The Dylan - Nelson Double Bill: Still Lookin' For a Soft Place to Fall
Published August 13, 2004
Willie tosses his red bandana to the crowd, and someone up front tosses from the dark, green field a bright Red Sox cap, which Willie puts on and sings a few more numbers. I read in another review that Willie tossed several caps and the like out to the field, and that at least one guy greased a slippery path through the crowd, shoving his way through to grap a cap that Willie had tossed. I also hear that the vibe up on the green isn't much better than back in the stands, but I hear conflicting reports. A neighbor in the stand lends me his binoculars (I have always relied on the kindness of strangers).
Through the double lens, I can see how the stage now shines, highlighted and still in the fresh fallen night. It glows warm orange and gold, the huge Texas flag softly ruffling in the evening breeze. Willie looks great. His trademark plaits are still there, and from what I can tell (and granted, this is from a distance and through binoculars); the plaits are longer than ever. Two long, thin tails of spun silver and blondish-caramel hair, they hang on either side of his face to about halfway down his chest. Willie seems to be always smiling. "Georgia" is lyrical and sweet and beautiful and honeyed, the way he sings it. I'm swaying to the music, watching others around me at last, seem to settle down. Dare I say I even detect some contentedness in this crowd? He rounds out his performance with "Amazing Grace." It is perfect. The crowd has settled in. Night has fallen now, and we have been softly guided through the twilight, floating on that molasses voice. Really, we have been seduced.
Night has fallen darkly when Willie exits, a big farewell and introduces Bob Dylan. The stage goes black for a minute, then Dylan walks on. We don't see this. All we see is a flag drop, with an eye that has long, spider-like lashes, bringing to mind immediately Dylan's thematic Tarantula thing that seems to pop up in songs, books, lyrics. The crowd is now electric. If Willie has seduced us, then Bob Dylan is the man to finish the job.
Dylan is as cool as they come, though a bit cold tonight. I recognize him back in the shadows, his longish grey coat hanging down and his heavy black hat falling over his eye. Through the binoculars, I seek him out, first thinking it is he playing the lead on guitar, but no. Dylan is at the keyboard. He keeps his eyes down, and seems almost nervous. With his outfit and almost panicky air about him, he reminds me of Carroll's Mad Hatter. What is it that he's late for, I wonder. Everytime I see him move, I see the Mad Hatter, with his frenetic, edge energy, "I'm late, I'm late!" but for what? Is this the sense that the old life is gone, when the stadium was packed with so many thousands of people and young women, swarming the stage, just to get a glimpse or to touch the guy who would by many be called the Poet of their generation. Maybe he mourns that time, feeling it has passed, though I don't see it that way. I think it's still there - but perhaps Dylan feels it's absence.
- The Dylan - Nelson Double Bill: Still Lookin' For a Soft Place to Fall
- Published: August 13, 2004
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- Section: Music
- Writer: Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti
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thanks - i'm glad you liked it.
interesting that the show in Poughkeepsie was so different, but i would imagine so - it's such a different vibe there anyway and more apt for a show like that. And yes, i hear what you're saying about the Dylan/Nelson comment - we endured MANY such comments from Duck Face, as above. Ah well. Tant pis.
thx. for checking it out -- did Dylan seem less distressed at your show? just curious...
cheers
srp
actually, the show i saw was in cooperstown.
i was so far off to the left i really couldn't see Dylan all that well.
he was very into it though...jumping around a lot behind that keyboard.
yeah, he was off to the left a lot in MA too...but i heard he was jumping around, though i didn't see.... sounds like he was having some fun at least. certainly made MY evening...
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Why were we all off to the left, huh?
We were pretty happy to find ourselves at the front of the stage in New Haven (thanks to all the folks who would rather buy beer than find a place to stand), but we, too, were far enough to the left that Dylan was hidden behind a couple of big amps for much of the time. He came out between every song to confer with the bass player, and while he was pretty into his performance, his interaction with the audience was nonexistent for the most part. Judging from the t-shirts, I'd say that the crowd was about evenly split between Willie Nelson fans and Dylan fans, and they both got really great receptions from the audience, which was demographically all over the map.
at cooperstown it as pretty obvious about half way through Dylan's set that some folks had lost interest.
i think people were expecting the folky, jangly kinda music that Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits presents....but when this big, snarlin' rock band showed up they just didn't know how to deal with it.
the only words spoken to the crowd by Dylan was during the band intros. he did make a joke about one of the band members getting a baseball bat for his wife. something like "...worst trade in baseball history".
har, har, har.
good question. why WERE we off tothe left, but really, it was Dylan...
he did seem to hide a great deal, as you noted as well. same with our crowd, demographically all over the map, but a real split. but hey, if Bb and willie can get along, and i like them BOTH, why couldn't they like eachother? was that infact the problem? weird hostility vibe, that others noticed too...i can't figure that part out.
as for Bob, i don't know if my observations and intuition are correct -- it's just the way i saw it -- but who knows. he did seem QUITE melancholy.
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srp
good point about the band - they didn't expect a big snarlin' band as you said, mark, so that's part of the problem, though i could have used a bit of both - the jingly jangly and the snarl; it's all good.
what do ya'll think of my friend's comment about bob intentionally not saying the lyrics as a joke? Pure mirth.
Interesting idea - wonder if it's true.
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srp
i saw Dylan last year up and meadowbrook farm and was shocked to see him not touch a guitar once.
not sure why this is. i'd like to see him at least attempt an acoustic number.
don't know about the lyrics trick, though it wouldn't surprise me.
me too!!! an acoustic number would be nice. i kept hoping for "Don't think twice" or "i want you" which would have really made my night... but alas.
Did he play guitar at the Brockton show at all? i think so - maybe once? - anyone? - hmmmm...
well -- with any luck, i'll see him again, but never general admission like that. that was a freakin' nightmare. ugh ugh ugh.
srp
lovely and lyrical Sadie: the difference seems to me to be that Willie is comfortable in his skin, Bob isn't, and all that each implies. Thanks!
yeah, Eric ~~ i would agree with that. Willie is more of a Pro in some ways - he's a real showman, as a friend said, "In the vegas way", not like vegas, but has the same professionalism and continuity. Bob on the other hand is a mixed bag ~~ no doubt, a genius, which i strongly believe, but also a real moody mercurial guy and he's going to do whateverhe feels like doing ~~ and if he's feeling pissy then that will show. REgardless, i still think he does an incredible show. I only wish he had come forward more -- because i came, after all, not just to hear him, but also to see him.
thx. as ever -- SRP
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geezuz! great review.
interesting, that vibe. the crowd in upstate new york was pretty much the opposite.
though i did hear a woman behind me say something like "i just don't know why they put dylan above willie".
i did not comment.