Bob Dylan 970803 in Lincoln, New Hampshire
The first concert after Bob's histoplasmosis. Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 06:57:39 +0100 (WET DST) To: karlerik@monet.no From: tarky@mit.edu (M. Tarkanian) Subject: aug. 3, 1997 Karl, Here is the set list for August 3, 1997 Lincoln, NH 1. Sweet Marie 2. I Want You 3. Tough Mama 4. All Along the Watchtower (Not third!!!!???) 5. ?Roll Away? 6. Silvio 7. Tambourine Man @ 8. Tangled Up in Blue @ 9. Cocaine @ 10. Maggies Farm 11. Wheels on Fire 12. HIghway 61 13. Like a Rolling Stone 14. Forever Young 15. Rainy Day Women Great Show! Bob played lead guitar the whole show, but no harmonica. Tangled up and Silvio were the best Ive ever seen in many shows. Bob was very animated tonight, smiling, dancing and really having a good time. Thanks, Mike Tarkanian tarky@mit.edu
Subject: Loon Mountain (addled brain review) From: O'B (dylpluck@ultranet.com) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 03:56:21 -0400 Okay, it's 2:30 am, and I'm bug-eyed from my 175 mile trip home from the White Mountains...so what the hell am I doing still up writing this? God knows... First up, Absolutely Sweet Marie. Good choice, since this song had somehow come up in the conversation during the drive north. We were talking about the god-awful version of this song a band called The Texas Shooters played when they opened for Bob at The Opera House in Boston a while back ('89? '90?). Bob, dressed in black, with a torpedo heater on stage aimed at him--for those from more temperate climes, torpedo heaters aren't some kind of Al Capone-era machine gun, they are small, torpedo-shaped, portable blast heaters. You see them often during winter NFL games, near the benches, aimed at the shivering players. For the record, it was about 60 degrees (F). Up next, I Want You, the slowed down version, which brought back memories of the "lounge singer" shows, where Bob would play a tune or two walking around the stage crooning into his handheld mic. Vocals strong, no signs of any lingering effects from the illness. In the 3 slot...Tough Mama. I said sarcastically just before this one started, "Wonder what this one is gonna be?" Guess what? It wasn't. I was so surprised that I wasn't hearing Watchtower, that it overshadowed how surprised I was to hear Tough Mama at all. A great, neglected song. Also talked about this one on the drive up, while listening to the new Garcia Band CD. Shit, maybe I should have brought up "Desire" :-) #4 Watchtower. It would have been too much to ask...you knew it had to be there somewhere. A much more concise version than we used to get from JJ and Winston. More controlled. Not as full-blown and over the top. Whether that is better or worse, is up to you. Next, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, foreshadowing the post-show parking lot situation. On tunes like this, Kemper's swing fits better than Winston's high power attack. The vocals only ending was excellent and showed what rehearsal can do--a neat little arranging touch. Silvio. Good, not great. Perhaps the clearest vocals I've heard on this one, maybe more a mix factor than a performance one. I could clearly make out each word, not a given. Speaking of mix, what was Bob using for a vocal monitor? I wasn't close enough to investigate fully, but from up on the hill I couldn't see any on-stage monitors. -acoustic- Tambourine Man. Great vocal performance here, no doubt about it. I love how Bob varies his delivery--keeping the lyrics to songs alive by keeping them out of the "sing by heart" rote memory abyss. (There's a 3 am sentence if I ever wrote one) Tangled Up In Blue. Good performance, always a welcome song. Don't know how I feel about the drums during the acoustic songs. Maybe a little lighter drum work would be in order. Melodic lead guitar from Bob. Cocaine (NOT the Eric Clapton tune, the old blues tune--Rev. Gary Davis, someone said?). No pro-drug song here. "Oh baby, come here quick, this old cocaine's about to make me sick, cocaine, running all around my brain" Great choice, great version. Any one who claims Dylan is not a great singer is insane. You could FEEL this tune. Maggie's Farm. So much for the rehearsal comment. Might be an interesting arrangement, when they pull it together. It reminded my friend of the Go Gos' "We Got the Beat". Wheel's on Fire -- to round out what was a truly inspired set list. Again, strong vocal performance. Again, a great tune. No slight on the rest of the show, but I'm beat, I'm going to bed ;-) remainder of the set list: Highway 61 encores: Like a Rolling Stone Forever Young (a) #12 & 35 on to Tanglewood John
