don’tYou Dare Miss it!”) *****
Tom Burke writes:
Bob Dylan brought his "Rough and Rowdy Ways'' tour to Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The promotional poster proclaims, "things aren't what they were", but thankfully, somethings never change, as Dylan and his band provided a great night of music and entertainment. The band wore black, as did Dylan, though his outfit was embellished with subtle white embroidery. The stage was framed with black side and back curtains with the band set up in a compact arrangement with Dylan slightly stage right at the piano.The setting and effect may have been austere, but the music was more often true to the tour's rough and rowdy ways moniker.The show kicked off with a rollicking, high energy, Watching the River Flow, which was followed by a driving jaunty Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine) both songs featuring Bob at the piano playing with great spirit and vigor.Several of the songs from Rough and Rowdy Ways, including, I Contain Multitudes, False Prophet, Black Rider, Key West, I've Made up My Mind to Give Myself to You, and Goodbye Jimmy Reed were delivered with Dylan starting at center stage using a hand held mic and mid song returningto the piano for the finish. All of those selections, though sounding great on the record, performed live were imbued with much greater depth, effect and resonance, thanks to Dylan's facial expressions, body language,and unparalleled vocal stylings.The show closed with Dylan performing the beautiful , Every Grain of Sand.
Bloomington, Indiana, November 7, 2021
Luke M. Jacobus writes on Bill Pagel’s Bob Links:
“This was probably my ninth show in a 25 year period. The stage had a raised platform that was floor for the band. Think of a giant light box. The arrangement of musicians was closer together than I’ve seen in the past.
The show started at about 8:03pm and what followed was one of the most interactive Bob Dylan concerts I've seen.He came out strong and seemed very energized. A slight stoop I noticed twoyears ago was all but gone. He seemed proud to stand straight and tall,even striking a number of Elvis-like poses and making moves evocative ofthe King. At one point he ran quickly backwards about half the width ofthe stage, a stunt people half his age would think twice about. Any rumorsof his demise are grossly exaggerated.I counted four times between songs that he took time to thank the audienceand sometimes made other comments. I think it was after To Be Alone WithYou, he heartily thanked us and said he about forgot the words to thatone. It struck me as a genuine confession. The performances were amazing. Words were clear and strong (except at thestart of a few verses). The sound mix and overall volume in the auditoriumwas excellent, nearly ideal. Great, great care was given to the executionof these songs, with extreme vocal control demonstrated. His piano work mostly filled in gaps, sometimes quite effectively with only a single note played at importantjunctures. Other times, some deft playing was high in the mix. He playedharmonica just a few times. The vocals were front and center, which gaveclear access to some deeply emotional performances. Most of the show, Bob Dylan was a shadow. You could not make out his face.However, with I've Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You, this changed.With this song, his face was illuminated, and it remained so, or at leastvisible, during all the songs that followed.”
John Haas writes:
“Bob Dylan's still on the road. Still heading to another joint. And then another. And eventually, one near you. Amazing, isn't it?And what a strange set-list it is! The older songs are known to Bobists ofcourse--all the songs are known to Bobists--but they aren't his huge hits,by any means. One only released as a single. One from the gospel period(but yeah, he won a Grammy for it). A couple country romps from '67 and'69, one of those entirely--and I mean entirely!--rewritten (and each"deep cuts" from their albums). A song from Tempest, but none from TOOM,L&T, the Oscar winner of yore, and nothing from H61R, FWBD, or most of hisback catalog in fact. All of which is so, so great, I could hug him. It was all good. All of it. Bob's piano playing is outstanding at times,especially False Prophet. His singing kills it, as everyone says. Couldhear every word. The songs I was expecting to just endure from R&RWshined. Those I expected to love--Key West, eg--I loved (thanks, Donnie,for that accordion). All the playing was stellar.Great concert. Moody, intricate, precise, beautiful.”
CLEVELAND, OHIO, Nov 3, 2021
Timothy Burns wrote:
“The under the floor lighting was good, Bob and the band were better lit than the overly dark former time in Cleveland, especially in 2017.
“If you saw Shadow Kingdom the sound and feel was quite like that obviously with the choices of the non-Rough and Rowdy Ways songs and the approach to the songs. I was completely fine with that, it was great.What I did not expect was that I completely enjoyed the new songs morethan almost any of the other songs. Even though When I Paint MyMasterpiece was quite amazing. Dressed in all black, Bob would go back and forth at times singing with aseparate microphone in hand, then setting it down on the upright piano(with a slight clunk which was awesome) My main takeaway was two-fold. Firstly, the band and the arrangements,while similar at times to Shadow Kingdom, it allowed Bob himself to be themost central at every moment for every song. I do not everrecall where I left at the end with the feeling that this concert was 100%about Bob and not somewhat about how great the band was. The second main takeaway was perhaps the best. I did not come in withexpectations of "How good are his vocals going to be?" Although I didwonder if he would sound similar to Shadow Kingdom in which he soundedabsolutely amazing. Partway through song #1 (watching the river flow) Idetected (or I think I did) a noticeable change in the audio mix wherethey brought Bob's voice up and just be above everything else. The rest ofthe concert had his voice amazingly loud and so clear. I cannot believe how good he sounded.”
Billy Cardina:
Awesome show! Great sound and “Every Grain of Sand” a first for thistour was amazing. Crowd was subdued and this was Bob’s first Ohio Showsince he played beautiful Akron in November 2019. Old songs integratedwell with Rough and a Rowdy Ways. LOVED Key WestGod Bless Bob!
Preamble – followed by Milwaukee and Chicago reviews:
Bob Dylan stepped back onto the stage after two years of ‘incarceration’ and gave a Cheshire Cat-grinning, ear churning, heartbreakingly beautiful two hour performance down at the Riverside in Milwaukee…
Andrea and I were still on the road highway in Spain as O’ Bob took to the stage. It was 10am where we were in the blustery Autumn heat and 8pm in a Milwaukee chill as he walked out to meet his audience again.
He was dodging wires and speakers and posing hand on hip in his oversize David Byrne-style white jacket like a good’n.
Yep, he’s 80 and sometimes he can look doddery and as fragile as his famous wet-fish handshake … but he’s still going, still creating, still confounding, still writing, still rocking and still finding new ways to be Bob Dylan.
And this time he is the poet of Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And then there is of course his new voice. It’s new but it’s been everywhere, told a million stories and hung out so many brilliant lines to dry.
No, nobody can ever take that away from him … and in Milwaukee he made his voice famous again.
Next he joined the other legends in Chicago …
After we unpacked our dusty old car at the castle in Lorca where we were staying, I trawled around the net for reviews.
I didn’t find one dissenting voice… just fans who confirmed that Bob is back – looking a little bit older it has to be said – but performing brilliantly, singing like a dream and rocking the world’s expectations.
Let’s begin with Chicago as he finds his feet
On Bill Pagel’s Bob Links, Adam Selzer wrote:
CHICAGO:
“I’m amazed at how clear his vocals are; all traces of the wolfman growlof a few years back are gone, except when he needs them.
“I Contain Multitudes” was the highlight of the night for me. Insteadof spending most of it at the piano, consulting the lyric sheets, Bob wascenter stage the whole song, clearly enjoying himself and really actingthe song out, prowling around at a crouch like a cartoon character.
“When I Paint My Masterpiece,” the first surprise of the night, was bouncy andloose.
“Bob tried to do “Black Rider” from center as well, but forgot a coupleof lines in the first verse and moved back to piano for most of it. Theflub seemed to cost him some confidence, though the rest of the lines werewell delivered. This show really does sleep with life and death in the same bed.” Mark S wrote:
“I saw Bob Dylan in 2021 and it was like seeing your grandpa, who you love very much, walking a tight rope. It was captivating, I was rooting for him, and it was extremely entertaining to see him succeed.!
Bob Shiel:
“Bob Dylan came to Chicago tonight, perfectly timing his customary week-within-Halloween appearance in the Windy City, historically one of his most visited venues in his illustrious career as a live performer. But this wasn't any ole Bob Dylan show. This tour is all about Rough and Rowdy Ways. Although all these songs sound good live, I Contain Multitudes and Key West stand out as stellar melodic arrangements with mesmerizing lyrics, which Bob is delivering quite intelligibly. I saw no evidence of the lyric or sheet music reliance reported in Milwaukee on night 1 of the tour. The overall sound of the band is similar to that fantastic Fall 2019 tour, and new drummer Charlie Drayton almost imperceptibly follows Bob andthe rest of the band, allowing Bob, at 80, to not have to strain to be heard over the other 5 members of the band. The magic of Bob's veteran multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron was evident on When I Paint My Masterpiece when his fiddle played off Bob's piano beautifully. Bob Britt is back. As for the new guitarist, Doug Flavio, who is technically filling the legendary shoes of Charlie Sexton, although that ain't happening, one gets the feeling he will play a more and more prominent role as hisfirst tour progresses. After introducing the band, something he hasn't done for what seems like forever, Bob said something like, "We love Chicago, just like you do." Well, the feeling goes for you, too, Bob. We really do love you and wish you all health and happiness in this world so lucky to still have you in its midst.”
FROM MILWAUKEE:
Isabel Infantes said: “There’s no doubt that Tuesday show at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater was the start of something very new, very different, and very bold.”
Tom Wilmeth, on the same site, said: “Nobody seemed happier about thingsthan Bob himself, with facial expressions that were frequently joyous. Dylan was in good voice, and the sound mix was excellent – both Dylan’s lyrics and his piano were
clearly heard.
“The night began with “Watching the River Flow,” a minor radio hit in1971. Maybe Bob was using this number to tell us what he had been doingduring his time off – nothing. “Most Likely You Go Your Way andI’ll Go Mine” followed. .
“Bob interspersed tunes recognizable to even casualfans. He played “Simple Twist of Fate” and “I’ll Be Your BabyTonight,” as well as a rocking version of “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Dylan touched on his later catalog with “Early Roman Kings” and
“Soon After Midnight,”
“When Bob made his way from piano to center stage – he looked fragile, and at times unsteady on his feet butwe still have Bob with us; let’s enjoy him today. We may not see him tomorrow”Don Romundson wrote: “The show at the Riverside was unbelievable. It was clear from the start that this was going to be a veryspecial show. In fact, Bob did a sort of a bow to the crowd, in Bob's ownway, after each song, an acknowledgment if you will, his stand at centerstage gazing out, very appreciative of the crowd...”
Adam Selzer had this to say: “Bob seemed a bit nervous as he began “I Contain Multitudes”. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him look nervous before. But the performance was solid, and on “False Prophet” he was grinning, pointing, and seeming as though he was having a blast. Like he couldn’t wait for us to hear what line he’d sing next.”
Me, well I’m just glad to say that we’ve not seen the last of Bob’s winks and feints and his stunning panache. And the old man is back again, taking all the indefinable qualities that make him the true genius of this and the last century around the world again.
Good on ya Bob!
Bob’s band line-up is now –guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt, multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron, bassist Tony Garnier, and drummer Charley Drayton.
One of the few traditional media reviews:
Well, we found one … by Curtis Schieber who is described as Special to The Columbus Dispatch. I’m sure he is very special to them! |He has also has a very ‘special’ and successful music show, the Invisible Hits Hour, for 30 years.
Anyway, Curtis has also made a ‘special’ point in his review: The underfloor lighting Dylan is using on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour serves to light up the band and Bob in an equal, almost democratic, way.
And, as Curtis says, it helps the focus of the concert to be on the songs … which is a good thing as a large part of the concert is made up of the songs from RaRW, perhaps one of Bob’s most perfect albums.
But is the lighting also being used to take attention away from Bob himself who, at 80, can look a bit creaky as he makes his trademark stately bows and bends?
Anyway, we are all agreed that Bob can still bend them notes and ring them bells as he sings better than he has done for decades.
What do you think?
Curtis wrote in the Columbus Dispatch:“Rough and Rowdy Ways” was clearly the focus of the set. An album containing all the mystery, in-jokes, casually cast-off name checks, and philosophical dead ends of Dylan’s best, it provided perfect fodder for the aging, Nobel Prize-winning author to have his way with both a lot of confessions and some pretty tall tales. In a deftly controlled mix of croon, croak and declaration, he brought them all to life. The band created a loose combination of blues, swing, and rock ‘n’ roll that nonetheless was always on point.
There were no spotlights focused on the stage last night. The six musicians were lit — equally — from the floor. It was clear that Dylan intended the songs to take center stage and that they did.”
The Dispatch is a daily newspaper in, yep, you guessed it, Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871 and it is still going strong and publishing the stories and reviews that matter. Curtis is a freelance journalist.
But, as far as we at The Society have seen, Dispatch is only the third daily to bother to take a look at the ‘new’ Bob Dylan.
Variant shock as Boris steers England towards potential new nightmare at Christmas
Initial reports indicating that Covid restrictions in England including travel bans, PCR testing will be needed to fight the new Omicron variant have been confirmed.
Boris Johnson said that ALL arrivals in the UK must self-isolate until they get a negative test – and all contacts of people infected with the mutation must stay at home for 10 days.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, the Prime Minister also said that facemasks on public transport and shops will be compulsory.
But there will be no changes to the rules for the hospitality sector. Mr Johnson said details of the ‘tightening up’ of rules will be made clear by Health Secretary Sajid Javid ‘in the next day or so’.
Downing Street said, however, that they will become mandatory ‘from next week’ and will be reviewed in three weeks.
The Prime Minister said : “We’re not going to stop people travelling, I want to stress that, we’re not going to stop people travelling, but we will require anyone who enters the UK to take a PCR test by the end of the second day after their arrival and to self-isolate until they have a negative result
“Second, we need to slow down the spread of this variant here in the UK, because measures at the border can only ever minimise and delay the arrival of a new variant rather than stop it all together
“We will require all contacts of those who test positive with a suspected case of Omicron to self-isolate for 10 days regardless of your vaccination status.
