tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75611945851355792512023-11-15T07:00:37.345-07:00The Key To The Highwaytales of music and time spent driving...The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-19214300989190821642016-01-13T11:54:00.001-07:002016-01-13T11:58:53.939-07:00Bill Carter - Innocent Victims and Evil Companions<div style="font-family: Helvetica;">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">There’s nothing quite like the feeling of listening to a favorite record for the first time. It is at at once a deep, intimate familiarity, as if the songs have always existed in the fabric of life, mixed with the titilating excitement of discovery. The initial listen begs another, and another, until finally the album is a tangible piece of existence and memory. It is a feeling as rare as it is satisfying, but it is the sense evoked by Bill Carter on his latest effort, </span><i style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Innocent Victims and Evil Companions</i><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">, out February 27th, on Forty Below Records.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ahead of this release, Carter already holds an enviable position; with over 200 recorded covers of his songs (including mega hits “Crossfire,” “Willie The Wimp” and “Why Get Up”), he’s a proven success in an industry where even a definition of the term is elusive. But as an artist never content with stagnation, he is constantly working to expand his musicality. Where previous albums tend towards guitar-centric three chord rock and roll, Carter instead places Mike Thompson’s versatile keyboards as the foundation, supplemented at times by the Tosca Strings and even an electric sitar (complements of Charlie Sexton), to create his most musically diverse offering. While the 1960s influence may be unconscious, the weight of most diverse and prolific decade in American popular music is inescapable, in both tone and texture.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Early psychedelia permeates, felt most heavily in “Exiled”, due to Thompson’s Farsisa organ, and Dony Wynn’s drums as the twisted undulating pulse.</span><span style="font-family: Times; letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The Tex Mex rhythm and organ of “Moscow Girl” are a loving nod to another criminally under-appreciated Texan, Doug Sahm, yet it’s doo-wop inspired vocal improvisations, followed by a fiddle solo recall two other mid-century influences. Few others would dare such a wild blend, but so seamless is the mixture that it only appears strange on paper.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The 60s, and their ultimate failure to enact the utopian hopes and promises, are referenced directly in “Recipe for Disaster”, but what the listener takes away is not the disappointment in what did not happen, but rather an appreciation for all that did occur. While the aftermath is “a world burning faster, making the same old mistakes”, the major chords pounded out on piano suggest that there should be no regrets for trying. In the same vein, “Lost in a Day”, it’s triumphant string swells reminiscent of Phil Spector’s Righteous Brothers work, and the album’s closer, “No More Runnin", celebrate the release at the end of a long ordeal. Despite the world being as bruised and battered as the rest of the record may indicate, Carter nonetheless encourages an appreciation of the fleeting present moment.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">While no stranger to failed love songs (the quintessential “Richest Man” is his most recorded tune), time and maturity are the prevailing elements to “Last Tear (Delaney’s Song)”. A cathartic post-love song (though never inherently suggesting romantic love) dealing with what remains in a relationship after the love has expired, Carter’s elegant simplicity pierces through the conflicted, stammering pain of parting. A universal emotion, yet it took a voice as distinct as this to put it to song.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The playfully absurd “Bughouse In Pasadena” is quintessential Carter wordsmithing, while “Fisherman’s Daughter” and “Sooner or Later” are the “funky country blues” fans have come to expect from live shows, dripping with the same sexy sleaze that coats 1970s Rolling Stones albums. “Black Lion”, too, has the svelte, sultry slink of The Stones, but in an shadowy, menacing way. “Solar Powered Radio” is a peak into a magic, alluring world, while highlighting the general malaise of the current times.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">If there is one song that captures the essence of Carter as songwriter, however, it is “Missing Guru”. A true story pulled from the newspapers, it is the dark and sinister story of a fugitive “lowdown sneaky freaky swami”. While no other songwriter would attempt to touch such subject matter, never mind have to verbal prowess to manipulate such phrasing to music, Carter dives in, chronicling a through, complex situation that is as rich in imagery and texture as any song could hope to be. From the journey’s start in Texas, to Far East mountaintops and filthy dark holes reserved for those who commit such atrocities, the bone chilling lyrics unveil the disturbing plot as Carter’s vocal inflections scorn those guilty by non-action. Yet the writhing, provocative sitar hook and hypnotic rhythm suggest the lure and mystique of the perpetrator, affecting somewhat of an unconscious understanding how such charismatic leaders are able to seduce their followers.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As sonically diverse as the airwaves of the 1960s, <i>Innocent Victims </i>succeeds in creating an atmosphere that allows its artist to flex his muscles in new aural directions. The snaggle-toothed boy on the cover hints at the wry, slightly twisted lyricism all of Carter’s compositions are seeped in, but the songs contained within suggest an equally musical mind, with an ear tuned to both Brian Wilson and Warren Zevon.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>-Stu Gilbert</i></span></div>
The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-26074478515863268502012-10-15T17:15:00.000-06:002012-10-15T19:36:25.365-06:00Diggin' on Dylan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As most Bob Dylan fans know only too well, there are a <i>lot</i> of Dylan covers out there! Too many, some might say. Everyone has done Dylan. This is far from coincidental; his immense body of work has managed not only to stay current and relatable for more than half a century, but has earned him fans in nearly every demographic sociologists can invent. There really is something there for everyone.</div>
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So, it’s only natural that other musicians want to record and perform his songs. Yet, the very thing that makes Dylan so great, so unique, so able to express the ineffable is the thing that winds up destroying most other artists’ renditions. Very few have the talent or perspective needed to access what lies at the very center of the song. For every Jimi Hendrix, there are 10 (or more) bargain bin throwaways. At best, forgotten, at worst, well, let us not go down that dark path. Dylan fans have been subjected to a lot.</div>
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So, when I say to you that, on Oct. 16th, a new album of Bob Dylan songs hits shelves, sites, and iTunes, you’re probably not at the edge of your seat w/ anticipation. I don’t blame you. </div>
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Pick it up though. Download it from iTunes. Hit “add to cart.” However you buy music, give this one a shot. Trust me, it deserves a place in your collection. W/ any luck, it will be sitting <i>on the same shelf</i> as the rest of your Dylan records before you know it.</div>
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From the start, there are a few things that set this record apart from the myriad of mediocre attempts. First, it’s completely instrumental. Dylan songs. W/o lyrics. What, on paper, might seem like taking a blind man to a Picasso exhibit, is actually one of the collection’s best attributes. Secondly, it was conceived and released by Denny Freeman, a five-year veteran of Dylan’s touring band. Out of all the musicians working today, Dylan personally selected Freeman to play his songs night after night, year after year, around the world. That would not have happened unless he was confident Freeman understood more about the songs than just the chord progressions.</div>
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Sounds a bit more interesting now, doesn’t it?</div>
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When Freeman first told me about this project a couple of years ago, I honestly didn’t know what to think about it. On the one hand, it was probably THE single greatest idea I could fathom... in my world, at least. It included, quite literally, every reason I had followed Bob Dylan on tour across the country several times over, while simultaneously excluding everything about those travels that can wear on a person. Things like waking up early after 3 hours of sleep in order to get a decent seat for a show, only to have the website crash 48 seconds before they went on sale. Or spending an entire day outside in extremity-numbing, sub-zero sleet. Or 110 degree rubber-melting heat. The sleep deprivation, the diet of truck stop coffee, the strange film coating the steering wheel and the stiffness in your lower back that just wont go away. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything, but <i>not</i> having to do that, and still hearing Freeman’s guitar weave through songs like <b>Tangled Up In Blue</b> is about as close to heaven as I could get while still breathing.</div>
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But, on the other hand, I had some serious doubts about whether this was the right choice. Not that Freeman couldn’t pull it off, (anyone who has ever heard him pick up a guitar knows that is never the case) but something like this could potentially open the floodgates to those who feel they need to pester Freeman about what kind of cornflakes Dylan likes, or what such-and-such a song <i>really</i> means, or how to correctly interpret a glance during<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a performance 6 years ago. </div>
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And, perhaps more significantly, a record like this threatens to permanently cement the qualifier “Bob Dylan’s guitarist” to Freeman’s name. Certainly, it is a tremendous honor to be asked to play in Bob Dylan’s band, and an accomplishment to be extremely proud of. </div>
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But as a musician, he is <i>so</i> much more than that. The four previous records out under his own name, the two w/ seminal Austin band The Cobras, and the countless appearances on other’s albums, in nearly every genre, are the beginning, middle, and end argument of how a guitar should be played. (Who else appears on records by Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, James Cotton, Percy Sledge and Ron Rogers?) His style proves difficult to accurately describe, but impossible to forget if you are paying any attention. His tone, phrasing, and melodic instinct are impeccable, making him equally impressive playing like Chuck Berry or Kenny Burrell. </div>
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Never one to be content w/ where he’s at, his playing is always shifting, evolving, growing. Onstage, his focus is locked in, never taking his mind away from the guitar; if you didn’t catch the way he played that chord the first time, too bad, because he’ll be playing it a different way next verse. The old adage of never playing a song the same way twice was probably first spoken w/ him in mind. He is always fully engaged; the most standard 12 bar blues is never standard when Freeman is around.</div>
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So to only associate him w/ playing <b>Rainy Day Woman</b> and <b>Tweedle Dee</b> every night is a shame indeed. Then I heard it, and I knew: this record <i>has</i> to be released! It’s just too good for people <i>not</i> to hear these songs.</div>
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When asked <i>why</i> I was going through all the aforementioned trials and tribulations <i>just</i> to see a guitar player, instead of gushing out the previous paragraphs,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would answer that Freeman was to the guitar as Dylan was to words. Both manage, using his instrument, to cut away all the excess of his craft and access the pure emotion at the center. Since it is generally acknowledged that writing about music is sort of futile, I hope that listening to this record will help folks understand what I meant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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As diverse as his songs are the sidemen Dylan has used over the years. By now, every fan has their favorite, and this record does not claim or attempt to change or challenge any of that. However, those who were not particularly blown away by Freeman’s performance behind Dylan might be especially interested in this collection. After all, it is a different situation exploring the songs on your own, as opposed to being under the employ of someone else.</div>
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Taste is subjective; not everyone is going to <i>love</i> this record the way I do, and that’s not the point anyway. But it will raise people’s <i>appreciation</i> of Freeman’s musical abilities, in particular, his use of melody. It will probably take two listens; the first time you might be too busy singing along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The collection spans nearly Dylan’s entire recording career, from 1963’s <i>The Freewheelin’</i>, to 2006’s <i>Modern Times</i>, the only (other) Dylan record to feature Freeman’s guitar. Several songs build on their original versions; the darkness of <b>Senor</b> and <b>Gotta Serve Somebody</b>, and the catharsis of <b>Knockin On Heaven’s Door</b> are amplified, whereas almost entirely new spins are given to <b>Don’t Think Twice</b> and <b>Dignity</b>. <b>Blowin In The Wind</b>, arguably Dylan’s most famous song, is unlike <i>anything</i> Freeman has previously released.</div>
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Even those who love dissecting each element of Dylan’s songs can find things to discuss. For example, is the march behind opener <b>Times They are A Changin</b> still the youthful call to arms the lyrics suggest, or a look back through different eyes now that we stand on the other side of that change? If you can pose questions w/ an album of instrumentals, you’re doing pretty good.</div>
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While most of the instrumentation is Freeman’s (yes, that’s even him on harp), he receives help, alternately, from Jon Blondell or Jim Milan on bass, and Barry ‘Frosty’ Smith or Michael J. Dohoney on drums. Fellow Dylan band alum Elana James joins in on fiddle on select tracks, proving once again that Dylan has impeccable tastes when it comes to selecting supporting musicians.</div>
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This is a record of covers in name only. Unlike other artists who either didn’t understand or didn’t care about the original, Freeman treats each song w/ respect, and serves them justly. Much the same way Dylan took old folk songs and sang them so convincingly as to make them <i>his</i>, so to does Freeman interpret Dylan’s songs in such a way that they become <i>his</i> (Hendrix again comes to mind). This album and Dylan’s canon are <b>NOT</b> mutually exclusive. Each serves to expand the listener’s appreciation of the other.</div>
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So even if driving 4 hours in a car w/ no A/C or cruise control through Missouri, at 1.30 am, in the middle of August is not your thing, you can still hear one of the most unique guitarists’ take on some of the best American songs of the past 50 years. It’s more than worth it.</div>
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<br />The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-85066747054719648922012-09-05T22:00:00.002-06:002012-10-15T17:42:33.964-06:00Tempest = Bootleg Series Vol 10?To be honest, I never thought I would be listening to this record this early; certainly not BEFORE it’s official release. I was not explicitly seeking to avoid it, but since stumbling into the news back in January that it was being recorded, its progress reports have floated in and out of my life w/ less than no bearing. I can’t think of an instance where the phrase “couldn’t care less” fits better. I don’t say all that to put anyone down, only to illustrate my complete indifference. I figured I’d find it a few years down the road in the used bin, and take it home out of curiosity.<br />
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Then that atrocious single, Early Roman Kings, found it’s way into my inbox. NOW I more or less WAS actively avoiding the record. That song is quintessential example of how to play blues POORLY; the reason that riff works on so many old blues records is because <i>things are happening</i>!!!!! The musicians are allowed to PLAY, there’s an excitement, energy, a spirit in the air that is so close to being tangible that it can’t help but come through in the playing. The music is ALIVE!!!! Pardon the pun, but this track is as dead as those early roman kings. (groan, I know)<br />
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It’s also about twice as long as it should be. Unfortunately, I am not exaggerating; I could not make it through the track in one sitting. I had to stop it about halfway through, go do something, anything else for about 10 minutes, then come back and resume it. As it turns out, the second half IS just a boring as the first. It seems Dylan forgot that those old blues recordings had to fit on 45s, and are 2-3 minutes long. <i>And they’re lively!</i> Please, leave us wanting more, not taking 15 minutes to struggle though one single.<br />
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So, expecting the rest of the record to sound very much the same, I figured I was all set on this one for a very long time. Then a link to the whole thing showed up, and w/ the curiosity of someone who’s stumbled upon what they believe will be a gruesome train wreck, I inched forward.....<br />
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And I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised for a lot of it. Duquesne Whistle (Toucan Whistle, it sounds like) is actually a very tight, beautiful song when the bizarre visuals of the video are removed. I really liked what each instrument was doing, (great guitar tone, great brush recording) really liked the whole final product, and, actually, really liked the lyrics and the color of the vocals. And, it was the perfect length, which, looking back now, is a bit of a miracle.<br />
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<i>Hmm, that wasn’t horrible at all! If this sets the tone, this record is gonna be good!</i><br />
And, just like that, Soon After Midnight appears, ushered in on a beautiful tried and true progression that makes the cut sound like it was pulled right out of the 50s. I personally love that stuff, but the wider effect gives the song a familiar feel, you’ve heard it all your life, it’s always been there, in the back of your conscious somewhere. While some of the lyrics make me roll my eyes, overall, they kept w/ the mid-century feel, while also never losing sight of the smirking darkness that is Dylan. My only complaint w/ this one is that it is too short, unbearably short, almost.<br />
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So, two tracks in, just when I’m starting to really like the record, along comes Narrow Way and tramples my newly raised expectations. I’m sorry, I tried to be a good critic, but I cannot make it through this thing in its entirety, for the same reasons it took two goes at Kings; too long, too stale. The lyrics are negligible, the delivery rushed, the band is kept on too tight a leash and made to repeat an uninteresting phrase w/ little variation. So, of course, I have the horrible feeling that this is going to get played ad naseaum in future shows. It sounds a lot like an outtake from the TTL record, which isn’t really a compliment.<br />
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Doing what Jack Frost should have, and cutting Narrow Way short, I now find myself at Long and Wasted Years, which gives me the idea for this record’s motif; that is to say, it sounds more like a Bootleg Series release than a album of similar material. The soundscape of this one certainly seems to recall TOOM sessions (or era, perhaps more aptly), which IS a compliment. Especially in the verse, as the instrumentals seem to grow more powerful as the lyrics (finally) arrive on a direction. Before that, however, it is mighty apparent that this is a sketch of a song; the lyrics seem to wander aimlessly in every direction. They have something to say, but they’re not sure how to go about doing it yet, and each of the other aspects are still feeling their way along. Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy this song, as I like many of the unreleased, underdeveloped, exploratory songs that make their appearance years later on BS releases. But ultimately, that’s how it should have been presented, as a song in development. Something for the scholars and fans to enjoy and dissect, and compare to the superior, finished version. This song, unfortunately, is still a work in progress.<br />
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Pay In Blood, despite the title, is quite inoffensive/unremarkable. Not good, but not too bad either. Unbelievably average, it no doubt will entrench itself in live setlists for years to come as well. Soundwise, its not too terribly related to the TTL songs, but in overall forgetability, it ranks right among most of them.<br />
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After just one listen, Scarlet Town is tied w/ Midnight for personal favorite. At first, I wasn’t really sure of it. It seemed like both the lyrics and the melody were trying too hard to force the listener into uneasiness; like dragging someone into a haunted house but forgetting to turn the lights off. However, as the song continued, the eeriness closed in, completely naturally. I cant put my finger on <i>why</i> it suddenly works, but at some point, it just does! And it’s good. For me, its not quite the all out unsettling feeling you get listening to Man In The Long Black Coat, but more akin to seeing Aint Talkin on a night when the 05-09 band was really on, really in tune w/ each other; ineffable. Sadness, pain, alienation, disassociation. You’re an outsider in a place where it’s a bit dangerous to be an outsider.<br />
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But by far, the most unusual song on the record is Tin Angel. Even before a word is ever uttered, you hear this comically annoying oompa loompa beat, which is joined by an oompa loompa melody, and an oompa loompa cadence. That you’re actually being told this twisted parable further emphasizes this dark cartoon-scape. Originally I saw a Snidley Whiplash style of villain slinking scene to scene, but as the song went on, it became increasingly easier to see the character as someone who’s facial expressions and demeanor inexplicably resemble Romney’s.... Anyway, I listened w/ a permanent halfsmile, as I tried to figure out whether this was really cool, or just too weird. I still don’t know. One thing I do know, it is TOO long. This type of thing can be supported for about 6 min, <i>maybe</i>, this probably could have held 6 minutes, but who knows, because it drags on past the 9 minute mark. Again, know when to end.<br />
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This song is the most religious, but there is a weird religious tone that runs deep throughout the whole thing. Though, to someone w/ admittedly almost no biblical knowledge, it seems to draw on a Faustian, Ichebod Crane type of mythology, rather then biblical fables.<br />
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The title track is DEFINITELY something that should have ONLY seen the light of day on a Bootleg Series release. This is a truly epic undertaking, in all sense of the word, and is about as big a disaster as the one it describes. Think Joey, Lenny Bruce, Brownsville Girl, etc. Now, imagine them longer, more rambling, more boring. I know some fans claim they could listen to Dylan read the phonebook. Well, folks, this is not far from it. First, the source material is widely available for us to access ourselves. Second, this song offers NO new or unique insight to what is taking place. He basically just tells us what happens onscreen. Musically, its very similar to Cross The Green Mountain. However, in that one, the music helps us empathize w/ the soldiers. Here, the lyrics are so cold and matter of fact, I really don’t care a bit for anyone involved. Just sink already, so this song will end!!! I pray that this only took one take, because anything more constitutes torture for the musicians. As far as I can tell, I don’t really see a redeeming quality of this song, other than being used to get rid of people who’ve overstayed their welcome at a party.<br />
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The final song, I’m sad to say, I also found to be a drag. I’m not a big Lennon fan, at all, but I was interested to hear this. Unfortunately, straight tribute songs are not Dylan’s strong suite. Again, think of Lenny Bruce. This one is just as awkward; musically, lyrically, everything. Had it not been the last track, I would have issued it no more thought, however, I do find its placement a tad interesting to think about.<br />
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So much has been made over the fact that it’s called Tempest, he’s 71, he’s lived a, erm, full life.... it does seem logical to contemplate the ramifications should this be his last record. Now, I am not saying that I know (or even care) what he was thinking about, or what he had in mind while writing or making this record. In some sense, that doesn’t even matter, seeing how artists’ intentions and public interpretations/reactions to the art after it is unveiled can be completely independent of each other.<br />
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So, if this is, in fact, the last song on the last record, it could easily be read as a farewell, not just to a friend lost years ago, but also to the impending loss of his own life. It seems natural for humanity to contemplate that. How do you say goodbye to yourself? How do you want to be sent off?<br />
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(Thankfully) the only part of the song that sticks w/ me, is the oft-repeated chorus:<br />
Shine a light/ Move it on/ You burned so bright/ Roll on, John<br />
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It doesn’t matter what Dylan was or was not thinking when he wrote that. It doesn’t matter if he makes 15 more records and lives for 30 more years, I read that line as a older man, seeing more in the rearview mirror than on the horizon, and accepting that.<br />
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Roll on, Bob.<br />
