Excuse me Bob, can you explain how there’s a clip of a $25 show people believe you haven’t done yet!
Veep and Bob’s publicists have, one way or the other, mislead the public … and I believe it matters.
Yes, it is true that a stream can either be live or recorded but the answer here is blowing in the, well…
I am shocked – and I hope I am wrong!
I have loved his Royal Bob-ness for decades and been lucky enough to write about him for newspapers and magazines for just about as long.
And I have always trusted him as a true artist. A man not unimbued with guile and and the odd beer, a man with flights of fantasy about his parents, his youth and his background, but never-the-less a man with integrity and genius.
And then this happened – his people put out a promo clip of his upcoming streaming concert, Shadow Kingdom.
Yes! A promo!
And it’s him, I’m sure, in a concert hall on a relatively crowded stage, in front of an audience. He is singing a beautiful version of Watching the River Flow…
But Your Royal Bob-ness, we shouldn’t be watching anything flow from a concert that doesn’t happen ’til mid this month!
Yes it is true that a stream can either be live or recorded but the wording of this whole thing is misleading …
It was first rumoured last month – just after the announcement of the streaming show – that the concert won’t be a live stream but was “recorded in May at a small venue in Santa Monica.
I took the rumour with a grain of sand, of course.
But we have to admit, very little is known about his streaming concert on July 18th on Veep.
It is said by those more in the know than me that the Royal Bob of Dylan hasn’t played Watching the River Flow live since 2014.
Well, he has now hasn’t he! But when? And has he actually managed to time-travel to July 18th and then come back again?
But the releases from Bob’s people say categorically ‘a streaming concert will take place next month, Dylan’s first performance since December 2019, when COVID curtailed his Never Ending Tour, which began in 1988. Billed as “Shadow Kingdom,” the show will be performed in an “intimate setting”.
And so many people, like me, thought they were going to their lounge for a live show! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
We’ve tried to get hold of Bob’s people – Press office – and yep, they ain’t talkin’ – Covid blues again I guess!
Well correct me if I’m wrong Mr Jones, but if it’s not a live stream, then it’s a video! And an expensive one at that – $25 a pop!
You’ll have to supply your own seats, your own popcorn, your own viewing facilities and your own make believe that that’s Bob there on your telly, live.
And don’t forget that Bob had to be tacitly aware at least of the so-called pranks Scorsese stuffed into his seemingly brilliant but stupidly flawed Rolling Thunder Review.
1. Sharon Stone didn’t have an affair with Dylan when she was 19
2. Retired Politician Jack Tanner is actually a Robert Altman character
3. Filmmaker Stefan van Drop doesn’t exist
4. Jim Gianopulos was never a concert promoter
Why? Why! It didn’t enhance the film! It wasn’t funny! It was just stupid!
So, has anybody got any rational explanation for this latest he’s not there mystery? Or is Bob’s streaming concert taking place in another lifetime, one away from me and you?
I think I’ll just download a video…
#livestream ‘bobdylan #shadowkingdom #rollingthunder #scorcese
27 Replies to “Excuse me Bob, can you explain how there’s a clip of a $25 show people believe you haven’t done yet!”
Mitchell Davies
Know what you mean , live stream you would think he was performing live on stream at that moment, very misleading and shouldn’t be allowed really , if it’s a recording they should specify
Scott Patrick Ballard
“How do you have the nerve to even ask me that ..” lol
Ruth Ann Snook
I believe it really isn’t a rumor and that it is a prerecorded of a live event that he did in May. The $25.00 is typical charge of a virtual show even a movie rental with venues being close. You are seeing a prerecorded show that may not be available any other time. I’ve seen virtual concerts, stage reading, college students trying to give a performance. Is it as good as a real time show no but at least trying to entertain.
Ursula Pritchard
What’s your problem? The program has been produced and will be shown on July 18, 2021. 💞
Pete Cummins
It’s a bit confusing alright! I’ve bought a ticket and haven’t heard anything. I understood it to be a live stream on the 18th July.
Helen Schultz
I will be really upset if this is not a live stream concert but I just paid $25 for I wouldn’t have never paid $25 to watch a video that’s just crazy and I was sure hope the Bob Dylan would not have this happen if he promotes a live streaming concert I would hope to god he’s doing a live streaming concert very concerned right now about this
Leigh G Banks
Author
Admin
Helen Schultz a lot of smug people treating the likes of me and you as idiots! I really think the ads for the event were misleading and almost certainly deliberately … Not by Bob but by his management. I think it is wrong to charge millions of people 25 dollars ahead to watch a video! The neighsayers claim to the video will vanish from public view … And it might well do … But. It will be released eventually… A million people but tickets… 25m dollars … How many people will be misled? How much will it actually earn? It’s not a con or a crime. But it is cynical ..
Helen Schultz
Leigh G Banks if it’s a vid I’m gonna be very unhappy and yes it probably is Managment but we all know bob Dylan has a say I love me my Dylan but I’ll be really disappointed if this is not a live show as advertised….
I think we call that false advertisement dealt with
$25?? I paid $250 for a VIP package – front row seat, souvenir programme and a natty tag to hang round my neck. Worth every penny. Roll on Bob.
hhahahaha brilliant Mr Elam!
“1. Sharon Stone didn’t have an affair with Dylan when she was 19
2. Retired Politician Jack Tanner is actually a Robert Altman character
3. Filmmaker Stefan van Drop doesn’t exist
4. Jim Gianopulos was never a concert promoter
Why? Why!”
It’s called a movie. The hint is in the title.
it was called a documentary – the hint was in that title – it should truthful … anyway, the question was a bit more than that … how did it improve the film?
