Bob Dylan. The very name can make full grown men weak at the synapses, all negative criticism is banished from the kingdom of the "Bobcat", naysayers dismissed as deluded heretics. On the mighty Internet, websites abound where virtual genuflection is a prerequisite, every gig is reviewed with a Pavlovian slavering, garlanded with superlative overload, each performance ennobled by claims that this is the best ever, every set list analysed like the Dead Sea Scrolls by those looking for the secret sign.
In Birmingham’s NIA — a man-made recreation of Wookey Hole Cavern — the ceremony is about to begin. The pre-concert atmosphere is thick with incense, an intense fevered anticipation that might precede a resurrection or an eclipse is more than tangible. As the intro-tape fades the band burst into "Cats in the Well", the four guitars chew over the riff from Little Richard’s "The Girl Can’t Help It", with little regard for each other, sounding no more impressive than a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, the acoustics making the archly appropriate lyrics, "The world's being slaughtered and it's such a bloody disgrace" discernable only to the most adroit lip reader.
By the third song, the mix has brought the arid husk of Dylan’s voice into focus, and the band kicks off the 12-bar intro to "Watching the River Flow"; however Dylan starts singing the swirling skipping reels of rhyme that is "Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues". Neither band nor singer seem to acknowledge this disparity, both continuing on their path, seemingly oblivious of each other. And the grim realization sets in that the band are not even capable of maintaining the status quo, only of imitating them. Guitarists Freeman and Kimball toss out every wizened rock cliché there is, and every one of Dylan’s sublime songs that bestrides the great "American Song Book" like the Pillars of Hercules, is leveled like a landfill, the Sistine Chapel of popular culture is bulldozed into a bingo hall by the newest members of the superhuman crew.
Article comments
1 - d alper
Interesting take on the "never-ending tour". Guess Nigel did'nt see (nor hear) the "King's New Clothes"? Dylan has mentioned in the past that he went behind the electric piano as a result of the guitar abilities of Freeman and Kimball. Personally I miss Larry Campbell the most. His noodling on most Dylan tunes live were in keeping with the legion you just mentioned, p.s. I was not a big fan of GE Smith. I've seen most Dylan shows that have rolled around the Tri-State area and can easily agree with your assessment. It has sadly come down to the set list, what Bob plays that particular evening truly sets the stage for his Muse. And, I still would like to know why Bob has included a Fiddle player and not included nuggets in his repertoire that take advantage of such an instrumentalist, ie Oh Sister, Isis, Black Diamond Bay, One More Cup of Coffee, real fiddle dominated songs(Desire) where 's Scarlet Rivera when you need her? Great job!
2 - Tom Bromley
Must have been at a different concert ! Birmingham was amazing a great show
3 - CW
Very strange review. On the recent UK tour I saw Glasgow (alright at best), Sheffield (better than alright) and Birmingham, which I thought was absolutely outstanding. People next to me seeing their first ever Dylan show thought it was amazing!
4 - anthony faulkner
Amen to everything you wrote. (Isn't it weird how even Bob's crass failures can somehow inspire such brilliant reviews!?!)
5 - Grace Omaire
I am new.
Which Birmingham are we talking about?
6 - Nigel Simons
Its Birmingham, England...That's the one with more miles of canal than Venice, but less gondoliers.
7 - Rich
I have been to some average and bad Bob concerts, but Birmingham was terrific. You mention the capture of the audience with Hollis Brown in the light of the US college shootings the day before as the highlight - agreed. Was it ever a toss up to see whether we would go to see Pavarotti or Bob for vocal skills, or to see his backing group play rather than say the skills of Ry Cooder. Do we expect the fresh faced, fresh voiced 20 year old from Greenwich Village? I am not sure what some peoples expectations are. In Birmingham, as in Cardiff last year, and Brixton the year before, there was a huge young audience who you could feel were really into the shows. In Cardiff, a young student from Newfoundland was in tears when "Don't think twice..." was aired, maybe for his own personal reasons. Maybe a Robbie Williams concert would provide what you felt was missing in Brum. Oh, and great to see Bob centre stage on guitar even if only for 5 numbers. A very good, if not great night.
8 - Nigel Simons
I would love to know the progression of logic that allows you to assert that I will get some sort of satisfaction from a Robbie Williams concert that I will not from a Bob Dylan concert. The point I am trying to make, is that for Bob Dylan to perform to the best of his abilities, (I don't care that he can sound like Tom Wait's granddad at times) he needs a band that work with him, not one that provides a wall of noise for him to shout above. Dylan's songs are the greatest body of work produced in popular culture -period. Is it too much to ask that a little care is given to their live incarnation? Would you go to the Tate gallery and expect to see the Turners nailed to a wall, covered in flock wallpaper, in frames held together with gaffer tape? To these ears the last truly great live Dylan performances were in the fall of 2002, listen to the emotional power, the phrasing, on say "Accidentally Like A Martyr" - "Never thought I could be so lonely for such a long long time" - now that can make grown men cry, can you imagine a performance of such delicate beauty from the current band, and have any band since then got such a powerful groove on as Summer Days used to have? Following the great Larry Campbell’s departure we seemed to have ended up in some stadium rock nadir - the tragic irony is that the most original musical cannon in popular culture has been reduced to rawk cliché: maybe Bob should go see Dave and Phil Alvin and get the Blasters on board as his backing band - now that would be a treat for sore ears!
9 - Jack
I dont think "Nigel Simons...is the personification of the great Ken Tynan's quote "A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car."
Rather, he is the backseat driver who might know a great shortcut, but takes you through the bad side of town instead of the more scenic route.
That Dylan continues to perform into his late 60s and satisfies such a great portion of his audience, be they long-time devotees or newly baptised, is a tribute to his significance and commitment as a performing artist. Dylan never was "for mass consumption" even at his most popular-- and he still isn't. But focusing on the negative and ignoring the positive is NOT the sign of a great critic, just a sign of someone who derives pleasure from appearing to be more refined than others. Comparing the credentials of Nigel Simons and Bob Dylan to judge the value and talent of a backing band in helping to present a performance, I am going to lean toward Dylan.
10 - barry miller
The guy who wrote this has obviously read too much hunter thompson and friends. swallow the interesting part of teh dictionary next time you fuckin asshole NME reject. Why do people such as yourself honestly believe that Bob Dylan is here to cater for your needs. I am really sick of this shit. just dont go back next time.
11 - Nigel Simons
Its a little difficult to believe the writer of the previous comment has ever encountered a dictionary,let alone opened one, finding the correct spelling of the word "the" beyond his linguistic ability. I think the case for the prosecution "Bob Dylan. The very name can make full grown men weak at the synapses" supported by this erudite commentary.