Somehow Bob can’t forget his good ol’ rambling days as he tours the world again at 80
ANOTHER SIDE OF BOB’S ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS … HOW 50 YEAR OLD PHOTO TOLD THE RIGHT TALE
In 1964, Bob Dylan’s Another Side was released much to the discomfort of people who had already claimed the youngsinger as their new god of traditional folk.
Little did they know how he was about to really rock their their staid beardy banjo-ey world twelve months later.
They just stuck their fingers in their ears and said young Bob had “lost touch” and was trapped by fame.
Meanwhile, photographer Ian Berry, from the scruffy UK industrial city of Preston, Lancashire, had made his reputation by exposing the horrors of South Africa, Sharpeville in 1960. Photography was his own way of making a protest.
In 1964 – when Bob was showing his other side – Ian was schlepping around Paris and London. Then, one day, he took what he thought was a good photo of the UK’s smokey cellar club life.
Funnily enough Ian says that in the 60s he had only a sketchy vision of Dylan’s existence.
But roughly 50 years later their paths crossed in a most unexpected way.
That photograph became the cover of Bob’s stunning Rough and Rowdy Ways.
Today, Ian, who is in his 80s, admits that he still doesn’t know a lot about Dylan and his music. But he said: “A record cover for Dylan is a great compliment.”
His photo shows a well-dressed couple dancing in a club – a man leans over a jukebox behind them.
And the historic photograph has all the romance of the hedonistic Sixties.
Ian took the picture at an old underground club on Cable Street in Whitechapel in East London.
He had been commissioned to get images of black culture in England. “I was working quickly, and in very poor light, shooting away with a 35-millimetre camera,” he says. “I knew at some point I’d have to leave because I hadn’t asked permission to be there.”
After about 15 or 20 minutes , he says people started throwing beer bottles at him.
Rough and rowdy ways, so to speak!
Today, Berry’s vast archive is controlled by the Magnum Photos agency. The agency previously made a deal with the Dylan camp for Bruce Davidson’s 1959 photograph of a young couple making out in a car, which appeared on the cover of 2009’s Together Through Life.
Although Ian isn’t that familiar with Dylan’s music, his wife is a big fan. “She’s more enthusiastic than I am,” he said. “But of course I’ve regularly listened to ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ and so forth, but they are her records rather than mine.”
Dylan is possibly the most prolific artist alive. He has made 38 studio albums, 91 singles, 40 music videos, many films, 11 books, a Nobel Prize, the American Medal of Freedom from US President Obama and has performed thousands of live concerts.
He has been the hokey, the mountain man, the rock god, the Southern preacher man, gospel performer, country god, the cowboy, the wild child, the Lothario, the drunk, the addict, the river boat captain, the general, the old blues man, the hippy, Elvis, the crooner, the punk, the eccentric… his guises are as many as his musical abilities.
The title Rough and Rowdy Ways is a homage to Jimmie Rodgers.
Picture of Ian by Daniele Mattioli, cover art originally Ian Berry, Dylan pic, Pixabay
New reviews, obviously from five believers… not you Mr Jones
Review by Peter Smith
From a longer piece written for Bill Pagel’s brilliant Bob LinksIt was a long time since I last saw Dylan at the Beacon in late November, 2019. With the pandemic I wondered if that last time was the final time, but happily the NET continues. The show started promptly at 8pm and ran for a tight 98 minutes. The sound was extraordinarily clear; Dylan’s vocals were up front and distinct fromthe band. His voice was expressive and energetic, albeit within hislimited range. I can’t help but think what a great release this wouldbe: Dylan at the Beacon 2021 -- Bootleg Series XXX “Autumn in NYC.” Itwould be a nice counterpart to Springtime in New York.Dylan moved from center stage upright piano to stand up mic with thesprightly hop he had in 2019. There were touches of Dylan humor addedsince the tour in 2019 -- he engaged a shout out from the audience forPretty Boy Floyd. He said you’re in the wrong place - this isn’tSpringsteen on Broadway. The stage was a vision of darkness and light - the band in all black was set up on large illuminated panels of white- an intimate interpretation of the bright stage platform used by “those British bad boys” on their recent tour, closer to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. In his homage to NY he mentioned it as thebirthplace of Herman Melville and the home of “Jackie O.” Althoughnot played, I couldn’t help but think of Murder Most Foul from RARW asit was the day before the anniversary of JFK’s assasination.The lights remained out for longer period after Every Grain of Sand asthough he just might come out for another, but it was not to be.
Review by David Namerow
Ah, the Beacon. Legendary ornate , Neo-grecian brainchild of RoxyRothafel as the smaller sister venue of the famous Roxy downtown. And so, after a year and a half of Covid related dormancy, the NeverEnding Tour is back on track with the Rough and Rowdy Ways World WideTour, which began Nov 2 and will continue through 2024, when Bob will turn83! The stage? Spare, lit curtain behind the band. No more replica grecian statues, even the fabled Academy award statue (homage to “Things have Changed”) is gone. Also gone is either the Copland Americana music, or the Stravinsky Rite of Spring from the past. The band launches into “Watching the River Flow”, with Bob’s voiceunfortunately drowned out by crowds cheering, standing and the band a bittoo loud. After a nice rendition of “Most Likely You go Your way.”,the sound is balanced and Bob steps forward— almost on bended knee —for “I Contain Multitudes”. False Prophet was on fire, with Bob’s voice carrying the band alongwith him. Masterpiece was a bit muted, with the lyrics “Everything isgonna be beautiful” for poignancy. While “Black Rider was wonderful - and ominous, “My own version of You” was simply amazing, with Bobclear voiced, nuanced and enunciating every syllable carefully. “Key West” wasanother highlight, Bob saver-ing every line with a slightly differentarrangement than the album.. “Serve Somebody” got every body up anddancing, but I really could’t make out most of the lyrics (“You mightbe in the White House……”). And, by the way, Bob actually spoke. First, when some fan yelled for
“Born in the USA”, Bob quipped “you’re in the wrong theatre,that’s Springsteen on Broadway.”
Jeff Dellin
Settled in for the Sunday show, the third night of the Beacon Theatre run.One thing that struck me was how stark the whole stage was. No more shadowlighting or spotlights or starry backgrounds - just pale curtains andminimal stage lighting. Everyone dressed in black. Bob's piano withexposed wood facing forward. Minimal. Not that his staging has ever beenelaborate but this was basic and did not change all night.I would advise any fan to see this tour if possible. The Rough & RowdyWays songs were given the full treatment by Bob. You knew he was lovingplaying these songs when he would bend down low behind the piano at theend of songs to play a little solo obscured from view, just the top of hishead in sight. For me Black Rider and Mother Of Muses stood out as majorhighlights, very much in the moment performances. I could make out almostevery word of the new songs. The older material was given a bit of a shortshift this time around. To Be Alone With you felt fresh and Every Grain OfSand was outstanding. After dozens of shows over 35 years., I saw a first at this show. Bobseemed to acknowledge somebody who yelled out a request from the audience.I did not catch the whole thing but Bob seemed to say something like: "Ifyou want that you'll have to see Springsteen on Broadway. You're at thewrong show". And he chuckled. It was real and funny. .Started right on time and was over in a tidy hour and 40 minutes. All inall, it was a show with no big surprises but plenty of small surprises tomake it a meaningful night with Bob Dylan in New York.
Barry Gloffke writes:
Our hero’s third, and last, night at the Beacon Theatre for 2021 was, inmy estimation, the best of the lot. Each Dylan show lives and breathes onits’ own… slight cadence changes, lyrical nuances and unexpectedoccurrences imbue each concert with a unique character… it’s likewatching the sky on a cloudy day… you will never see the same cloudformation twice, ever… and you’ll never hear the same Dylan concerttwice, ever.From WATCHING THE RIVER FLOW to EVERY GRAIN OF SAND the maestro was on top of his game. He was relaxed, laughing, grinning, ad-libbing and veryanimated. He spoke more than he has in a dozen shows from previous tours.My girlfriend and I had spectacular seats, 2nd row, with a perfect line ofsight to see Bob behind the piano. Watching him was fascinating. He commanded the proceedings from the sanctuary of the piano and he banged those ivories as if he was a young boy in Hibbing (especially enjoyable on TO BE ALONE WITH YOU). His voice was once again powerful and clear… only a few miscues… nothingto really note. A really great show from start to finish. Review by Roland PabstDo you remember the scene in the movie “Rolling Thunder Revue” when ayoung woman at the end of a concert couldn’t hold back her tearsanymore, and she started to cry and cry? Today I was sitting between aheavy man on my left and a young girl on my right. I really didn’tnotice them. I was concentrating on the songs, the band and Dylan untilDylan performed Key West. The girl started to shake and cried and put herhead on my shoulder and cried and cried. My sweater was wet from hertears. She apologized with her teary eyes and whispered that Dylan wassuch a big part in her life the last 1 ½ years. She said: “whatevermood I was in, I found a song which helped me. My mother bought me thisticket. She is waiting for me outside. It is my 1st Dylan concert.” Whata great, sweet and touching story.For me it was my 55th concert. Therefore I can say this is probablyDylan’s strongest year in decades. Today he is a Story-Teller. Heperforms his own songs with such an intensity and power and nuance. Todaypeople are respectfully quiet during the songs and burst into aspontaneous applause after certain words or phrases. His band was greatsince years. This band is top notch.We all know Dylan from Theme Time Radio show and were surprised how funnyhe can be and talkative. Tonight somebody must have shouted something.Dylan laughed and mentioned Bruce Springsteen on Broadway show. You areatthe wrong place. The band introduction was the longest I ever witnessed.It was very refreshing. One song comes after another and today there wasno intermission. One of the many highlights for me was Key West. Paintingmy masterpiece was another surprise. It had a completely different feelingthan what I heard in December 2019 here at the Beacon.In the meantime everybody knows that the stage is poorly lit and nothingdecorative at all. This gives you the chance to fully listen and focus onthe performance. His voice is the best I heard in decades. When he standsbehind his piano you would never guess that a 80+ man is performing.However when he moves around the dark stage you can see an older man. Whata pleasure to see Dylan.I lived in New York for almost 20 years and Thanksgiving seems to be agiven time for Dylan to play in New York for days. He must be happycelebrating Thanksgiving somewhere around New York City. Isn’t it nicethat we know so little about his private life? I love it. Hopefully he will visit us in Santa Fe, New Mexico my new home town soon.
Scott Kareff writes:
It was a treat to renew acquaintances with Bob Dylan for the final Beaconshow of this 2021 run. The set list for the 3 shows was identical but thatwas perhaps the only disappointment of the night. Bob was in fine form andthe new lineup was sharp. I was partial to the new versions of the classic songs, listening for thenew and reworked lyrics. The new arrangements were all revelations. Eachone worth the price of admission.I can’t prove it but I take “I’ve made up my mind to give myself toyou” as a message from Bob to his audience and we are all thankful hedecided to live his life this way. Bob was engaged and even said somethingto an audience member about being at the wrong show, the person shouldhave been at the Springsteen show on Broadway and then something aboutSylvester Stallone being from NY.Thank you Bob! See you next time.
Review by Michael Paul Thomas
During the phone booth scene in Don't Look Back, the reporter holding hiscigarette and the phone in one hand and a pen and notebook in the other,says to his editor "'The times are a-changing' Dylan sings. They sure are,especially when a poet, not a pop singer fills a concert hall." This was Bob Dylan night number 35 for me (which pales incomparison to others I know), since 1995, and I heard a passionateperformance by the poet at 80. Bitterness and melancholy seemed to be most apparent, as well as sweet declarations of love (“I’ve made up my mind togive myself to you” and “I’m so deep in love I can hardly see”) along with acceptance of the next, uncertain worlds approaching.
How New York became a beacon to Bob as (it appears) Mr Jones ignores him again
We’ve been sharing rave reviews here at The Society since the beginning of November when Dylan finally got the chance to take his strolling bones back on the road again after Covid, the tragic hint of a sex scandal and the release of the stunning beautiful Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And the reviews, mainly, have been written by the man-and-woman on the street who’ve got other things to do with their lives but took the trouble to jot down notes and thoughts and their enthusiasms for Bob and his band landed in places like Milwaukee, Bloomington, Hershey and Moon Township.
Our Beacons of Light in New York … Bob Russell writes:
“I had a chilly but very nice pre-concert dinner and drinks with the delightful Nancy Cobb at the Owl’s Tail, a little bar around the corner from the Beacon, practically in the shadow of Dylan’s bus. Moving into the warmth of the theatre, I took my place in Row M of the orchestra, quite a good vantage point. Sitting just three rows ahead of me was the great Steve Earle, who I called out greetings to (I’m sure that was a great treat for him. ??)The stage was as you have seen from others on the tour, high lit floor, simple curtain in the back, sparse lighting, especially for Bob (reminded me a bit of the dim stages from September 1993). The band was tight, guitarists Britt and Lanciolurking in back and getting off the leash a bit. Drummer Charlie Drayton was crisp and Donnie and Tony were their usual selves.I won’t go over every song (check the setlists), but almost half the set was devoted to Rough and Rowdy Ways. Bob sang these with as much intensity and passion as I have seen in the 123 Bob shows I have attended. After the climactic Mother of Muses, a spirited Jimmy Reed, then band intros, and a PERFECT Every Grain of Sand concluded the evening.”
