Watching a living legend perform live in concert can be an exhilarating or a disappointing experience, mainly depending on the expectations you bring along with you. When it comes to Bob Dylan, it’s pretty difficult not to expect greatness, but tempering your conceptions of the man is definitely necessary.
Yes, he is still making vital music, and yes, he can still bring it live, but he’s also close to 70, and he’s been touring for so long, it’s no surprise his voice isn’t holding up quite like you’d hope. That inimitable growl that his voice has evolved (devolved?) into certainly adds a new element of rock ‘n’ roll grittiness to his classic work, but there was no denying Dylan was struggling toward the end of his set Friday night at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. Still, Dylan was clearly enjoying himself, his band was sounding tight and the seemingly inevitable sound glitches that seem to crop up at these kinds of shows never presented themselves, all lending to an immensely enjoyable experience.
The ballpark tour Dylan is currently on gives all concertgoers a general admission ticket, allowing them to opt either for a spot in the stands or right up in front of the stage. Surprisingly, there were relatively few fans willing to stand, making it easy to snag a position only about 15 feet from the stage despite arriving late and missing most of the opening act, whose name I did not catch.
Clearly, Dylan was not the evening’s only attraction, with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp offering introductory sets. Nelson’s was amiable and longtime fan-friendly, filled mostly with recognizable favorites and pleasant, if not especially interesting, crowd interaction. Mellencamp’s energetic set provided a nice counterpoint to Nelson’s ambling one.
When Dylan took the stage though, it became obvious who most fans were really excited about. Kicking off the evening with “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat,” it would be the only number Dylan performed from arguably his premier album, Blonde on Blonde, in a set dominated by his most recent records, Modern Times and Together Through Life. Half of the songs came from these two albums, a couple others from various projects from the past decade and the rest an assortment of ‘60s favorites.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Good review, though I have to respectfully disagree on a few points -- the first being the notion that Dylan is somehow past his prime.
If anything, Dylan has been on one of the greatest creative rolls of his career ever since Time Out Of Mind, and continuing with the more recent Modern Times and Together Through Life. Name me another artist from his era -- be it McCartney, the Stones, Neil Young or whoever -- who is consistently making great new music now the way Dylan is, and I'll be the first to pin a big fat gold star on your chest.
The other thing is about the way he reinterprets classics like "Rolling Stone." Dylan fans like me appreciate this, because in doing so he continues to breathe new life into songs like these and keep them fresh. As an artist, I'm also sure it keeps Dylan himself from growing bored with them.
-Glen
2 - Dusty Somers
Glen,
Your point about Dylan's creative viability is well taken â€" as for saying he's past his prime, that's in no way meant to be a slight to his current work. I don't want to suggest he's some kind of has-been, just that he's probably not at his musical high point anymore. He's still got a lot of life left in him for sure though.
As for reinterpreting the classics, I can certainly understand his desire to change things up after playing the songs for 40-some years. Some of these re-thinks seemed a little off, but as the creator of the songs themselves, that's certainly his right to do so. It's hardly some kind of sacrilege for an artist to reinvent previous work â€" well, within reason.
3 - EricW
I was looking forward to seeing Bob in Grand Prairie on August 7, but a family trip interfered. So instead, I bought a ticket to see him August 4 in Round Rock at the Dell Diamond (just north of Austin). Midway through Dylan's set, his former bandmember Charlie Sexton came onstage with his guitar and he and Bob duked and danced it out for the rest of the set - it was GREAT! They were teasing each other musically, and both were grinning a lot - like a talented kid challenging his dad to show him that he still had the stuff he had when he was his son's age. It's too bad Sexton didn't play at the Grand Prairie show for y'all.