“it was called a documentary – the hint was in that title – it should truthful”
They never set out to make a documentary film.
Like the source material. “Renaldo & Clara” it is a fictional film built around
documentary concert film footage. Thus the characters names, face paint (inspired by
Marcel Carne’s “Children Of Paradise”), etc.
Clue – title: “Rolling Thunder Revue: A BOB DYLAN STORY by Martin Scorsese” .
The opening sequence, courtesy of Georges Méliès, tells you all you need to know about what you areabout to watch.
But lets face it we’re talking about a guy who sells ‘as original works of art’ stills from
old films which he just colours in. No surprise then that he’s slightly confused
about the term ‘Live stream’
Who does? Our bob?
Wow, a lot of people getting het up here over very little.
OF COURSE it’s not a live performance, but a recorded live performance. First, it’s called ‘Shadow Kingdom’, suggesting something specifically manufactured. It’s not called ‘Bob Dylan Live In Los Angeles’ (or whatever city/venue). And it was always called a ‘broadcast streaming event’. It was never called a ‘live performance’ or ‘live concert’, as far as I’m aware. $25 seems fair enough. All those moaning that it ‘better not just be a video’, I’m not sure what else you want…. it’s not like it’s a 3 minute music video that you’re being charged for. At no point since it was announced did I ever think that Bob was going to be sitting there with his band, waiting for the particular time, so that he could start his live performance. For a man who likes to control the surroundings, and who hates to have big screens at his concerts and all that, that was never going to happen.
Also, ‘Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story’ was a fantastic film, made in the same spirit as Renaldo And Clara. It was still a documentary, but played with the boundaries of what a documentary can be. If you think any documentaries are ever ‘real’ (like news footage) and are not manipulated by the filmmaker to fit the narrative they want to tell, I’m sorry to tell you, you’ve been misunderstanding documentaries, well, forever. Documentaries are ‘fiction’. They’re just fiction about real stuff. Scorsese’s movie fitted exactly into this description, by documenting a real tour, but in a fictionalised way. It was a great movie.
The question still is tho, what benefit were the lies in the Scorsese film? what did they add to the narrative? and in the streaming case, why not make it clear it wasn’t live – so many thought it would be! after all it’s not a difficult thing to do… many bands have done in the last year… why mislead in both cases? is this what Dylan’s about in his dotage?
Nobody THOUGHT it would be a live concert – you and others just WISHED it would be, on gusts of emotion. You weren’t paying attention to the announcement: BROADCAST STREAMING EVENT. Moreover, the streaming IS the recording of a LIVE performance. And even if it was a live streaming, it wouldn’t be the same as being there and actually witnessing the concert – so what does it matter WHEN it was recorded?
The argument is about the wording, it was misleading and deliberately so. No it doesn’t matter when it was recorded but i would have made it clear – and if people like me and so many others were misled, then it is fair to point out the ‘bad’ wording to people who are perhaps not as worldly as you … however, i have made my living solely by writing for 30-odd years and i would not have presented the promotion for this video in that way …
Here’s a thought….if it indeed IS part of the upcoming stream (which I can almost 100% assure you it is) this subpar clip of the musicians butchering a song and Bobs vocals being about 50% off is the one they picked?? God help us, it ain’t gonna be another Unplugged
I thought unplugged was really good! took me a while to get into it tho, i must admmit!
When I watch a boxing they show the fighters fighting. That’s what they do. I am aware that the film is not the fight. But an ad. When I go to a live Dylan concert I see the poster that reads “see Live” with a picture of Bob. But when he shows up on stage he is always dressed different than the poster. Because that’s an ad. Bob singing is an ad. what else are you to show him doing if you are trying to sell tickets? No one said this is a sneak preview behind the scenes. Its an ad. Maybe a rehearsal.
a misleading ad, that’s all we said! and it misled so many people including Rolling Stone and Variety and others – see the bottom of the latest story!
I was thinking exactly the same thing when I saw the trailer, but I still hope that it is just some kind of advertisement and that the concert will then be played live. I don’t know how much the tickets usually cost in the USA, but here in Europe, or rather in Switzerland, they are often five times as expensive. So I didn’t think twice and bought one. Let’s see what we get for it 😉
https://www.facebook.com/groups/edlis.cafe/posts/4321543427884156/
People who read the Caf were aware it was recorded when it was announced. As were any Dylan fans we know.
If you trust journalists and media then you deserve to be misled, journalists are there to make money, they have zero interest in accurate information. That is why Bob Dylan and his people play with them, mock them and needle them. 🙂
“Shadow Kingdom
“Recorded in May at a small venue in Santa Monica, new arrangements of classic songs with new young musicians.”
“Masked musicians and others…” No sign of drums or a drummer. Rumours of Rough And Rowdy Ways, presumably songs from it can be classics? Greatest Hits style…”
Malibu Bob, he enjoys himself. Watching whales from his tower.
http://www.edlis.org/malibu
Let’s be honest here … where did you get your info from? The Press Releases? Private info? Newspapers? Or are you just saying you are cleverer than people who were misled? This is all our story was about, filling people in on the truth … so what is your objection exactly?
>where did you get your info from?
EDLIS Café
>so what is your objection exactly?
No objection. Happy with a recording, happy with a live event. Everything looks expensive but it is less than say Bob Dylan’s friend Marty Newman’s book on their friendship in Malibu. I object to the price of both and the price of asparagus. But like all fans I purchase what has value.
There is no free asparagus, there is no free Malibu book, but Shadow Kingdom will be circulating for free within minutes of broadcast, if not before.