Intrepid Laurette Maillet writes:
“Arriving at 6pm. The Bob Dylan bus is parked there but no activities. Bob is locked in there. In a golden cage!See Donnie Herron getty out the Beacon hotel. I tentatively say ' hi Donnie!'. He is as cold as a stone. :(. See Tony Garnier getting out the Beacon hotel, tightly holding his 25 years girl friend. I say nothing. Well! I had better feedback with the Vietnamese restaurant waitress :)Bob starts a bit late. Waiting for the fans around the bus to disappear?I immediately focus on his pants :) woah! Nice pants. They look like really shining and tight. Black embroidered , as well as the jacket.Red shirt(it seems). It starts hard. The sound is perfect. Never been that good. Guitars are loud. As well as the drums. Bob is in a good mood. His voice as loud as it could be. Loud and clear. Nothingto do with Hershey.'False prophet' is a wonder. The hight light of the show tonight. Bob is eventrying a little dance on the side of the piano. Powerful."I'll be your Baby tonight" is also standing up by the side of the piano. Bob bending on his knees. A couple of times he decides to move from piano mike to center free hand mike and that will surprise the sound engeener. We missed few words :)Each song is a piece of Art. Even my least favorite is doing fine with me tonight.I believe he did twice the second verse of "key west". I have to listen to the recording ??The audience is up on its feet for " You've got to serve somebody ". Other than that , public is polite , reacting to a word here and there.”
Earlier: A tough crowd in New York… but Bob is still standing. They won’t get him beat
You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat, when I leave New York, I’ll be standing on my feet – Bob Dylan
It’s always been seen as a fair game to boo, lampoon, insult, attack, complain about and scoff at Bob Dylan.
This attitude has made me furious over the years … of course he can sing, he is probably one of the most inventive singers since the beginning of popular music and has influenced the whole inflection and style of rock music.
Bob is a writer of stunning prose too of course, but he is first and foremost a musical poet, a bard, a troubadour, an unfinished work of art.
We’ve been sharing rave reviews here at The Society since the beginning of November when Dylan finally got the chance to take his strolling bones back on the road again after Covid, the tragic hint of a sex scandal and the release of the stunning beautiful Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And the reviews, mainly, have been written by the man-and-woman on the street who’ve got other things to do with their lives but took the trouble to jot down notes and thoughts and their enthusiasms for Bob and his band landed in places like Milwaukee, Bloomington, Hershey and Moon Township.
And then he arrived in New York and he got ignored and insulted.
No New York Times review (if I’ve missed this please send me a link, I’d love to be wrong) and a handful of bad reviews from the Mr Jones’s on the street. We share them here:
Dave & Molly from Montreal, Quebec
EXPECTED SO MUCH, RECEIVED SO LITTLE
Dylan has always been one of my favorites. This was the 3rd time seeing him in Montreal, I was ready for another treat. Had fabulous $$$ seats 100 feet from Bob. The lights came up and there was Bob dressed in white, standing in front of the black, grand piano banging out his first tune in a surprisingly low pitch, gravely voice. His guitar lay across a chair a few feet away with his white brimmed hat atop, We would never hear that guitar or see him with hat on. Instead he alternated playing old and new songs either sitting or standing at the piano then grabbing a mic stand at the back wall of the stage as far from his audience as possible as he crooned old American standards. I came to see Dylan play guitar and sing like he meant it. Not a single word was uttered to his fans, not a smile, not a nod. Between songs he shuffled to a table to get a drink, hanging on to equipment as he walked. He looked old and disinterested. What an utter disappointment for me and my girlfriend.
P. A. C. from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SELFISH, DISENGAGED & UNDECIPHERABLE DYLAN AT THE MET PHILA.
When the best part of your concert event is the newly renovated Met and the outstanding food at Osteria, you know it’s going to be a bad night. A 60th birthday present from my daughter who is a singer and astute listener of all music. She knows how much I love Dylan’s music and wanted to take me to see him for the first time. It was an utter embarrassment. Dylan voice itself was as good and raw it’s always been but we couldn’t understand a word as he mumbled and garbled every word. His arrangement changes on some songs such as Like a Rolling Stone, were shockingly discordant to the essence of the song. And for 1 hour and 30 minutes, as we sat hoping things would get better, he didn’t muster one single word of welcome, thanks, or appreciation to his audience of 3,500. As we walked out on Bob 30 minutes early, he had me feeling badly for my daughter who certainly lost some respect for one of the musical heroes I spent years extolling. Bob my friend, it’s time to retire.
Sarah from Columbus, Ohio
GROSSLY INACCURATE VISIONS OF BOB DYLAN
If you attended Bob Dylan’s concert last night at the Palace Theatre expecting to see a lounge act and almost unrecognizable versions of Desolation Row and Tangled Up in Blue then you got what you paid for. If, like me, you were hoping to see Bob with his harmonica and guitar playing Just Like a Woman, Don’t think Twice it’s Alright, Like a Rolling Stone, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door…ANY of his songs – in their original arrangements – that define him as one of the best poets/storytellers/lyricists to ever live, then you were left absolutely heartbroken like me. Before going to the show, I had heard that for years Dylan hasn’t been great live, that he doesn’t acknowledge or interact with the audience, that he doesn’t play many of his classics, so I guess I’m the fool for not listening to those comments and thinking my experience would be different. As I sit here today listening to live Dylan albums from ’67, I can’t help but cry for the artist I never got to see live.
And yet Allison Rapp, a professional writer, had this to say: Dylan, perhaps more so than any singer-songwriter of his generation, has continuously asked his listeners to, in essence, think again. Newly arranged versions of old songs were peppered throughout the evening, including completely reimagined versions of Tempest‘s “Early Roman Kings,” Slow Train Coming‘s “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “To Be Alone With You” a track from 1969’s Nashville Skyline which Dylan has not performed live since 2005 and the also recently reintroduced “Every Grain of Sand” from Shot of Love. A Frank Sinatra cover, “Melancholy Mood,” which Dylan performed on his 2016 album, Fallen Angels, also appeared.
Dylan did not come back for an encore, perhaps choosing to save his energy for the next two nights of shows at the Beacon, plus the string of East Coast dates he has planned for the rest of this month and the beginning of next. But at 80, the legendary musician seems energized by simply being back on a stage, surrounded by a supportive band, performing new compositions that most Dylan fans have spent months listening to in the confines of quarantine and now get to hear in their full live glory.
As his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour moves on, ticket holders can expect a wonderfully rested and still remarkably enigmatic Dylan to greet them, even if it is with only a few words in between songs. As he sang in 1961, “You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat, when I leave New York, I’ll be standing on my feet.”
Meanwhile, here are four professional reviews by newspapers along the way. Let’s see what they are having to say compared to the fans who have become writers and critics for their love of Bob.
Reviews rocketas Ol’ Bob lands on Moon Township…but is age beginning to tell?
The first review to mention Dylan and the rigours of age…
Mitchell writes:
I feel that the reworking of the set list was more than just publicity
for the new album. All of the song selections were clearly pointing to
the past (high points and regrets) and looking to the future-a future
not in this world. It is contemplative and other worldly. And like it
or not, I do feel he is trying to bring a message with the two gospel
songs he brought back.
As to individual songs, “Mother
of Muses” is even more hymn-like than on the album. Clearly a prayer
and an offer of thanks. Sent chills up my spine.
The thing that made me sad about the show was the clear physical pain Bob is in. He is clearly still very sharp mentally, he was great with the lyrics, his voice was
fantastic and he looked to be enjoying himself. But, in contrast to
his standing center stage pre COVID, he just couldn’t do it now. He
had to hold onto the piano and even then, retreated behind the piano
mid most songs. He sat down behind the piano a lot. He doesn’t stand
straight. He got help going down the steps from the back of the stage.
Clearly his back/hips are hurting. I think we have to face it- as much
as he has, does and always will mean to us, his body is that of an 80
year old man.
I don’t know why he continues to do show after show when it is so
difficult physically. Maybe it is part of a “deal” he made many years ago as he once said.
Daniel Chester writes:
Watching: a rollicking tribute to Pittsburgh and its rivers
Most Likely: good energy and crisp and friendly and faithful and pretty
well-delivered
Multitudes: great feel/sound for a great song and sung well...how amazing
is it that this same guy wrote Song to Woody 60 years ago and is still on
the road heading for another joint
False Prophet: dull approaching OK (bluezzzzzzz)
Masterpiece: wonderful (violin and piano and acoustic guitar interwoven),
lucky to hear this again
Black Rider: nice atmosphere but nothing special...would rather hear
something off of New Morning or Infidels
I'll Be Your Baby: completely different version, had a nice little drive
to it (as opposed to the leisure pace of original)
My Own Version: another cool atmosphere and some very cool lines sung
well...maybe a performance where a tight little guitar solo would have
elevated it
To Be Alone: the acoustic guitar and violin and standup bass make a potent
combination...fun choice
Early Roman: pretty much a slog lacking necessary stomp...not a huge fan
of this tune but not sure any tune could have survived this treatment
Key West: piano picked some nice notes and accordian worked and some swell
lyrics ('if you lost your mind you'll find it there')
Serve Somebody: almost a different tune yet it grabbed the attention,
particularly with the new lyrics, and made its own way and was quite
enjoyable
I've Made Up My Mind: well-conceived and delivered and completely fit the
evening with certain lines grabbing the attention again
Melancholy: short and sweet (and sad) and totally fit this show
Mother of Muses: tender and well-wrought and sung well...piano and guitar
on the breaks were nice together...didn't really know this one yet really,
really good...'I've already outlived my life by far'...could have closed
with this one
Jimmy Reed: not bad...way better choices for this valuable slot
Every Grain: one of his all-timers and perfect choice to send people home
with...blessed to hear again
Laurette Maillet is back:
The venue is a stadium, maybe 5000 seats. I've been here few years ago. I
don't like stadium anymore. I prefer the cosy atmosphere of the theater.
I believe Bob will start late as it takes time for the audience to fill up
the venue. But...
He is right on time.
Dressed in black.
“Watching the river flow” is a bit confused at the start. The
Musiciens are not in tune!
Bob, as usual, is moving from the center mike to the piano, most often at
the piano, except for “I contain multitudes” where he is bending on
his knees...
“When I paint my masterpiece” is a wonder! I feel like dancing
Bob seems to be happy to be here. I am too far to see if he is smiling but
I can believe he did.
Again 'Mother of muses' is not my cup of tea but I close my eyes and focus
on Bob's voice and it does the trick. I feel transported in another
universe with Bob Dylan 'chantin' to me.
Great show.
Laurette muses over Bob’s ‘mother’
of a show in the city of Muhammed Ali
Bob hit the home of Muhammed Ali and fried chicken – and while reviews had been thin on the ground from his performance in Johnnie’s Knoxville, Laurette Maillet made a circuitous and frustrating journey – caused mainly by Greyhound bus delays – to end up in Louisville for his November 11 show.
Laurette, on her journey around Dylan’s shows, writes in Bob Links:
“The theater is gorgeous, a museum in itself. Bob Dylan decides - after 15 minutes and so pass show time - to appear all in black. Immediately the public are up and will stay up until the 7th or 8th song. Good for me. My seat is on the isle and I can...dance! Bob is picking up on the good vibes and delivers a remarkable show. I will not pick a highlight as ALL the songs were perfectly executed. At least I enjoyed all of them.Just, for me, a minus on "Mother of muses". There issomething in that song I quite can't connect with! A sort of borringprayer? But nothing to complain about the perfect diction. Bob cracks a joke I don't get and presents the Band.The entire theater ison its feet for the final. Bob spends, it seems, few more seconds facingthe crowd before disappearing. Excellent communication tonight on bothsides.Louisville is a great city!”
Knacksville in Knoxsville! Well, who said ol’ Bob doesn’t talk to his audience … he’s got the knack!
And now he can out rock the mountains and out croon the moon
It looks like the reviewers are having a bit of a rest, which is sad really. It’s been fab keeping up with Bob’s shows, his performances, what he’s wearing, how he’s singing and what songs he has been choosing.
More than anything though it’s been good to read the authentic voices of real concert goers saying what they think.
And the one thing that comes across is that Bob Dylan at 80 is still one of the best and most transcendent acts in the world today… he’s not a dinosaur, not an old crock living off past successes. And he’s not churning out geriatric songs to satisfy his own ego and the nostalgia of a bunch of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income grandmas and grandpas who still want to be thought of as sageness hippies!
Nope, the voice of so many generations is managing to stay forever young and has remained the alchemist of vocals, stage presence and performance. Fifteen years ago he was croaking like a battered old frog and not even I knew exactly what he was trying to achieve – although I respected him enough to assume he was trying to achieve something.
And what was up-singing all about? And that clunky flat piano? It was like listening to Victor Borge in a drunken church choir.
Now he can out rock the mountains and out croon the moon.
So, until the reviews start rolling in again we’d like to leave you with a short vid from Knoxville where Bob has a chat with the audience and introduces his new and very able band… I’m sure Painted Passport won’t mind us sharing it although his camera-pointing could do with a bit of polishing!
Below are a few thoughts about Bob and his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour and the many reviews we’ve picked up along the way… have a scroll through, meander, have a listen, spend some time with some ordinary people who, like me, just want to take in the artistic genius of an extraordinary man.
As soon as the reviews start appearing again, we’ll start sharing them! In the meantime send us your thoughts, reviews etc.
Anyway, have you ever been to Milwaukee?
Have you ever been to Cleveland?
Have you ever been to Chicago, Cincinnati or Bloomington?
Well, you can go there (below) – when you want to go…
Cheers Leigh
BOB, THE MAN IN BLACK, SUITS THEM PERFECTLY DOWN IN CINCINNATI
More thoughts and insights into Bob on his almost-never ending tour – and this time, what does Dylan wear boys, what does Dylan wear?
Ol’ Bob has had some sartorial disasters over the years – his almost Elvis-style suits in the late 70s should have been made street-illegal.
In the 60s though he was a style icon with his Cubans, shades and polka dot shirts. And in the 70s he was the hippest of hippies and for the first time donned his now trade-mark Fedora with aplomb. He apparently bought it for a couple of dollars from a thrift shop.
In the 60s he went for the working man’s dirt road look, in the 70s waistcoat and leather jackets, in the 1980s he was more often than not suited and booted, sometimes animal print shirts, in the 90s cowboy-cut waist jackets and latterly the river boat captain and gambler in many guises.