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Only time will tell how this record fares in Dylan’s canon. Me though? I’m glad I opened it up. There are some really good little songs in there.The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-21271594784848741982011-07-25T15:01:00.003-06:002011-07-25T15:02:25.319-06:00Just like the Good Ol' Days! (New Braunfels, 7/24)The summer of 09 was a record breaking summer for Texas. It was hot, it was dry, it was miserable. It was my first summer living here, and my last tour for BD shows. I did 5 outdoor shows in the state (6 in all that tour, 7 if AZ hadn’t have been cancelled) in August. How I survived, I still don’t know.<br /><br />This summer is set to break the record set by the summer of 09. It is even hotter, drier and more miserable. Being the sadist that I am, this has only caused me to look back fondly on all the time spent in direct August sunlight that year, and, inexplicably, I found myself longing to be coated in sweat, sunscreen and dirt once again. The absurdity of willingly putting yourself through the exhaustion, dehydration and sleep deprivation of a summer tour was calling my name once again, and luckily, I was given an outlet; [i]another[/i] outdoor show in late July/early August in a record TX heat wave. One more, for old time’s sake!<br /><br />And so, this past week, I must admit, my excitement was growing. Obviously the music after the wait would be different then the summer of 09, and my last couple of outings with this band had left me less than bowled over, but I was really thrilled at getting an excuse to see Tony again :D Beyond Tony, however, I did have my reservations. I had heard reports the Asian shows this year were terrible. The one or two songs I’d downloaded over the past 2 years seemed to be getting progressively worse. The few videos I’d managed to sit through on youtube made me cringe. Sure, BD was prancing around on stage more, but the quality of the music just wasn’t there (in those videos), and I don’t go to shows to see BD wander the stage. Not to mention his voice, which was downright awful. Do I really want to do this?<br /><br />Here, I must give credit where credit is due, and thank Lily Rose and friend for their generous and much appreciated offer of a ticket. The logical side of by brain kept chiming in, telling me not to do it. Their offer came at just the right time, and helped to silence that annoying logic and stock up on ice and water bottles. <br /><br />Surprisingly, absolutely NONE of the touring regulars were in line when my friends and I showed up that morning. A handful of veterans would straggle in throughout the day, but the masses really didn’t start showing up until much later in the afternoon. It was quite possibly the easiest wait I’ve ever had; there was ample shade just around the corner and we all took turns enjoying it.<br /><br />Of course, no GA show is complete w/o the doors opening stress, which will probably be found to have taken several years off all of our lives. To make a long and boring story very short, for one reason or another everyone except me was held up for various reasons. I instinctively made a bolt for the rail, and hit it at least 80 seconds, maybe more, which not only allowed me to get THE BEST spot, but also turn around and watch the stampede, something I’ve always wanted to do. (Why the crew isn’t out on the stage watching and betting on us is something I’ve never understood.) For me, it was great, I got to both participate in and observe the mad dash, but I got exactly where I wanted to be, but I do truly sympathize w/ everyone who was held up, because I know how stressful that is. <br /><br />It all worked out in the end though. The stage was tiny and low, the rail was close. It would be hard to get a bad spot (unless you were at the [i]very[/i] end), and the opening act was no slouch. I’ll spare you the history lesson, but Leon Russell played a large role in the Armadillo World HeadQuarters/Cosmic Cowboy scene, which was very important in the development of Austin as a “music town” in the early 1970s. While I am certainly not a fan of a lot of that music, I wasn’t complaining about getting to see him either. He definitely did not disappoint. Perhaps the first opener in the history of the world who understood the meaning of opener and did not play too long, he and his band played an incredibly tight 50 or so minute set and promptly made way. Obviously, no one runs to the rails expecting a great mix, and this certainly wasn’t that. As I discovered, I was parked in front of a speaker that was ONLY vocals. Fine for Russell, worrisome for Dylan. As a result, I could hear little else, and especially when he was singing, I could not hear his piano. Or his lead guitar player, for that matter, which was a real drag, as what I could hear from the guy was very tastefully done. The lights were also a HUGE problem; the back lights were positioned at just the right height to where the front row was looking DIRECTLY into them. Literally every face on the rail kept their sunglasses on long after the sun had set.<br /><br />During the most efficient set change I’ve ever seen, the conversation quickly oriented around the predicted opener. Rainy Day Woman was mine, for the simple reason that (frustratingly) they ALWAYS open Colorado and Austin area shows, local shows for me, w/ it. Unfortunately, tonight was no exception.<br /><br />However, when the lights dimmed and the boys stepped out as the introductory speech was made (sans ANY intro music), I was amazed to hear Dylan! Singing! I could not believe it! Granted, singing is relative, but this was almost better (certainly not worse) than the voice I’d left two years ago. It was MUCH better then the Backyard last year. The growl was there, which is a good thing, but the phlemy gargle was gone, same w/ the pneumonic bark. I was amazed. Suddenly, being in front of the vocal speaker was no detriment. It was as clear as I remembered it from countless shows before.<br /><br />Tony was on his new Warwick 5 string, and it hit me that this was the first time I’d seen him play a 5 string in person. It sounded great; it had a really rich low end that was surprisingly not that deep. I’d have liked to listen to it more, but the bad sound at the rails had other plans. I could hear Stu probably the best out of anyone, I think simply because his amp was the closest to my ears. On RDW, he was playing a new (again, I’m out of the loop, ‘new’ henceforth should be read as new to me) Gibson 335, a guitar that unfortunately only made an appearance on one other song that night. <br /><br />Don’t Think Twice was a favorite during the 09 summer tour, thanks in no small part to Stu, but his role, all night, has been so far reduced from two years ago, it is a real shame. Instead of picking notes, he’s been reduced to simply strumming the chords. OK fine, but if I had a nickel for every time I praised his picking in one of these things, I’d have a few extra zeros at the end of my bank account. I don’t go to these shows anymore expecting what was, because that will never happen, but when this song failed to do anything for me, when it used to do so much, I settled in for a night of mediocrity. BD had made it out front to his “crooner” mic, and kept shaking his leg as if his boxers were riding up (and his dancing only got weirder and more twitchy all night), which makes a lot of the crowd pretty happy, but again, I didn’t come to see an old guy amble around.<br /><br />Along comes Things Have Changed though, and totally knocked me on my ass. [i]Anything[/i] but mediocre, this new arrangement has the coolest Tex-Mex/border feel to it! Easily the highlight of the night, my only complaint is that it ended entirely too soon. I could have listened to it for several more minutes, and the band easily could have carried it that long, they really seemed to hit their groove here. <br /><br />Unfortunately, Tangled and Summer Days fell flat on their faces, bandwise. I could barely hear Charlie all night, which was a drag, because, believe it or not, he is a great guitarist and I really enjoy listening to him. That white hollowbody was especially hard to hear, but even so, he did absolutely NOTHING w/ Summer Days. It wasn’t his fault, but it was disappointing. The best part about that song, actually, was Stu’s fills, but it took him ‘til the 3rd or 4th verse to even start doing that. Tangled’s main problem wasn’t actually a problem, because Dylan-wise, it was great. Not only has his voice gotten better, but his harp playing is back too! So, naturally, he’s going to play harp, which, believe me, was fine, and it was soooo much better than when he was just blowing to make noise, but now guitar solos have been replaced w/ harp solos. :? Whatever, I guess it’s his band, but…..<br /><br />I was about to bemoan that my first Sugar Baby came 2 and a half years too late, when suddenly, I heard a sound I’d never heard before. Was it Stu? Was it Charlie? No, it was Donnie! Someone must have slipped up, and accidentally raised the pedal steel’s volume to an audible level, because once he moved back to lap steel (and electrico mandolin), he was again silent, but it was so welcomed to hear him, especially on this one, it really made the song for me. (His fiddle was also audible for the last song. Hey, some Donnie is better than no Donnie.)<br /><br />Cold Irons was just great, a real rocker that fit both Charlie and Stu to a T, but only Charlie was allowed to do anything w/ it. The possibilities of a band w/ those two guitarists, on a song like that, were palpable, but yet they never came to fruition. It was here that I first got the idea, confirmed by the rest of the night, that it isn’t even “Bob Dylan and His Band,” anymore but Bob Dylan and his [i]Backing[/i] Band. There [i]is[/i] a difference. There’s no doubt that that’s what he’s been after, for some time now, but it seems like it’s only lately that he/they have finally figured out a way to get it. <br /><br />And they’ve got it. They are definitely tight, and they are definitely delivering. That is also a compliment to Dylan himself, since he has to step up and deliver in both the vocal and the harp department, and he certainly is. Especially given my rock bottom expectations walking in, I was extremely impressed. Also, I think they have finally adjusted to the lineup change. Charlie and Denny, while both excellent guitarists, have two very different styles, and in order to make the song fit the player (and visa versa) sometimes very subtle changes are needed. In the middle I started to feel it, but by the end I was sure, that they have finally dialed the songs into Charlie’s style. He fits them and they fit him. <br /><br />Case in point was Tryin’, another highlight of the night, surprisingly so. It was [i]always[/i] a favorite when I was seeing shows, always. Always sublime. And just the way Cold Irons is tailor made for Charlie style, Trying was tailor made for Denny’s style. But Charlie took the song tonight and gave it exactly what it needed. It was a different song, but it was still sublime, for different reasons.<br /><br />Highway 61 as well. Not in the sublime favorite sense, the band has finally molded the song around Charlie’s playing, and it was definitely the best one I’ve seen since he’s been back. Stu was even allowed lead on it, and again, I only felt slighted because he and Charlie were not allowed to play [i]together[/i] on it, rather, they were one on, one off.<br /><br />It was during this song that I realized Dylan hadn’t played guitar yet. For fear of jinxing that, I didn’t say anything, but apparently thinking it was enough, because right afterwards, I see him dropping it over his shoulder in the dark.<br /><br />Great. :?<br /><br />Its Simple Twist of Fate.<br /><br />Oh no. :shock:<br /><br />Why?!?! WHY?!?!?!?!?! Anything but that! He’s going to muck up a great song!!!!!! I start watching what he’s doing, mainly as an example of what [i]not[/i] to do, when I realized, not only did it sound OK, it was actually pretty interesting what he was doing. Would I rather have heard Stu or Charlie? Probably, but I didn’t [i]not[/i] want to hear Dylan, which is usually the case when he picks up the guitar. He absolutely didn’t mess up the song by playing, his singing didn’t suffer at all, and it was actually a really sweet, tender version. Highlight number 3, and I actually watched him the whole time. I don’t think I’ve ever done that, ever.<br /><br />Thunder I just really didn’t like. Charlie’s intro made it sound like the Masked & Anonymous version of Cold Iron Bounds, and I’m certainly not faulting the guy for making it his own, which he did, but it didn’t do anything for me, at all. I felt towards it the way I usually feel/felt towards LARS, cold indifference at best.<br /><br />Then there was Ballad, dark and menacing as ever, brought to you, as always, by Stu’s tele attack. No complaints, great, powerful song, excellent delivery, just a solid performance, Dylan as [i]twitchy[/i] as ever at the center stage mic.<br /><br />The encores were incredible! And when do you ever get to say that?! As previously mentioned, LARS has always been the blah song for me, I’ve really never liked hearing it live, but Charlie couldn’t have been better if he tried tonight. It was so perfect, so Charlie. Of course, I wish Dylan’d let him (and all his guys) have more of a leash, but it was really, really great. For the first time in my life, LARS makes the top 5 at a show. Watchtower FINALLY has a bit of a new delivery, which was sorely needed, and should have come no later than the lineup change. More on the rock aspects of the delivery than the blues aspects, it’s another one that is built on Stu’s solid foundation. Again, having been so far removed from the BD tour culture for so long, I don’t know exactly how new of a delivery that actually is, but it was certainly a breath of fresh air for me, and what a solid performance, on all accounts.<br /><br />A guy who is doing more shows than I am had mentioned before the show started that they had started doing a 2nd encore occasionally, “if the audience deserves it,” there was no doubt in my mind that, judging from the amount of shimmying and boogieing Dylan was doing, that we were going to get a 2nd encore, and lo and behold, Stu had just barely made it offstage before they were filing back on! As I mentioned earlier, Donnie’s fiddle could be heard (a bit too loudly, to be honest) for Blowin, and it was again a great example of the backing band concept, but again, Dylan himself did not disappoint, nor falter in his role. Tony switched to his Ric bass for the encore and 2nd encore songs, but what was really amazing, and another Tony first for me (I think, unless I’m forgetting/was watching Denny on some number), is that he used a pick on both LARS and Blowin. Either way, it’s the first time I’m remembering seeing him pick, which was cool just for the variety.<br /><br />All last night, and even today, I can’t get over what a great show it was. I certainly could have done w/ more chances for the musicians themselves to shine, but that’s me, and that was my only complaint. (Well, that and the numbskull who keeps scheduling outdoor shows in TX in the dead of summer. Not just for the fans waiting in line in the daytime; it stays hot well into the night. Tony looked on the verge of passing out a few times.) This was above and beyond the best show I’ve seen since Charlie returned, and I’m tempted to include the Round Rock show where he sat in in w/ that. It was a great commemoration of all the touring I’d been remembering so fondly recently, and really, after the experience last night, it’s almost enough to get me to start touring again. Almost.<br /><br /><br />(BZ is currently accepting donations of ticket and transportation ;) )The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-6370932591987015112011-06-10T01:19:00.000-06:002011-06-26T01:10:30.312-06:00The BD ExperienceA friend referred me to a guy who's looking for BD fan recollections. <a href="http://www.mybobdylanstory.com/bobs-younger-fans.html">http://www.mybobdylanstory.com/bobs-younger-fans.html</a><br /><br /> Since BD wasnt exactly the prime reason for my travels, I held off sending him anything, but ultimately wrote this, because I wanted to pay tribute/give credit to those that don’t often get heralded when discussing Bob Dylan the aura/legend/mythos/etc….. the members of his band. They're ignored, perhaps mistreated and/or pestered by most of the fans who think that BD is some sort of deity, and I wanted people to know that there are at least *some* people out there who appreciate them, even one who went specifically to see them.<br /><br />I'm 22, from Colorado, more or less.<br /><br />Like a lot of other younger people, I got sick of the current musical offerings one day, and out of the blue, took a gamble and bought the No Direction Home soundtrack w/ some high school graduation money. Instantly, I was hooked. I used the rest of that graduation money to buy every other BD album w/i an hour’s drive of my small, rural town. Spend all summer absorbing all I could about the man, the music, the writings, everything. He was delivering to me the way I always felt about life, to quote BD himself, and I just dug the whole mythology, and I connected in some way w/ (what I thought) he was trying to get at, even if it wasn’t something you could explain in prose.<br /><br />I absolutely HAD to see him live.<br /><br />That summer, 2006, his tour came nowhere near where I was living, and being 17, my parents wouldn’t allow me to go to him. But by the fall, I’d hit that magical 18 and was away at college, and lo and behold, the Dylan tour was making a stop! I never ditched one class my entire school career before; the first class I ever cut was my 10 am Intro to Film class the day tickets went on sale for my first BD show. Oh, what a slippery slope!<br /><br />Ironically, I didn’t cut any classes the day of the show, but arrived early enough for a very long wait. By this time, I’d dabbled in guitar, but was starting to get bored w/ it, and always found myself drawn to the bass anyway. As truly excited as I was to see Bob Dylan, I was actually really looking forward to finally seeing Tony Garnier as well!<br /><br />I walked in that night excited to share the same physical space as Bob Dylan. I walked out honored to have breathed the same air as Denny Freeman, a guitar player who’s name I’d only seen mentioned on the Dylan message boards. <br /><br />Wow!<br /><br /> I wanted to play guitar like THAT!!! It wasn’t overbearing, shred-a-minute, clichéd “rock star” guitar, it was just exactly what the song needed. It wasn’t about making Freeman look good, it was about what would make the song sound that much better, it was….. perfect, for lack of a better term. I don’t know how to describe it, but THAT was what a guitar was meant to sound like, THAT was how a guitar was meant to be played! I HAD to find out more about this guy! A broken collarbone soon after afforded me the time to go back and download many audience recordings of previous shows w/ Denny in the band. The more I heard, the more I liked this guy. <br /><br />That was the last time I was ever bored w/ the guitar, I can tell you that much……<br />***<br /><br />And so, from a month after I turned 18 to a month before I turned 21 (formative years, at least according to American popular culture), I followed the Bob Dylan tour around the country. Not every show, of course, I’m not rich, but a sizeable chunk of shows in nearly every state, certainly every time zone. I met nearly every type of fan, from some of the absolute nicest people on Earth who’d give you their last penny, straight through to some people I’d rather not mention. I personally put over 100,000 miles on my (new-ish) car.<br /><br />But I saw the country! I experienced SO much that ordinarily would have passed me by; why else would I ever have reason to be in Kalamazoo MI, outdoors for hours on a dreary, bitter cold November day? Or spend a soggy August day melting on the downtown sidewalks of Kansas City MO, only to stampede w/ thousands of other bodies across an empty ballroom floor (w/ all the booby traps and pitfalls that is known to entail)? <br /><br />The tour allowed me to absorb both the flavor of the different areas and cities of the country, and at once the ever-changing flight of a life lived in transit. I loved every minute of it, from Point A to Point B and the location In Between, which often gets overlooked. Just as treasured as the locally based memories are the ones that exist in generalities only. Just as vivid as the conversations in the shade of the venue in KCMO are the memories of the Kansas cornfield flashing past my headlights at 3 am, the previous show’s sweat still clinging to my forehead as the sticky night air whistles in the window, forcing me to turn up “Nettie Moore,” which has been on repeat for a good 6 or 7 cycles now. I reach down for the only cold liquid in the car, a Dr Pepper purchased some miles down the road at a dimly lit backwoods convenience store, as a particularly juicy June Bug explodes against the windshield ……. Looking back, thinking, summarizing, it has a certain charm about it, a mid-century wild, ineffable looseness, a freedom that isn’t supposed to exist anymore, a mindset certainly not shared by many who share my birth year. <br /><br />(Oh, and there was college in there, somewhere. Managed a double degree, w/ honors, so must have put some efforts in that direction, somewhere, I think….)<br /><br />While this touring mentality certainly is not unique to me, and I certainly met many likeminded travelers, what are unique to me were my motives. While the other fans were busy talking about the meaning behind a particular gesture on a particular line at a previous concert or whether or not any given part of the Dylan mythos was fact or fiction, I was rattling off, to anyone who would listen, the highs and the lows of the music, in particular, Freeman’s guitar work. In the aforementioned stampede, I had the distinct advantage of not wanting to be as close to Dylan as possible; rather, I wanted to be in front of Denny, I wanted to see his fingers on the fret board and hopefully unlock some key to his playing, some small secret. While everyone charged to the right, I broke left, usually uninhibited, and secured a prime space for listening, watching, learning.<br /><br />I was there for the band, plain and simple.<br /><br />Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed Dylan and I still do. But I am not a singer, not a lyricist; there was nothing to be learned from observing him. But from Denny?! There was (and still is) so much to take from his playing; I know I’ll never get it all down!<br />***<br /><br />The fall 2009 tour brought a line-up change that saw Freeman leave the band, and, for my own personal reasons, I decided to quit the cross country touring. I still loved seeing Tony and the rest of the fellas in the band, I absolutely loved the absurd, out of the way places the tour would take me, and as I stated, I do dig Dylan’s songs, that never changed, but for a variety of reasons I found that the “scene,” if you will, had changed, and I no longer had the time or the energy to deal w/ certain aspects.<br /><br />But those few short, whirlwind years forever changed my life, in ways I may never fully comprehend. Before the tour, I had always planned to live in New York, to lead the charge of a 2nd American New Wave in film. Now? I can never live anywhere but Austin, TX, and the guitar is now a bigger part of my life than I ever dreamed possible. Certainly, much of this is due to the impact of Freeman’s playing, rather than Bob Dylan himself.<br /><br />But just as certainly, I would have never been in the position to be exposed to Freeman if it weren’t for Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan ruined my life, and, right now, I can’t thank him enough.The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-5560903351017051102010-08-05T17:30:00.005-06:002010-08-08T21:52:05.869-06:00Just When I Thought I Was Out... (Austin 8/4)<span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><br />Or, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Backyard...</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Having last seen this band in October, w/ less then exciting results, I assumed I’d exercised my demons and was released from the grip of the beast. So, when I was bombarded by emails and texts when this show was announced, I didn’t really feel any strong pull to go. In fact, I was actually a little happy NOT to be going. Having only listened to the Tony Garnier Hall tape, I knew that that first tour last fall was obviously not the height this band could reach, but the thought of paying money, to wait all day in late summer TX heat, to see (what I considered to be) the shell of some of the funnest times in my life was not exactly something that made me squeal w/ glee. Plus, I am living in Austin, where seeing good music isnt a problem<br /><br />But after running into and chatting w/ the guys around town all week, I realized just how much I have really missed seeing the band (especially Tony!). I never <span style="font-style:italic;">stopped</span> liking any of them (this goes for Dylan as well), so when a ticket dropped from the sky w/ my name on it, I figured I may as well use it, since it could be another long while before I see Tony or Stu again. It was 3.46 am Wed morning.<br /><br />My mind, long out of touring shape, tries to pull together a crude list of GA essentials, none of which I seem to have anymore. I got far less sleep then I would have liked to, but still timed it so I would make it to the venue later then I’d ever gotten to a GA line before. I didn’t <span style="font-style:italic;">want</span> to be first, and I certainly wanted to minimize time spent in a forecasted 105 (mercury reading) day. I <span style="font-style:italic;">did</span> show up later then ever before….and I was first (ugh!)……. by at least an hour and a half <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" /> Great.<br /><br />For those of you unfamiliar w/ the venue, it moved from its original location (where BD played in the past) to up the road a few miles. Its hosted 2 or 3 shows at its new location, the most famous being Willie’s 4th of July Picnic this year, where they managed to run out of food, water and bathrooms early on, and it was a 2 hour wait to get to your car. To say the place is still working out the kinks is an understatement. But this ended up working to our advantage in many ways, the coolest of which being we got to watch soundcheck. Obviously we weren’t in the park for it, but there were more then a few holes in the fence/gate, and the stage was RIGHT in front of us. The first recognizable song was Cry A While, which only reminded me they very rarely play the songs they check <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif" /> Next was Absolutely Sweet Marie, followed by a VERY cool Cant Wait. Not a full start/stop arrangement, but one that broke for George to fill. It was incredible! Having not listened to any tapes, I cant say w/ any authority that is was a new arrangement, but I asked someone who’d done the Euro tour, and he said this was definitely funkier then it had been in Europe. I can say that it was incredibly tight, and I was a bit sad that, since they checked it, we probably weren’t going to get it. They ended w/ Don’t Think Twice. The entire check was solid, from start to finish, powerful and full, assuredly not what it was in the fall. Sound was excellent too, though, obviously, sound outside and sound inside are two different things. All band members and Dylan were easily identified through the holes, but no one could figure out who the stocky shorter figure in the dark shirt was.<br /><br />It was also one of the best entrances, second only to KCMO in 08. A short brisk walk got us our pick of rail real estate, and time to fine tune that, as no one was rushing right behind you. The rail filled up slowly, as more people eventually moseyed on over. I, of course, chose to stand between Tony and Stu. Again, having not seen/ heard ANYTHING for almost a year, the word “new” will be a bit subjective throughout, but there were all sorts of new amps littering the stage; in addition to Stu and Charlie’s signature Fender and Vox (respectively), each had a 65 Royal Albert amp set up as well. Never seen those anywhere before, so unfortunately, I cant elaborate further. I’m even hesitant to say they were actually used <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" />......<br /><br />W/ a west facing stage, it didn’t matter what time the ticket said, they weren’t about to set foot up there until the sun went down, but finally that old familiar intro music snaps the crowd to attention. They strap in, and w/ a snap, they explode into Leopard-Skin. This is definitely not the Fall 09 band anymore. The sound, for the rails, is unbelievable. Perhaps a bit too unbelievable, for I must admit, when Dylan started singing, it took me a good minute to get used to it again. No no, I haven’t turned into a detractor, as much as I kid, but having not heard it for 10 months, coupled w/ the fact that this was, by far, the cleanest and loudest vocal I’ve ever gotten at the rail…… it was a bit shocking. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" /><br />Once I got past that, however, I was able to concentrate more on the music. Everything was incredibly solid. No longer a collection of 5 musicians, they were once again a <span style="font-style:italic;">band</span>. The sound stayed strong as they moved into Lay Lady Lay. And, for perhaps the first time in my life, I think I heard Donnie at a Dylan show! haha Of course, that may be stretching it a bit far, but each entity was contributing to the sound in a meaningful way. I have never really liked this song, but there was absolutely nothing to complain about here. It was just a solid rendition. There’s no critique to be had.<br /><br />Tom’s Thumb brought about another interesting occurrence; a decent Dylan solo. Was it the best? No. Should he be playing guitar in this town, a town full of guitar players? Probably not. However, it was very good, completely passable, and never once sounded like he was hitting notes for the sole purpose of making noise. Again, it’s not something to marvel over, but the last time I was around these parts, a Dylan solo was something that made you cringe, and this definitely didn’t.<br /><br />Stuck Inside saw Dylan remain on guitar. A less ‘inspired’ solo came, but more noteworthy, for me at least, was the sharp and RAPID decline in sound quality. Granted, no one in their right mind goes to the rail thinking that’s going to be a great sounding place, but it was almost like someone sat something on the mixing board that just slid all the way down and messed up half the levels. Stu’s amp was pointed right at me, so at the very least I should have been able to hear him pretty well, but even that was touch and go at certain points. At this point, my critiques, while I will still make them, I’m sure have more to do w/ the fact that I couldn’t <span style="font-style:italic;">hear</span> certain parts, and wont be as applicable when I listen to the tape.<br /><br />The one thing that bugged me, and believe it was during this song, though I can say for sure, is that Tony, Charlie, and Dylan all standing in a row w/ Trussarts looked like the three damn stooges! While Trussarts aren’t my favorite sounding guitar, I could understand their use here or there, but three of them, employed on the same song….. gimme a break. Like I said, the sound mix dipped sharply after the 4th song, so I cant judge one way or the other too harshly (perhaps 3 Trussarts sound really great, I cant say for sure) but visually, they looked like a damn novelty act, a Trussart advertisement or something. All I do remember about the song, whichever it was, was that Stu was on acoustic…..thankfully Trussart doesn’t make acoustics!<br /><br />Beyond Here saw the stocky unidentified figure from soundcheck bounce out, revealing himself to be Ivan Neville! He stood impishly behind the keys, as if he didn’t know if he’d actually be allowed to play them, or if it was just a joke. It wasn’t, and as the band kicked in, I came to the horrible realization that I couldn’t hear the keyboard!!!!!!! &*%^^&@%$&%^@%*&%^!!!!!!!!! <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mad.gif" /> Just my luck, we FINALLY get someone who knows what he’s doing behind the keys, and I cant fukin hear him! Aside from that, the song was just entirely too short. Neville didn’t stick around after the song was over (and yes, to kill those rumors, it WAS Donnie on trumpet, because I specifically watched him play some. on that song)<br /><br />Tangled had weird phrasing, vocally, which I didn’t much care for, and but at least I could hear Stu’s acoustic real well. This might have been the three Trussart song, since I don’t think Stu plays acoustic for Stuck, but I had not brought near enough water and the middle songs began to run together until I borrowed some water from Lily. (You know something is wrong when you stop sweating when its that hot out!) This was NOT the show to be unprepared for.<br /><br />Despite the joking and the kidding, I really am ‘over’ the lineup change, and do not compare one to the other (you cant, as far as I am concerned). The only time I ever felt ‘slighted’ the whole night was during Rollin and Tumblin. Even before the first note is struck, the tech outfits Charlie w/ the old Gibson hollowbody Denny played back in 05 (looks like a 175 but I don’t think it is, check the Amazon concert if you want to see it). Oh, man <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif" /> Then I notice he has a slide on his finger. Really?!