Bob Dylan 2002.04.29-30 in Paris
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 12:47:52 +0100 (BST) From: Padraig Hanratty padraig_hanratty@yahoo.co.uk Subject: Paris reviews To: bill61@execpc.com Cc: webmaster@expectingrain.com, padraig_hanratty@smartforce.com Hi Bill, I notice that no Paris reviews have been posted, so I decided to send on my thoughts of the shows. I attended both shows last week. Monday night The Zenith is an indoor venue with a capacity of 8000. It's located in the north of the city in Parc de Villette. The show seemed to be sold out and it started around 8.30. Acoustics were first-class and the light show worked well. The acoustic set began with an upbeat Humming Bird. This was followed by a lovely She Belongs To Me, comlpete with gentle harp intro. The crowd came fully to life once It's Alright Ma began pounding. It was a solid version and was followed by an atmospheric It's All Over Now, Baby Blue. Three songs from Bringing It All Back Home in the opening acoustic set. The first electric set kicked off with an energetic Tweedle Dum And Tweedle Dee. Moonlight didn't seem to translate very well live, but Cry A While was fantastic. (Again, three songs from the one album.) The crowd then went wild for a brilliant Subterranean Homesick Blues. Don't Think Twice, complete with harp intro, kept the energy levels high. Hard Rain was a steady version, nothing special. Tangled Up In Blue was also workmanlike, though the crowd loved it. The second electric set began with a swaggering Summer Days, with excellent guitar solos. To Make You Feel My Love had a nice harp solo, but didn't really take off. Cold Irons Bound provided a good noisy contrast. Band intros came during a predictable Rainy Day Women. Love Sick, the third Time Out Of Mind song, was brooded effectively. Like A Rolling Stone brought the crowd to its feet. Forever Young worked well and Honest With Me rocked. Blowing In The Wind was stately. The last encore, All Along The Watchtower, was amazing; in the past, it has often descended into a tired old warhorse but tonight it roared with abandoned. A fantastic closer. Tuesday night In the main part of the show, only two songs (Summer Days and Don't Think Twice) was repeated from the previous night. Again the acoustics and lights were first class and the venue was sold out. I Am The Man, Thomas kicked things off at 8.30. A fine version, with clear, distinct vocals. I Want You was slow and gentle, with more an air of growling resignation than celebration (though that may just be my memory playing tricks). Desolation Row started off powerfully, though Dylan goofed the last line of the first verse by singing "Is Cinderella... Lady and I look out tonight..." Seemingly determined to make up for the error, he sang each verse after that with increasing power. He also put special emphasis on the words "Notre Dame", to the delight of the Paris crowd. After that killer version, It Ain't Me, Babe was almost an anticlimax. Highway 61 Revisited was a surprise choice to open the first electric set. It rocked as usual, but was perhaps a bit overfamiliar. Simple Twist Of Faith, with a harp intro, was excellent, with careful, engaged vocals. Dylan then ripped into Lonesome Day Blues. Floater was a disappointment; it's now similiar to the "jazz" version of Trying To Get To Heaven, with Sexton's guitar replacing the violin line. It's pleasant enough, but not a patch on the album version. Fourth Time Round got a big cheer from the crowd and was a fine rendition. Another Blonde On Blonde song followed, a sublime version of Visions Of Johanna. Another Paris reference in this one, with Mona Lisa and the way she smiles. At the start of Don't Think Twice, Dylan abandoned the harp solo; this was followed by impatient strumming on the guitar and scowls at the band. The song didn't really recover from the fraught start. Summer Days lifted things again at the start of the second electric set. Highlight of the night for me was Not Dark Yet, with eerie lighting and word-perfect vocals. Crowed loved the "I've been to gay Paris" line. A possible reference to the Frech foreign legion ("don't even remember what I came here to get away from") also drew some cheers. Drifter's Escape was awesome, complete with wild harp solo at the end. Band intros came during a standard Leopard Skin Pillbox hat. Encores started with a fiesty Things Have Changed and then settled into a predictable routine. Some fine harmonising on Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Highlight of the encores was again All Along The Watchtower. Hope you find this useful All the best P‡draig