At the beginning of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, some say he made a mistake by wearing his big creamy David Byrne-style jacket. It just makes him look on the portly side, particularly in poor quality bootleg recordings. Dare I say it looks like a very big covid mask!
Anyway, now Bob has gone back to black and some of the reviews from the Cincinnati show have taken this into consideration… see what you think and share your comments.
Cincinnati reviews etc below this preamble:
REVIEWING THE REVIEWS:
We are still reviewing the reviews as Dylan, at 80, gets ‘rough and rowdy’ on the road … but we are still mystified as to why so few appearing in the traditional media.
Its like local journalists and editors are treating Dylan’s new tour as a bit of a clod-hopping dinosaur outing or a day out from the rest home of elderly rockers!
But Ol’ Bob is once again working his magic across the world, singing – most say – better than ever, entertaining, chatting, inventing, stylising, reworking and setting new standards for himself and his audiences.
Confounding and wrecking expectations…
Here are some of the first audience recordings we’ve seen and heard that have survived the robots of internet control.
The first one is It Takes a Lot to Laugh – from Chicago and Every Grain from Cleveland… keep reading and scrolling, there are quite a few reviews now from each venue.
Should we used the videos?
Well, there is a dichotomy of attitude towards copyright and sharing on the internet in 2021 … the spiders might as well be from Mars and the robots wield a sword of control as draconian as Damocles.
It could be Bob’s people of course throwing a cloak over the stolen moments of his concerts – and quite right they should too.
But bootlegging has been a major part of Ol’ Bob’s career, it gave him an underground reputation, made people hungry for his work and helped us feel that we were part of something special.
And we were – we were a part of the confusing, passionate world of imagery, angst and fabulousness that Bob had created.
We felt closer to him because we’d become the elite, the fans who got the latest from his world first.
So, from being stuck inside a mobile with the Chicago blues again, we’re sharing this video.
Below are a selection of the first reviews as Bob Dylan hits the road again on his Never Ending Tour … if you’ve managed to see him over the last week or so, share your thoughts here.
Cincinnati November 9, 2021
Laurette Maillet writes:
I have a vivid memory of that show. Not the best ever for me. But I, somehow by impulse, gave a sweet kiss to Barron (Bob's bodyguard)who had always been kind to me. Fans , they don't pay too much attention to the 'entourage', or never heard about the name of Bob Dylan's bodyguard, and his devoted career of 30 years.Nothing I knew, then, about what would be a world disaster. And that
“Times would be changed forever”. The virus pushed people inside their home and inside their mind, agingbefore time. I aged!So, let's start a'new.Cincinnati , here I am. All dressed in Black; musiciens and Bob. Bobby wears regularly now a blackpants with whites stripes on the side (adjusted with a blak/white belt). Ablack shirt (with or without embroidery) a white or black jacket withembroidery. His shoes are no longer the cowboy many years boots but flatblack or white 'boat' shoes?Bobby looks like a ghost. No kidding! As for Bob? Only the piano was his instrument. No guitar, no harmonica :(He rapidly disappeared after “Every grain of sand”. Escaping the finalcrowd photos from the past when he and his Band used to bow. Smart!
E.B writes:
The Bob Dylan Concert poster proclaims “Rough and Rowdy Ways” but forthe standing ovations our crowd at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati werenot rowdy.Yes, it is still Pandemic O’Clock in the Queen City (and the home of theold King Records as Bob so well noted in his brief remarks later in theevening) Bob performed standing up behind his upright piano to the right of thestage surrounded by his band. Sometimes Bob retreated to the safety of the piano after coming centerstage to sing every now and again - doing some impressively deep sidewaysknee bends and dance moves and proving his bell still rings - but whatstood out for me this night was his impressive vocal performance, strongand commanding and telling tales warningly, emphatically and enigmaticallybut oh so compellingly.As the old poster used to proclaim: “In Show and Concert…. Don’tYou Dare Miss it!”) *****
Tom Burke writes:
Bob Dylan brought his "Rough and Rowdy Ways'' tour to Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The promotional poster proclaims, "things aren't what they were", but thankfully, somethings never change, as Dylan and his band provided a great night of music and entertainment. The band wore black, as did Dylan, though his outfit was embellished with subtle white embroidery. The stage was framed with black side and back curtains with the band set up in a compact arrangement with Dylan slightly stage right at the piano.The setting and effect may have been austere, but the music was more often true to the tour's rough and rowdy ways moniker.The show kicked off with a rollicking, high energy, Watching the River Flow, which was followed by a driving jaunty Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine) both songs featuring Bob at the piano playing with great spirit and vigor.Several of the songs from Rough and Rowdy Ways, including, I Contain Multitudes, False Prophet, Black Rider, Key West, I've Made up My Mind to Give Myself to You, and Goodbye Jimmy Reed were delivered with Dylan starting at center stage using a hand held mic and mid song returningto the piano for the finish. All of those selections, though sounding great on the record, performed live were imbued with much greater depth, effect and resonance, thanks to Dylan's facial expressions, body language,and unparalleled vocal stylings.The show closed with Dylan performing the beautiful , Every Grain of Sand.
Bloomington, Indiana, November 7, 2021
Luke M. Jacobus writes on Bill Pagel’s Bob Links:
“This was probably my ninth show in a 25 year period. The stage had a raised platform that was floor for the band. Think of a giant light box. The arrangement of musicians was closer together than I’ve seen in the past.
The show started at about 8:03pm and what followed was one of the most interactive Bob Dylan concerts I've seen.He came out strong and seemed very energized. A slight stoop I noticed twoyears ago was all but gone. He seemed proud to stand straight and tall,even striking a number of Elvis-like poses and making moves evocative ofthe King. At one point he ran quickly backwards about half the width ofthe stage, a stunt people half his age would think twice about. Any rumorsof his demise are grossly exaggerated.I counted four times between songs that he took time to thank the audienceand sometimes made other comments. I think it was after To Be Alone WithYou, he heartily thanked us and said he about forgot the words to thatone. It struck me as a genuine confession. The performances were amazing. Words were clear and strong (except at thestart of a few verses). The sound mix and overall volume in the auditoriumwas excellent, nearly ideal. Great, great care was given to the executionof these songs, with extreme vocal control demonstrated. His piano work mostly filled in gaps, sometimes quite effectively with only a single note played at importantjunctures. Other times, some deft playing was high in the mix. He playedharmonica just a few times. The vocals were front and center, which gaveclear access to some deeply emotional performances. Most of the show, Bob Dylan was a shadow. You could not make out his face.However, with I've Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You, this changed.With this song, his face was illuminated, and it remained so, or at leastvisible, during all the songs that followed.”
John Haas writes:
“Bob Dylan's still on the road. Still heading to another joint. And then another. And eventually, one near you. Amazing, isn't it?And what a strange set-list it is! The older songs are known to Bobists ofcourse--all the songs are known to Bobists--but they aren't his huge hits,by any means. One only released as a single. One from the gospel period(but yeah, he won a Grammy for it). A couple country romps from '67 and'69, one of those entirely--and I mean entirely!--rewritten (and each"deep cuts" from their albums). A song from Tempest, but none from TOOM,L&T, the Oscar winner of yore, and nothing from H61R, FWBD, or most of hisback catalog in fact. All of which is so, so great, I could hug him. It was all good. All of it. Bob's piano playing is outstanding at times,especially False Prophet. His singing kills it, as everyone says. Couldhear every word. The songs I was expecting to just endure from R&RWshined. Those I expected to love--Key West, eg--I loved (thanks, Donnie,for that accordion). All the playing was stellar.Great concert. Moody, intricate, precise, beautiful.”
CLEVELAND, OHIO, Nov 3, 2021
Timothy Burns wrote:
“The under the floor lighting was good, Bob and the band were better lit than the overly dark former time in Cleveland, especially in 2017.
“If you saw Shadow Kingdom the sound and feel was quite like that obviously with the choices of the non-Rough and Rowdy Ways songs and the approach to the songs. I was completely fine with that, it was great.What I did not expect was that I completely enjoyed the new songs morethan almost any of the other songs. Even though When I Paint MyMasterpiece was quite amazing. Dressed in all black, Bob would go back and forth at times singing with aseparate microphone in hand, then setting it down on the upright piano(with a slight clunk which was awesome) My main takeaway was two-fold. Firstly, the band and the arrangements,while similar at times to Shadow Kingdom, it allowed Bob himself to be themost central at every moment for every song. I do not everrecall where I left at the end with the feeling that this concert was 100%about Bob and not somewhat about how great the band was. The second main takeaway was perhaps the best. I did not come in withexpectations of "How good are his vocals going to be?" Although I didwonder if he would sound similar to Shadow Kingdom in which he soundedabsolutely amazing. Partway through song #1 (watching the river flow) Idetected (or I think I did) a noticeable change in the audio mix wherethey brought Bob's voice up and just be above everything else. The rest ofthe concert had his voice amazingly loud and so clear. I cannot believe how good he sounded.”
Billy Cardina:
Awesome show! Great sound and “Every Grain of Sand” a first for thistour was amazing. Crowd was subdued and this was Bob’s first Ohio Showsince he played beautiful Akron in November 2019. Old songs integratedwell with Rough and a Rowdy Ways. LOVED Key WestGod Bless Bob!
Preamble – followed by Milwaukee and Chicago reviews:
Bob Dylan stepped back onto the stage after two years of ‘incarceration’ and gave a Cheshire Cat-grinning, ear churning, heartbreakingly beautiful two hour performance down at the Riverside in Milwaukee…
Andrea and I were still on the road highway in Spain as O’ Bob took to the stage. It was 10am where we were in the blustery Autumn heat and 8pm in a Milwaukee chill as he walked out to meet his audience again.
He was dodging wires and speakers and posing hand on hip in his oversize David Byrne-style white jacket like a good’n.
Yep, he’s 80 and sometimes he can look doddery and as fragile as his famous wet-fish handshake … but he’s still going, still creating, still confounding, still writing, still rocking and still finding new ways to be Bob Dylan.
And this time he is the poet of Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And then there is of course his new voice. It’s new but it’s been everywhere, told a million stories and hung out so many brilliant lines to dry.
No, nobody can ever take that away from him … and in Milwaukee he made his voice famous again.
Next he joined the other legends in Chicago …
After we unpacked our dusty old car at the castle in Lorca where we were staying, I trawled around the net for reviews.
I didn’t find one dissenting voice… just fans who confirmed that Bob is back – looking a little bit older it has to be said – but performing brilliantly, singing like a dream and rocking the world’s expectations.
Let’s begin with Chicago as he finds his feet
On Bill Pagel’s Bob Links, Adam Selzer wrote:
CHICAGO:
“I’m amazed at how clear his vocals are; all traces of the wolfman growlof a few years back are gone, except when he needs them.
“I Contain Multitudes” was the highlight of the night for me. Insteadof spending most of it at the piano, consulting the lyric sheets, Bob wascenter stage the whole song, clearly enjoying himself and really actingthe song out, prowling around at a crouch like a cartoon character.
“When I Paint My Masterpiece,” the first surprise of the night, was bouncy andloose.
“Bob tried to do “Black Rider” from center as well, but forgot a coupleof lines in the first verse and moved back to piano for most of it. Theflub seemed to cost him some confidence, though the rest of the lines werewell delivered. This show really does sleep with life and death in the same bed.” Mark S wrote:
“I saw Bob Dylan in 2021 and it was like seeing your grandpa, who you love very much, walking a tight rope. It was captivating, I was rooting for him, and it was extremely entertaining to see him succeed.!
Bob Shiel:
“Bob Dylan came to Chicago tonight, perfectly timing his customary week-within-Halloween appearance in the Windy City, historically one of his most visited venues in his illustrious career as a live performer. But this wasn't any ole Bob Dylan show. This tour is all about Rough and Rowdy Ways. Although all these songs sound good live, I Contain Multitudes and Key West stand out as stellar melodic arrangements with mesmerizing lyrics, which Bob is delivering quite intelligibly. I saw no evidence of the lyric or sheet music reliance reported in Milwaukee on night 1 of the tour. The overall sound of the band is similar to that fantastic Fall 2019 tour, and new drummer Charlie Drayton almost imperceptibly follows Bob andthe rest of the band, allowing Bob, at 80, to not have to strain to be heard over the other 5 members of the band. The magic of Bob's veteran multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron was evident on When I Paint My Masterpiece when his fiddle played off Bob's piano beautifully. Bob Britt is back. As for the new guitarist, Doug Flavio, who is technically filling the legendary shoes of Charlie Sexton, although that ain't happening, one gets the feeling he will play a more and more prominent role as hisfirst tour progresses. After introducing the band, something he hasn't done for what seems like forever, Bob said something like, "We love Chicago, just like you do." Well, the feeling goes for you, too, Bob. We really do love you and wish you all health and happiness in this world so lucky to still have you in its midst.”
FROM MILWAUKEE:
Isabel Infantes said: “There’s no doubt that Tuesday show at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater was the start of something very new, very different, and very bold.”
Tom Wilmeth, on the same site, said: “Nobody seemed happier about thingsthan Bob himself, with facial expressions that were frequently joyous. Dylan was in good voice, and the sound mix was excellent – both Dylan’s lyrics and his piano were
clearly heard.
“The night began with “Watching the River Flow,” a minor radio hit in1971. Maybe Bob was using this number to tell us what he had been doingduring his time off – nothing. “Most Likely You Go Your Way andI’ll Go Mine” followed. .