<br />Yup, the band kicks into Rollin……oh man….. Denny plays a slide that will rip your skin off, Charlie….well, if he can, he sure as hell didn’t. I’m all for putting a personal touch on a song, and he did, near the end, and that was when it was actually really nice to listen to, but his slide before that was a couple steps down from ANY version I’ve ever heard of the song, Dylan, Muddy, anyone. The last part though, where it was ‘Charlie’, rather then just ‘someone covering a song’, was great. More of that next time they play it, and it could easily become a highlight.<br /><br />Tryin was where the show really picked up for me. The sound issues were not (and would not be) resolved, but by now I’d learned how and what to listen, and just simply could not get over how tight this band was! Absolutely solid. Last fall, the thing that really turned me off the most, and its bound to happen any time you have a lineup change, was the big gaping hole in the sound. Even if you didn’t know what it was, <span style="font-style:italic;">something</span> was definitely missing. No more! Tryin has and will always be a favorite of mine, and I was glad to see it standing strong.<br /><br />Cold Irons though could not have been better if it tried, in my mind. Was there one particular player/moment/etc that made it stand out? No, it just cranked, from start to finish; a polished, well rehearsed song given a powerful performance, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not because of one, but because of all.<br /><br />Hot on its tail, Workingman’s was another standout. The last time I’d seen this, Stu, the backbone of the song, looked bored out of his mind, and it came through in his playing; a textbook case of going through the motions. Not tonight. Highly polished, GREAT emotion, cant find one wrong thing to say about it, at all. Dylan grabbed his harp on this one, and after a terrified second that he might be about to ruin the song, that worry was quickly put to rest. The last couple of times, his harp playing struck me as touch and go, which was disheartening; I’ve always loved his harp playing, but tonight, and during this song, it was back to being exactly what the song needed. Just speaking personally, I felt strangely peaceful listening to this song. I know you can always come back, but you cant come back all the way…… but, maybe you don’t need to come back all the way, ya know?<br /><br />Pagel’s sources list that Ivan Neville came back out on that song, but the more I think about it, the more I am sure that that is NOT true. Someone suggested that he came back out for Cant Wait, and I think that is far more accurate. I wish I could have HEARD him, but alas, I must admit that the second time was just the same story as the first, and just as disappointing. (I also think there is something ify w/ the ordering thus far, but I was dehydrated, so what do I know? haha The tape will clear it all up) However, being that the 2nd Neville song was (most likely) Cant Wait, that disappointment evaporated pretty fast! My only compliant was that the sound was not as good as it was outside the gates, but that is to be expected. Again, I don’t know if the arrangement was new or not, but it was new to me, and I was digging every minute of it. This is a song that definitely required everyone to be on the same page, and they hit every mark RIGHT on time. Very cool, very funky, very powerful. I was very happy to have gotten it, especially since it was checked.<br /><br />H61 seemed to have no high end, only rhythm (which, believe you me, I’m NOT complaining, I could see and, more importantly, hear Tony very clearly, always a huge thrill), but that is a direct problem of the sound mix, and obviously, I cant comment on the quality of something I cant hear. The only thing I can say is that there seemed to be slightly less energy on stage, which was probably the case; these guys were<span style="font-style:italic;"> drenched</span>.<br /><br />Thunder was, for some inexplicable reason, the only time I <span style="font-style:italic;">could</span> hear the keyboards. He and Charlie “dueled” back and forth, which was kind of entertaining, but I think it would get on my nerves if I were doing more shows this tour. It didn’t necessarily hurt the song, but it didn’t help it either. I remember really liking Thunder back in Oct, it was one of the highlights, but this time, I wouldn’t call it such. I think this is just because of the higher quality of songs I have to compare it to this time.<br /><br />Ballad was another, like Workingman’s, which I had been disappointed by in the fall, especially in regards to Stu’s role. His tele still delivers the bite, but the song overall has matured, for lack of a better word. Before, it was full of youthful anger and confrontational spirit, an almost punk, in your face attitude, like they’d come up and punch you in the face and scream at you, just to piss you off. That anger is still there, but more veiled, more sinister. You really do have no idea whats going on, and they <span style="font-style:italic;">will</span> hurt you in ways you cant even dream of, so just walk away. This is one of those that everyone groans about seeing on a setlist, but when done right, it can be one of the best of the night. This was one of those times.<br /><br />I don’t like LARS, ever, and Watchtower was just as rockin and solid as anything that night, definitely a high note to end it on.<br /><br />Due to the strange mix where I was, I was given the opportunity to really pay attention to George. He was easily the highest in ‘my’ mix all night, and it gave me a whole new appreciation for the guy. Having surrounded myself for the last year w/ a whole lot of drummers who don’t venture out of a TX shuffle (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing) it was surprising just how refreshing it was to hear that New Orleans flavor back behind the kit. When I play myself, drums become subconscious, only heard if they’re NOT working, and that’s what happened all the other times I’d seen George; he fits so well he became invisible. Tonight though, he drew my attention more then a few times, and in a good way. I’d really forgotten how much I enjoy hearing him play (even if I’m not always aware of it.)<br />Tony was Tony, and there’s just no one better then him. Smooth as silk, it’s always a trip to see that guy. When I quit touring, not seeing him was what made the decision hard. Thinking back now, I think WMB was the only time he pulled out the upright, which, while I would have liked to hear more from it, beggars cant be choosy.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Donnie was completely inaudible again, but I’m thinking that has more to do w/ the early remix. Perhaps he was heard by those in the middle/back. My one true complaint of the night is the fact that Stu is now a COMPLETE rhythm player. “Wait a minute!” you say. “You always said you liked his rhythm playing!” And I do, I really do. I think his strength lies first and foremost in his acoustic fingerpicking, and many times that makes the song for me. I also believe that if Denny is on your stage, he should be taking all leads. Now that that is no longer a factor, I sincerely believe that Stu and Charlie need to be sharing guitar duties more evenly. This is not to say I tired of Charlie, but each guy has his own lead to bring to the table, and I think certain songs may sound better w/ Stu on lead. Obviously, Forgetful Heart and WMB need Stu on rhythm. But in other situations, Charlie on rhythm would work just as well.<br /><br />Based the show in Oct, I really didn’t want to see another show again. I certainly didn’t want to pay for it. But tonight’s show was truly fun, and the band was rock solid, truly leaps and bounds above the last time I saw them. I really enjoyed the show and would gladly go see them again.<br /><br />But perhaps the thing that made me happiest was that, after the show, I <span style="font-style:italic;">wasn’t</span> driving up to OK.The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-35994573501500076982010-05-10T08:56:00.010-06:002010-05-10T18:58:05.410-06:00Denny Freeman Trio, 5/8<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Dallas. Forever the “road” city in my mind, it is the ugly stepsister of my adopted hometown, a place everyone in Austin loves to hate. I’m not here all the time, but I’ve been known to drop by semi-frequently, and I think even if I lived here for the rest of my life, it would still remain completely foreign to me. It’s the one place that Mapquest print-outs still ride on the passenger seat to EVERY destination, even if its just up the road. Hence the “road city” title; it represents the essence of every city I ever went to ‘on tour’. It still retains the fun/frustration of exploration (and, especially w/ Dallas, the looming threat of getting irreversibly lost) and the ineffable thrill of being in a new place every night that has all but disappeared from my travels.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Being on the cusp of recovering from a months-long creative block, and being back in Dallas, where everything is the same, yet completely different, I decided to try my hand at another review, this time without using “I.” All my Bob Dylan reviews were written for a very specific audience, which was nice, it meant I didn’t have to explain that Donnie Herron was the fiddle player every night, but it also makes the reviews a bit jarring for those “on the outside.” This one, I want someone w/ no previous knowledge to be able to pick up, read, and (hopefully) enjoy………</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> ***</p> <p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sitting on the edge of downtown Dallas, a few blocks from where some of the most famous blues recordings were made, a few more blocks in another direction from Deep Elum, a locale any blues fan should know, 3 spectacled, grey haired men took the stage of a small club. To onlookers passing on the streets, it was perhaps not the most impressive sight. To those in the club, however, it was a performance seeped in the essence of the blues, and one not likely to be forgotten; if they were paying attention.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Throughout the night, Denny Freeman, augmented by Jim Milan on bass and Michael J Dohoney on drums and vocals treated those in attendance to what the familiar I-IV-V pattern can accomplish, if done right. Too often, the blues are dismissed for their three chord simplicity, and the penchant for everyone who can play a scale over them (often at blisteringly fast speeds and ear shattering volumes) proclaiming themselves ‘blues guitarists’. This neglects the simple reason the blues are the blues; the feeling. With many of the (more famous) greats dead and gone, perhaps the biggest factor of a pending blues extinction is the lack of any sort of emotion in most playing. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Thankfully, this does not apply in any way to Freeman. Across the spectrum, he plays a purely physical kind of blues, the kind that take hold of every muscle in your body and don’t let go until they are good and ready. Without realizing it, your arms tighten and your breath catches, your feet strain against the floor. Employing a deceptively simple combo of Bassman and Strat, the pure, rich tone and Freeman’s stylistic prowess unlock the magic that every I-IV-V progression has the potential of becoming. No matter what you’re coming from or where you are going, you cant help but notice an ineffable truth to Freeman’s playing as if he, like those select few before him, have somehow tapped into the collective unconscious, the shared experience of what it is to be human. In 3 sets each comprised partially of genre-spanning covers, and partially of Freeman’s own material, this essence never waned.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Often overlooked, the rhythm section in this band is a formidable asset. Never overbearing, never aurally invisible, and, more importantly, never out for the glory themselves, they are the textbook examples of the role drums and bass should play. Sometimes funky, sometimes with a more soulful vibe, there was never anything less then solid. Dohoney’s vocals perfectly mirrored the guitar work; they too were full of experience and a sort of melancholy joy, a reluctant acceptance of the world. Covers were the only songs needing vocals, but you would never know that by the performance. Combined with Milan’s ultra smooth fretless Fender jazz bass (Does your part time bassist at the local tavern play one of those? Didn’t think so), the result was a truly seamless delivery. Adding to the notion of the collective unconscious, it was at times difficult to believe that there were three separate brains creating this music. That each player has different bands and gigs he plays, and that they rarely, if ever, rehearse as a trio speaks volumes.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This is not ‘blooze’. You do not need to get liquored up on cheap LoneStar, and multiple servings of bourbon and scotch stand to detract from your appreciation (though, that is certainly not to suggest you need a Masters degree in music theory to enjoy the show either). If that is your kind of thing, you should probably show up early, pay your cover, and then promptly leave. You will not get it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">However, if you are the type who wants to see and hear true music before it becomes something that exists only in memory, you need to make every effort to see this band.</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> ***<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I wrote this at 4 am, the result of too much lingering caffeine and one of those fun N. Texas thunderstorms. I also closed it without saving the second half of the document (something I have never done in my entire life). Thanks, Dallas!</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-53377756280029360432010-02-06T19:44:00.002-07:002010-02-06T19:47:26.122-07:00Jackie Greene, Boulder (2/1)Several weeks ago, while walking passing a wall that is usually covered in posters for terrible excuses for the live shows Boulder usually gets, I recognized a familiar name; Jackie Greene! Noting (w/o stopping) that the date was sometime in March, I went on to my next class and on w/ my life.<br /><br />Until last week, when I got an email from a friend, asking if I was going to the Jackie show <span style="font-style:italic;">this upcoming Monday</span>! Oh no! A 12 dollar show isn’t exactly expensive, but I had 2 dollars to my name. By chance, I see that the local record store is offering 2 in a contest. I enter and think nothing of it…………. until I get an email the next day that I had won! I never win anything! You cant make stuff like that up. When something like that happens, you know you’re in for a good show.<br /><br />No matter that it was a mellow Monday night Boulder crowd, to whom the thought of tearing into a theatre full tilt had never once occurred, the tension of the moment of doors opening was quick to return. Every experience is different, every experience is the same. It wasn’t imperative that I get the front, but as one of the first 20 or so through the door, it was impossible NOT to be against the stage. In what would have been celebrated on a Friday night (but slightly inconvenient on a Mon) we were to have 2 opening acts. The first was a younger guy who neither stated his name, nor was mentioned on the poster or ticket. Which is a shame, because Mystery Man was a fairly good opener. In the Greene-Blum-West Coast ‘singer-songwritter’ vein he had some, perhaps a bit underdeveloped, but poignant things to say. Still a young man, he has time to develop, and if we’d have been told his name, I’d happily be on the lookout for him in a few years. He has the potential to be good enough to be someone who will never make it big. That sounds absolutely terrible, but let me try to explain; the was the music industry is today, someone w/ substance, someone who has something to say, will never be given the opportunity that a talentless, here today, gone tomorrow flavor of the month will. This Mystery Man, if he’s ok w/ not making much money and not being ‘famous’ and continues to write, will be a very good songwriter. And, lucky you, appreciator of good music, you will never have to shell out hundreds of dollars to see him.<br /><br />The second opener, who unfortunately had a name (and even gave away free CDs) was Danny Shafer, and he was everything that this first guy was not. The quintessential stereotype of a “70s singer songwriter” his songs were lighthearted jaunts about BBQs and “Johnny Prine” and had about as much depth as a footprint in the dust. He was just like….. that one guy, and…….ol’ whats his face, and……you know who I’m talking about……..The one hit wonder who was extremely big back then, but you <span style="font-style:italic;">cant even remember his name</span> now. I found it extremely telling that the 3 arrogant, holier then thou, staple of Boulder, frat boys behind us could not shut up during the Mystery Man’s set, but hoped and hollered and cheered when mindless masses pleaser Shafer sang about eating spicy chicken wings. Apparently he was from Boulder………figures.<br /><br />Thankfully, each opener only played a half hour set, and it wasn’t long before Greene and co. took the stage. While the players were the same since the last time I saw them in 2008, a lot has changed. From the opening chords of I Don’t Live In A Dream, it was clear that Greene has matured a LOT, both as a performer and as a musician. Last time, I remember being struck w/ “lead” guitarist Nathan Dale’s work, but tonight, I was decidedly unimpressed. Be it an off night, or the fact that I myself have grown as a guitarist and have been exposed to many more players, but Dale was simply average, nothing more. Greene, on the other hand, seems to have only gotten better. Obviously, a trio has a different sound then a band w/ two guitarists, and it can be argued that the two-guitar sound is what he is after right now, but, to be completely honest, Dale is simply NOT a necessity on the stage, musically speaking. Not that he spoiled any song during the evening, but he is utterly replaceable by any professional musician. <br /><br />While he was never one to lack presence or audience command, Greene has taken it to another level these days. Despite my comments on Dale, the band is very strong behind him, and during New Speedway Boogie, a song that, even when playing w/ Phil, I always considered more of a Jackie song, he had the audience almost eating out of his hand, snarling and growling at the mic, removing his hat and twisting reminiscent of a 66 and 75 Bob Dylan (as if that comparison hasn’t been made enough haha). I believe it was during this song that I noticed an unmistakable Larry Campbell influence, another Phil Lesh bandmate. Again, he was great before, but now he is stepping it up a notch.<br /><br />The show continued on in this manner, until Gone Wanderin’, when Greene invited the audience to sing along. All were happy to oblige, until he stepped away from the mic and let the sing on their own. Embarrassed, everyone stops w/i one second. The band stops too. “What was that?” chides Greene. “We’re stoned!” a woman from the crowd offers. ‘We don’t know what part we’re at!” He smiles, “The chorus”, and this time everyone makes it through not one, but 2 choruses.<br /><br />The next song was easily the highlight of the night. I Shot The Sheriff came out of nowhere (apparently this was its debut) and smacked everyone over the head w/ more then just a taste of Jamaica. If there was one song that embodied the comments I’ve made about the entire show, this was it. A real pleasure to witness, and one of a few times I was really exited that there were two guitars.<br /><br />As is usually the case, Greene also spent some time on the keyboards. First one of these to really catch my attention was Tell Me Mama, which had been turned into a very slow blues from what I was used to. At the beginning, it sort of rubbed me the wrong way, and I didn’t feel the tempo suited it all that well, but as time went on, the song grew on me and while still an interesting choice, I felt it worked well.<br /><br />Immediately following was the next highlight, completely on par w/ Sheriff, an extremely funky Lord Mistreats Me. Keyboards switched to the organ setting, great Dale guitar work, just incredible funk/blues tune in a show consisting mainly of jam and rock songs. Not that I don’t like jam and rock, but this was more up my alley then anything else all night.<br /><br />The remainder of the night stayed solid, a few Beatles tunes (Taxman and Don’t Let Me Down), some Dead, some originals. We were treated to Mexican Girl for the electric encore (always a favorite of mine) then the band retired leaving up treated to two new acoustic songs of a soon to be released record. The first, 1961, tells a story that, by the end, is extremely predictable, but I really liked it nonetheless. I’m sure after multiple listens I’ll be sick of it, but on a first listen it was really very nice. The second, Holy Land, was more involved, a first person interrogator rather then a removed narrator, and one with more staying power in the long run, perhaps a closer. However, tonight’s closer was Sweet Somewhere Bound, which fits its slot perfectly. I know I have good memories of it, I’m sure everyone in the audience does as well.<br /><br />There was the option to hang around and meet him afterwards, but having nothing specific I wanted to say to him, and faced w/ a long and cold walk home, I opted to just get going. However, if there was ever a doubt, he has surely cemented his place among the greats, even if too many people aren’t hip to it right now. Regardless of how the future will look back on him, Jackie Greene is one of, if not the best artist under 30 working today.The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-64903882607743421302010-01-26T00:30:00.001-07:002010-01-26T00:36:34.412-07:00Last Thoughts On Bob DylanToday, a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfDbHxW_1Lg) began to make its way around my circle of Facebook friends, more specifically, my Bob Dylan friends. Normally I dont watch Youtube clips of Dylan show, but since this was from 2008, I clicked on the link, a particularly beautiful Blowin In the Wind....<br /><br />Chills radiated up my spine, out my shoulders and into my arms, the world stopped spinning and time moved backwards. I see and feel the same filling, satisfying, ineffable out-of-self feeling I felt the nearly 23 times I was in the audience when it was played (and the countless other times I listened to tapes). This song always signified the end of a VERY long and thrilling day. Whatever lows had occurred, they were but a mere afterthought to the incredible high you were feeling now. Yes, the show was in its final moments, but those moments seem to last forever. A part of me is still out there in some of those final moments, especially encased the some of the more exceptional solos by then lead guitarist, Denny Freeman. All I have to do is hear a few notes, and I will forever be transported, to the balmy heat of a TX summer night, or the cavernous theaters of New England, or the hockey arenas of the upper Midwest. This was one of those renditions, except, I wasnt at this show. But hearing those notes brought everything back.<br /><br />I will never forget the way I felt late that night of Aug 20, 2009. As pathetic as it sounds, my world really did come (at least partially) crashing down. The Bob Dylan tour had literally been the only constant in my life since the government chose to classify me as an "adult". After growing up in a poor rural place, getting to actually GO to all the places I'd heretofore been forced to experience vicariously was more then a dream come true. To have people take what you said seriously, to discuss the music you loved the most w/ those who felt the same; it was a luxury that I'd never known before, and it was as close to heaven as a 19 year old kid could get.<br /><br />That was when I was still naive, before I discovered the backstabbing, the immaturity, the nastiness, the clique-ish subculture that seems to permeate deep into the community. That was when waiting in line ALL day through all sorts of hellish weather was actually a BLAST, when I wasnt anxious about who might show up and how thick the tension in the air would get. Back then, I LIVED for the instant the gates opened, when it was just us vs. them (venue "security"), before I knew that there were certain people/groups you had to watch out for, groups who wouldnt hesitate to throw an elbow in your side, or a leg underfoot, people you had to be careful of brushing against (while being herded like cattle through a labyrinth, mind you) least they think it an aggressive move on your part and now make a POINT of taking you down.<br /><br />Dont get me wrong, that stuff was always there, but I just didnt or couldnt see it. I thought that when we all went in, we were all focusing on all aspects of the music being created, just as I was. I thought we were ALL fascinated by the instruments, and that we all saw each of the band members as separate individual entities, I thought everyone felt the same way I did. By and large, I was wrong. (Turns out, most people just want to gaze at Dylan, not that there is anything wrong w/ that.)<br /><br />So when my tenure as a continued audience member was abruptly ended, I was lost at sea as a million adrenaline fueled, vein tingling memories flooded back. All that, literally, all my "adult" life, was done, over, finished, never to be recreated or found again. <br /><br />Naturally, such a realization was accompanied by sadness. In the coming months, I watched a new tour be built, tickets go on sale, friends arrive at new venues in exciting new towns, all that used to excite me like no other. I listened to tapes 05-(summer)09 w/ a heavy heart; Dylan's music would NEVER sound as good (a fact which remains to this day). Having attended one show and sampled a few tapes from the new tour, I knew the experience was not the same and did not regret that I was not attending any more on the tour.<br /><br />I did, however, feel some remorse that there was not a reason to go anymore. This would be exacerbated in those proceeding months by that feeling that inspired this writing; the instant flashback of being there; being a part of something bigger. In those fleetingly eternal moments inside the solo of the last song, especially looking back, I felt as though we were all lifted outside ourselves, to form somewhat of a collective soul, drawn together by the shared association of being where we were at the exact second this "thing", this song, was being created (and I should not have to say this, but no, this was not chemically induced). This "togetherness" probably existed in my mind alone, as more then a few people were probably plotting how to sabotage thier rivals next entrance, or loathing the person next to them for dancing too much or not enough.<br /><br />So tonight, when my fingertips grew icy and my lips curled into a smile at hearing a remarkable solo, I was surprised to notice that I did not long to be at a show, did not want to experience these things again. It is true, Dylan's music will never again sound as beautiful as it did between March 05 and Aug 09, but, for some inexplicable reason, I am now content to let the past be the past. It was pure joy, and nothing else, that rose in me upon hearing that familiar Strat. That I can probably never attend any ticketed event where the performers whisked to and fro, like ghosts in the wind, under the same guise is a given, but I accept that I walked out a different person then I walked in. There was never any ill-will, but there are no longer any hard or remorseful feelings that come w/ the memories.<br />And so I bid farewell and not give a damn..........The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-41864796336105149222009-10-22T01:23:00.007-06:002009-11-12T22:11:11.141-07:00You Can Always Come Back.... (Denver, 10/21)<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">Also appeared here-</p><p class="MsoNormal">http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=43917</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">...But you cant come back all the way.<br /><br />It was 3 days short of 3 years to the date I saw Bob Dylan for the first time, and for the first time since that day, he was back in Denver. And, in many ways, it was again a “first show”. Wanting to attack this band w/ an absolute clean slate, free of any biases or expectations, I did not listen to any tapes, watched only the minimal Youtube clips, and, aside from simply relaying texts, I abstained from monitoring the setlists. Whether this affected me in a negative way, I cannot say, but in the days leading up to the show, I have never been more indifferent to an impending Dylan show. I fell asleep the night before w/o even the slightest tinge of excitement in my belly.<br /><br />This apathy was only increased upon waking to a pouring and frigid sky (one that would no doubt turn to snow before the days end). I went about my day in a completely normal fashion and eventually arrived at the venue amidst low hanging, slushy clouds.<br /><br />The first of two things happened to lift my spirits- a) the venue agreed to let us wait INSIDE all day, and b) the “line” was made up of only people I knew and enjoyed waiting w/….. no headcases, nutjobs, or general wackos to make the wait uncomfortable and stressful. We heard but couldn’t see soundcheck, which went something like- Maggie’s, Wicked Messenger, Hollis, Baby Blue, If Not For You, Things Have Changed, Deal, and ending w/ Beyond Here, of which we were treated to ONLY Donnie’s trumpet. Not bad. The venue’s staff seemed relatively competent, ignoring, of course, every venues penchant for redundant, logic-less strategies for doors. While I was feeling really good about it at the beginning, there’s nothing like a long bunch of VIPs to really stress you out. Granted, most of them had seats and we all made the rails, but that is just unneeded stress that I’m glad not to have to put up w/ for a long time.<br /><br />Those of you following my plight this summer wont find it hard to believe that <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: bold; ">I</span> was the one who had the burly bald security in my face for “running when I was told not to”. “Next time,” he threatens, “there will be BIG problems”. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" title="Rolling Eyes" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> Oh, please. He wanders off and I am able to survey my real estate. The stage is incredibly low for an arena, mid-bicep for me, and the rails cant be more then 6 feet from the stage. I was maybe 1 or 2 people to the left of (what I assumed would be) ideal Tony-viewing area, but I was directly in front of Stu, and the size of the stage made it so that I could see all musicians clearly.