Bob Dylan
July 2, 2005
Ray Winder Field
Little Rock, Arkansas
When I heard that Bob Dylan would be playing at the local ballpark -a five-minute drive from my house- I had to wonder, “Is this Christmas in July, or what?” His last Little Rock concert was moved from the local arena to a 1500 person-capacity nightclub better known for late-night violence than first rate music, but the show was incendiary. Other than the unexpected, what else can we expect from a Bob Dylan concert as the “never-ending tour” grinds out another year? Talk about long, strange trips: Dylan’s may be the longest and strangest of them all.
The Greencards/Willie Nelson segment of the show wasn’t in the cards for me. Family time trumped Willie, but mere minutes after feasting on pork chops and corn on the cob I was pulling into a parking space within fifty feet of the left field fence. Minutes after that, I was grooving to Dylan's rock-solid opener, “Maggie’s Farm.” This was my first live show with the new band, and I was prepared to miss Larry Campbell. I never got the chance: this band plays with subtlety and nuance to spare, and their dynamic range supports the weight of Dylan’s bottomless repertoire perfectly.
“To Ramona” followed, and I confess to scratching my head for the duration of the song. It’s never been a favorite of mine and this version just confused me. As has been the case for years now, Dylan brought his best game for the newer material. The show caught its stride on the following tune, “Cry A While.” Behind a greasy, gutbucket blues groove Bob spat out the lyrics with a forcefulness that was often lacking in older songs. For example, “Positively 4th Street” followed, and the repetitious “up singing” delivery came off as rote and uninspired. To my ears, Dylan wore his affection for his newer songs on his sleeve. Another “Love and Theft” song, “High Water (For Charley Patton)” followed, and it was a country-blues delight. Then, in keeping with the Delta groove, they came out swinging with a rollicking “Highway 61 Revisited.” Special kudos are in order for Donnie Herron’s lap steel playing on this signature classic.
An acoustic version of “Ballad of Hollis Brown” was next, and the band slowly gained momentum as the song reached its disturbing emotional climax. Their evocative delivery served the moody, ominous material like “Hollis Brown” every bit as well as the raucous, “wild mercury sound” of the “Blonde On Blonde” classics that came next. “Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)” was played at a galloping pace, and “Just Like A Woman” was a crowd favorite as Dylan let the audience sing the chorus for him a few times.
Bassist Tony Garnier pulled out his bow as he accompanied an achingly beautiful acoustic version of “Girl Of The North Country.” Bob sang it with as much sweetness as he can muster. “Summer Days” ended the set with a western swing style that would have made Bob Wills proud. For the encore, Dylan returned with a lovely acoustic version of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”
I fully expected “Like A Rolling Stone” to close the show, and I wouldn’t have complained. Much to my surprise, we got “All Along The Watchtower” instead, possibly the finest rendition I’ve ever heard Dylan (or anyone else) deliver. This was a fire-breathing dragon of a song, at turns full of space and tension, followed by raging electrical release. Lead guitarist Stu Kimball evoked the full-frontal assault that Hendrix brought to the song, but Dylan’s stunning arrangement made the song as mysterious and evocative as only he can. For one of the most covered (or over-covered) songs in all of rock music, it was amazing to hear it played with so much creativity and life.
In closing, the highest praise for this leg of the never-ending tour goes to the band. Their empathy for the material is palpable, and anyone who heard Dylan in the leaden mid-80’s knows that there’s no substitute for real emotion and communication on stage. I recall all too well how Dylan’s songs used to lack “endings” per se: they just stopped cold. At this concert, most songs extended well past the final verse, Bob exchanging harp solos with the fine lead work from the guitarists. With a repertoire so full of complex emotion, it was a pleasure to hear Bob Dylan and his band match the intensity of his lyrics.
The Bob Dylan show is welcome in my neighborhood any time!
Tim Jones
Little Rock, AR
Email: tim “at” porterjones.com
home: www.porterjones.com
Set list:
1. Maggie's Farm
2. To Ramona
3. Cry A While
4. Positively 4th Street
5. High Water (For Charley Patton)
6. Highway 61 Revisited
7. Ballad Of Hollis Brown (acoustic)
8. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine
9. Just Like A Woman
10. Honest With Me
11. Girl Of The North Country (acoustic)
12. Summer Days
(encore)
13. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
14. All Along The Watchtower
Band Members:
Bob Dylan - keyboard, harp
Stu Kimball - lead electric guitar
Denny Freeman - electric and acoustic guitar
Donnie Herron - violin, electric mandolin, pedal steel, lap steel, banjo(?)
Tony Garnier - electric and acoustic bass
George Recile - drums