“Bob interspersed tunes recognizable to even casualfans. He played “Simple Twist of Fate” and “I’ll Be Your BabyTonight,” as well as a rocking version of “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Dylan touched on his later catalog with “Early Roman Kings” and
“Soon After Midnight,”
“When Bob made his way from piano to center stage – he looked fragile, and at times unsteady on his feet butwe still have Bob with us; let’s enjoy him today. We may not see him tomorrow”Don Romundson wrote: “The show at the Riverside was unbelievable. It was clear from the start that this was going to be a veryspecial show. In fact, Bob did a sort of a bow to the crowd, in Bob's ownway, after each song, an acknowledgment if you will, his stand at centerstage gazing out, very appreciative of the crowd...”
Adam Selzer had this to say: “Bob seemed a bit nervous as he began “I Contain Multitudes”. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him look nervous before. But the performance was solid, and on “False Prophet” he was grinning, pointing, and seeming as though he was having a blast. Like he couldn’t wait for us to hear what line he’d sing next.”
Me, well I’m just glad to say that we’ve not seen the last of Bob’s winks and feints and his stunning panache. And the old man is back again, taking all the indefinable qualities that make him the true genius of this and the last century around the world again.
Good on ya Bob!
Bob’s band line-up is now –guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt, multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron, bassist Tony Garnier, and drummer Charley Drayton.
One of the few traditional media reviews:
Well, we found one … by Curtis Schieber who is described as Special to The Columbus Dispatch. I’m sure he is very special to them! |He has also has a very ‘special’ and successful music show, the Invisible Hits Hour, for 30 years.
Anyway, Curtis has also made a ‘special’ point in his review: The underfloor lighting Dylan is using on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour serves to light up the band and Bob in an equal, almost democratic, way.
And, as Curtis says, it helps the focus of the concert to be on the songs … which is a good thing as a large part of the concert is made up of the songs from RaRW, perhaps one of Bob’s most perfect albums.
But is the lighting also being used to take attention away from Bob himself who, at 80, can look a bit creaky as he makes his trademark stately bows and bends?
Anyway, we are all agreed that Bob can still bend them notes and ring them bells as he sings better than he has done for decades.
What do you think?
Curtis wrote in the Columbus Dispatch:“Rough and Rowdy Ways” was clearly the focus of the set. An album containing all the mystery, in-jokes, casually cast-off name checks, and philosophical dead ends of Dylan’s best, it provided perfect fodder for the aging, Nobel Prize-winning author to have his way with both a lot of confessions and some pretty tall tales. In a deftly controlled mix of croon, croak and declaration, he brought them all to life. The band created a loose combination of blues, swing, and rock ‘n’ roll that nonetheless was always on point.
There were no spotlights focused on the stage last night. The six musicians were lit — equally — from the floor. It was clear that Dylan intended the songs to take center stage and that they did.”
The Dispatch is a daily newspaper in, yep, you guessed it, Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871 and it is still going strong and publishing the stories and reviews that matter. Curtis is a freelance journalist.
But, as far as we at The Society have seen, Dispatch is only the third daily to bother to take a look at the ‘new’ Bob Dylan.
Somebody said experimental writing uses the ‘Invisible habits and structures of aesthetic, psychological, and social domination’ to create something new and to move things into a different domain … I can’t remember who said it now, but it fits the bill. Cities of the Red Night by William S Burroughs is one of my all-time favourites in this experimental genre.
As far as I’m concerned, an experimental writer needs the brain of a poet, the musical ear of cut-ups, the voice of a drunken midnight choir and the control of derangement found in soft asylums.
Eric Drew Lastick is an experimental writer and poet who says he aspires to ‘the simple movements and verses of our world… and all it’s surrounds’.
He says: “I grew up poor to middle classes of Eastern Pennsylvania in a town called Broomall, four square miles long. There, back in my childhood was a train trolley track running in the center aisle of a busy two way street too center city Philadelphia. As a small child I saw JFK speak in the busy crowded parking lot of Lawrence park parking. They entertained a small circus in that very parking facility back in the early 1960s too.
“Growing up in those times brought me to rich and a new exploding culture which brought me to write about; and what came so natural. I loved Vonnegut jr’s journeys of slaughterhouse 7 ‘s in thru the out of timeframes. Bukowski’s brode and broken visions..Krafka surreal, too what’s real! Cats in general, have always been a great influence on my writing. Such lone independence ..flaire too their e very step. I have even incorporated a piece about being a cat along with Jim Morrison of the doors. In mischievous endeavours. In dreams. Imagination! My goals are simple and free. I intend to just keep writing. Reaching out with all good positives.”
The work is exactly as Eric supplied it:
IF ARTIST VINCENT VAN GOGH was a hippie in the swingin’ 1960s…
Vincent plays himself comfortably on his custom made waterbed in the very back of his hippie van, in the year 1966, lazily rolls a doobie, half lit, while on his back, to the bed.
His neck raises from a heavy woolly pillow which duplicates his fake animal fur hat beside him.
Still, in this lifetime, he shares no woman beside him; though he longs for a pig tailed wondrous lady he spots from time to time at a local Headshop alongside a token unsold cigarstore indian ornament.
This woman’s stylish, tightly-fitted bellbottom blue jeans, ravish of those perfect inseems, of such a tall struck woman. & nothing less than stunning! These mid-nineteen sixties procure a day and time of the free spirit; and though Vincent tries, he can’t seem to find anything more than (“a-face-on-the battle with it!”).
He is every bit intense as ever, although this landscaped mural he air-brushed on his new 66′ Van, is quite the display to his newly brought fans of this free society.
The van paints of sun and moon brushed as companions – with loops of clouds like turquoise serpents – curl in waves and in color codes of green and blues. Vincent laughs nervously in a frustration pack. Not certain of whom is real, who is not?
Tinker he will as a hippie—driving a 2way path down a one way street—like an off–groove lunatic on the fly!
Groovy is clear out of his jurisdiction. .not at all in his vocabulary. Non the less, his trips or Rd slips, mingle with varied color..and make of it, all his own. Acid only broadens the brush, tad. His mind in constant flashbacks. Electric bursts..not from any skies!
VINCENT, THE BRUSHMAN..as he’s called in these times; Anomalous to his fury & crazed—– writes of particular passage—as often times, Vincent is seen by his driver side door, left slightly a- -Jar; gazing in flairs of strangely unattached nightmares, in the daytime of his darkness.
His many supporters..art lovers..and just spaced out hair all out yippees, speculates of a real live stoner..and acid head; although his team of doctors know better!the on and off again flashes of lights and odd dead like voices—draw him out of all the coffee houses..and poetry reads..his part time dishwashers job; and to every Speakeasy club fare and far..jazz cafe’s. .up and down the furthest strips of LA ..too the galleys of bleaker street USA. .and any Rin Tin Tin barking dogs chasing him, up and down every hipsters bungalow in greater Manhattan. .though Vincent’s genius spill over in the positives of color and pizazz! countercultural delight. .although he never saw it that exact way. Insomnia and loneliness in his late night wakes—to his calls of one last week of his brush to incur.. one last sane breath, before he cannot seem to pull himself together.
Whether inside his van or the outside world, onlybto fall headlong into color! Creatures of the night’s dream spaces..unreality. .though his innerworkings spike of self hate..his mutal work and air brushed time, save him from himself! –And do blatant, the obvious, as a Hippie, is not a fit at all, for our Artist friend, Vincent.
LATE NIGHT..early light at the sunset strip, vincent once again loses his mind with all his surrounds—yet in moments time. He hits the mark with yet another artist’s masterwork of this new day, in the nineteen sixties.”
PART 11 (As Eric submitted his story)
VINCENT VAN GOEH..in the swinging sixties. (Storyline) Vincent is back with a vengance..& a most beautiful trip of the swinging 60’s era. FLASHBACK, a call back, as if you were never there; & that’s why you, and he, probably were! Puffs & repacks of such a time, which infiltrates like the floating duplication on many a-road. Artificial colors magnify to one’s center core. –As there shall be no judgement—–all along the swerve and curves to the next psychedelic avenues. It is all so clear to him now..as if this Volkswagen bus drives itself—-with Vincent displaying his art and humor, as an irony to a fine drawn picture on any wall. Yet today it spreads across this Hippie van. Vincent reveals how acid is a place too skim—— your now! Your future events too. The past is long gone..as the drunk fill cool air fillers; yet the awakening of fine art on print..on van; with its retro speeds as its driver–too all thesevopen roads. A freak show, you ask? NO. Just the neon art world at ” the strip” Long past sunset..as Vincent Van Gogh’s colors and representations of his original art stare right back attcha. Airbrushed his doodling on his Volkswagen bus. An Anomalous look. A beat clubs delight. Ominous is the sight for all to see, as spectators of straight and sober aires..swing in his journey—while “higher tokes” long haired and. Chummy folks sit in squared space circles, quite indian style. -As if a new flea market corner of riches.. & those of emotions. .the whole world too see! VINCENT THE BRUSHMAN..adjusts his mirrors like glowback cameras. Flashing as conductor, painter..and music man. Flimsy and pouts—adjusting his solo (AM) radio dial to the sounds and surrounds of Peter Paul & Mary. Singing “leaving on a jet plane” all 747 down the road at 7 miles per hour, feeling like 70! Incense & peppermints are clear across these airwaves; to a nexus groove. A miserable lone passenger. Paint on smock and glove— just as if out of the ethereals—-to 1966. Yet Vincent still insists he is in his natural time zone—Sith his own mind as haywire as this wild culture, he so fits! Which so stooptifies; driving his own art straight back home. Gum and labeled on his Volkswagen bus..or a mere loaner? Where to next, we will never quite know?
Scoot along now, say cops! But what’s next? Big burly bald brainless berks and on childrens trikes?
Police crackdown on e-scooters ‘maniacs’ at last …
Thirty-seven of recent casualties suffered injuries that were described as ‘serious’
Road users injured in crashes with scooters include 36 cyclists and 32 in vehicles
Fourteen casualties were aged 70 and above, while 17 were over 60
UK police took 3,002 e-scooters off our pavements and roads in first six months of 2021 – more than five times as many as they ‘snatched’ last year.
What the new breed of boy/girl racers seem to forget is that electric scooters are ‘powered transporters’, meaning they must abide by the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Riders must have a driving licence and insurance in order to use them on the road and they are banned from pavements and footpaths … instead they scoot along footpaths like over-blown children using pedestrians as skittles!
And it’s a Europe-wide problem … here Leigh takes a look at what its like to face a pavement full of motorised maniacs!
***
I stopped using a scooter when I was five …I had become a big boy and I guess I wanted a three-wheeler bike, the height of prepubescent cool.
But now those tiny two wheeled children’s toys – consisting of a footboard on two wheels and a long steering handle – appear to have become very grown up indeed.
In some big boy and girl’s minds at least.
Yep, scooters are the arrogant domains of 20-30-somethings. They go with their baseball caps on backwards, flappy shorts revealing their fantasy-world leg tattoos and their big beer bellies and boobs flopping like meat on to a butcher’s block ready to be chopped.
These overgrown children whizz along the pavements at 30mph, bald heads surrounded by glorious shrouds of white fruity-smelling vape, dangly hi-fidelity ear plugs like mummy’s earrings, ski shades and muscle-bound brains.
Yes, you think you look cool don’t you on your electric scooter … well, you DON’T! You look like a big show-off child shouting ‘look at me! Look at me!’ to daddy before smashing headlong in to a lamppost or a pedestrian.
Grow up!
I was walking through the unusually blistering sun in Poprad town centre – judiciously avoiding the cycle lanes – when one of these idiots who’d be better off in a Shell suite and a Trabant headed straight for me. This was a grown 20-something on an electric scooter.
I assume that he assumed I would get out of his way. Well, Well this big beefy buffoon had misread me completely.
I stood my ground like a lamppost and at the last second he swerved round me and rode on, scattering pedestrians like skittles as he went.
E-scooters are legal in so many parts of Europe and they will be coming a pavement near you soon. And there is a very strong chance indeed they will crash into you from behind leaving a fashionable geeky freak who can’t afford proper transport lying on top of you. And he or she will be screaming and cursing at you and photographing your agonised face so they can make an insurance claim!
Cities all over the world are licking their wounds in unicycle – sorry unison … after allowing e-scooters.
These two-wheeled terrors are the Kylie Bravesons for the fruity vape generation who are so knackered after spending all day in the gym that are too tired or too lazy to walk or cycle …
Or people, is it that they are too twatted by the twittering world of twerps that they can’t be bothered to pass a driving test?
And let’s face it, it’s not going to take the criminal fraternity long to come full cycle and realise e-scooters are ideal vehicles for bag-snatcher and the mugger. Silent and swift, they can swerve off down the nearest alleyway before you even know what has happened to you. And what about drug couriers and fast-food delivery merchants?
What is the world coming to?
Some people say that last year Singapore more or less banned e-scooters after a number of injuries and fatal accidents.
There were also fires in public housing blocks caused by faulty batteries.
Well, that makes you think doesn’t it.
New reviews, obviously from five believers… not you Mr Jones
Here at The Society we continue to ask the question – why the ‘Mr Jones’s of newspapers’ in particular are ignoring Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy tour across America and then into the world, potentially until 2024?
His new tour isn’t rough and rowdy at all, more smooth like a rockin’ rhapsody with some of the most powerful, controlled, honest and beautiful singing of his career … he is one of the most famous men in the world, he is a controversial icon, he is one of our most intelligent rockers, bards, troubadours. He is a writer, a poet, a chronicler of American and the other societies of the world.
Bob Dylan is a singer, a performer and a musician, a comedian and even, in his own strange way, a bit of a dancer too.
He is more revered than Van Morrison – who can be a complete bad tempered, idiotic oaf at times – he is not a political shocker like ‘slow mind’ Eric Clapton can be at times, he is not a dancing geriatric like Mick, an emphysemic raconteur like Keith or a swearing croaking wannabe raconteur like Bruce.
He actually is just Bob Dylan … a bit of a magpie, true, and a curator of rock’n’roll history and dreams. A man with the staying power of artistic Viagra.
And he is 80 years old.