<br /><br />The all-too familiar intro music soon silenced conversations and summoned the shadows onstage. Unlike this summer at Round Rock, the lanky hatless figure who appeared between Stu and Tony was expected, and I hoped this would work to my advantage. As I said in my review of that show, it was the <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">tease</span> of Freeman being onstage which added to my feeling of utter disappointment. Since he was not expected to make an appearance tonight, I hoped I would be able to appreciate this new band for what it now was.<br /><br />Stuck Inside, a very strange opener, kicked things off. In my only show of the tour, I was kind of hoping for Change, but was given this instead. It wasn’t bad, and I have nothing particularly negative to say about it, but I also found nothing noteworthy about it. It was a Bob Dylan song, nothing more, nothing less. I will say that, while I prefer a bit more Stu (especially on acoustic), the mix was really excellent, and anyone could be heard w/ a bit of focus.<br /><br />It Aint Me was next, Stu again on acoustic, and it was an utterly standard version. That sounds negative, and I don’t mean it to, but it could easily be replicated in any town on any night. Dylan strapped on the guitar for this one, and while it was that weird, Koella-esque stuff that sprang forth, it wasn’t <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">terrible</span>. Stu’s role seemed quite diminished from this summer, which is a detriment to the tune.<br /><br />Beyond Here continued this pattern. No high point, no low point, just a song, w/ a chorus, and a verse, and a guitar solo. Donnie’s trumpet could be heard, if you REALLY listened hard enough, but it sounded like he was playing it from miles away (though, he looked winded and red-faced by the time it was over, no doubt owning to the high altitude), and overall the song didn’t reach NEAR the level it did when I saw it in ABQ.<br /><br />This marked the first time I had seen Most Likely in a very long time, and honestly, I could go another long time w/o seeing it again if this is how its going to be presented. It was just like all the other songs up until this point, it didn’t do anything special, it just sort of <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">was</span>….. I don’t mean to imply that they were <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">bad</span> songs, or boring, but, rather, they were standard.<br /><br />The first song that actually moved me one way or the other finally came in the form of Cold Irons. This was one I always wanted to see (mainly from the previous band) but never got, and when it first started, I didn’t recognize the new arrangement. It was slow and dark, a bit spooky, but I really liked it. The song has enormous potential, and I cant wait to see what they ultimately end up doing w/ it, but tonight that potential was not reached. Not that it was bad, but it could have been a whole lot better, in my opinion (I just cant exactly pinpoint <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">where</span> it needs work). Perhaps it should have been longer; it seemed to just <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">stop</span>. Dylan did play a very nice center stage harp, prancing and contorting in the corner of my eye, and he really seemed to be enjoying himself.<br /><br />Workingmans was ALWAYS a favorite of mine, and this more then any other song tonight made me long for shows gone past. The general consensus of those around me was that it was great, but I couldn’t see why. The whole thing seemed really subdued and content to just arrive somewhere, rather then to push it to the next level. The absence of guitar was replaced w/ harmonica, and while there was nothing technically wrong w/ it, to me, personally, it doesn’t excite me the way a beautiful guitar part used to. Even Stu, the lifeblood of that song, seemed to be merely going through the motions.<br /><br />High Water was better, but ultimately forgettable. It’s a bit of a different tempo, slower now, and not as grooving. Tony was on upright for the first time of the night, throwing in a bit of (inaudible) slap, and for the first time I could see the front half of his body. He spend the whole night cuddled between his bass cab and the drum risers, his face practically <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">in</span> the speaker cone, which was very frustrating because I was really looking forward to seeing him play tonight. Apparently this is an unusual thing for him to do, but I had it happen more then a few times, and a friend suggested that maybe I am making him nervous, that he is not used to such unwavering attention. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> So instead, I spend much of the night watching Stu. He’s not someone I ever watched like a hawk, but I have spent a fair amount of time observing him, and I don’t know if its just tonight, or what, but his parts have REALLY been whittled away to almost nothing. He plays only the basic requirements of the song (not by choice, I’m sure), and I think played all of 2-3 solos all night. Not that a solo is everything, and I have said many times that his strength is rhythmic fingerpicking, but when he’s doing neither of the two, the songs themselves suffer. I thought overall the ballparks this summer were a step down from 08, but many times tonight I found myself wishing certain songs would have been “as good as the ballparks”.<br /><br />A Denny-less Spirit was not something I was ever looking forward to, but was pleasantly surprised when Charlie stepped it up a notch and delivered on a song I assumed (given the rest of the night) would fall flat on its face. It didn’t, and I feel extremely more confident in the songs ability to continue to be a setlist staple.<br /><br />Honest was as close to the album version as I’d ever seen it, and I don’t know that that’s necessarily a good thing. It suffered greatly because of Stu’s (forced?) lack of involvement, and, while it was one of the few times he actually took a solo, it was almost as if he’d forgotten what he’d been playing since last summer. Looking back, it was actually kind of interesting; the notes he left out, and if you were unfamiliar w/ how he’s been playing it the last 15 months, I don’t think you’d know the difference. It was a strange feeling thought, longing for a Stu lead on Honest haha<br /><br />Easily the highlight of the night came as a double-edged sword. Man In The Long Black Coat was the single most wanted song from me since it reappeared last fall. I couldn’t get over the haunting beauty I heard on the tapes, and took almost personal offense when it was retooled as Man In The Floppy Red Shoes for the Euro tour at the beginning of the year. After such a travesty, I didn’t <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">want</span> to hear it! But tonight it was back to its sinister beauty. The fact that this wasn’t the band I’d yearned to hear play this sat heavy in the back of my mind, but it was what it was and so I was able to get past that quickly. Charlie fired off one of his better solos of the night, and Stu really seemed tuned in to the mists of the bayous. W/o a doubt the high point of the night, and one that ended entirely too quickly.<br /><br />Deal was another one I was curious/worried about how Charlie would handle. Its one that I really only ever liked for Denny’s leads, and usually skip on tapes once I’ve heard what he would do w/ it. That being said, Charlie absolutely <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">nailed</span> this one w/ his (new?) white Gretch. It wasn’t what Denny would have done, but it was no less incredible for it. Charlie grew up looking up to and listening to Denny play, but until tonight, I have never <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">heard </span>that influence in his playing. Here there was no doubt!<br /><br />The same could almost be said for Thunder. Sounded completely different, but I REALLY liked the choices Charlie made, and also respect the decision to not just play a copycat version. In an ultimate guitar fantasy, I would love to see the song performed w/ both men onstage (and <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">playing</span>, Round Rock doesn’t count); especially tonight, Charlie was settin’ em up right and left, but he needed someone to knock em down….. I’m drooling at the possibility right now haha<br /><br />Thin Man was absolutely Stu’s song this summer, and I’m glad to see that hasn’t changed a bit. It is <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">his</span> biting attack that takes hold of the audience and gives the song its power. I’m really glad they play it every night, if I were to be doing more shows this tour, I don’t think its possible to get tired of this one.<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;">LARS is one that I've never had any feelings for one way or the other, and that really didnt change tonight, but for one line. Dylan's voice, which has been touch and go for some time now, was quite strong all night. Rough as all hell, but strong, and incredibly clear given the circumstances, I understood all that he said (aided by the fact that he seemed to have no trouble remembering all the lyrics). During LARS, this growl developed a particular bite as he snarled, "As you stare into the vacuum of your <span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-style: italic; ">mother's</span> eyes..." <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> Wow! A fleeting moment, but proof positive he is still capable of summoning "it" when need be.</span><br />Jolene, a song that, for some reason, I cant stop playing myself, wasn’t as good as on its debut tour. As some have noted, the main riff is missing. Which, I suppose, it fine, if the rest of it weren’t being played w/ a drab uninterest. The power I spoke of in regards to Thin Man used to be present in Jolene, again thanks to Stu, but his tele is now just sort of jumbled in w/ everything else and holds no sway over the song. I was also a bit disappointed in the choices Charlie made, as none of them really did anything for me. Again, not bad, but simply generic.<br /><br />Watchtower rocked, w/ almost ballpark intensity complements of Stu’s low down grit. Charlie’s closing 2 solos were extremely ethereal, which probably comes off as more of a complement then I intended; there was nothing about them you could latch onto. They were far too flitty; no substance behind them.<br /><br />And just like that, it was over. Closure? Maybe.<br /><br />And so, for the first time since my first show, I get in my car and head not for a hotel, a couch or the next show, but back to my own house. I am happy I went, and enjoyed the show. I will go again if/when they come to my town. But I am just as happy to not be headed to Kansas. I am content knowing I wont see them again until 2010 (at the earliest), which is something I never thought I would ever say.<br /><br />I know these thoughts may not be popular. I know that many will write them off, say I am being biased because I like Denny, or that I somehow hate Charlie, or whatever. However, I worry that, as a fan himself, Charlie becomes a surrogate for all those in the audience who want to be “friends” w/ Dylan, and as such, may overlook the actual quality of what the shows could slip into in favor of a playful display between Dylan and Sexton.<br /><br />Love them or hate them for it, one thing you could never accuse the 05-09 band of being is “genaric”.</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-77370297579776184612009-09-10T14:04:00.002-06:002009-09-10T14:11:08.012-06:00WelcomeI created this blog a couple of weeks ago, w/ the intention being that, if the website I was a part of at the time, Expecting Rain, should go down, all my Bob Dylan show reviews would be archived somewhere else; here.<div><br /></div><div>Literally the next night, I learned that the main reason I traversed the country in constant attendance of these shows, guitarist extraordinaire Denny Freeman, no longer worked for Dylan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Great.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now I'm stuck w/ this blog, and as of now, am only doing CO or TX Bob Dylan shows, which roughly amounts to one or two a year. I'm in the process of back-posting all the reviews, and hopefully, if I find the time, I'll post whatever other random writings, other reviews, etc I come up w/ here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for dropping by........</div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-51155209289997742732009-08-10T01:26:00.003-06:002009-11-12T22:11:30.752-07:00THE 09 Show ?!!? (ABQ, 8/9)First appeared here-<div>http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41494</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:13px;">If ever there was a throwaway show, I would have expected it to be this one. I had heard the horror stories from several people of the downright nastiness of the crowd and venue from the last time Bob and the boys played there. The ticket cost more then the ballpark shows and the site kept crashing when I attempted to buy tickets. I eventually got through and settled for a 5th row, figuring I would have to drive through the state anyway on my way to the AZ show. When that one was cancelled Friday night, I viewed this show as more of an afterward to my actual tour; a mellow experience to maybe ease my transition back into classroom drudgery. To say I went w/ low expectations would be an understatement. So when it turned out to be quite possibly the best show of 09, saying I was excited would be an even bigger understatement.<br /><br />My seat, though in the 5th row, was absolutely perfect for where I wanted to be, and even when everyone was standing, I could see Denny and Stu just fine (Tony was, unfortunately, blocked by the bulbous head of Gov. Bill Richardson, but he was soon to sit). Ballad was the surprise opener, which, I will be the first to admit, does not look like a good opener on paper, but it absolutely worked in practice. Last time I saw it (cant remember where) Stu had lead duties, but tonight those fell on Denny and he did not disappoint. For an opener, the band was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">really </span>together, this was no “warm up”. Lay Lady Lay even impressed me, and I am NOT a fan of the song, but I could find absolutely no fault w/ it. The guy next to me commented on how happy Bob was, and I guess I’ll have to take his word for it, but the band was a well oiled machine (forgive the cliché), this was going to be another incredible show. The people in front of me even left after this one, so I spent the night one row closer haha<br /><br />Beyond Here came out of nowhere and blew <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">everyone</span> away! Not only was it completely unexpected, but it was an absolute powerhouse! It was as though this song alone was what everyone lived to perform. Everyone gelled together so well that you would have thought they played it every night, not that this was only the second time it had ever been played. No one could have made a wrong move even if he wanted to, and Donnie could actually be heard blowing away on the trumpet. I looked around at the audience; everyone around me was wearing the biggest grins their faces would hold. I doubt too many of the grins faded when Stuck Inside appeared next. It was great; this must have been what I missed last night while enduring kick drum shock waves<br /><br />Earlier today, I had been talking w/ someone here about the new Beyond The Horizon, and it dawned on me that I <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">still</span> hadn’t seen it, which was a drag because it was near the top of my must see list. Well, they’ve got impeccable timing <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> Tonight’s was just as beautiful as I’d hoped. Not only does this new arrangement better fit the lyrics and the overall mood of the song, but tonight Denny and Stu <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">really</span> must have been on the same wavelength or something, because those two played as one. Amazing.<br /><br />Its Alright Ma was intense. There is no other word to describe it. Intense. Stu was the <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">man</span> on this one. This was his song from the moment his pick touched the strings, and he did everything but disappoint. For a song that gets played as often as this one does, I know this is a hard statement to make, but I think this was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">the</span> single best performance if not ever, then at the very least w/ this band. It wasn’t just me; everyone I talked to afterwards said the same thing. Which is when it occurred to me; I’ve done a lot of comparing to 08 recently, but this one was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">better</span> then 08! This is where this band would be every single night had they continued their upward trajectory.<br /><br />Deal, while never a real favorite, was equally solid. Houston was a little less bassy tonight, but sounded like everyone was more comfortable in their roles then in shows past. H61 saw two people in the front row leave, so two of us took it upon ourselves to keep the seats warm for them <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> They came back after the song was over, but if there was one song to be in the front for, it was that one. In the grand scheme of things, it was another band effort, w/ no one outshining anyone else, but for me, the coolest thing was Denny’s solo, which was pure, 100%, unadulterated Denny Freeman. I don’t know that we’ve seen that in a Dylan show for a <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">long</span> time <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":mrgreen:" title="Mr. Green" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />I cant remember if it was during Nettie or Deal, but either way, there was some really terrible harp playing that interjected one of the better moments, as though he was playing it for the sole purpose of reminding people he was still onstage. Aside from that though, I felt Dylan was definitely in one of his better grooves all night. Sometimes, many times, it can kind of sound like he’s oblivious to what the band is doing at any given moment, but tonight he seemed really in tune w/ what was happening on stage, as opposed to the musical equivalent of just hacking your way through the walls of a corn maze when you get lost.<br /><br />Summer Days was a bit lackluster, given the show it was in, but if anyone really impressed me during it, it was Stu. Not usually a song in the key of Stu, he was on point tonight when the ball landed in his court. The governor and his women, who were in the row directly in front of me now got up to leave here. It was VERY clear they had no intentions of returning, so I commandeered their space. No sooner did I look up at the stage again then the venue’s version of the secret service was in my face, screaming at me that I could not, under any circumstances, be there. I pointed to the spot a chair’s width behind me, and explained that I had only just moved from right there. Well, then that’s where I <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">needed</span> to be, he informed me. Um, ok. I mean, its not that big of a deal, the view is not<span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">that</span> different, but so much for no royalty in America <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> Well, I guess it cant be a Summer 09 show if the venue isn’t giving me some kind of grief for one thing or another. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" title="Rolling Eyes" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />Jolene was the unexpected low point of the night. They made it work, but <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">no one</span> was on the same page at any part during it. Yes, it’s blues, so they figured it out, it wasn’t a “mess” but anything beyond that didn’t really click for some reason. Once someone picked up that he was supposed to do A after someone else did B, that person had stopped doing B altogether.<br /><br />Around midday today, I had finally accepted that the Arizona show was not going to happen. And I was beginning to be comfortable w/ the idea. I went to this show knowing it would be my last of the tour, and, while I could not have asked for a better show, I cant help but be disappointed wondering what could have been in AZ. I cant stop now, I’ve got to have some more! This so far has been the only tour where, while on it, I question whether or not I really want to do any more in the future (local shows not withstanding). While it got off to a real rocky start at the beginning for me, if they continue on the way they have these past 3 nights, I forsee many more stretching down that road on out of sight (and, w/ a bit of luck, void of the Mel-ster).</span><br /></div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-74615184862467875052009-08-09T01:23:00.003-06:002009-11-12T22:11:48.923-07:00Keeps Getting Better (Lubbock, 8/8)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:13px;"><div>First appeared here-</div><div>http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41471<br /></div><div><br /></div>This was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">almost</span> the shortest review I have ever written (sorry for the “almost”), as it wouldn’t have taken more then a half of a page to describe the horrible situations I seem to keep finding myself in upon arriving at these shows. Luckily, it got better, and ended up being JUST as good as the spectacular Grand Prairie show the night before (and now yall are treated to more words from me haha).<br /><br />In hindsight, it was just really too easy, even from the get go buying tickets. I bought what, on the map, appeared to be exactly what I needed, front row to boot. I’d never gotten front row on a presale. We arrived to a great parking spot and in time to catch only the tail end of the Mel-ster. Then it all went to hell. I was escorted to my front row seat……front row on the edge of oblivion! There was a good 10 feet to my right before the edge of the stage even started! I was directly in front of a <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">monstrous</span> PA that, as it turned out, served the sole purpose of blasting George’s kick drum out. That’s not the worst of it though, as the people in the outer sections who were sold “front row” got an excellent view of an empty football stadium, but nothing else. I talked to some folks who were REALLY digging the Mellencamp thing, and they agreed to let me have their (top notch) seats IF they left (a big if, they didn’t know yet).<br /><br />I was understandably disappointed when they opened w/ Maggies Farm. Here’s a tour rarity, and I am being shaken, rattled and rolled by an atomic metronome. I couldn’t see anyone but Bob and Donnie, and worse, I couldn’t <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">hear</span> any sort of mix whatsoever, just that kick drum. I’m sure had I been holding anything fragile, it would have shattered. After it ended, the woman w/ the good seats looked over and smiled. I took that as a good sign, but it sure didn’t make my seat area any better. Lay Lady Lay is NEVER a favorite, but I’d have given anything at that point to actually see and/or hear the thing. The woman began texting and fidgeting, surely she’s had enough and will leave soon.<br /><br />But no. Instead she remains sitting, and the boys launch into Stuck Inside, another rarely seen song this ballpark jaunt. Even before this situation, I was looking forward to it more then normal. I got REALLY mad when I hear a muffled and distorted Denny solo coming through the kick drum PA…..and it sounded incredible! <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mad.gif" alt=":x" title="Mad" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> If it sounded this good through this thing, imagine seeing it!!!! Meanwhile the blue glow of the screen continued to illuminate her face. I tried to watch Bob, really, I did, but I just couldn’t. He’s so boring to watch! I’m sorry, but he doesnt <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">do </span>anything I have any interest in doing myself. I couldn’t help myself, my mind kept drifting back to what a horribly frustrating spot I had. Denny is not an antennae for Christsakes! You can send text messages anywhere; you do NOT have to be in front of him to get them to go through! ARGH!!! I was losing my mind!<br /><br />Just when things look their worst, it gets worse. They actually came over and tried to eject me from seat, claiming I needed to be in the 20th row. That’s <span style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">SEAT</span> 20, you as$hole! Cant you read?!?! (third time that night it happened, no joke) I am NOT a confrontational person, by any means, but I found myself speaking w/ an almost Milkcow-esque passion. Come on, I mean, is there really a line of people vying for a spot in front of the sonic boom machine? The fact that Hattie Carrol was playing burned me just that much more; its bad enough where I am, but now I get to “miss” all the good ones?!<br /><br />Whoever was having a laugh at my expense decided he’d stressed me enough because FINALLY, after what seemed like eons, the Mellenheads got up and gestured me to their seats. Thank you! Just in time for Honest, I find myself in the perfect “BZ spot” listening to the clearest and strongest mix of the tour. Everything was exactly where it should be, and even Stu steps away from the generic. Folks, the 08 band is <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">back</span>! And man, how I’ve missed them <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":mrgreen:" title="Mr. Green" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />I literally could not have been happier to be in my new adopted spot then when the haunting opening of Blind Willie rings out! I excitedly zero in on Denny’s guitar as the song starts, only to be startled by a strange sound, like our party streamers from last night tuned down an octave or so. I honestly hadn’t noticed, but Dylan had strapped on his guitar for this one <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" title="Rolling Eyes" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> It was bad, but not terrible, and to my surprise didn’t ruin anything. The song was still chilling, and the <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">other</span> electric guitar parts were beautiful. Dylan did run right over the top of a Denny solo, but let him have a go the next time around. Stu was on acoustic, but couldn’t really be heard from where I was. Everything was incredibly solid though, on point and on par, just as good as when they disbanded last year. <br /><br />The setlist just kept getting better w/ High Water, one that I was sure 5 shows would have produced by now. My all-time favorite version of it was Milwaukee 2008 when that new riff was louder sand stronger then it has been, before or since, but that’s not to slight this, as they were really working as a unit here. For the first time in my 5 shows, Donnie was audible on his banjo, and Tony slapped out a very few select lines on the upright. It sounded spectacular! I couldn’t believe this reversal of fortune.<br /><br />Workingman’s too, wow, what a beauty. Dylan flubbed the first couple of lines, but that detracted absolutely nothing, and Denny did a real nice job w/ the solo. All in all, a very moving song. Things were really going well. H61 was more Stu then Band tonight, but it worked out because he took command of it rather well and never let it sag. Love Sick, can this be happening?! I couldn’t make up a better setlist! Dylan once again trampled Denny’s solo, this time on harp, but Denny was playing this <span style="text-decoration: underline; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">great</span> little line under the harp which, to me, stood out more then anything else. He did slide into a solo afterwards, but the rhythm under the harp was much cooler. Thunder was Thunder and I’m sure would have been impossible to listen to at my original location.<br /><br />Little pockets of the stage had been huddling all night, but when they came back in for the encore in a tight bunch, I knew we were in for something special. Tony was still giving out directions when George kicked it off. It SURE as hell wasn’t LARS…..was it Shake Shake Mama? It sounds just like……..and just then that unmistakable chord…..NOT FADE AWAY! The whole drive into town, I’d been racking my brain trying to come up w/ something Lubbock is famous for <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">besides</span> Buddy Holly. I mean, it must be known outside the musical community, but I couldn’t think of anything. By now you’ve probably figured out that I don’t put much thought into what Dylan is thinking, but I couldn’t help but wonder if, 50 some odd years ago, he hadn’t seen this exact song in the Duluth Armory. If so, it probably made tonight’s performance that much sweeter. Tony, at least, was having a real blast playing it . When it finally came time to wind to a close, there was barely a beat before the wash of LARS (fine song but does nothing for me) and a slightly more subdued Watchtower then the previous nights, but still nothing to shake a stick at. Stu really seemed to be doing a bit of exploring w/ it, and it turned out to be very successful for him.<br /><br />I wasn’t ready for it to be over though. Not having to sit through everyone else, or stand all day in the sun, and dealing w/ the seating tonight left me wanting, needing more! How could it already be over when each new song held the title of “highlight” only until the very next song stole its crown away? I finally feel just as excited to see them as I did last year, they’re playing that well again.</span>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-47931761876239366772009-08-08T00:50:00.002-06:002009-11-12T22:12:31.188-07:00Happy B'day Denny! (Grand Prairie, 8/7)First appeared here-<div>http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41448<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:13px;">If you’ve been reading my recent reviews, you’d know that I was due for a break. Whether it be the incessant mishaps regarding doors, venue people flexing their muscles <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">on me</span> or just the drab atmospheres for most of the shows, something just wasn’t clicking for me on the Hotter Then Hell Summer Tour. This one I had higher expectations for (even though, given my recent track record, that might be dangerous); my favorite guitarist, friend, idol, and all around hero was turning 65 at a show 30 minutes from the town where he grew up. Even if no one else in the audience knew, if the setlist sucked and the performance was phoned in, it was still a show I really wanted to be at.