Subject: Re: Loon Mountain (addled brain review) From: Grendel (douglasa@*NOSPAM*usa1.com) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 10:14:55 -0400 O'B wrote: Excellent review, thanks for posting. Since it's early morning, I've had a cup of coffee and both bosses are on vactation, I'll post some of my own thoughts on the show. Drove up with my girlfriend Sunday afternoon. Traffic was surprisingly easy getting in and parking. The venue itself is very nice, set up at the foot of a steep slope. Plenty of flat space for the stage huggers, but a nice steep slope for those of us with bad knees and the like. From Good Homes opened the show -- they were supposed to play the Gathering of the Vibes last month but had to cancel -- this was my first exposure to them. I've heard good things about them, and they didn't disappoint. Very tight group, nice sound. I think they just need more gripping material -- most of their tunes were mediocre, and didn't fulfill the potential of their playing. But it was His Bobness that we were there to see, and it was great to see him hit the stage. From the slope, we couldn't really make out his wardrobe, but the black pants with the stripe down the side looked much like Adidas running pants. Melissa joked about Bob being the "new Beastie Boy". As he launched into Sweet Marie, it seemed to me that he was in fine form. If anything, a little rest seemed to do him fine. The I Want You that followed was excellent, particularly in light of a cover we had heard at a folk festival last month that was waaaay heavy on the syrup. Most refreshing to hear it done properly. Like John, I was surprised to be hearing anything but Watchtower as the third song. Tough Mama was nice though. Mmmm. But of course, there was the Watchtower hot on Tough Mama's heels. Solid. Wasn't really paying attention, to be honest. You Ain't Going Nowhere was good, but I don't remember anything specific about it. Silvio was nice too, I particularly like this song and am always glad to hear it. I'll second what John said -- up on the hill, I was surprised at how clear in the mix the vocals were on this one. First time all night that it struck me as such -- maybe they were adjusted before Silvio? Acoustic section, usually my favorite part. Mr. Tambourine Man sparked a discussion of Dylan's delivery of the lyrics, specifically how he can finish a verse well ahead of the musical line and still make it seem perfect. I've tried it myself, and even on Dylan songs I just sound like a rushing fool. And furthering what John said, I think his choppy lyrics on a tune like this cuts down on the sing-along effect. Tangled Up In Blue followed, which is probably one of my top 5 Dylan tunes (and judging by the audience response, I'm not the only one). This one was particularly tasty to my ears. But the best was yet to come -- a little bluesy riff and Bob starts up with Cocaine. I first heard this song last year on a Dave van Ronk bootleg, with similar verses (modified by Dave's keen sense of humor). It's definately not a pro-drug tune, but is mostly toungue-in-cheek. "Cocaine is for horses, not for men, doctors say it will kill me but they won't say when" is one of my favorite verses. I have no idea when/if Dylan has done this tune before, but it sure caught me by surprise. Bob's vocals were prime on this tune -- the chorus was so biting, it caught me by surprise. Whoo! This was my favorite part of the night. Back to the electric for Maggie's Farm. Disjointed and sporadic as it was, I like this tune a lot and was therefore able to overlook the sloppy delivery. I agree with John, it may be very interesting if it comes together. Wheel's On Fire was a most proper choice to get the set back on track. Long and hot, it was very satsifying to these ears. But I was particularly glad to hear the Highway 61 closer, this to me is seminal electric Bob Dylan. Excellent delivery, especially on the vocals side. Very nice. From the hill we enjoyed watching the exit -- people left in waves of pre-encore, first encore and second encore. Their loss. I wasn't particularly impressed with Like A Rolling Stone -- this one's been done to death and it's just difficult for me to get excited over it. Just my perspective though, I'm sure other have the same complaint about many of my favorites. The acoustics came back out for a tasty Forever Young -- a very fitting song in light of a) the recent health scare, and b) his superior performance despite any age or health problems. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was getting younger. Keep an eye on Jakob -- we may have a Dorian Grey thing going on here. The obligatory Rainy Day Women finshed up the set. Can anyone explain to me why the house lights go up? At Bentley, I thought it was a venue thing, but I've heard it's the same elsewhere. Speaking of which, there was almost no search on the way in, as opposed to the metal detectors in Waltham. Was that a venue thing? John mentioned the problems getting out -- none here. We were in the back lot, and after sitting in traffic for some time, we saw a truck turn left down the exit road instead of right. Thinking 'what the Hell?' we followed (with many others behind us). The road became a well-maintaned dirt road that eventually came out to a shuttle lot behind one of the resort communtities near 93. Quick and painless! To sum up -- satisfying on every level. I'm rather disappointed that we will be unable to see any more Dylan this summer -- we're just too booked. I very much wanted to see Ani opening (she's great -- y'all are in for a treat), and I would love to catch more Prime Bob. But in any case, this show should satiate me for a little while at least. He's back, and he looks fine! Enjoy the show folks! Grendel.