This whole tour is a brilliant good news story – part of my own trade is news editing, so I know!
Anyway rant over! Here are a few fabulous reviews about a remarkable moment in popular music. Keep them coming in:
Review by Peter Smith
From a longer piece written for Bill Pagel’s brilliant Bob LinksIt was a long time since I last saw Dylan at the Beacon in late November, 2019. With the pandemic I wondered if that last time was the final time, but happily the NET continues. The show started promptly at 8pm and ran for a tight 98 minutes. The sound was extraordinarily clear; Dylan’s vocals were up front and distinct fromthe band. His voice was expressive and energetic, albeit within hislimited range. I can’t help but think what a great release this wouldbe: Dylan at the Beacon 2021 -- Bootleg Series XXX “Autumn in NYC.” Itwould be a nice counterpart to Springtime in New York.Dylan moved from center stage upright piano to stand up mic with thesprightly hop he had in 2019. There were touches of Dylan humor addedsince the tour in 2019 -- he engaged a shout out from the audience forPretty Boy Floyd. He said you’re in the wrong place - this isn’tSpringsteen on Broadway. The stage was a vision of darkness and light - the band in all black was set up on large illuminated panels of white- an intimate interpretation of the bright stage platform used by “those British bad boys” on their recent tour, closer to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. In his homage to NY he mentioned it as thebirthplace of Herman Melville and the home of “Jackie O.” Althoughnot played, I couldn’t help but think of Murder Most Foul from RARW asit was the day before the anniversary of JFK’s assasination.The lights remained out for longer period after Every Grain of Sand asthough he just might come out for another, but it was not to be.
Review by David Namerow
Ah, the Beacon. Legendary ornate , Neo-grecian brainchild of RoxyRothafel as the smaller sister venue of the famous Roxy downtown. And so, after a year and a half of Covid related dormancy, the NeverEnding Tour is back on track with the Rough and Rowdy Ways World WideTour, which began Nov 2 and will continue through 2024, when Bob will turn83! The stage? Spare, lit curtain behind the band. No more replica grecian statues, even the fabled Academy award statue (homage to “Things have Changed”) is gone. Also gone is either the Copland Americana music, or the Stravinsky Rite of Spring from the past. The band launches into “Watching the River Flow”, with Bob’s voiceunfortunately drowned out by crowds cheering, standing and the band a bittoo loud. After a nice rendition of “Most Likely You go Your way.”,the sound is balanced and Bob steps forward— almost on bended knee —for “I Contain Multitudes”. False Prophet was on fire, with Bob’s voice carrying the band alongwith him. Masterpiece was a bit muted, with the lyrics “Everything isgonna be beautiful” for poignancy. While “Black Rider was wonderful - and ominous, “My own version of You” was simply amazing, with Bobclear voiced, nuanced and enunciating every syllable carefully. “Key West” wasanother highlight, Bob saver-ing every line with a slightly differentarrangement than the album.. “Serve Somebody” got every body up anddancing, but I really could’t make out most of the lyrics (“You mightbe in the White House……”). And, by the way, Bob actually spoke. First, when some fan yelled for
“Born in the USA”, Bob quipped “you’re in the wrong theatre,that’s Springsteen on Broadway.”
Jeff Dellin
Settled in for the Sunday show, the third night of the Beacon Theatre run.One thing that struck me was how stark the whole stage was. No more shadowlighting or spotlights or starry backgrounds - just pale curtains andminimal stage lighting. Everyone dressed in black. Bob's piano withexposed wood facing forward. Minimal. Not that his staging has ever beenelaborate but this was basic and did not change all night.I would advise any fan to see this tour if possible. The Rough & RowdyWays songs were given the full treatment by Bob. You knew he was lovingplaying these songs when he would bend down low behind the piano at theend of songs to play a little solo obscured from view, just the top of hishead in sight. For me Black Rider and Mother Of Muses stood out as majorhighlights, very much in the moment performances. I could make out almostevery word of the new songs. The older material was given a bit of a shortshift this time around. To Be Alone With you felt fresh and Every Grain OfSand was outstanding. After dozens of shows over 35 years., I saw a first at this show. Bobseemed to acknowledge somebody who yelled out a request from the audience.I did not catch the whole thing but Bob seemed to say something like: "Ifyou want that you'll have to see Springsteen on Broadway. You're at thewrong show". And he chuckled. It was real and funny. .Started right on time and was over in a tidy hour and 40 minutes. All inall, it was a show with no big surprises but plenty of small surprises tomake it a meaningful night with Bob Dylan in New York.
Barry Gloffke writes:
Our hero’s third, and last, night at the Beacon Theatre for 2021 was, inmy estimation, the best of the lot. Each Dylan show lives and breathes onits’ own… slight cadence changes, lyrical nuances and unexpectedoccurrences imbue each concert with a unique character… it’s likewatching the sky on a cloudy day… you will never see the same cloudformation twice, ever… and you’ll never hear the same Dylan concerttwice, ever.From WATCHING THE RIVER FLOW to EVERY GRAIN OF SAND the maestro was on top of his game. He was relaxed, laughing, grinning, ad-libbing and veryanimated. He spoke more than he has in a dozen shows from previous tours.My girlfriend and I had spectacular seats, 2nd row, with a perfect line ofsight to see Bob behind the piano. Watching him was fascinating. He commanded the proceedings from the sanctuary of the piano and he banged those ivories as if he was a young boy in Hibbing (especially enjoyable on TO BE ALONE WITH YOU). His voice was once again powerful and clear… only a few miscues… nothingto really note. A really great show from start to finish. Review by Roland PabstDo you remember the scene in the movie “Rolling Thunder Revue” when ayoung woman at the end of a concert couldn’t hold back her tearsanymore, and she started to cry and cry? Today I was sitting between aheavy man on my left and a young girl on my right. I really didn’tnotice them. I was concentrating on the songs, the band and Dylan untilDylan performed Key West. The girl started to shake and cried and put herhead on my shoulder and cried and cried. My sweater was wet from hertears. She apologized with her teary eyes and whispered that Dylan wassuch a big part in her life the last 1 ½ years. She said: “whatevermood I was in, I found a song which helped me. My mother bought me thisticket. She is waiting for me outside. It is my 1st Dylan concert.” Whata great, sweet and touching story.For me it was my 55th concert. Therefore I can say this is probablyDylan’s strongest year in decades. Today he is a Story-Teller. Heperforms his own songs with such an intensity and power and nuance. Todaypeople are respectfully quiet during the songs and burst into aspontaneous applause after certain words or phrases. His band was greatsince years. This band is top notch.We all know Dylan from Theme Time Radio show and were surprised how funnyhe can be and talkative. Tonight somebody must have shouted something.Dylan laughed and mentioned Bruce Springsteen on Broadway show. You areatthe wrong place. The band introduction was the longest I ever witnessed.It was very refreshing. One song comes after another and today there wasno intermission. One of the many highlights for me was Key West. Paintingmy masterpiece was another surprise. It had a completely different feelingthan what I heard in December 2019 here at the Beacon.In the meantime everybody knows that the stage is poorly lit and nothingdecorative at all. This gives you the chance to fully listen and focus onthe performance. His voice is the best I heard in decades. When he standsbehind his piano you would never guess that a 80+ man is performing.However when he moves around the dark stage you can see an older man. Whata pleasure to see Dylan.I lived in New York for almost 20 years and Thanksgiving seems to be agiven time for Dylan to play in New York for days. He must be happycelebrating Thanksgiving somewhere around New York City. Isn’t it nicethat we know so little about his private life? I love it. Hopefully he will visit us in Santa Fe, New Mexico my new home town soon.
Scott Kareff writes:
It was a treat to renew acquaintances with Bob Dylan for the final Beaconshow of this 2021 run. The set list for the 3 shows was identical but thatwas perhaps the only disappointment of the night. Bob was in fine form andthe new lineup was sharp. I was partial to the new versions of the classic songs, listening for thenew and reworked lyrics. The new arrangements were all revelations. Eachone worth the price of admission.I can’t prove it but I take “I’ve made up my mind to give myself toyou” as a message from Bob to his audience and we are all thankful hedecided to live his life this way. Bob was engaged and even said somethingto an audience member about being at the wrong show, the person shouldhave been at the Springsteen show on Broadway and then something aboutSylvester Stallone being from NY.Thank you Bob! See you next time.
Review by Michael Paul Thomas
During the phone booth scene in Don't Look Back, the reporter holding hiscigarette and the phone in one hand and a pen and notebook in the other,says to his editor "'The times are a-changing' Dylan sings. They sure are,especially when a poet, not a pop singer fills a concert hall." This was Bob Dylan night number 35 for me (which pales incomparison to others I know), since 1995, and I heard a passionateperformance by the poet at 80. Bitterness and melancholy seemed to be most apparent, as well as sweet declarations of love (“I’ve made up my mind togive myself to you” and “I’m so deep in love I can hardly see”) along with acceptance of the next, uncertain worlds approaching.
How New York became a beacon to Bob as (it appears) Mr Jones ignores him again
We’ve been sharing rave reviews here at The Society since the beginning of November when Dylan finally got the chance to take his strolling bones back on the road again after Covid, the tragic hint of a sex scandal and the release of the stunning beautiful Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And the reviews, mainly, have been written by the man-and-woman on the street who’ve got other things to do with their lives but took the trouble to jot down notes and thoughts and their enthusiasms for Bob and his band landed in places like Milwaukee, Bloomington, Hershey and Moon Township.
Our Beacons of Light in New York … Bob Russell writes:
“I had a chilly but very nice pre-concert dinner and drinks with the delightful Nancy Cobb at the Owl’s Tail, a little bar around the corner from the Beacon, practically in the shadow of Dylan’s bus. Moving into the warmth of the theatre, I took my place in Row M of the orchestra, quite a good vantage point. Sitting just three rows ahead of me was the great Steve Earle, who I called out greetings to (I’m sure that was a great treat for him. ??)The stage was as you have seen from others on the tour, high lit floor, simple curtain in the back, sparse lighting, especially for Bob (reminded me a bit of the dim stages from September 1993). The band was tight, guitarists Britt and Lanciolurking in back and getting off the leash a bit. Drummer Charlie Drayton was crisp and Donnie and Tony were their usual selves.I won’t go over every song (check the setlists), but almost half the set was devoted to Rough and Rowdy Ways. Bob sang these with as much intensity and passion as I have seen in the 123 Bob shows I have attended. After the climactic Mother of Muses, a spirited Jimmy Reed, then band intros, and a PERFECT Every Grain of Sand concluded the evening.”
Intrepid Laurette Maillet writes:
“Arriving at 6pm. The Bob Dylan bus is parked there but no activities. Bob is locked in there. In a golden cage!See Donnie Herron getty out the Beacon hotel. I tentatively say ' hi Donnie!'. He is as cold as a stone. :(. See Tony Garnier getting out the Beacon hotel, tightly holding his 25 years girl friend. I say nothing. Well! I had better feedback with the Vietnamese restaurant waitress :)Bob starts a bit late. Waiting for the fans around the bus to disappear?I immediately focus on his pants :) woah! Nice pants. They look like really shining and tight. Black embroidered , as well as the jacket.Red shirt(it seems). It starts hard. The sound is perfect. Never been that good. Guitars are loud. As well as the drums. Bob is in a good mood. His voice as loud as it could be. Loud and clear. Nothingto do with Hershey.'False prophet' is a wonder. The hight light of the show tonight. Bob is eventrying a little dance on the side of the piano. Powerful."I'll be your Baby tonight" is also standing up by the side of the piano. Bob bending on his knees. A couple of times he decides to move from piano mike to center free hand mike and that will surprise the sound engeener. We missed few words :)Each song is a piece of Art. Even my least favorite is doing fine with me tonight.I believe he did twice the second verse of "key west". I have to listen to the recording ??The audience is up on its feet for " You've got to serve somebody ". Other than that , public is polite , reacting to a word here and there.”
Earlier: A tough crowd in New York… but Bob is still standing. They won’t get him beat
You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat, when I leave New York, I’ll be standing on my feet – Bob Dylan
It’s always been seen as a fair game to boo, lampoon, insult, attack, complain about and scoff at Bob Dylan.
This attitude has made me furious over the years … of course he can sing, he is probably one of the most inventive singers since the beginning of popular music and has influenced the whole inflection and style of rock music.
Bob is a writer of stunning prose too of course, but he is first and foremost a musical poet, a bard, a troubadour, an unfinished work of art.
We’ve been sharing rave reviews here at The Society since the beginning of November when Dylan finally got the chance to take his strolling bones back on the road again after Covid, the tragic hint of a sex scandal and the release of the stunning beautiful Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And the reviews, mainly, have been written by the man-and-woman on the street who’ve got other things to do with their lives but took the trouble to jot down notes and thoughts and their enthusiasms for Bob and his band landed in places like Milwaukee, Bloomington, Hershey and Moon Township.
And then he arrived in New York and he got ignored and insulted.
No New York Times review (if I’ve missed this please send me a link, I’d love to be wrong) and a handful of bad reviews from the Mr Jones’s on the street. We share them here:
Dave & Molly from Montreal, Quebec
EXPECTED SO MUCH, RECEIVED SO LITTLE
Dylan has always been one of my favorites. This was the 3rd time seeing him in Montreal, I was ready for another treat. Had fabulous $$$ seats 100 feet from Bob. The lights came up and there was Bob dressed in white, standing in front of the black, grand piano banging out his first tune in a surprisingly low pitch, gravely voice. His guitar lay across a chair a few feet away with his white brimmed hat atop, We would never hear that guitar or see him with hat on. Instead he alternated playing old and new songs either sitting or standing at the piano then grabbing a mic stand at the back wall of the stage as far from his audience as possible as he crooned old American standards. I came to see Dylan play guitar and sing like he meant it. Not a single word was uttered to his fans, not a smile, not a nod. Between songs he shuffled to a table to get a drink, hanging on to equipment as he walked. He looked old and disinterested. What an utter disappointment for me and my girlfriend.