<br /><br />The wait, while sticky and for some inexplicable reason, fly-infested, was not near as bad as it could have been. It was actually nice to catch up w/ friends not seen in many months, and make some great conversations w/ those more commonly contacted. I really have to say, I was not expecting much, given the stereotype of a <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Texas</span> Willie Nelson fan, but there were three gals I got to know over the last few shows, and, aside from obsessively following Willie rather then Dylan, they really are just like “us” (whoever you define ‘us’ as).<br /><br />Once again, the door I had chosen to line up in (one of two) was not opened; they did not have the combination to that lock <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mad.gif" alt=":x" title="Mad" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> They were able to discern this before opening the other though, and the run was actually really fun, if not erring a bit on the ridiculous side of looooonnnnnggggggg! Got my ideal rail real estate again, and set about the familiar task of waiting out the other acts while, at the same time, trying NOT to be shifted on down the line into rail oblivion.<br /><br />When it finally was time for the Boys to come out, Happy Birthday was, predictably, NOT the opening song haha. Leopard Skin instead took the honor. Nothing really stood out about it, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Denny was further up in the mix then nights previous, and was playing enough to keep my mind off the fact that Dylan was also on guitar. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> haha<br /><br />Once the lights went down, Tony scampered over (as it would soon be known) to tell Stu to bring in Don’t Think Twice w/ only his acoustic. It <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">really</span> made the song (usually a touch-and-go) that much better and stronger. Everyone was on point, even early on, and Denny even took a solo. Short, sure, but since Dylan was also on guitar, it made if that more rare (and needed! <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> )<br /><br />Things Have Changed showed that, indeed, things had changed from the shows earlier this week. The band was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">hot</span>. If Wednesday’s show had been a partial return to form, this was their way of showing they were back! Excellent lead from Denny, new (to me) start-stop finish, and just a genuine passion announced that whatever had been plaguing them in the past few shows was out of their collective system. Just as strong and enjoyable as the 08 shows, it was evident early on that we were in for a treat. I couldn’t have been happier.<br /><br />Spirit I could really have done w/o so much Dylan harp, but given what I’d seen in the past week, I was more then happy for the guitar parts we did get here. Not up to par w/ just letting Denny soar on the song (and perhaps a bit on the bright end) but it did the trick. <br /><br />Levee rocked w/ its pre 09 intensity, Stu on lead, but at least mixing it up <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">ever</span> so slightly. 08 was easily my favorite year for this band, in order to give you a scale w/ which to judge this. It did honestly feel like I had gone back in time one year tonight, the songs were that tight and enjoyable!<br /><br />This marked my second time seeing Houston, and man, I am still enthralled w/ that bassline! Wow! I couldn’t tear my eyes away to look at anything else. Especially when TTL first came out, I really couldn’t stand this song, but seeing/hearing it live changes all that. Tony even mock roared w/ the crowd on the Dallas mention haha<br /><br />Tweedles, as far as I’m concerned, was in the same boat as Levee tonight. Both have become semi standards, but tonight’s were taken to the next level, which was even remarked on by those around me. I will add that George is the absolute perfect drummer for this song; I am continually impressed w/ his work on this one.<br /><br />I finally got my first Charlie-less IFACCO, and….you guessed it, was left wanting more from Denny. All in all, nothing to gripe about, and ANYONE other then M. Campbell on guitar was good enough for me. H61 has become a lot more bass heavy, which, according to me, couldn’t really be any better. Again a standard, but a house rockin standard, no question. Nettie was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">really</span> cool, Denny doing something I hadn’t ever seen before. The whole band was really killing it, w/ the exception of Dylan’s harmonica. Usually, I really like it when he plays harp, but this is was NOT working w/ the direction everyone else. I have nothing to say about LARS. Jolene again saw Tony on the upright, but staying w/ the tune of the rest of the night, the boys, working together, took the thing for an instrumental spin, who’s only low point was that it ended too soon.<br /><br />Or maybe that was just nerves, for after Jolene came band intros, and our one chance to enact a plan though out many moons ago. Shiny party hats, banners, and those streamer-whistle-duck call things had been strategically distributed to those on the rail and second row around us in front of Denny. The plan had been to throw them on/hold them right after the lights went down after Jolene, but for one reason or another we were all still assembling our party regalia when Denny was introduced. He threw up a fist, but didn’t really see us, and Dylan moved on to Stu.<br /><br />By the time he got to Tony though, we were all decked out, and the banners were waving. Tony looked down, saw us, and leaned into Denny, no doubt asking if it was his b’day. Denny then looks down, sees all of us, and has to bite his lip to keep from bursting out in huge grin. Tony slapped him on the back, and Dylan leaned in. I think Tony was wanting him to announce this. Dylan almost leaned into the microphone, contemplating it, before the band kicked into Watchtower. Denny did his best not to look at us in the beginning of the song, but the lights get rather bright on the audience during that one, and 15 shiny foil hats and duck call streamers got the better of him. Watchtower to me was one loud, quick blur that went by entirely too fast. I myself couldn’t stop smiling; I knew we looked like <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">tremendous</span> idiots out there, but fuck if it wasn’t fun. Denny was practically bouncing around on stage, well, I mean, for him haha.<br /><br />At the lineup, Tony kept slapping him on the back and shoulders, grinning wildly, trying to get to do something. I don’t think he could move, I think he was stunned; I saw the expression on his face, it was all he could do to keep a straight one. Finally, after moving his arms around a little, he gestures for us to go ahead and “take it down”. We, of course, do not. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":mrgreen:" title="Mr. Green" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> Someone said Dylan shook his hand, which I cannot comment on because I did not see, I didn’t even really see how Dylan was reacting to this whole thing, though I’m told he was also getting a huge kick out of it. Right before they leave the stage, Denny finally lifts his fists triumphantly, and act he repeats several times before they are actually off.<br /><br />What started as an act of admiration, hidden behind a friendly desire to embarrass the elderly (hahahahahahahaha <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> ) turned into something a lot bigger.<br /><br /><br />The show was excellent, really a return to the 08 style and power I loved so dearly. It has been the best 09 show I have seen, and that would be true if today’s date were the 8th or the 16th. <br />Our little party, and the emotion if visibly stirred in a fairly stoic stage presence, will be what I remember about my time following the Dylan tours, long after tapes are obsolete and memory fails on setlists and venues. In short, I'll remember this, when I've forgotten all the rest.</span><br /></div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-72441569534172759282009-08-06T23:15:00.001-06:002009-11-12T22:34:34.438-07:00You Cant Get Much Further South (Corpus, 8/5)First appeared here-<br />
<div>http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41418<br />
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<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 10px;"><div class="postbody" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Corpus Christi. Outside. August. The very thought was enough to scare away every Texan I knew (of which they kindly told me AFTER I’d spend the money on the ticket haha). It was so far out of the way, and so close to the coast, most (myself included) expected nothing more then a long, miserable wait in sauna-like conditions for nothing but a bland, local fare show. Sometimes it helps to be young and stupid.<br />
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After a fairly easy day spent scooting around one lone, spindly tree to keep in the ever-moving strip of shade, this run-in promised to be easier then yesterday’s turnstile incident; I mean, I’d already gotten the bad, so this had to be good, right? WRONG! It was easily the <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">worst</span> run-in I’ve ever had, leaps and bounds worse then the Dallas HOB in 08. It really shouldn’t have been that bad, however, our gate was run by a (literally) mentally challenged individual. He steadfastly REFUSED to open his gate (for reasons that I’m sure made sense only to him), even when the other was flung open and people started streaming in. My friends and I, who were the earliest by many hours, tried to leap over to the open gate. One got through, but I was shoved back by a gatekeeper, demanding to know if I have early entry. I did, and showed him my ticket. He shoved me back again, letting others stream in. I try again, this time he holds me back w/ his arm, absolutely refusing to let me in, while others stream in. Those who know me know I have never yelled at a stranger in my life (or even a friend, really) but I made an exception in this case. Suddenly, the original gate I was at was pried open, and so a new mob swept towards it. Again its gatekeeper shoves me back, and someone behind me grabs ahold of my shoulder and starts pulling me backwards. At this point, Andre intervenes and stops up my original gate to get a handle on this mob (the second gate is still pouring out folks though). Once Andre stepped back, I am the first through, and do make it to my ideal rail real estate, ONLY because this is a locals-only type crowd.<br />
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Things REALLY didn’t get any better when the most insane person on the face of the planet (and, at a Dylan show, that is REALLY saying something) pushed her way to right behind me, got what was coming to her from the small 18 year old girl who’s place she’d assumed, then proceeded to <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">start a fight</span>! Is this even worth it anymore?!<br />
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Mellenhead was still as obnoxious as ever, but he did something tonight that I thought was incredibly nice. He had been apologizing every show for being sick (no. 1 rule of performing, don’t apologize) and tonight, for his last song, he claimed he couldnt sing, and he pulled someone out of his audience because “he’s been singing along w/ every one of my songs all night”. At first I thought it was a plant, but when this guy got up on stage, I overheard him telling the Mel-ster “you’re my entire life! Thank you so much!” I mean, all things aside, could you imagine how cool it would be to be called onstage by one of your idols?<br />
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The boys were a little delayed, but eventually did come out to kickstart the night w/ River Flow, Dylan of course murdering the guitar. Except, tonight it wasn’t bad! Its nothing you’d maybe pay to see, but it was actually very interesting, and at some points definitely worth watching. Same for Aint Me, which sounded very tight from all audible parties (Donnie obviously excluded <img alt=":(" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Sad" /> ), far better then a few nights previous in Houston.<br />
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From the opening note, Til I Fell In Love was a force to be reckoned w/! Clean, tight, powerful and smooth, I hadn’t really heard the band this solid since 08. The bass was the absolute standout, its powerful strides finding its way inside your chest and taking the place of your own heartbeat. You are at its mercy now. Easily a highlight for the night, and when a highlight comes as the third song, you know you’re in for a treat.<br />
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Spirit followed the kick ass trend set by its predecessor. Not only did Denny get a full 12 bar solo, but he got more! And he made use of that time too! It wasn’t mind melting, but it was beautiful, and at least a partial return to form for the song and the band. It stomped all over the previous nights version (not that the bar was set too high), and put a smile on my face, so that’s all I really needed.<br />
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They didn’t let up at all as they flew into Rollin. Far more of a rocker then any other version I’ve heard this tour, if not year, and Dylan really let Denny fly w/ his slide. Again and again, he’d complete a bit and look up, get a nod and slide right on into another. I had to keep reminding myself that I had only written, and not posted, my lamentations of the night before, as it seemed my complaints were being rectified haha<br />
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WMB was just as solid, Stu sounding excellent as always. Denny even got a pretty good solo off, reminiscent of a time when that was the norm. W/ the cool sea breeze (a barge floated past the parking lot that morning, that’s how close we were to the edge of the continent) coming in to keep the heat down and the boys playing the way they were, at least in my admittedly wacky viewpoint, this was already the best show I’ve attended yet.<br />
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I still maintain that Stu should not play lead on Tweedles. Not because he “sucks” or anything like that, but his solo is uninspired. It gets the people moving though, and there is nothing to necessarily complain about. <img alt=":?" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Confused" /><br />
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I have the exact reverse to say about his work on Ballad though, where I felt his leads were exactly what the song needed. H61 saw everyone giving it his all, and the result was great. Its one you’re pretty much guaranteed to get on any given show, but especially when played like this, you’re happy to have it. Nettie was strong and powerful, and Thunder was its pre "09 takedown" self, exceptional playing all around.<br />
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The encores were just as on point as the rest of the show. LARS was the low point, if I had to assign one, simply because there’s nothing much about it that I find interesting anymore. Jolene had a slightly different feel to it, as Tony was playing upright rather then the Ric.<br />
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Even though the songs have become fairly standard names this tour, they were all (minus LARS) songs I thoroughly look forward to hearing. When you factor in the all but “return to glory” renditions we were given for many of them, this show sticks out in my mind as a prime example of the whole ‘judging book covers’ adage. This setlist wont be talked about at this time next year, but the performance would have been……………..if anyone had dared to tackle Corpus in August. <img alt=":P" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Razz" /><br />
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</div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-11187207065593680792009-08-05T22:49:00.001-06:002009-11-12T22:12:02.086-07:00At The Crossroads (Round Rock, 8/4)First appeared here-<div>http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41395<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:13px;">It had all the markings of the “ show of the decade”; hell, it was the show of the decade. Great setlist, not one wrong note struck, the surprise return of a fan-favorite guitarist, I had a great view, it was a great wait, I even met and chatted w/ Stu for a while the night before. You couldn’t make this up. It was an INSANE show, better then most could ever hope for, so why did I leave sans huge grin, instead feeling slighted?<br /><br />The wait was easily the most enjoyable wait I’ve ever had. As most have already commented, the bulk of the early entry folks don’t show up til around 2pm, so most of the day was spend hanging out w/ friends (and the occasional TX Willie fan haha). It would have been a scorcher of a day had it not been for the shaded arbor we had the fortune of sitting under, and a pleasant breeze kept the humidity down. Several news stations dropped by to shoot stories, and, after 2, some of the more colorful characters rolled in. It would be an interesting, if enthusiastic, crowd to say the least.<br /><br />Of course nothing this perfect can go off w/o at least <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">one</span> hitch, and it came right as doors were opening. There were two turnstiles to be opened. I was at the front of one, and when they waved us in, WHAM! Mine locked up! <br />“Mine wont go!” I shouted to the old man “attendant”, “I’m stuck!”<br />He just sort of stared at me w/ a ‘tough shit’ look on his face and didn’t so much as pretend to see what the matter was w/ his gate, so I had to take matters into my own hands; I dropped to my knees and crawled underneath the damn thing! When I scrambled up, I saw at least four pairs of legs pass me through the functioning door. I made a beeline for the stairs, and regained my position on the way down, almost taking myself out in the process; those stairs were slick! Got to the spot I wanted and was able to laugh about the whole thing (laugher soon stifled while sitting in the still air and direct afternoon sunlight <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> )<br /><br />I stayed seated for the Wiyos, and it lead to a MUCH more enjoyable experience. Their music really is great, as I said before, but I am not a fan of the theatrical part of their show at all. They’re excellent if you don’t look at them. Willie was much the same, except today he had Austinite and Tony Garnier’s former bandmate Ray Benson sitting in w/ him. While I’m not a huge country music, I do really like Benson’s playing, but unfortunately he was (more then likely) just there to hang out w/ his friend, as he only took one lead the whole night. ;?<br /><br />The Mel-ster was raised up the slightest notch tonight, not because of his performance (see my original comments on that). He had a tray of snow cones brought up, from which he took one for himself, and told security to pass them out to the parched front row. Of course, the damn rent-a-cop started in the center and took tray AWAY from us, but one did manage to work its way back. He really didn’t have to do that, he could have given them to his band or something, so even if his image of being all about the workingman is a sham, he is about helping the<span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">melting</span>man.<br /><br />In the usual pre-show banter, I was asked what I thought he would open w/. I guessed Beyond Here for an ideal, but for the logical, I went w/ RDW, which, surprise surprise, is what we got. I have never been a fan of that one, and this one was, well RDW. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> I could see Tony and Stu pretty well (actually, I could see just about everyone really well if I wanted to) except Denny’s neck. He was standing a little further back because of Dylan being center stage, and since it <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">was</span> RDW, I wasn’t really that concerned w/ watching his fingers.<br /><br />I did, however, have to alleviate this problem when the next song was revealed as Wheel’s On Fire. While a rarity, I’ve never been too impressed w/ it since seeing it at my first show, but was very pleased w/ this one tonight. Sound was again great for vocals, Stu and Tony; Denny was still quite low, and Donnie may as well have been in Dallas for all I could hear of him. My sight problem was easily fixed by standing on one of the 3 trillion empty water bottles strewn about, and when Dylan dropped the guitar in favor of harp at then end, I was optimistic that Denny may move a bit forward anyway.<br /><br />Levee is a perfect example of why Stu should not play lead while Denny is in the band. Not that there was anything<span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">bad</span> about his lead, but it was, for lack of a better term, generic. The song itself was an enjoyable rocker, and really got the crowd moving, but I longed for the days of early 08, when Denny was allowed to do what he does best (or, at least, moreso then now). Never was this longing stronger then when Levee was followed by Spirit. This used to be <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Denny’s</span> song, in that he was allowed to do really amazing things w/ it each and every night, and on more then one occasion, take it to a whole other plane entirely. His solo (one of about 2 he would take the whole night ) was a Denny solo (w/ great tone), but it was far too short for him to really have the freedom to do anything w/. Spirit used to be beautiful; smooth and flowing, now it’s just rushed.<br /><br />The lights went down, and the glint of the Dussenburg’s pickguard can be seen, being carried onstage by a tall thin figure. “Oh no,’ I though, ‘is he going to play more guitar?’ But as he got further towards the center, I could see it was not the guitar tech, but none other then Charlie Sexton! Hot damn! I’ve seen Charlie several times, but never w/ Dylan. (I though the Arcs were still on the road, but clearly, not.) The lights go up, the boys kick into Honest W/ Me, and the crowd erupts. (Charlie is from Austin and still very much adored by the inhabitants.) Tony had the biggest grin on his face, as though he was seeing his best friend after years apart and, from what I’m told, Dylan was just as happy. It was clear this had <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">not</span> been rehearsed, and I don’t mean it was sloppy, but, it had not been rehearsed. Charlie caught on quickly though, and began feeding off Stu when he played his usual part. I will be honest, while he is a top-notch guitarist, I don’t particularly care for Charlie’s style. Having said that, I was incredibly impressed. Just like in the “old days”, Charlie fit that song. Somehow, when he’s onstage w/ Dylan, his style doesn’t come through as obnoxious.<br /><br />Forgetful Heart was next, and man, I had REALLY wanted to see that one since first hearing it on the album. It was absolutely beautiful. Charlie stayed on, and Dylan came center stage w/ the harp. They were all in a line across the stage, like mourners at a funeral, sparse, Aint Talkin’ styled lighting perfectly complemented the lyrics……..it was ineffable. It was easily the highlight of the night, and probably, technically, the best single song experience you could have at a BD show. Clearly, everyone was stellar, but the one who took the cake was Stu, on acoustic. I hate to sound like a broken record, but that guy is rhythm extraordinaire, and I really cant think of <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">anyone</span> who should be playing that role in that song but Stu.<br /><br />And yet, I could not shake the feeling of, not disappointment, but rather <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">dissatisfaction</span>.<br /><br />And it was then that I realized that I was finally upon the crossroads that I was afraid of running into at the beginning of the tour. And I’ve come too far to turn back.<br /><br />Tweedles brought the house down, even w/ the unrehearsed “duets” between Stu and Charlie. If you didn’t go to a hundred shows though, and didn’t know all the usuals’ parts, you probably wouldn’t even know it was a spur of the moment thing thought, Charlie made it sound that good. Yet still, there was an uneasiness growing inside of me.<br /><br />IFACCO was the only other song I really <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">had</span> to see live from the new record, and I could not believe my luck that I was getting both in the same night! Technically, this song was great, absolutely perfect. But I could not get into it to save my life. These were the songs I wanted to see <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">specifically</span> because I couldn’t imagine an end to the possibility of places Denny could take them. All I wanted was the chance to see Denny slay them. Instead, I was seeing Charlie slay them (hey, anybody’s better then listening to Mike Campbell’s album version).<br /><br />I know, <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">I know</span>, this was a <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">once in a lifetime</span> opportunity! All of ER would KILL for a chance to be in my shoes at this exact second! There are plenty of times I can see Denny playing these later! I know, and I tried to tell myself that over and over again, but I am heartbroken to report I wasn’t near as happy as I should have been. I think it had a lot to do w/ the fact that Denny, since Charlie got onstage, hadn’t been doing ANYTHING. He was there, he was strumming, but nothing you couldn’t <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">easily</span> figure out by watching one verse. He just stood there like a wet noodle, looking at though he wanted to be <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">anywhere</span> but on that stage tonight. I think it was the <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">tease</span> aspect I couldn’t get over. Now, by that I don’t mean he should have gone and sat in the dressing rooms, but its become blatantly clear that I come to these to see Denny above all else. Its not a “lets go see Bob” its honestly a chance to see Denny in my mind, so there’s the expectation I’m actually going to see him play. If I’d have gone not even thinking I’d see Denny, I think I would have been able to appreciate it fully. It would be as if you “normal” people went to a show where Dylan just stood on stage and didn’t sing.<br /><br />When Charlie was still on for H61, it was clear this was no ordinary guest spot. He was gonna be here awhile.. Again, no complaints from me, the next three songs were impeccable, and probably wont ever happen again. During Aint Talkin, I was again impressed by the lighting effects. On previous versions, I’d been far to busy watching Denny’s guitar, but since his soul was MIA tonight, I was able to notice the slightly defused shadows cast by everyone on the bare backdrop. It was great, ghostly, like a gathering of lost souls searching for something they can never find. The imagery was so pristine on top of the song that I highly encourage you to tear your eyes away from whoever you may stare at during shows and just listen to the music and watch the shadows.<br /><br />Thunder saw Denny’s second solo of the night, which finally gave me something to look at. I liked his intro, it was a little different then what I’ve seen in the past. He still didn’t appear to be having any fun up there. <br /><br />Standard encores, as standard as anything can be w/ Charlie sitting in after 6 years. It really was note perfect, I mean, I have no “normal” reason for being anything but ecstatic. It was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen, looking at the whole picture, and I’m very sad that I can’t seem to appreciate just how special of a show I just saw. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> <br /><br />Dylan is, has, and always will be about the lyrics. I’m not suggesting or stating otherwise. But the <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">live shows</span> to me, are about the music., the music which has taken a curious dent since 08.<br /><br />This left me w/ a lot of contemplating to do, so I hoped in the car, cranked up Twang Bang, and headed for (even soggier) points south.</span><br /></div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-44218802851702861402009-08-03T01:32:00.001-06:002009-11-12T22:12:53.507-07:00If You Ever Go To Houston (Houston, 8/2)First appeared here-<div>http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41296<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:13px;">If you ever go to Houston<br />Boy, you’d better walk right<br /><br />I should have listened.<br /><br />It was an oppressively hot day as I made my way into the venue that would house the absolute strangest show I have ever attended. What started w/ the all-but invitation to the rubber glove room walking in didn’t let up until after the security hassled me about <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">looking for my ride</span> when the boys were already on the bus; no matter WHAT I did, there was some venue jerk more then happy to jump down my throat. Even objective observers commented on this strange occurrence. I got yelled at for wandering around, I got yelled at for asking for a glass of ice, I got my ticket checked AT MY SEAT when no one else’s around was, the list goes on and on. There must be someone who looks exactly like me in Houston… and he must be a real assh*le! Yet I remained optimistic.<br /><br />I had been told that I would really enjoy the Wyios, so I was really ready to hate them, but they were actually a fairly solid band. The lead singer has a really excellent voice, and the steel player was a blast to listen to. I thought their “performing” a bit schmaltzy, and would have preferred they not do it, but, hey, that’s me. The music was great.