As demonstrated by Elvis Costello at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis on Monday night, follow these simple steps to upstage the headlining musical legend:
- Enunciate into the microphone in a language that approximates English. Bonus points if your voice can be heard and your words can be easily understood both when singing near the microphone and when singing unamplified for dramatic effect.
- Deliver the songs with passion and energy; squeeze an ungodly amount of music and noise out of only a variety of sound-distorted guitars.
- Mix in a few excellent new songs to compliment the older material.
- Acknowledge at least once that you are aware of the city, state, planet, or epoch you are currently performing in. This can be something as simple as a “how are ya?” to a story about advice your father gave you.
All kidding aside, it is the equivalent of a musical sin to criticize Bob Dylan nowadays; the man’s a musical genius whose concert tours (1966 Europe, 1975-1976 Rolling Thunder, and too many others to count) and recorded output (Blonde On Blonde, Blood On The Tracks, and, uh, Shot Of Love) speak for themselves and crush most other artists’ masterpieces like a grape. His last three studio albums are outstanding. He’s been on a critical and creative high for the last ten years. Long after all these peon hack bloggers like myself have sprung off this mortal coil, people will still be listening to, writing about, and over-analyzing Dylan’s lyrics and life.
Some of my favorite concert memories are of Dylan shows. In 1999 my then-girlfriend (and now-wife, also along for the bumpy ride for this latest Dylan show) and I saw Dylan with Paul Simon at Riverport Amphitheatre; their spooky duet of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” is something I’ll never forget, pending senility. In 2004, my brother and I spent three nights waiting outside in the cold March rain for early admission to see Dylan at the Pageant, and the highlights from those shows are too many to name (I’ll take “Senor” and “Man In The Long Black Coat” as my favorites).
Article comments
1 - Brian
Appreciated the thoughtful review. I had read online that costello joined Dylan for the first encore to perform an acoustic version of Tears of Rage, but you didn't mention it. I was wondering what that was like, since it was the first time they did this on the tour, apprently.
2 - bleeding earz
I was there as well. The duet was ok, but after a pretty lousy showing by Dylan, it was too little too late.
Course Dylan's preaching to the converted, so the place went nuts most of the night for everything he did.
3 - Donald Gibson
I've seen Dylan 3 times in the past few years. Only once could I understand him. As great as his more recent albums have been, the Dylan concert experience is just a different deal altogether.
It's almost become a situation in which people (me included) go to SEE him, in the sense that you'd see a national monument. Because 30 years from now, a lot of us will be telling our kids and grandkids that we indeed saw one of the most important figures in music history. We just couldn't hear him all that well.
-Donald
4 - Albert Grossman
I ought to punch you in the face, sir!
5 - anon in evanston
Thanks for the apt description. Their concert last night in Chicago was just as described by E. Whelchel. Plus, we had Amos Lee and his band, who were great, but too short.
I don't need to see Dylan again; he was very similar in bad sound, bad arrangements and bad audience connection as in Telluride some years ago. Can't wait for a new Elvis album and tour, hopefully, with a band and T Bone Burnett (just like 1981).
6 - Chicago Guy
Just saw the show in Chicago tonight (Monday, 10/29). I have to agree 100%; our experience was exactly the same. Amos Lee was great.
7 - Anon from Skokie
Nice to see we aren't the only ones in Chicago to have this reaction. We too went to see the legend.
Interesting that the vocals from both Amos Lee and his band and that of Elvis Costello was clear. Dylan though... don't know how much was Dylan himself, his sound guys, or a combination, but it was almost laughable at times.
Wouldn't you think that Dylan (a poet) would want his lyrics to be heard? They sure weren't on Sunday night in Chicago (10/28).
8 - BiologyHouse
I appreciated your review of Dylan's performance of a show I did not attend. You review could have been written for the last time I saw him live at the Pantages a couple of years ago. At that show Dylan was unintelligible. I have seen him live at least 10 times going back to 1965 and I consider myself his biggest fan. Even though his "voice" is shot I would still like to hear his voice because his lyrics with his voice are still magic. I sometimes get the feeling he is just trying to mask his voice with the instuments, knowing that most will just be happy once they recognize the song. It is probably more accurate to say he doesn't care what the fans think.