P. A. C. from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SELFISH, DISENGAGED & UNDECIPHERABLE DYLAN AT THE MET PHILA.
When the best part of your concert event is the newly renovated Met and the outstanding food at Osteria, you know it’s going to be a bad night. A 60th birthday present from my daughter who is a singer and astute listener of all music. She knows how much I love Dylan’s music and wanted to take me to see him for the first time. It was an utter embarrassment. Dylan voice itself was as good and raw it’s always been but we couldn’t understand a word as he mumbled and garbled every word. His arrangement changes on some songs such as Like a Rolling Stone, were shockingly discordant to the essence of the song. And for 1 hour and 30 minutes, as we sat hoping things would get better, he didn’t muster one single word of welcome, thanks, or appreciation to his audience of 3,500. As we walked out on Bob 30 minutes early, he had me feeling badly for my daughter who certainly lost some respect for one of the musical heroes I spent years extolling. Bob my friend, it’s time to retire.
Sarah from Columbus, Ohio
GROSSLY INACCURATE VISIONS OF BOB DYLAN
If you attended Bob Dylan’s concert last night at the Palace Theatre expecting to see a lounge act and almost unrecognizable versions of Desolation Row and Tangled Up in Blue then you got what you paid for. If, like me, you were hoping to see Bob with his harmonica and guitar playing Just Like a Woman, Don’t think Twice it’s Alright, Like a Rolling Stone, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door…ANY of his songs – in their original arrangements – that define him as one of the best poets/storytellers/lyricists to ever live, then you were left absolutely heartbroken like me. Before going to the show, I had heard that for years Dylan hasn’t been great live, that he doesn’t acknowledge or interact with the audience, that he doesn’t play many of his classics, so I guess I’m the fool for not listening to those comments and thinking my experience would be different. As I sit here today listening to live Dylan albums from ’67, I can’t help but cry for the artist I never got to see live.
And yet Allison Rapp, a professional writer, had this to say: Dylan, perhaps more so than any singer-songwriter of his generation, has continuously asked his listeners to, in essence, think again. Newly arranged versions of old songs were peppered throughout the evening, including completely reimagined versions of Tempest‘s “Early Roman Kings,” Slow Train Coming‘s “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “To Be Alone With You” a track from 1969’s Nashville Skyline which Dylan has not performed live since 2005 and the also recently reintroduced “Every Grain of Sand” from Shot of Love. A Frank Sinatra cover, “Melancholy Mood,” which Dylan performed on his 2016 album, Fallen Angels, also appeared.
Dylan did not come back for an encore, perhaps choosing to save his energy for the next two nights of shows at the Beacon, plus the string of East Coast dates he has planned for the rest of this month and the beginning of next. But at 80, the legendary musician seems energized by simply being back on a stage, surrounded by a supportive band, performing new compositions that most Dylan fans have spent months listening to in the confines of quarantine and now get to hear in their full live glory.
As his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour moves on, ticket holders can expect a wonderfully rested and still remarkably enigmatic Dylan to greet them, even if it is with only a few words in between songs. As he sang in 1961, “You can step on my name, you can try and get me beat, when I leave New York, I’ll be standing on my feet.”
Meanwhile, here are four professional reviews by newspapers along the way. Let’s see what they are having to say compared to the fans who have become writers and critics for their love of Bob.
Reviews rocketas Ol’ Bob lands on Moon Township…but is age beginning to tell?
The first review to mention Dylan and the rigours of age…
Mitchell writes:
I feel that the reworking of the set list was more than just publicity
for the new album. All of the song selections were clearly pointing to
the past (high points and regrets) and looking to the future-a future
not in this world. It is contemplative and other worldly. And like it
or not, I do feel he is trying to bring a message with the two gospel
songs he brought back.
As to individual songs, “Mother
of Muses” is even more hymn-like than on the album. Clearly a prayer
and an offer of thanks. Sent chills up my spine.
The thing that made me sad about the show was the clear physical pain Bob is in. He is clearly still very sharp mentally, he was great with the lyrics, his voice was
fantastic and he looked to be enjoying himself. But, in contrast to
his standing center stage pre COVID, he just couldn’t do it now. He
had to hold onto the piano and even then, retreated behind the piano
mid most songs. He sat down behind the piano a lot. He doesn’t stand
straight. He got help going down the steps from the back of the stage.
Clearly his back/hips are hurting. I think we have to face it- as much
as he has, does and always will mean to us, his body is that of an 80
year old man.
I don’t know why he continues to do show after show when it is so
difficult physically. Maybe it is part of a “deal” he made many years ago as he once said.
Daniel Chester writes:
Watching: a rollicking tribute to Pittsburgh and its rivers
Most Likely: good energy and crisp and friendly and faithful and pretty
well-delivered
Multitudes: great feel/sound for a great song and sung well...how amazing
is it that this same guy wrote Song to Woody 60 years ago and is still on
the road heading for another joint
False Prophet: dull approaching OK (bluezzzzzzz)
Masterpiece: wonderful (violin and piano and acoustic guitar interwoven),
lucky to hear this again
Black Rider: nice atmosphere but nothing special...would rather hear
something off of New Morning or Infidels
I'll Be Your Baby: completely different version, had a nice little drive
to it (as opposed to the leisure pace of original)
My Own Version: another cool atmosphere and some very cool lines sung
well...maybe a performance where a tight little guitar solo would have
elevated it
To Be Alone: the acoustic guitar and violin and standup bass make a potent
combination...fun choice
Early Roman: pretty much a slog lacking necessary stomp...not a huge fan
of this tune but not sure any tune could have survived this treatment
Key West: piano picked some nice notes and accordian worked and some swell
lyrics ('if you lost your mind you'll find it there')
Serve Somebody: almost a different tune yet it grabbed the attention,
particularly with the new lyrics, and made its own way and was quite
enjoyable
I've Made Up My Mind: well-conceived and delivered and completely fit the
evening with certain lines grabbing the attention again
Melancholy: short and sweet (and sad) and totally fit this show
Mother of Muses: tender and well-wrought and sung well...piano and guitar
on the breaks were nice together...didn't really know this one yet really,
really good...'I've already outlived my life by far'...could have closed
with this one
Jimmy Reed: not bad...way better choices for this valuable slot
Every Grain: one of his all-timers and perfect choice to send people home
with...blessed to hear again
Laurette Maillet is back:
The venue is a stadium, maybe 5000 seats. I've been here few years ago. I
don't like stadium anymore. I prefer the cosy atmosphere of the theater.
I believe Bob will start late as it takes time for the audience to fill up
the venue. But...
He is right on time.
Dressed in black.
“Watching the river flow” is a bit confused at the start. The
Musiciens are not in tune!
Bob, as usual, is moving from the center mike to the piano, most often at
the piano, except for “I contain multitudes” where he is bending on
his knees...
“When I paint my masterpiece” is a wonder! I feel like dancing
Bob seems to be happy to be here. I am too far to see if he is smiling but
I can believe he did.
Again 'Mother of muses' is not my cup of tea but I close my eyes and focus
on Bob's voice and it does the trick. I feel transported in another
universe with Bob Dylan 'chantin' to me.
Great show.
Laurette muses over Bob’s ‘mother’
of a show in the city of Muhammed Ali
Bob hit the home of Muhammed Ali and fried chicken – and while reviews had been thin on the ground from his performance in Johnnie’s Knoxville, Laurette Maillet made a circuitous and frustrating journey – caused mainly by Greyhound bus delays – to end up in Louisville for his November 11 show.
Laurette, on her journey around Dylan’s shows, writes in Bob Links:
“The theater is gorgeous, a museum in itself. Bob Dylan decides - after 15 minutes and so pass show time - to appear all in black. Immediately the public are up and will stay up until the 7th or 8th song. Good for me. My seat is on the isle and I can...dance! Bob is picking up on the good vibes and delivers a remarkable show. I will not pick a highlight as ALL the songs were perfectly executed. At least I enjoyed all of them.Just, for me, a minus on "Mother of muses". There issomething in that song I quite can't connect with! A sort of borringprayer? But nothing to complain about the perfect diction. Bob cracks a joke I don't get and presents the Band.The entire theater ison its feet for the final. Bob spends, it seems, few more seconds facingthe crowd before disappearing. Excellent communication tonight on bothsides.Louisville is a great city!”
Knacksville in Knoxsville! Well, who said ol’ Bob doesn’t talk to his audience … he’s got the knack!
And now he can out rock the mountains and out croon the moon
It looks like the reviewers are having a bit of a rest, which is sad really. It’s been fab keeping up with Bob’s shows, his performances, what he’s wearing, how he’s singing and what songs he has been choosing.
More than anything though it’s been good to read the authentic voices of real concert goers saying what they think.
And the one thing that comes across is that Bob Dylan at 80 is still one of the best and most transcendent acts in the world today… he’s not a dinosaur, not an old crock living off past successes. And he’s not churning out geriatric songs to satisfy his own ego and the nostalgia of a bunch of middle-aged, middle-class, middle-income grandmas and grandpas who still want to be thought of as sageness hippies!
Nope, the voice of so many generations is managing to stay forever young and has remained the alchemist of vocals, stage presence and performance. Fifteen years ago he was croaking like a battered old frog and not even I knew exactly what he was trying to achieve – although I respected him enough to assume he was trying to achieve something.
And what was up-singing all about? And that clunky flat piano? It was like listening to Victor Borge in a drunken church choir.
Now he can out rock the mountains and out croon the moon.
So, until the reviews start rolling in again we’d like to leave you with a short vid from Knoxville where Bob has a chat with the audience and introduces his new and very able band… I’m sure Painted Passport won’t mind us sharing it although his camera-pointing could do with a bit of polishing!
Below are a few thoughts about Bob and his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour and the many reviews we’ve picked up along the way… have a scroll through, meander, have a listen, spend some time with some ordinary people who, like me, just want to take in the artistic genius of an extraordinary man.
As soon as the reviews start appearing again, we’ll start sharing them! In the meantime send us your thoughts, reviews etc.
Anyway, have you ever been to Milwaukee?
Have you ever been to Cleveland?
Have you ever been to Chicago, Cincinnati or Bloomington?
Well, you can go there (below) – when you want to go…
Cheers Leigh
BOB, THE MAN IN BLACK, SUITS THEM PERFECTLY DOWN IN CINCINNATI
More thoughts and insights into Bob on his almost-never ending tour – and this time, what does Dylan wear boys, what does Dylan wear?
Ol’ Bob has had some sartorial disasters over the years – his almost Elvis-style suits in the late 70s should have been made street-illegal.
In the 60s though he was a style icon with his Cubans, shades and polka dot shirts. And in the 70s he was the hippest of hippies and for the first time donned his now trade-mark Fedora with aplomb. He apparently bought it for a couple of dollars from a thrift shop.
In the 60s he went for the working man’s dirt road look, in the 70s waistcoat and leather jackets, in the 1980s he was more often than not suited and booted, sometimes animal print shirts, in the 90s cowboy-cut waist jackets and latterly the river boat captain and gambler in many guises.
At the beginning of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, some say he made a mistake by wearing his big creamy David Byrne-style jacket. It just makes him look on the portly side, particularly in poor quality bootleg recordings. Dare I say it looks like a very big covid mask!
Anyway, now Bob has gone back to black and some of the reviews from the Cincinnati show have taken this into consideration… see what you think and share your comments.
Cincinnati reviews etc below this preamble:
REVIEWING THE REVIEWS:
We are still reviewing the reviews as Dylan, at 80, gets ‘rough and rowdy’ on the road … but we are still mystified as to why so few appearing in the traditional media.
Its like local journalists and editors are treating Dylan’s new tour as a bit of a clod-hopping dinosaur outing or a day out from the rest home of elderly rockers!
But Ol’ Bob is once again working his magic across the world, singing – most say – better than ever, entertaining, chatting, inventing, stylising, reworking and setting new standards for himself and his audiences.
Confounding and wrecking expectations…
Here are some of the first audience recordings we’ve seen and heard that have survived the robots of internet control.
The first one is It Takes a Lot to Laugh – from Chicago and Every Grain from Cleveland… keep reading and scrolling, there are quite a few reviews now from each venue.
Should we used the videos?
Well, there is a dichotomy of attitude towards copyright and sharing on the internet in 2021 … the spiders might as well be from Mars and the robots wield a sword of control as draconian as Damocles.
It could be Bob’s people of course throwing a cloak over the stolen moments of his concerts – and quite right they should too.
But bootlegging has been a major part of Ol’ Bob’s career, it gave him an underground reputation, made people hungry for his work and helped us feel that we were part of something special.
And we were – we were a part of the confusing, passionate world of imagery, angst and fabulousness that Bob had created.
We felt closer to him because we’d become the elite, the fans who got the latest from his world first.
So, from being stuck inside a mobile with the Chicago blues again, we’re sharing this video.
Below are a selection of the first reviews as Bob Dylan hits the road again on his Never Ending Tour … if you’ve managed to see him over the last week or so, share your thoughts here.
Cincinnati November 9, 2021
Laurette Maillet writes:
I have a vivid memory of that show. Not the best ever for me. But I, somehow by impulse, gave a sweet kiss to Barron (Bob's bodyguard)who had always been kind to me. Fans , they don't pay too much attention to the 'entourage', or never heard about the name of Bob Dylan's bodyguard, and his devoted career of 30 years.Nothing I knew, then, about what would be a world disaster. And that
“Times would be changed forever”. The virus pushed people inside their home and inside their mind, agingbefore time. I aged!So, let's start a'new.Cincinnati , here I am. All dressed in Black; musiciens and Bob. Bobby wears regularly now a blackpants with whites stripes on the side (adjusted with a blak/white belt). Ablack shirt (with or without embroidery) a white or black jacket withembroidery. His shoes are no longer the cowboy many years boots but flatblack or white 'boat' shoes?Bobby looks like a ghost. No kidding! As for Bob? Only the piano was his instrument. No guitar, no harmonica :(He rapidly disappeared after “Every grain of sand”. Escaping the finalcrowd photos from the past when he and his Band used to bow. Smart!