<br /><br />Willie I was also fairly impressed w/. He’s not one I’d ever pay to see, but he gave the audience what it wanted (more well known songs sung exactly like “Willie Nelson” would be expected to sing them) and there were no complaints from me. Early on, he began his rain of headgear upon the audience by flinging his hat into the crowd. Well, it acted like a boomerang, and, had I been leaning <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">back</span> in my chair instead of leaning forward, it would have landed square on my head. (Instead, it hit my back where it was promptly snatched up <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> )<br /><br />Meanwhile it just got hotter and hotter.<br /><br />Mellencamp put on a “rock” show; he had “rock” songs, a “rock” attitude, a “rock” guitar player, and those who listen to “rock” on the radio seemed to gobble it up. Me, not so much. He did put on a great show, if you’re into that sort of prefabricated “Americana”, and everyone seemed to be having fun up there, so I wont knock it too much, but I could easily go the rest of my life w/o seeing and/or hearing him again. <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />Since I last saw Dylan in November, I had practically taken up a second residence in Austin, which afforded me the thrill of seeing Denny being Denny, playing what <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">he </span>wanted. While I had been looking forward to these shows all summer, it was not w/o a bit of apprehension. Seeing Denny in Austin has been better then ANY time I have ever seen him w/ Dylan, and it was natural to wonder if I could return to the BD extravaganza w/ the same feelings of affection and high regard I once held them in.<br /><br />But all it took was that ol’ familiar intro music to slap a smile on my face that I just couldn’t seem to shake.<br /><br />They opened w/ Leopard Skin and followed w/ It Aint Me, Babe, Dylan on guitar for both. Dylan should not be on guitar. There, I said it. Not only does he have 2 stellar guitarists on his payroll, but he really wrecks the energy of the song, if not the song itself, when he’s playing guitar.<br /><br />He moved over to keys for Rollin, and I wish I could say that was a good thing, but that too had its issues. First, it made me realize that Denny was FAR too low in the mix; I really had to strain to hear him. Secondly, the keyboard was FAR too loud, making it so I could hear the ear-piercing interruptions to Denny’s slide clearly <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />The next, Trying To Get To Heaven, usually a favorite of mine, continued the downward slide. The band was tight enough, but Dylan’s phrasing was way too fast in the beginning. Then, he played a harp solo, which, was not terrible by any means, but Denny used to play a mean guitar in that space, and I was more focused on what we were missing. Yes, it is Dylan’s band, but if you have one of the best guitarists playing today in your band, you’re generally better served <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">letting him play</span>. Not a great return show for me thus far.<br /><br />Tweedles was its normal rockin’ self, and a quick trip from Tony to the keyboards in the dark yielded none other then If You Ever Go To Houston. Tony was grinning for ear to ear, no doubt thinking himself clever for playing the obligatory haha. This was my first time seeing this song, and it was here that the night really began to turn around for me. This is a <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">bass</span> song, no two ways about it, and as I watched Tony smoothly guide and control the ride, I remembered why I keep coming back. There is really no greater joy then watching a consummate pro play up and down the neck like that. More often then not, a good groove is really all you need.<br /><br />I was happy to get Alright Ma, but the uprigh’ts levels weren’t exactly, erm, level, and so the bass kept rising and falling. Deal Goes Down saw Denny’s first real notable solo, but I couldn’t help coming away w/ the feeling that it should have been longer. Highway 61 was really great, perhaps one of the better H61s in awhile. It got a bit jammy, in a good way, and no one person’s work stood above any others’. At the time of this writing, I am far too tired to remember if Tony actually solo’d, or if it was just high bass in the mix, bit it was good! <br /><br />The only thing worth noting w/ Nettie Moore was that Stu was attacked by an extremely large moth at the beginning. It was very humorous watching him duck and twist to get rid of it, but he never lost a beat. It wasn’t a bad Nettie, but there was nothing extraordinary about it.<br /><br />The same, however, cannot be said about Summer Days, which really took off. Just like H61, it was a team effort. Everyone was having a blast and it showed. Dylan was laughing out loud more times then once, and that laughter spread to Tony, who began slapping the upright, which automatically put this rendition into another category on its own <img src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":mrgreen:" title="Mr. Green" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />(Semi) standard encores ensued, w/ the exception of Jolene (another first for me). At first, neither me, nor those around me, had any idea what they were playing. Each guy’s pre-song noodling sort of just fed into each other. Stu was on tele playing the rhythm but it was bright and loud and <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">perfectly</span> complementing Denny’s lead on the BFG. This was a perfect example of what happens when Dylan plays to his guitarists’ strengths, rather then randomly assigning roles. I don’t claim to have listened to every Jolene ever played, and I certainly haven’t heard the last couple shows’ ones to accurately compare, but this one was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">something else</span>!!! Wow! It didn’t sound like any version I’d heard before, in more ways then one.<br /><br />While the mix was not the best tonight, one thing that was absolutely right w/ it was Dylan’s vocals, they were loud and clear and strong all night long. Not only was he singing <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">great</span> but it sounded great on the rail too. On the other hand, Donnie CANNOT be heard when there is ANY other instrument playing on stage, which is a HUGE shame. That needs to be fixed pronto.<br /><br />It was a soggy show, no doubt, and I’ve never experienced such an up and down fluctuation in <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">one</span> show before, but it was a blast, and great to be back on the road w/ BD and Co, headed for another joint.</span><br /></div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-36894070038658462252009-06-17T17:36:00.003-06:002010-01-10T23:14:46.676-07:00Levon Helm @ Red RocksIn the last couple of months, the drive between Colorado and Texas has become a familiar route to me; I travel it at least every other month in search of the next great show. But I am used to using it the other way; when headed North, I’ve never been going to a show before. It gave the whole thing a rather strange vibe, from getting my first ticket (and then being pulled over again 2 minutes up the road <img title="Mad" alt=":x" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mad.gif" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /> ), to hitting the first live armadillo I’ve ever seen 5 minutes after that, all the way up to the car in front of me hydroplaning and shooting across the road into a ditch on the way to the venue, to the seat NEXT to mine winning a pre-release copy of Electric Dirt, something just wasn’t quite right about the whole thing.<br /><br />Seeing Larry in the wings from my 3rd row seat however, eased my mind, and upon spotting Levon, a true legend, a little to his left, I was ready. They took the stage to standing ovation, and kicked off w/ Ophelia. It didn’t take long to notice that something was amiss. Besides the two musicians I’ve already mentioned, there was an acoustic guitar, another electric, a mandolin, a B3, an upright bass, and 5 horn players! A blind man would not have noticed anything but the horn players though, for aside from the vocals, they were all you could hear. Don’t get me wrong, I like horns, but not that many, and not that overpowering. It was really counterproductive to have anything acoustic onstage at that point.<br /><br />I tried to shrug it off, figuring that it was merely a mix issue, and that it would be worked out and took to watching Levon. Behind his frail appearance, he still is a young man (as clichéd as that sounds) and that is clear to anyone watching him perform. The entire show, but especially behind his kit, he was grinning from ear to ear, mugging for the audience, and just generally having a blast. What a life.<br /><br />The next couple of songs I didn’t recognize, they were, I suppose, fun little horn numbers, whether or not they were meant to be fun little horn numbers I don’t quite know. The audience, too, was really getting on my nerves. We, for some inexplicable reason, had 4 extra people squeezed into our row who weren’t made to leave, so everyone was practically sitting on each other’s laps. The girl one to my left was carrying on a phone conversation that seemingly consisted of only “Oh em gee” and the guy to my right was air guitar/air drum/conductor man (keep it up pal, I think they’re going to invite you on the road w/ them any time now <img title="Rolling Eyes" alt=":roll:" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /> ), as well as being the know-it-all commentator, who, in actually, didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. I was beginning to think I’d gone at this thing w/ too high of expectations. <img title="Confused" alt=":?" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />The first highlight of the night came next though, in the form of Long Black Veil. The horn section took this one off, Theresa took lead vocals, and it was a great, chilling version. This was the first time I’d actually gotten to hear Theresa singing (aside from just backing) and I was deservedly impressed. This song too, unfortunately, suffered from the odd mix. Larry took a mandolin solo, but it sounded as though the instrument wasn’t even plugged in; it just clicked.<br /><br />The bassist and organist left after Veil, leaving just the Helm and Campbell families onstage. Levon came center to take the mandolin for Got Me A Woman, his daughter Amy taking over on drums. They worked out the mandolin issue enough to where you could actually hear it on occasion, so no complaints about this one. Was happy to hear it, even if it is a standard at Rambles and other Levon gigs. The next song, however, blew my mind, rather unexpectedly too. Anna Lee was the first song on Dirt Farmer that I really grew tired of hearing, and I still skip it occasionally. Not that its not a fine song, but its just not usually my kind of song. Tonight though, I could not help but be amazed. The power and strength of Levon’s voice is something to be reckoned w/ ; it never wavered or shook even while holding the long notes (even more impressive in the high altitudes), and the emotional power throughout was really ineffable. Campbell’s fiddle perfectly complemented the mood of the song. You would think the events happened just yesterday, and that this Anna Lee was his everything. This was truly one performance that will stick w/ me for a while.<br /><br />The rest of the band returned shortly, and it was much the same as it had been. There were Band covers such as Rag Mama Rag and Shape I’m In, other regular Ramble favorites, and even a song or two from the new album. At this point I had accepted, but was still not a fan, of the horn section, who between then all, played at least 10 different types of horns, including 3 varieties of sax……. on the same song, which got to be a bit redundant. If it were up to me, I’d have lost at least 2, possibly 3 of those musicians. <br /><br />The best, and one of the final songs of the night was an incredible Chest Fever! Larry took the whole intro himself, everyone else on stage stepping back and watching to form a semi-circle of reverence around the guy. He took lead vocals as well (one of the only times his mic seemed to be on all night) and everyone just took it away and rocked w/ it. <br /><br />John Prine was brought out for The Weight, which, honestly, could have been a lot better. It suffered from FAR too many people being on stage, and Prine looked and acted as though he’d never heard the song before in his life.<br /><br />Prine was the next act, and I opted to stay and see what all he was about. I know I have a couple of his songs on my computer, but I’d never really searched out any more of his works. He’s claim to fame seemed to be good songwriting though, so I was interested.<br />But I sat, and I sat, and I sat some more, listening all the while to the most cheesy, boring, pointlessly high school lyrics one can imagine. It was really G-dawful! In multiple songs, he took to rhyming ‘fish’ w/ ‘dish’…… and these were not songs about eating seafood off plates! He rhymed ‘dog’ w/ ‘log’ and the audience lapped it up. All the complaints I’ve heard about the Dylan band actually applied here. He sang one note throughout the whole song, enunciating the vowels making him hard to understand. His guitarist was literally playing the most boring, easy riffs imaginable in that place. The contributed NOTHING to the song, and just generally added to the suck (a word I have never used to describe a show before) of the whole thing. I do not understand why the audience went crazy.<br /><br />In my entire life, there has only been one other show I have ever wanted to walk out on (Ziggy Marley opening for Dylan in 08), but for some unimaginable reason, I stayed. Glutton for punishment? Probably. I really wanted it to get better, though I knew it wouldn’t. I had at least one song on my computer, I knew, at least ONE of his songs had to be good. So I sat, shaking my head. <br />He sent his band away.<br />That didn’t fix things, he was still as terrible as ever.<br />I sat some more. I sat and I froze, having become unaccustomed to the cold, thin night air, waiting for something that would never come.<br /><br /><br />And then, just like that (w/ know-it-all incorrectly predicting a different song), it came! It really came! Sam Stone! For a show that was so mind-numbingly bad up to this point, this was like a completely different person was on that stage. It was incredible! This was the reason I had stayed! His band came back out towards the end, the bassist bowing a very moving low end to the tune.<br /><br />The next song saw a return to the previous suck-tastic formula, but the bassist grabbed his red Fender P-bass for the first time of the night and dug in, laying down a smooth line. I can listen to any song as long as a song has a good bassline, so Prine continued to sing about bees and knees, and I let the bass thump on. <br /><br />This was a far better formula, but even it grew old after five or six songs. This guy CLEARLY didn’t know when to stop! And finally, I could take no more. When, at last he vacated the stage, I stood up and made a beeline for the exit, while everyone else whooped and screamed their hearts out. I knew I’d be missing a lame encore, (that is probably STILL going on), but I didn’t care. On the way out, I passed some friends discussing the show:<br />- That bass was turned up too loud.<br />- Yeah, I thought he was a lot better when he was by himself….<br /><img title="Shocked" alt=":shock:" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /> You CANT be serious!!!!???!!!??!!!! <img title="Shocked" alt=":shock:" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br /><br />I’ve had a lot of requests to write this review; I think I’ve actually has a lot of requests to write a glowing review. And I really wanted to write a glowing review. This was Levon! At Red Rocks! The sound was a huge reason I was excited about this show; shows always sound great at RR, but that was perhaps the biggest disappointment of all. The bassist may as well have been playing a banana, and other acoustic instruments, as well as most of Larry’s vocals, were lost to the cosmos. Perhaps other rows had better mixes, but I’m not so sure.<br /><br />I’m not about to say it wasn’t a good show, or that I wouldn’t go back (I would in a flash), but for a show that I’d hyped up so much (in my mind), things could have been better.<br /><br />http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/89/l_916ae633b4614dd7922036bb62b2051b.jpg<br /><br />http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/95/l_8d0e9ea161ac4077b0fc610cef0604ec.jpgThe Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-53194705932910281092008-12-21T23:14:00.002-07:002009-11-12T22:56:33.794-07:00Paul Ray and the Cobras 2008<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div>First appeared here (but I have since left that madhouse)-<br />
</div><div>http://expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=34004<br />
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</div></span><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Paul Ray and the Cobras; to me, they were the ultimate mythic band. Not only because of who played in the band, but also for their reputation; to be named the best band in Austin in 1976 commands reverence. The fact that the only studio work to see the light of day w/ the original line-up is a rare 7 inch single (one apparently sold for $600 in a Dallas auction) only added to their mystique. To me, they represented the Austin that only exists in stories and memories anymore………. and I was going to get to see them in their one-night-a-year performance!<br />
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It had taken over a month of back and forth emails, unbending ‘no’s, pleading calls and emails to friends who’d been a part of the scene in its prime, etc, etc, and finally, I was given the go-ahead; I packed my car and headed for the Continental Club and Austin. Countless bad roads and alternate routes later, I was in front of the venue I’d heard so much about, that had taken on a life of its own in my mind. Not only that, I was about to see Denny Freeman <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">not</span> play a Bob Dylan song haha. Don’t get me wrong, I dig Dylan’s songs as much as ever, but if you know anything about me, you know just how much I dig this guy, so to see him as his own boss was guaranteed to really be something. Words cant really describe how much I was really looking forward to this<br />
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Unfortunately, <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">in front of the venue</span> was where I was to remain……… for a LONG time. The owner had neglected to tell the door guys that I was supposed to be let in <img alt=":shock:" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Shocked" /> I had an email, but since it was a forward, and not directly from the owner, that was no good. I was a half an hour early though, and the door guys were pretty friendly. They called Steve and left a message on his machine. I called my guy and left a message on his machine too. Especially from Colorado, the weather was by no means cold, but the light breeze made it that much harder to sit outside and watch the population inside steadily grow. The clock was ticking down, and still nothing. I was starting to really get a bit freaked out now. It was after 10, and though I’d been assured they wouldn’t start until it was packed, the next thing I know they’re taping the “sold out” sign to the door, and I’m still on the sidewalk! I talked to a friend a few minutes previous who promised that Steve <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">would</span> be there; he was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">always</span> there to see them, but then I saw that same friend take the stage. All I could see of his guitar was the headstock: it was upside down and <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">definitely</span> not anything he’d ever used to play w/ Dylan. What was I missing?!?!?!?!?!<br />
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The worst, most indescribable feeling came over me when the opening notes of Sugaree hit me, still outside under the awning. Paul Ray wasn’t singing; I couldn’t see who the singer was, and I couldn’t see Denny from the shoulders down. I had to get out of the way a few times so that stragglers could get in, and I was finally reduced to leaning against the door frame. Paul came on for the second song, and I could see only his head bopping up and down. I tried to imagine I was listening to a tape (even outside, the sound was excellent), albeit an extremely expensive tape. It brought back memories of working the Telluride show in 2007, expect this was much, much worse. It is the ultimate feeling of helplessness; the worst feeling in the pit of your stomach, up into your throat and out to your arms. There was no one even to blame; the door guys were only doing their job and Steve was doing me a huge favor letting me in. I was praying to every deity, spirit, power, whathaveyou, but it didn’t seem to be working. I never want to feel that way again. It’s the helplessness you feel when something dies.<br />
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3 and a half songs into a legendary show, someone taps me on the shoulder. Oh great, I’m standing in the way again. <img alt=":roll:" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Rolling Eyes" /> Some other lucky SOB gets to go enjoy the show <img alt=":x" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_mad.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Mad" /> I turn around. “I’m Steve, sorry I’m late, go on in!” Oh G-d! I cant get stamped fast enough and thankfully am able to find a route to that old familiar spot.<br />
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Because I’ve now spent more time on South Congress then I ever wanted to, I don’t have my good camera, I don’t have my pencil and paper; no setlist, no chord notes. Given the circumstances though, I could be a lot worse off. Bare w/ me though, I cant remember exact titles of almost anything played.<br />
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The first one that jumped out at me was, I believe, called Difference, Makes No Difference, something like that. Anyway, I’ll spare you the whole history, but Paul left the band back in the day because of throat problems, so I expected the vocals to be a bit harsh. I never, in a million years, would have expected him to sound <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">so</span> good. He was so smooth, it was incredible. It was not the voice from the aforementioned single, but it was damn near close. You’d have thought his voice had simply aged normally; no smokes, no drinks, and sure as hell no throat problems <img alt=":shock:" src="http://expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Shocked" /> Denny, of course, owned the guitar all night. It was great to finally be in a crowd that really appreciated him. This was his audience, everyone hung on every lick. His work on this song in particular, just really struck me; it was very emotional, very beautiful.<br />
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Paul had to leave for the next song, so what do they play but……. Hideaway! I had heard Denny play this one before, but being there is a completely different thing then listening to a record. I mean, there is no way anyone can be anything but blown away seeing him play! There’s just no two ways about it.<br />
<br />
Paul came back, and the rest of the night passed in a flash. They played a lot of Bobby Blue Bland type stuff (I’m drawing a blank on a lot of the artists they played, I’ll know I’ll remember once I hit submit), real soulful bluesy stuff. It was great, it was exactly how I’d imagine it would have been like 30 years ago. They played their own “Other Days” from the single (Denny slaying, again), and a fair number of songs that just the crowd moving (that is, if everyone hadn’t been squeezed in).<br />
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Another highlight of the night, for me, was Jimmy Reed’s Shame Shame Shame, dedicated to Stevie. Obviously I never knew him, but it was great to hear that his song that night wasn’t some remorseful number that makes you want to crawl in a hole and cry your eyes out. Plus, its Denny Freeman playing Jimmy Reed; how fucking cool is <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">that </span>?!!!!!!<br />
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They ended the night w/ a killer Chuck Berry/rockabilly tune, and there’s nothing I can say about it that doesn’t apply to the entire show. Everything was just <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">on point</span>! I cant really think of any other way to say it; it far and above exceeded my expectations. Seeing Denny in Dylan’s band is one thing, seeing him tear it up to Chuck Berry, or Jimmy Reed, or Freddie mofuggin King, is something else entirely! I cant articulate how incredible it was to be there.<br />
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Not just Denny, but the whole band was a trip to finally see. I’ve talked a lot about Paul and Denny, but I’d hate to slight the rhythm section, for they too never missed a beat. For a band that plays together once a year, they were tighter then some guys I’ve seen who play together every week.<br />
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After every song though, Paul always deferred back to Denny, but at the very end, while introducing everyone, he said “its like Christmas up here, w/ Denny Freeman as the baby Jesus.” Denny shot him a great look, but it was true; we came to see him as much as anyone. Hell, he was even singled out on the marquee.</span><br />
<div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/13/l_25de5a1444e04398a4833b04290a0d73.jpg">l_25de5a1444e04398a4833b04290a0d73.jpg</a><br />
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</div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-49881063773231773612008-11-25T00:28:00.001-07:002009-11-12T22:33:16.101-07:00Out W/ A Bang (NYC, 11/21)First appeared here<br />
<div>http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33306<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Appologies in advance, this is kinda long <img alt=":oops:" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_redface.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Embarassed" /> <img alt="8)" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Cool" /><br />
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<br />
This was it. The end. No more Dylan for at least 3 more months, more for those who cant go to the projected Euro tour. While that is not necessarily a long time, I was worried that feeling may have put a damper on the whole evening for me. I was dead wrong though, and couldn’t have been happier.<br />
<br />
Much like the first 08 shows in Dallas, the last also produced sub-artic temperatures, cutting through fabric and flesh w/ the help of the wind. At least this time we had gloves <img alt=":?" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Confused" /> . The ER extravaganza, which was originally slated to meet in front of the venue, was relocated to the restaurant across the street on account of the weather. A large table was secured, but since only one or two groups had arrived, I opted to listen to soundcheck at the back door of the theatre, a building that, even from the outside, commanded attention. I didn’t know it at the time, but the band hadn’t arrived yet, so I braved the cold to listen to techs and roadies set up haha The busses pulled up later, but by the time I made it back to the door, all that was left to hear was the end of a 12 bar blues jam. By then it was dark, most of the ER folks were in the area, so I took my spot in the warmth of the restaurant.<br />
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Because of the size of our group, I could not hear and cannot speak for the other end of the table, but from where I was, it really was a live action Dylan board. One of the best parts of a GA show, for me at least, is the chance to catch up w/ those who we only know through shows, to hear about the shows you didn’t make it to, to just generally be able to talk about Dylan w/ others who are as into it as you and get you in the mindset for the approaching show. The lack of that is one of the great detractors of seated shows, but this setup was even better; we were warm!<br />
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The conversations could have lasted long into the night, but as 7 came and went, we still hadn’t gotten a check, and one latecomer still hadn’t even received her sandwich. While there was no “dine and ditch”, the service was not worth what we tipped, and the only reason I would go back would be to get a drink (they can’t card when they don’t speak English <img alt=";)" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Wink" /> ).<br />
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From where we were in the restaurant, there appeared to be a long line at will call, but those of us w/ the minted, gold (read: overpriced) tickets were whisked right in. There was, of course, no Super-Max style security, no checkpoint, no being escorted to my seat, no anti-scalping methods other then will-call. I dropped my jacket off at my 3rd row seat, and that was the last time I was even near it. I wandered about, checking the view from various areas as I always do. Milkcow, who has her own story, got in just at the nick of time. I walked over to her, and talked for no more then about 10 minutes when the lights went down. Since no one was in the seat beside her yet, I figured I might as well stay. . .<br />
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The lights came up, and the opening chords were not those of RDW, Cats, Maggies, or any other song I’d heard in recent years. I’m not ashamed to admit, I had NO idea what it was until Dylan began to sing. I don’t know when that one was played last, but it had to have been awhile. It had a great rhythm to it, really got the audience up and on their feet. The band was, as they have been almost all year, on top of their game, and the sound was tight. I believe Dylan did pick up the guitar for this song, but I really wasn’t watching, I’ll have to listen to the tape. The sound was good as well, despite being directly in front of a PA stack. The only hitch in the song was that Dylan’s vocals were pretty harsh. It sounded as though he’d just done 4 or 5 shows in a row, and/or REALLY needed to clear his throat.<br />