E.B writes:
The Bob Dylan Concert poster proclaims “Rough and Rowdy Ways” but forthe standing ovations our crowd at the Aronoff Center in Cincinnati werenot rowdy.Yes, it is still Pandemic O’Clock in the Queen City (and the home of theold King Records as Bob so well noted in his brief remarks later in theevening) Bob performed standing up behind his upright piano to the right of thestage surrounded by his band. Sometimes Bob retreated to the safety of the piano after coming centerstage to sing every now and again - doing some impressively deep sidewaysknee bends and dance moves and proving his bell still rings - but whatstood out for me this night was his impressive vocal performance, strongand commanding and telling tales warningly, emphatically and enigmaticallybut oh so compellingly.As the old poster used to proclaim: “In Show and Concert…. Don’tYou Dare Miss it!”) *****
Tom Burke writes:
Bob Dylan brought his "Rough and Rowdy Ways'' tour to Cincinnati on Tuesday night. The promotional poster proclaims, "things aren't what they were", but thankfully, somethings never change, as Dylan and his band provided a great night of music and entertainment. The band wore black, as did Dylan, though his outfit was embellished with subtle white embroidery. The stage was framed with black side and back curtains with the band set up in a compact arrangement with Dylan slightly stage right at the piano.The setting and effect may have been austere, but the music was more often true to the tour's rough and rowdy ways moniker.The show kicked off with a rollicking, high energy, Watching the River Flow, which was followed by a driving jaunty Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine) both songs featuring Bob at the piano playing with great spirit and vigor.Several of the songs from Rough and Rowdy Ways, including, I Contain Multitudes, False Prophet, Black Rider, Key West, I've Made up My Mind to Give Myself to You, and Goodbye Jimmy Reed were delivered with Dylan starting at center stage using a hand held mic and mid song returningto the piano for the finish. All of those selections, though sounding great on the record, performed live were imbued with much greater depth, effect and resonance, thanks to Dylan's facial expressions, body language,and unparalleled vocal stylings.The show closed with Dylan performing the beautiful , Every Grain of Sand.
Bloomington, Indiana, November 7, 2021
Luke M. Jacobus writes on Bill Pagel’s Bob Links:
“This was probably my ninth show in a 25 year period. The stage had a raised platform that was floor for the band. Think of a giant light box. The arrangement of musicians was closer together than I’ve seen in the past.
The show started at about 8:03pm and what followed was one of the most interactive Bob Dylan concerts I've seen.He came out strong and seemed very energized. A slight stoop I noticed twoyears ago was all but gone. He seemed proud to stand straight and tall,even striking a number of Elvis-like poses and making moves evocative ofthe King. At one point he ran quickly backwards about half the width ofthe stage, a stunt people half his age would think twice about. Any rumorsof his demise are grossly exaggerated.I counted four times between songs that he took time to thank the audienceand sometimes made other comments. I think it was after To Be Alone WithYou, he heartily thanked us and said he about forgot the words to thatone. It struck me as a genuine confession. The performances were amazing. Words were clear and strong (except at thestart of a few verses). The sound mix and overall volume in the auditoriumwas excellent, nearly ideal. Great, great care was given to the executionof these songs, with extreme vocal control demonstrated. His piano work mostly filled in gaps, sometimes quite effectively with only a single note played at importantjunctures. Other times, some deft playing was high in the mix. He playedharmonica just a few times. The vocals were front and center, which gaveclear access to some deeply emotional performances. Most of the show, Bob Dylan was a shadow. You could not make out his face.However, with I've Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You, this changed.With this song, his face was illuminated, and it remained so, or at leastvisible, during all the songs that followed.”
John Haas writes:
“Bob Dylan's still on the road. Still heading to another joint. And then another. And eventually, one near you. Amazing, isn't it?And what a strange set-list it is! The older songs are known to Bobists ofcourse--all the songs are known to Bobists--but they aren't his huge hits,by any means. One only released as a single. One from the gospel period(but yeah, he won a Grammy for it). A couple country romps from '67 and'69, one of those entirely--and I mean entirely!--rewritten (and each"deep cuts" from their albums). A song from Tempest, but none from TOOM,L&T, the Oscar winner of yore, and nothing from H61R, FWBD, or most of hisback catalog in fact. All of which is so, so great, I could hug him. It was all good. All of it. Bob's piano playing is outstanding at times,especially False Prophet. His singing kills it, as everyone says. Couldhear every word. The songs I was expecting to just endure from R&RWshined. Those I expected to love--Key West, eg--I loved (thanks, Donnie,for that accordion). All the playing was stellar.Great concert. Moody, intricate, precise, beautiful.”
CLEVELAND, OHIO, Nov 3, 2021
Timothy Burns wrote:
“The under the floor lighting was good, Bob and the band were better lit than the overly dark former time in Cleveland, especially in 2017.
“If you saw Shadow Kingdom the sound and feel was quite like that obviously with the choices of the non-Rough and Rowdy Ways songs and the approach to the songs. I was completely fine with that, it was great.What I did not expect was that I completely enjoyed the new songs morethan almost any of the other songs. Even though When I Paint MyMasterpiece was quite amazing. Dressed in all black, Bob would go back and forth at times singing with aseparate microphone in hand, then setting it down on the upright piano(with a slight clunk which was awesome) My main takeaway was two-fold. Firstly, the band and the arrangements,while similar at times to Shadow Kingdom, it allowed Bob himself to be themost central at every moment for every song. I do not everrecall where I left at the end with the feeling that this concert was 100%about Bob and not somewhat about how great the band was. The second main takeaway was perhaps the best. I did not come in withexpectations of "How good are his vocals going to be?" Although I didwonder if he would sound similar to Shadow Kingdom in which he soundedabsolutely amazing. Partway through song #1 (watching the river flow) Idetected (or I think I did) a noticeable change in the audio mix wherethey brought Bob's voice up and just be above everything else. The rest ofthe concert had his voice amazingly loud and so clear. I cannot believe how good he sounded.”
Billy Cardina:
Awesome show! Great sound and “Every Grain of Sand” a first for thistour was amazing. Crowd was subdued and this was Bob’s first Ohio Showsince he played beautiful Akron in November 2019. Old songs integratedwell with Rough and a Rowdy Ways. LOVED Key WestGod Bless Bob!
Preamble – followed by Milwaukee and Chicago reviews:
Bob Dylan stepped back onto the stage after two years of ‘incarceration’ and gave a Cheshire Cat-grinning, ear churning, heartbreakingly beautiful two hour performance down at the Riverside in Milwaukee…
Andrea and I were still on the road highway in Spain as O’ Bob took to the stage. It was 10am where we were in the blustery Autumn heat and 8pm in a Milwaukee chill as he walked out to meet his audience again.
He was dodging wires and speakers and posing hand on hip in his oversize David Byrne-style white jacket like a good’n.
Yep, he’s 80 and sometimes he can look doddery and as fragile as his famous wet-fish handshake … but he’s still going, still creating, still confounding, still writing, still rocking and still finding new ways to be Bob Dylan.
And this time he is the poet of Rough and Rowdy Ways.
And then there is of course his new voice. It’s new but it’s been everywhere, told a million stories and hung out so many brilliant lines to dry.
No, nobody can ever take that away from him … and in Milwaukee he made his voice famous again.
Next he joined the other legends in Chicago …
After we unpacked our dusty old car at the castle in Lorca where we were staying, I trawled around the net for reviews.
I didn’t find one dissenting voice… just fans who confirmed that Bob is back – looking a little bit older it has to be said – but performing brilliantly, singing like a dream and rocking the world’s expectations.
Let’s begin with Chicago as he finds his feet
On Bill Pagel’s Bob Links, Adam Selzer wrote:
CHICAGO:
“I’m amazed at how clear his vocals are; all traces of the wolfman growlof a few years back are gone, except when he needs them.
“I Contain Multitudes” was the highlight of the night for me. Insteadof spending most of it at the piano, consulting the lyric sheets, Bob wascenter stage the whole song, clearly enjoying himself and really actingthe song out, prowling around at a crouch like a cartoon character.
“When I Paint My Masterpiece,” the first surprise of the night, was bouncy andloose.
“Bob tried to do “Black Rider” from center as well, but forgot a coupleof lines in the first verse and moved back to piano for most of it. Theflub seemed to cost him some confidence, though the rest of the lines werewell delivered. This show really does sleep with life and death in the same bed.” Mark S wrote:
“I saw Bob Dylan in 2021 and it was like seeing your grandpa, who you love very much, walking a tight rope. It was captivating, I was rooting for him, and it was extremely entertaining to see him succeed.!
Bob Shiel:
“Bob Dylan came to Chicago tonight, perfectly timing his customary week-within-Halloween appearance in the Windy City, historically one of his most visited venues in his illustrious career as a live performer. But this wasn't any ole Bob Dylan show. This tour is all about Rough and Rowdy Ways. Although all these songs sound good live, I Contain Multitudes and Key West stand out as stellar melodic arrangements with mesmerizing lyrics, which Bob is delivering quite intelligibly. I saw no evidence of the lyric or sheet music reliance reported in Milwaukee on night 1 of the tour. The overall sound of the band is similar to that fantastic Fall 2019 tour, and new drummer Charlie Drayton almost imperceptibly follows Bob andthe rest of the band, allowing Bob, at 80, to not have to strain to be heard over the other 5 members of the band. The magic of Bob's veteran multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron was evident on When I Paint My Masterpiece when his fiddle played off Bob's piano beautifully. Bob Britt is back. As for the new guitarist, Doug Flavio, who is technically filling the legendary shoes of Charlie Sexton, although that ain't happening, one gets the feeling he will play a more and more prominent role as hisfirst tour progresses. After introducing the band, something he hasn't done for what seems like forever, Bob said something like, "We love Chicago, just like you do." Well, the feeling goes for you, too, Bob. We really do love you and wish you all health and happiness in this world so lucky to still have you in its midst.”
FROM MILWAUKEE:
Isabel Infantes said: “There’s no doubt that Tuesday show at Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater was the start of something very new, very different, and very bold.”
Tom Wilmeth, on the same site, said: “Nobody seemed happier about thingsthan Bob himself, with facial expressions that were frequently joyous. Dylan was in good voice, and the sound mix was excellent – both Dylan’s lyrics and his piano were
clearly heard.
“The night began with “Watching the River Flow,” a minor radio hit in1971. Maybe Bob was using this number to tell us what he had been doingduring his time off – nothing. “Most Likely You Go Your Way andI’ll Go Mine” followed. .
“Bob interspersed tunes recognizable to even casualfans. He played “Simple Twist of Fate” and “I’ll Be Your BabyTonight,” as well as a rocking version of “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Dylan touched on his later catalog with “Early Roman Kings” and
“Soon After Midnight,”
“When Bob made his way from piano to center stage – he looked fragile, and at times unsteady on his feet butwe still have Bob with us; let’s enjoy him today. We may not see him tomorrow”Don Romundson wrote: “The show at the Riverside was unbelievable. It was clear from the start that this was going to be a veryspecial show. In fact, Bob did a sort of a bow to the crowd, in Bob's ownway, after each song, an acknowledgment if you will, his stand at centerstage gazing out, very appreciative of the crowd...”
Adam Selzer had this to say: “Bob seemed a bit nervous as he began “I Contain Multitudes”. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him look nervous before. But the performance was solid, and on “False Prophet” he was grinning, pointing, and seeming as though he was having a blast. Like he couldn’t wait for us to hear what line he’d sing next.”
Me, well I’m just glad to say that we’ve not seen the last of Bob’s winks and feints and his stunning panache. And the old man is back again, taking all the indefinable qualities that make him the true genius of this and the last century around the world again.
Good on ya Bob!
Bob’s band line-up is now –guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt, multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron, bassist Tony Garnier, and drummer Charley Drayton.
One of the few traditional media reviews:
Well, we found one … by Curtis Schieber who is described as Special to The Columbus Dispatch. I’m sure he is very special to them! |He has also has a very ‘special’ and successful music show, the Invisible Hits Hour, for 30 years.
Anyway, Curtis has also made a ‘special’ point in his review: The underfloor lighting Dylan is using on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour serves to light up the band and Bob in an equal, almost democratic, way.
And, as Curtis says, it helps the focus of the concert to be on the songs … which is a good thing as a large part of the concert is made up of the songs from RaRW, perhaps one of Bob’s most perfect albums.
But is the lighting also being used to take attention away from Bob himself who, at 80, can look a bit creaky as he makes his trademark stately bows and bends?
Anyway, we are all agreed that Bob can still bend them notes and ring them bells as he sings better than he has done for decades.
What do you think?
Curtis wrote in the Columbus Dispatch:“Rough and Rowdy Ways” was clearly the focus of the set. An album containing all the mystery, in-jokes, casually cast-off name checks, and philosophical dead ends of Dylan’s best, it provided perfect fodder for the aging, Nobel Prize-winning author to have his way with both a lot of confessions and some pretty tall tales. In a deftly controlled mix of croon, croak and declaration, he brought them all to life. The band created a loose combination of blues, swing, and rock ‘n’ roll that nonetheless was always on point.
There were no spotlights focused on the stage last night. The six musicians were lit — equally — from the floor. It was clear that Dylan intended the songs to take center stage and that they did.”
The Dispatch is a daily newspaper in, yep, you guessed it, Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871 and it is still going strong and publishing the stories and reviews that matter. Curtis is a freelance journalist.
But, as far as we at The Society have seen, Dispatch is only the third daily to bother to take a look at the ‘new’ Bob Dylan.