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I could see Denny and his guitar pretty well, but I had a feeling whoever owned the seat I was standing at would want it back, and since Freeman frequently shifts to face Dylan, I knew my position wouldn’t be very good for very long, so when the lights dropped, I ran a few seats over to where another ER member had a seat. Not only is she an incredibly nice person, but she was shorter then me, so I asked if she wouldn’t mind me standing behind her; a request she graciously granted.<br />
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Not only was the sound and view a million times better, but when the second song was Times, I knew we were headed in a great direction. This was a song that I’d been wishing for since standing in line at my first show, one of the few that I have a real personal attachment to. I wasn’t particularly thrilled w/ the arrangement, but didn’t specifically object to it either, and the sound in my new spot was so excellent I ended up really enjoying it. Dylan must have gotten a drink or hawked one into the spit can, because his voice was much smoother for this one.<br />
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At my last show, Kalamazoo, I was blown away by the unity of the band. But in the couple of weeks between then and now, while listening to tapes of earlier shows, I couldn’t help but (albeit under a lot of guilt) feel a bit sorry that Denny was not in his same out front role that he enjoyed in, say, Dallas. It was obvious during Levee that this was not going to be a Kalamazoo night. Every other guy was still in top form, but they were not the one entity, Denny was again a bit ahead. I, personally, was thrilled. Levee has become a bit of a standard this year, and while you always get a range of good and bad performances w/ those standards, there was something <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">extra</span> behind this one. Maybe they were all just happy w/ the prospect of being rid of each other for a while, but there was an energy that I hadn’t heard in that one since early summer.<br />
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For the second time in 4 songs, I was completely in a fog as the next song began to unfold. I couldn’t even wager a guess; all I knew was that I liked it… A LOT! It was a very country-ish arrangement, thumping bass, great fiddle, great guitars…well, great everything, really. Part of me would have been fine if they’d have just continued on w/ no lyrics. Dylan was even on guitar, and still I found nothing wrong w/ the music <img alt=":P" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Razz" /> As he stepped up to the mic and began to sing, I, and apparently everyone else, took the first few lines and sang ahead in our heads. The crowd recognized it at virtually the same time and erupted into cheers. I doubt very many knew when it was played last (not that long ago, it turned out), but I’d bet everyone counted themselves lucky to be there seeing it. It was easily a highlight for me, but after only 4 songs, I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. I can only hope that this one gets played more in future shows. I was very impressed w/ absolutely everything about it. Dylan flubbed a few lines, but that is but a minuscule detail standing in front of a perfect song; it was over too quickly.<br />
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Things was solid, as it always is, but the next treat for me came w/ Desolation Row. I was (surprisingly) impressed w/ the music when I first saw it this year in Park City, and while the band did not disappoint in any way tonight, it was the vocals which took me away this time. They were not the start-stop staccato that he usually employs for this one, he was actually <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">singing</span>. After awhile, I let myself get lost in it, the vocals, the music, everything was so smooth and seamless. . . and. then. the. start. stop. styling. It. started. all. over. a. gain. Jolted out of a trance-like state, it took me a second to realize that they were <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">still</span> on Desolation Row. That’s not a complaint about the length, but the shift was so drastic, it was almost as if a new song had been started. Almost. I personally am not a fan of staccato Desolation Row, and he never went back to smoother styles, but there was enough going on on stage to distract from that. I was greatly impressed by Stu’s rhythm playing; it couldn’t have been better if he’d tried.<br />
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This was the first time I’d seen Beyond The Horizon this close to Denny, and it was incredible. Its one I always skip on album, but love listening to on tape, and man, can that guy ever play <img alt=":shock:" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Shocked" /> IF he leaves the organization before the NET stops, I’d hope they retire this song; I really cant imagine any other guitarist being able to so anything w/ it, and I almost shudder to hear anyone try. I cant tell you what happened anywhere but directly in front of me, and my only memory of this song was the guitar. I haven’t listened to the tape, I don’t know if it sounds the same on that, but take it from one who knows, it was beautiful.<br />
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Til I Fell In Love was the only one of the whole show that was stuck in my head on the plane ride back, and for good reason; the thing cooked! It has really come into its own this year, and I was pleased to see they were using it to close out the 08 season. Another highlight for me. That’s the difference between seeing a setlist and being there; the best song does not have to be the rarity that earns a million points at the pool.<br />
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Another TOOM song came next, and just like its predecessor, did not disappoint. A center stage Dylan played an excellent harp. Feel My Love is not generally a song I have strong feelings about one way or the other, but the energy boost given to Levee also applied here. Perhaps not <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">the</span> definitive version of the song, but one of the better ones I’ve born witness to. In all honesty, I could have sworn it was You Belong To Me in the intro. I knew I was wrong, but, I couldnt, for the life of me, figure it out.<br />
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A mind-boggling thing happened w/ the audience during Honest, a thing I have never seen happen before; they SAT DOWN! Now, I don’t mean everyone, but first, second, third row folks began to take their seats, even as the guys on stage started tearing the place down. What is going on?! Don’t tell me you’re tired! Stu took his only lead work of the night on this song, throwing out one of his best solos. It was not his average “Stu solo”, but something different. I like Stu fine, he’s a great player, but his recent solos are, well, I don’t know how to describe it, but they’ve got no personality in them; they’re what you’d expect the guitar solo to sound like at that point. This one was not like that at all; Stu the guitarist came through, rather then just Stu the trained Dylan employee. Way to go, Stu! I tried voicing my appreciation when the lights went down, but my sickness and extreme thirst caused my voice to jump up about three octaves before becoming inaudible even to dogs haha<br />
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Spirit is another in the category w/ Horizon. Hearing them try to play it w/o Denny in Kingston only solidifies it as<span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">his</span> number. He was on his white, decorated Strat all night tonight, whereas he usually has switched to the Gibson by the time we hear Spirit. Nice switch-up.<br />
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Perhaps the boss was as baffled by the snoozing crowd for Honest as some of us were, because we rushed uninhibited as H61 began. Just a Levee, seemingly a lifetime before it, this version really cranked. It is undoubtedly a standard, one that is almost always exactly the same as the night, week, month, tour before, but was pushed just a bit farther tonight.<br />
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Those who made it against the stage stared w/ respectful reverence for the entire Ain’t Talkin, and aside from Kalamazoo, which, because of the band thing I put in a different category all together, this was probably the best Ain’t Talkin I’ve attended.<br />
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Thunder blazed! That was incredible, that’s all I can say about it! Probably my favorite version of this I heard. Two notes though; 1) the woman who groundhogged her way to my left during this song threw what looked to be her keys on stage. Keys! They landed harmlessly in front of Tony, but I for one, would not appreciate having sharp metal objects thrown at me out of the dark. <img alt=":?" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Confused" /> (Also, how does one get home?!?) And 2) at the restaurant beforehand, we were all laughing at the most obscure things we could yell out a request for. I joked everyone that the table holler for Stealin Berries. Its one of Freeman’s songs, one I’ve been messing around w/ for the last week or so and am about halfway through and stuck on. Maybe I’m going crazy, maybe I’m losing my mind, maybe I subconsciously heard it because it’s been on constant rotation for hours at my house, but I swear to G-d Denny played one of those riffs in Thunder this time! He was facing Dylan and his guitar was completely perpendicular to me, I could only see his strumming hand, and it was just a quick little thing, but what a killer coincidence! Again, I might just be losing it, but.........<br />
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LARS and Watchtower were really excellent, probably definitive attendance versions for me as well. I actually REALLY liked LARS this time, as opposed to just “meh”. The lights went down after Watchtower, but no one moved, and so you don’t know what to expect. It is were any other night, I’d have used the term “unfortunately” when they started into Blowin, as I really hate ending the night (or in this case, the tour year) on that one, but this was a year ender if I’ve ever heard one! Dylan once again picked up the guitar, and once again, it was not bad, not bad at all! Everyone sounded great.<br />
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As the boys lined up for the final time in 08, I cant imagine that any reasonably sane person in the theatre could have been disappointed. The setlist was not outlandishly absurd, Larry Campbell and Robbie Robertson did not come out from behind the curtain, we were not treated to a demo of an unfinished album, and Donnie still does not wear a hat, but did anyone <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">honestly</span> expect anything different?<br />
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As for myself, this tour year has been unbelievable. I saw more the double the shows in 2008 then I had seen before, total. I flew to shows. I drove. I got rails, and I got row “Z”. I’ve met a million cool people, and I’ve seen a million different towns.<br />
I got to meet my idol, Tony Garnier!<br />
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It doesn’t get much better then this, my friends.</span><br />
</div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-17493887625491884432008-11-10T20:08:00.001-07:002009-11-12T22:34:16.608-07:00Top Form (Kalamazoo, 11/8)First appeared here-<br />
<div>http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32774<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">GA. <span style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">GENERAL</span> Admission. At least, that’s what I thought it stood for. Dylan management and I apparently disagree (their G may lean towards “greed”… ). W/o going into a long rant about it (that is another topic for another time), I made the decision a week before to NOT buy into this horrible policy, even if it was a bit self-detrimental, much like my stance on TTS. Turns out quite a few folks felt that way, the “commoner” line was formed out of the exact same people it always has been; those who do (and will continue to) waste the better part of a day braving the heat, the cold, the wind and the rain.<br />
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And aside from heat, there was plenty of the aforementioned weather conditions. Even so, the time flew by in one of the more enjoyable waits I’ve had. Between meeting internet personas face to face, catching up w/ friends who don’t post, and just generally trying to keep a handle on the ever-changing door plan (exasperated by that new early-entry BS), I couldn’t shake the excellent feeling I had. This was the first show I’ve ever hemmed and hawed over before buying a ticket, and w/ the sound in Milwaukee, I had every reason to expect something miserable to suddenly appear and rain (or, as it were, snow) on our parade, but the venue seemed to at least have a plan, and when, 2 hours before doors, the line was still less then 20 long, I knew things were going to somehow work in our favor.<br />
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Finally, when your knees no longer bend and you’ve forgotten what its like to have sensation in your feet, the doors are opened! I was the first one through my door, and the first one to fling back the curtain into the arena. There is a small collection of the “elite” plastered to the rails, but it looks to me (coming from house right) that I can still get my prime place. I charge over to where the elitists end, and look up; too far! Split second decision time…… I stay here I’m going to be staring at Denny’s ass all night. But if I try to go back, I could be too far again, staring at Dylan’s ass all night …. subconsciously I must have decided to make the gamble, because before I know it I’m shooting back the way I came, again coming to a stop at the end of the “royalty”. My gamble was a good one; I have a clear view of the guitars and bass. Looking strait ahead, I’m in line w/ they keyboard, and have an impeccable view of the center stage mic, if I were interested in that <img alt=";)" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Wink" /> .This was the closest to Dylan I’ve ever been. Looking left and right, it appears everyone who should have been was at least <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">somewhere</span> on the rail. So far, so good. Take <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">that</span>, administrative jerks!<br />
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When they finally come striding out and hit the opening chords of Maggie’s, I was in for another treat; the sound was perfect! At first I was just excited that I could hear Denny loud and clear, something I attributed to being right where the amp was pointed, but as the song cranked on, I could hear <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">everyone</span>, perfectly! In talking w/ some others later, they noted that the vocals were a bit low for the first two songs, and yeah, OK, but they got it fixed, and I was perfectly happy either way (His organ was screeching loud for a bit, but was quickly corrected).<br />
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Maggie’s was a first for me, and I didn’t recognize it right off the bat, but I don’t think the band did either; it sounded remarkably like an intro-less Thunder for the first few bars. You’d have thought they planned it that way though; no one stuttered as they pulled it back around. Just a sign of things to come. One thing I noticed was that it was definitely a <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">band</span> effort, there was no one instrument that was more important to the song or one person to whom the song “belonged”. Everything came together so smoothly, and that was just the opener!<br />
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I was a bit surprised to head RDW come next, I never really thrill in hearing, but this was easily the best version I’ve ever heard of this song, thanks in no small part to Denny’s playing. It was the only time during the night that anyone stood out on his own; the band slayed this one too, w/ a passion that just normally isn’t there for this one, Denny was just <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">that much</span> better.<br />
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I couldn’t believe it when the level of dedication didn’t drop for the next number, Baby Blue. I watched Tony, but then became aware of what George was doing, and couldn’t help but watch him for awhile. And then suddenly I couldn’t peel my eyes away from Stu’s guitar… no one necessarily commanded the attention, but everyone was fascinating to watch. <span style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Everyone</span> commanded the attention.<br />
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Just as an aside, Donnie is a guy I never really watch, mainly because I don’t play any of his instruments, but I did tonight, and he’s very “puppyish”. I don’t mean that in a bad way, and I certainly don’t mean to offend him, but there’s a charming innocence in his concentration. I don’t think that he has to concentrate any harder then anyone else, he’s an extremely competent musician, or that no one else is having any fun, but he seems to be the only guy who isn’t trying to project an “image”; he’s having a blast and doesn’t care who knows it!<br />
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Tweedle has sort of become Stu’s song, but like everything else tonight, he was not any more or less important then anyone else. I feel like a broken record, but they really were synced tonight, they played (and quite possibly breathed) as one single entity, I’ve never seen anything like it.<br />
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Someone asked me after Milwaukee if Stu’s new stage position facilitated the guitarists feeding off each other, and it was clear tonight that it definitely does, one only had to look at Levee for the perfect example. Denny on Strat, Stu on Tele, and the fullest sound I’ve ever heard w/ this song! And still, there were no mistakes, no flubs, no departure from the level they set w/ the first song.<br />
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The only word I could think of while watching Hollis was “stunning”. My <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">only</span> letdown of the entire night was that the slide after the “seven shots rang out” line was a bit anti-climactic, which, in hindsight, may have worked to its advantage. I didn’t want to admit it, even to myself, for fear of jinxing them, but at the point, this really was the best Dylan show I’d ever seen.<br />
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From where I was, it seemed like a great crowd as well. While they weren’t the most active, they seemed to have a sense of what a great show they were taking in. Everyone of course went nuts when Dylan came center stage, or sauntered over and picked up the Gibson hollowbody for H61, but they seemed fairly versed in recent NET happenings and didn’t seem like they were there for the “wrong reasons”. As far as the guitar, he plays if exactly as he plays the organ, which, take that any way you want, but I personally would prefer that he leave that to the guys who he <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">pays</span> to do that.<br />
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I hate to repeat myself a million times, and there are only so many different ways to say “near perfect”, but it really was. The only low point of the whole night was that there was NO low point; there was nothing to judge the highs against. The setlist wasn’t the best, (I’d have liked to see some Love and Theft mixed in) but the performance was beyond belief. <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Best</span> Dylan show I have ever seen.<br />
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Despite the sign in the lobby, this is not “Bob Dylan and Friends”, this is him and <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">his</span> band, and man for man, I think this band has finally arrived in the place <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">he</span> wants/needs them to be in. While I may go to see certain members stand out, no one else does, and he, and they, don’t need to be known as Bob Dylan, a killer guitarist (or drummer, or anything), and a random assortment of other guys. When listening to tapes of other line-ups, many times there was a “unity” factor, and while no one ever mentions it, I think that was more of a factor then anything in the “Larry/Charlie” days. I’ll be the first to admit that, from the beginning, not every member of this band was given an equal role (and, depending on the tour, who that was has been different), but if this show was any indication, those days are over.</span><br />
</div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-71707789048848053012008-11-07T13:44:00.002-07:002009-11-12T22:33:55.693-07:00Six Strings Down and a Drowning Guitar (Milwaukee, 11/6)First appeared here-<br />
<div>http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32667<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; color: #111111; font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Sickness. Its to be expected, especially when you come back from many long days and nights of traveling through uncharted territory, drinking energy drinks and touching gas pumps. Its almost a welcome forfeit when you get back to your own bed. But I’ve never attempted to do the same while already under the weather. And let me tell you, it sucks most of the fun out of seeing new country. But no matter how burnt out, spent up, head pounding-cant breathe-coughing up a lung-over it you think you are, along comes the night before the show, and the excitement you think you didn’t have wont let you fall asleep.<br />
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I had read the weather reports, I’d followed the storm, I knew it was going to be miserable, but when I got up that morning, I was greeted by the sun. When it hit me; I was in Wisconsin. East Troy. Alpine Valley. I knew I had to go. As soon as I pulled up directions, the wind kicked up, and in came the clouds and the fog. It was instantly cold and miserable, and, a little ways down the road it began to rain (oh, how easy it would be to allude to the sky crying haha). The actual stage is now apparently owned by those bastards at Live Nation, so the gates are closed and locked, but the “ski resort” was wide open. And I use ski resort in the loosest of terms. Its hardly even a hill, more of a mound, and I’d have laughed at its puny size had it not silenced one of the best guitarists around. There are no signs, no plaques (its not exactly great publicity ‘Welome to Alpine Valley, we killed Stevie Vaughan’, but still…), if you’re not a music fan you probably have no idea what happened there. Being there made me angry. There were a million things that went wrong that night, I wont bore you w/ the details, but it was really the ultimate act of selfishness, a man who had no business in the sky just <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">had</span> to fly the “celebrities”. As I said before, it is not a gigantic mountain, I wouldn’t think that is a safe flying height no matter what you think is or isn’t around. Whereas the grave in February was a somber experience, this one just made me mad.<br />
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Back in Milwaukee, the rains were really having their way, not a torrential downpour by any stretch, but enough to get you very wet if you attempted to wander around the city. I spent the rest of my wait in a coffee shop next door, which seemed to be blasting out the collected works of Bob Dylan. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but it was very gimmicky. What, do you think Dylan will be drawn in if you play his tunes, like a rat to the Pied Piper?<br />
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In any event, when doors finally opened, I was able to look around the theatre; none too shabby a place. I think the balcony was bigger then the main floor, and wouldn’t have liked to be stuck in the far reaches of it, but most of the place seemed to have a relatively great view. Security was tight as hell though. I was yelled at many times that I would have to turn my cell phone off, even though the upright was still out in front. Each time though, I was asked if I had a pass. <img alt=":?" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Confused" /><br />
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When finally the lights went down (half and hour late, as usual), we were hit w/ the unexpectedness of Thunder as an opened. I must admit, I didn’t recognize it for a few bars; the Freeman intro that makes Thunder Thunder was missing. Or perhaps I literally did not hear it. For all that I kept hearing about the sound in the Riverside, I was very disappointed, I could <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">barely</span>, if at all, hear Denny all night! I was right in front of the PA, which is never the place to go for perfect sound, but the mix coming through the PA was very funky. I originally had an aisle seat, but traded when a much shorter woman’s view of Dylan was blocked. I had a good window on the boss and she had a better view of the band anyway <img alt=";)" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Wink" /><br />
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Love Minus Zero was next, and even w/ the “interesting sound” I was excited. I’d been listening to Warsaw pretty much non- stop this summer, and love Denny’s solo. I waited and I hoped and I prayed, please let Denny solo, please…… not tonight! Dylan took it on harp. It wasn’t terrible, it was quite good, but it wasn’t why I go. Yeah, I know, its why everyone else goes, I’m not the normal audience member, I’m sorry, I probably would have loved this show a lot more had I been normal; Dylan was probably higher in the mix then I’ve ever heard before. Vocals crisp and clear just like on a studio recording, harmonica the same, and organ….oh G-d, what is that?!?! It sounds like a guitar drowning, its clear, its high in the mix, it’s the organ?! As has been noted, he is playing a different keyboard, on a different setting, and in all honesty, it really wouldn’t have been <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">that bad</span> had it been lower. As loud as it was, it just sounded really weird and kinda irritating, moreso when played over a barely audible Freeman.<br />
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Lonesome Day, another first for me, suffered again just due to the mix. I’d love to hear it properly mixed, because everyone seemed to really be cranking w/ it. Hard Rain again saw Dylan solo on harp, and again it was very nice. Almost every song thereafter saw a Dylan solo, either on harp or on organ. Denny barely took any all night (and when he did, I couldn’t hear them <img alt=":?" src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="Confused" /> ). Stu was rhythm guitar extraordinaire, finger picking like a madman all night and actually loud enough to be heard. The only one I distinctly remember him playing lead on was Tweedle. I love that song, I have yet to hear a bad version of it, and Stu did a fine job w/ it, but his strength is definitely on acoustic rhythm. Make him loud enough to hear, and let him do his thing. I was consistently impressed w/ him. He seems to be enjoying his position among the other members (and second billing during band intros) as well, probably glad to be out of solitary.<br />
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The bass was an interesting component in Milwaukee, at times hard to hear, then boiling up to slam you back, rattling your chest and taking hold of your heartbeat. Sometimes that was great, but not so in the bowed Girl From North Country. Tony was further upstage then I’d ever seen, on level w/, if not behind George, and w/ the exception of upright, played almost solely to him as well.<br />
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The absolute highlight of the night for me was High Water, always a good song, but made a million times better by the band. Donnie, Stu and Denny were all so tuned in to this incredible riff that seemed to float around stage, and Tony was throwing some slap in there to complement it. It was, bar none, the best High Water I’ve ever heard! Unfortunately the slapping stopped after the second verse or so, but the song stayed strong.<br />
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Love Sick was another highlight, actually complemented by Dylan’s high vocals. Summer Days was the band’s number, and they ran w/ it, doing a better instrumental verse then I have to assume has been happening lately.<br />
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The whole show was really very impressive, I don’t mean to give the impression that it wasn’t. Every single guy up there was really on top of his game, it was an excellent setlist, Dylan was really hopping around every time I glanced over that way, came out for many center stage “croonings” (though I cant tell you which haha), for the most part, the overwhelmingly local crowd remained standing (and those who didn’t made no attempt to force others to do the same), it was just a good time had all around, Security almost didn’t let us stage rush, and later that night, when me and Pooler standin_on_the _gallows were curious as to what was clearly marked off the setlist minutes before they went on, security wouldn’t even let me <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">near</span> the stage, “not w/o a pass”. (What is w/ this pass, was there one left in my name somewhere?! Haha)<br />
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Outside after the show, I did see the soundman, and considered asking him about the strange mix, but ultimately let it go. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that Dylan’s vocals were so high, after all, I <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">listen</span> to him at the shows and I think that his voice is his best instrument on these songs, but that drowning guitar doesn’t ever need to be that high again. Dylan may have even mentioned it, saying something along the lines of “on <span style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">silent</span>(?) string guitar, Denny Freeman……”, but I couldn’t make out exactly what he said. You all know me here, you know what sort of a bias this was written under. I think had any of you “normal” people gone, you’d have gotten more of a thrill out of the sound at my location then I did. If you went to see and hear Bob Dylan, it was probably a 10. If you went to see and hear the band, more like an 8.</span><br />
</div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-43983669558792787402008-09-24T23:39:00.001-06:002009-11-12T22:05:24.972-07:00Last Days as a "Teenager"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; ">So there I was, sitting out in New York, the supposed land of opportunity, which was quickly proving to be anything but. I needed out, but I sure as hell didn't want to go back and sit around in my piss ant little town. I was stuck in a no win situation……that is, until I saw that Doyle Bramhall, one of my all time favorite artists was playing a few shows in Arizona! Now, I don't want to say that I dropped out <i>because</i> of these shows haha, but lets just say my bags were packed soon afterwards. <br /><br />Just as in New Orleans earlier this year, I was forced to get in contact w/ the club and try and work something out in order to gain entry (I can be shipped to a foreign land to kill and die against my will, but I cant listen to the music of my choice w/o setting of a chain of emails from here to Uzbekistan). Unlike New Orleans, however, this place was far less willing to work w/ me. The date was fast approaching, and, w/ nowhere else to turn, I called in the favor of all favors; and it was settled! I would arrive early and help load in, therefore appearing to the venue as a member of the crew. Words really cant express how grateful I was (and still am haha). There really wasn't too much to do, the two actual crew guys seemed to have a pretty good handle on things, but I did whatever I could, and was got the chance to talk to some cool folks. I was hoping on the off chance that Denny would be playing, since Dylan isn't on tour right now. He wasn't, but another guy from the 3-D Blues Band was; the bassist Jim Milan! Actually, aside from guitarist Nick Curran, the band was completely different then the one I'd seen him w/ in NOLA, I'd heard of the other guitarists (Casper Rawls and Kirk Fletcher) but wasn't familiar w/ their playing, and I was pretty excited to finally be seeing Jim in person, so when we left at 7 for doors to open, I had high hopes.<br /><br />Just an aside, but I think when hell freezes over, the devil will live in Phoenix……. and he will complain about how hot it is! The high that day was supposed to be 100 (I believe it), but when we left the club, it had been dark for at least a half an hour, and it was still hot as shit! When I got back to my hotel, weather.com or whatever informed me it was still 97. Who willingly takes up residence here?!?!?!?!<br /><br />When we all went back, we found a fairly packed house, which is never a bad thing. I stepped back from moving a folding table, and felt a tap on the shoulder. A younger looking guy, looking a bit uncomfortable, attempts to look tough while wringing his hands.<br />- Uh, are you, actually, like, 21?<br />- What? (I'd forgotten that I wasn't technically supposed to be there)<br />- Have you turned 21 yet?<br />- I have to be here…<br />- What was that?<br />- I have to be here. I work for these guys. (He stares at me.) I'm the Merch Guy (my predetermined "title" in case something like this came up), I have to be here. This is my job. Ask those guys.<br />- Oh, I see. I'm sorry.<br />Yeah, you better just keep walkin there haha. Nah, he was just doing his job too, and after that incident, no one bothered me for the rest of the night.<br /><br />The show started on a very high note. They opened w/ Lost In The Congo and the people flooded onto the dance floor. They all seemed to really dig the first few tunes, which include Shape I'm In, Sugar, and Dyin W/ The Flu, but they really seemed to calm down after that, content to sit at their tables and sip their beers, which is really their loss, why anyone would sit through The Hunter, or I'm A Bad Boy or, for fuck's sake, Thunderbird (!) is beyond me. The band absolutely tore though. Casper is really an exceptional guitarist. He's the guy a lot of Dylan fans like to <i>pretend</i> Freddie Koella was, except this guy can actually<b>play</b>! (also a very nice guy, which I'd find out later). Kirk too, played a mean guitar all night. For a few songs, Freddie Cisneros sat in, and regret that I cannot comment more on him, but a wild cat was loose that night, and I was trying not to be a complete asshole about it haha. House Rockin and Change It (predictably) got the crowd moving a bit more, as Stevie co-writes usually do, but overall everyone was a lot mellower then I'd originally pegged them for. Again, their loss, because it really was an excellent show all around.<br /><br />I'd originally planned to make the 4 hour drive to Bisbee that night, but instead opted to just stay an extra night in Phoenix when, at 2 am, I still wasn't out of there yet.<br /><br />Bisbee has got to be one of the most interesting little towns in America. A copper mining boom town build literally into the side of the hills, it reminded me of pictures of an Italian villa, and the guys who I was w/ who'd actually been to Europe concurred. It was really nice the next day when everyone was gone, but when roughly 3000 people converge upon it for a one day festival, things can get a bit, erm, cramped. Luckily my car isn't much bigger then a Shriner's parade car, so I can put it almost anywhere, but I felt sorry for the poor saps eternally circling the full lots. If I may make one suggestion to the festival organizers, its that they put a sign up when a lot is full.<br /><br />Supposedly, Bisbee is one of the most haunted cities in AZ, but it seemed the only thing to have died around there are cell phone calls; literally one end of a bench will have service while the other side (less then 4 feet away) will get nothing. You'll be walking around a corner and suddenly your pocket will come alive w/ all the voice mails and missed calls you've accrued, but when you need to make a call, you'll never have service in the same place twice. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have cared, but when you're in a larger group and cant get a hold of anyone else, it becomes a bit of an issue.<br /><br />None the less, tonight's show was great as well. Not too many changes to the previous nights set, but the crowd was FAR more into it, dancing and cheering and carrying on. At the last minute, a video camera was sprung on me, so I tried to get some interesting shots, but I hadn't had any time to think about it, and I had a bitch of a time just figuring out the zoom, so apologies in advance should you ever find yourself watching my footage haha The band was still in top form though, and was easily the best act of the day. If you're any sort of fan of good music, you really owe it to yourself to seek Doyle out, trust me on this one.<br /><br />I spent the next day just hanging out w/ a couple of friends, wandering through Tombstone and whatever, just generally being tourists. We'd gotten there too late to actually see one of the gunfights they put on, but still got to look around and see where various folks got shot, died, partied, etc, etc, etc as well as places to buy refrigerator magnets! haha It was a blast.<br /><br />My only regret is that I did not see any ghosts. The first night I didn't know, but the second night, my friend told me that the hotel I was in was one of the original in Bisbee. I was in one of the original rooms where all the Wild West shit took place, and as such, it was supposed to be haunted. I didn't hear anything, see anything, imagine anything, no specters, no spirits, no apparitions…….the damn floor didn't even creak all night! What a drag! haha<br /><br />Even though staying in town the extra day meant having to drive from the edge of the country across the barren wasteland known as AZ on my actual b'day date, I could not have asked for a cooler or more fun way to spend my birthday weekend then the way I did, easily the best birthday I've ever had. <i>Nothing</i> I could have been doing in New York could even have <i>hoped</i> to compare to this. Words cant express how much I appreciate all that was done for me. And it occurred to me, somewhere between the vast expanses of baked dust and the cactus covered hills, that this almost didnt happen. I almost never talked to Doyle down there in New Orleans that afternoon in April. I actually turned around and walked away before I went back in. I didn't think someone of his caliber'd care what I'd have to say……..</span>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-26353981310624597222008-09-03T09:11:00.001-06:002009-11-12T22:15:43.890-07:00The Final Blowout (Park City, 8/31)First appeared here-<div>http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30125<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:13px;">Upon learning that this gig was to be played at Deer Valley a few weeks ago, I actually briefly considered not going. Deer Valley is one of around 4 ski resorts that <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">still</span> does not allow snowboarders on its slopes. The last thing I want to do is support something like that. However, it <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">was</span> Dylan (and the band! <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> haha), it <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">was</span> close, it was GA, and, well, c’mon, its Dylan!<br /><br />I arrived early enough to be able to wander around on the stage. It was tiny! The stage itself was only maybe a foot and a half tall, and very small. It was deep, but the audience was on the ski run, meaning a hill, so there would not be a bad spot to be had. It was cold, grey, drizzly, and the sprinklers were having their way w/ the only spot w/o grass; right in front of the rails. Still, you could tell we were going to be in for a major treat. <br /><br />Soon after, the road crew arrived and made us go back to the line. And oh, what a line it was. Aside from the group I was traveling w/, there weren’t but one or two “regulars”, yet the 7 lines grew fast and furious, stretching all the way back to the parking lot many, many hours before doors, I’d never seen such a large and (relatively) gung ho bunch of locals. Most were pretty mellow, and the guy next to me actually saw Tony a lot back when he was w/ Asleep At The Wheel.<br /><br />The first problem to hit (aside from the sprinklers watering the stage) was a massive power failure. At first it wasn’t too bad, they still had time, but as the day waned on and the power still had not returned, both the crew and the audience began to get edgy. Would they cancel the show? Would they play a replacement date? I cant come back for that! Will they play acoustic?!?!?!?!?! Why cant you use the generators? Why are the bathrooms so dark? haha A quick walk up the hill proved the prefect vantage point for the janky way they went about setting up the rails. There were cables jutting up out of the ground holding the canvas roof on that clearly had to be walled off, but because the stage itself was so small, there were only 2 barricade pieces that were parallel to the stage, the rest angled away to form a U. You would have to run down a ramp off the ski patio, <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">up</span> the hill, around this U, and back down into the pocket of the thing, which wasn’t very big to begin w/. Sounds like a worthy challenge haha. The best part about it was that the bathrooms were up there, so the crew couldn’t stop you from going and looking, further stressing out the guy in charge <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />As for myself, it wasn’t a bad wait. I was able to sit in the shade and type up my KC review, and have a relatively normal conversation w/ one of the merch guys. We’d sort of become forced friends after seeing each other day after day after day during the week haha. Security was really cool too, they were all relatively young and would give me the heads up when I needed to duck the stressing stage manager (apparently shade is reserved for those on the payroll as well <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt=":roll:" title="Rolling Eyes" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> ). Thankfully the power came back on and they were able to start soundcheck (and open the downhill bathrooms, no doubt making his life a little easier).<br /><br />By the time they got around to opening doors, the rainstorm that was being meticulously followed by those in line finally reached us. It had just started to get wet when the head ticket taker slowly and calmly walked by, instructing in a quiet voice “start taking tickets”. I ripped my own ticket again and tore off. There was only one person in front of me; some arrogant local who’d been drinking all day and was really starting to become an assh*le, claiming how his ringers were going to grab the whole rail for his 30 friends that showed up right before doors, etc, etc. You know the type, so it made what happened next even better. The venue guys, as is their job, begin yelling “Slow down, walk, don’t run, you’re the first ones , you have plenty of time”……so this mook<span style="font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">actually starts walking!!!!!!!</span> I <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">fly</span> around him and yell “no, you’re not!” (If he wouldn’t have been an assh*le all day, I wouldn’t have, but this was too sweet.) Stunned, he begins chasing me, lets out a war cry (?) of “AYE YEI YEI YEI !!!!” and aims for my left, where there appears to be a space between me and the walls around the cable… only to be blocked by the trashcans!!!! My lead grows. I get around the handicap pen, take a sharp left, and, by some miraculous stroke of luck, actually SEE the tiny white twine stretching 2 and a half feet off the ground. Not to brag, but w/ the agility and grace of, I don’t know, a gracefully agile person (?) haha, I slide underneath it and hit the rails first, with quite some time to spare! The most fun run in I’ve ever had! I turn around and get to watch the chaos that is the rest of the crowd as they sputter up and around the corner. If I was a tech I’d be standing center stage each and every night to watch that, as it sure is a sight. Luckily the grass hadnt beome slick yet, but to someone who’s lungs aren’t accustomed to such altitudes, I’m sure it was a pretty massive hill.<br /><br />The rains begin, hitting hard as they often do up that high. Just about every single tech and crew guy came out on stage to watch; I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so many together at one time like that haha. We are on the cusp of the canvas roof, so we don’t get the worst of it, but we are still anything but dry. We begin listing all the songs he can/should/(but in reality probably) wont play, and come to the realization that “what Dylan songs <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">don’t</span> have to do w/ rain?” haha<br /><br />When the instruments are finally unwrapped and the boys strut out, what else could they have opened w/ but RDW? (From what I was told <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> ), Dylan seemed happy, and Donnie, George and he seemed to sharing the greatest of jokes among themselves, grinning the entire time.<br /><br />I couldn’t believe my ears when they started into Masterpiece, I had to be wrong, there’s no way, it cant be! It was! Its plain to see that the energy from last night is still alive w/i them, and the sound isn’t anything to shake a stick at either. We were standing just right of the PA tower, and the intro music was squealing pretty terribly, but Papa seemed to get things under control, from where I was the bass was pounding into my chest all night. Tony was playing the hell out of the thing too, throwing in interesting little fills all night, but as always, just smooth as hell. Chalk another night up to Tony. I’m glad to see him moving better. While not necessarily bouncing off the walls, he wasn’t standing in weird positions or moving about in slow, uncomfortable ways. (I don’t know that I’d be able to see a Dylan show w/o T <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> ) Denny again only has the gold Gibson on stage, but its really grown on me this past week, so no complaints from me. Donnie played pedal for this one, and at the end, beaming from ear to ear, he yells to Dylan “I got that one!” Uh, go Donnie? <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />Was taken completely off guard by Not Dark Yet, which was incredible. Sounded a lot like the album version, but more haunting, more real almost. Million Miles was equally powerful. And then it happened. Desolation Row. That was the one song I was happy to have never seen. Every single tape I’d ever heard of it just completely ruined it. That was a song for a young man’s voice; I don’t even particularly care for 70s versions of it. However, tonight’s didn’t bother me (and I was listening for anything to be wrong w/ it). The vocals weren’t particularly clear, but they weren’t horribly garbled either. But what really got to me was the music. The music has never been what attracted me to that song, but it was really moving tonight. I don’t remember one particular person standing out more then the others, but everyone just seemed beautifully on point, really the whole night, but for that song in particular.<br /><br />Levee, which should have been predicted but wasn’t, was its usual rockin self, putting Stu was back on his Tele, which had been conspicuously absent for the past couple of nights. After that, another one out of left field; She Belongs To Me. Again, not one that I look forward to seeing, but above and beyond a solid performance from everyone. Honest absolutely BLAZED, Stu on lead, even twisting and writhing during his (impressive) solos, after which he went back to acoustic for Simple Twist.<br /><br />Since the stage was <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">so</span> low and <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">so</span> close, I began to get a little uncomfortable just staring at my normal two (that, and I’d been staring at them for the past three nights now), so I got the chance to observe a little bit of the dynamic between the whole band, and I cant maybe help but wonder if Stu on rhythm for so many years is actually putting him into position for something more. This guy <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">knows</span> the songs, inside and out, and it is he, not Tony, who Denny watches for cues. He is the only one that Dylan is not in the position to keep an eye on, and last night it seemed Tony would play/show a few of maybe the more tricky parts straight to Stu. I’m not saying anything one way or the other, maybe its always been that way but I’m too busy watching stage right, but that guy really is a rock back there, and perhaps his stage position is not one of subordination, but rather of trust and reliance.<br /><br />Our final surprise of the night came w/ Queen Jane, and there’s nothing I can say about it that I havent said about the rest of the show, absolutely incredibly playing from every facet. The performance level matched the setlist on this one, incredible song selection; but even more incredible playing on each and every one of them! It was such an honor to have been there (sorry to rub it in <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " />).<br /><br />The rain clouds came back sometime around H61, but they were really bearing down after Thunder (which, by the way, was the BEST version of Thunder I’ve ever heard!) and turning especially where we were into a muddy quagmire. When the lights went down, Denny and Tony turned their backs and messed w/ their equipment, but otherwise readied themselves for the next song; everyone else was putting their instruments up. Could it really be the end already?!?! I couldn’t believe it! More! We need more! They’ve only just gotten into it!<br /><br />The came striding back out a very short while later, launching into one hell of a LARS, Denny on Strat and seeming to be doing a more bluesy job w/ that song then he usually does. The lights went down, and we expected to be greeted w/ “hello, friends…..”. Instead, the lights came up on Bob and the boys in that familiar line-up. What?!?!?! They cant end it now!!! Those bastards! Get back here and play some more!!!!<br /><br />But, of course, they didn’t. It was raining harder then it had all day, and the wind was shifting in such a way that a very nice Tungsten amp would have been soaked in a matter of minutes. I’m sure the temperature had something to do w/ it as well. Even w/ the 4 heat lamps on stage, you could see their breath all night. My ears were hurting and fingers were cold just being in the audience, so I can imagine how cold they were up there.<br /><br />Whatever mud had accumulated on me during the show instantly washed off on the trek to the parking lot. It was coming down hard and heavy, and you’d probably have been a little drier had you just jumped into a swimming pool w/ all your clothes on. <br /><br />It had been completely worth it though. The last week had been one of the funnest I’d ever had. I had just done 4 shows in 4 states in 5 days. I’d experienced the complete pantheon of weather, I’d had the easiest GA run-in, and one of the more difficult ones. I’d sat in row Z, and I’d clung to the rails, I’d been everywhere but the electric chair, seen everything but the wind ( <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /> ). And as much as I really wanted to continue on to Las Vegas, I was just as happy to be leaving the tour. They have it easy, they have beds, they have people to drive them, they’re guaranteed the best spots in the house.<br /><br />4 states in 5 days on your own is exhausting!</span><br /></div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7561194585135579251.post-32784904130189138952008-09-01T19:50:00.002-06:002009-11-12T22:16:01.331-07:00Back On Top (Aspen, 8/30)First appeared here-<div>http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30088<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 18px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 5px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 5px; font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:13px;">Given the off-kilter feel of the KC show, I was uncertain about what to expect as I started out for Aspen. A lightening bolt lit up the clouds as I rounded the corner into Kansas, illuminating the busses puttering along. I fly by, wondering if that cinematic image was a good sign, or meant instead that we were heading for a stormy performance.<br /><br />The day of the show did little to ease my apprehensions. The short of it was; even thought I’d arrived early, I had to leave for a few minutes, and when I came back, they would not let me back into the lot, would not sell me a parking pass, etc, etc. I ended up having to park at the next lot……..roughly a mile up a very large hill. No one could agree on a time when I <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">would</span> be able to buy one, etc, etc. Ordinarily I wouldn’t mind, but this was a festival and the doors were opening at 2. I didn’t want to walk up and down the damn mtn in the hot sun all day, as it was a pretty long run up to the rails and I’d need energy, and I sure as hell didn’t want to be at the top of the road should they open doors early. I tried to stay positive, but it was unnerving nonetheless. <br /><br />The other thing bothering me was the stage setup. While I commend Jazz Aspen Snowmass for setting up the VIP area length wise rather then width-wise in front of the stage, they really set it up on the wrong side! I enjoy standing in front of Denny and Tony, but that was all taken up by the VIP area and the center was cordoned off as a security path back to the soundboard. This could very easily have turned into a bad deal for me, and was starting to give me a bad feeling.<br /><br />That feeling was not helped when my line’s scanner wasn’t working. Surprisingly, there were only 2 people ahead of me once we got inside the festival grounds, both from my group and both doing nothing more then jogging. While the thundering masses did eventually catch up to us, I did get my spot; squeezed into the far left corner of the commoners’ pen haha. <br /><br />The opening acts were awful. The first chick seemed to want to be a mid-80s Angela Strehli, but it wasn’t happening. Her right handed guitarist contributed NOTHING. I don’t know, she might be a real entertaining act in a smaller room, w/ a bunch of drunks who just want to dance and have a good time, but no one was really having any of it there.<br /><br />Ziggy Marley was, above and beyond, the absolute WORST act I have EVER seen! I don’t get reggee music, but I went at it w/ an open mind, and G-d, was it bad. It was as if he opened a book of clichés, flipped through it, took 2 or 3 lines out if it and said “there, that will be my song!” I’ll spare you my long rant, but there were 9 musicians on that stage, and none of them was doing anything even remotely interesting. The most interesting thing during that whole set was when Tony wandered into the wings and talked to one of the Dylan crew guys hanging out there. Literally. I tired to keep myself entertained by watching the rich yuppies dance around, which, don’t get me wrong, was great fun, but I kept getting sucked back by an INCREDIBLY terrible line. G-d, I have never lived through a longer hour and 15 set. Grrrooooooooooooooooan! At least during the Strehli wannabe set I could sit.<br /><br />By this time, I am really not feeling better about the show. I’m in a bit of a bad mood after enduring that auditory torture, and just praying that whatever was plaguing them in KC, that they were able to work it out.<br /><br />They predictably opened w/ RDW (for some reason he always opens CO w/ it). I am not in a bad spot, maybe 3 or 4 people to the left of being completely in line w/ Dylan, but I think a <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">whole</span> lot of people got screwed into watching his back all night.<br /><br />Denny’s strat appears to be working fine this night, and holy shit, does he put it to work during the second song, Baby Blue. <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Blew</span> the water off the KC version, and his solo, man, I could not stop smiling the entire time. It was one of those like the Senor in Dallas, that just completely grabs you and wont let go, absolutely slayed it. If you haven’t figured it out by now, <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">that</span> is how a guitar should be played! Its clear as they charge into Most Likely that they’re a completely different band then the were in KC. Everyone is on top of their game and its clear my worries were unfounded.<br /><br />The next song sees Donnie strapping on his banjo. My guess is High Water, or possibly Ma. I am wrong though, as he begins to play those oh-so familiar chords. ‘Nope,” I think to myself, as I being to bop to the music, ‘Cry Awhile”.<br /><br />Cry Awhile!!! Oh shit!!!!!!!! The world comes to a screeching halt, and I can do nothing but stare mouth agape as Tony not only plays the album version (on electric), but above and beyond it. He goes up, down, left, right, backwards, forwards, all over that fu<span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">c</span>ing neck! That is his song and he knows it. He is once again proving he is the master of that instrument. I can hear Denny playing a really scorching solo over there, but I cant tear my eyes away from those 4 strings. The sound is incredible. I never want the song to end, I cant describe the feeling. I am not delusional, don’t get me wrong, I do not think I influence, sway whatever, the setlists in any way, but that was the song I asked Tony about in the parking lot back in May. That was my whole reason for walking over and talking to them. That was the arrangement he forgot. In our shooting the breeze, it came up that I was from Colorado, and there he was, in my home state, playing it!!!!! Again, I have no delusions that it was “played for me” or anything like that; it was simply a coincidence, but man, was it the best coincidence I’ve ever experienced!!!!! I’m still amazed I saw it. That was really one for the ages in my book. After that song ended, I could have been struck by lightning and I’d have still be on cloud 9.<br /><br />Cry Awhile seemed to kick off something w/i the guys, and pushed Mobile to a completely different level then it usually resides in. Same for Love Sick, every song had that extra something behind it.<br /><br />Tweedle saw Stu’s first lead of the night, and from the incredible sound, I could tell he was really tearing it up. Unfortunately, all I could see sticking out from behind the Leslie cabinet that let me know he was there at all was his head and the curve of his guitar’s head stock, nothing else. <img src="http://www.expectingrain.com/discussions/images/smilies/icon_confused.gif" alt=":?" title="Confused" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; " /><br /><br />I could continue commenting every song, but they’d all say the same; this song f’n rocked!!! These guys were on fire the entire night, from standards like H61, to the ones the set watcher drool over, like UTRS and Visions. At the encore, someone pointed out that we had not had one MT song. Impressed, we were sure that would change w/ Thunder, but no! I didn’t miss them during the show, but I do hope that they aren’t slowly abandoned.<br /><br />Even the yuppies, who I was sure wouldn’t be the least bit concerned had a blast, standing and dancing like the rest of us. The sound was perfect, and for such a tall and deep stage, they were very visible. Not only were they back on top, but they had something to prove. This show is easily one of the top 3 shows I’ve seen, and <span style="font-style: italic; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">more </span>then made up for the parking and Ziggy Marley bullshit. I couldnt have asked for a better last show in Colorado.<br /><br />No bolts of electricity this time as I pass the band, just the glow of something green on the TV outlining a head leaning against the window, but you don’t need to be a genius to know that the next show is going to be incredible!</span><br /></div>The Average Zorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11175767175222040281noreply@blogger.com0