Subject: Cocaine [Was: Loon Mountain (addled brain review)] From: Ben Taylor (bptaylor@laguna.demon.co.uk) Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 19:08:08 +0100 ... Prior to the performance last night (August 3rd), we had only three versions on tape of Dylan playing Cocaine: 1. 22 December 1961, Minnesota Hotel Tape 2. Late 1962, Gaslight Cafe, New York City (aka "Second Gaslight Tape") 3. 14 January 1963, Dobell's Jazz Record Shop, London [backing vocal and harmonica only]. Released on "Dick Farina And Eric Von Schmidt", 1964. Cocaine / Bob Dylan (Traditional, arranged by Rev. Gary Davis?) Source: Late 1962, Gaslight Cafe, New York City, New York ("Second Gaslight Tape"). Yonder come my baby all dressed in red Hey, baby, I'm better off dead Cocaine, all around my brain Hey, baby, won't you come here quick This ol' cocaine is makin' me sick Cocaine, all around my brain Yonder come my baby all dressed in white Hey, baby, won't you stay all night Cocaine, all around my brain Hey, moma, won't you come here quick This ol' cocaine is makin' me sick Cocaine, all around my brain Yonder come my baby all dressed in blue Hey, baby, what ya gonna do? Cocaine, all around my brain Hey, baby, won't you come here quick This ol' cocaine is makin' me sick Cocaine, all around my brain Mmmmmm Well, I went up Tenth, turned down Maine Looking for a guy they call Cocaine Cocaine, all around my brain Yeah, I walked up Tenth Street, turned down Beale Looking for a guy they call Lucile Cocaine, all around my brain Yonder come my baby all dressed in white Hey, baby, don't you stay all night Cocaine, all around my brain Hey, baby, won't you come here quick This ol' cocaine is makin' me sick Cocaine, all around my brain [Aaahhh, you're just a frien', out of my hand Go' damn, I gotta a woman on my hip?] Cocaine, all around my brain I ... oh ... this is better than [pounds?], eh Ben Taylor -- bptaylor@laguna.demon.co.uk
Subject: Re: Loon Mountain -- addition to my review From: Grendel (douglasa@*NOSPAM*usa1.com) Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 14:09:45 -0400 ... I forgot the funniest part! On the way out, we heard someone loudly complain: "I came to hear Knockin' On Heaven's Door, man!" That got a nice giggle from us! Clearly not everyone was 'satisfied'! Grendel.
Subject: Sadie's Loony Tunes Tour Report Pt. 1 From: sadiejane (sadiejane@FOLLY.ORG) Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 22:47:06 -0500 3 August, 1997 Loon Mountain, Lincoln NH We got a late start and arrived at Loon Mountain by 2pm. I dropped my stuff in the room at the hotel and then made a bee-line for the gates, figuring there would already be a mass hard-core fans there: I was right. It was a beautiful day, maybe 75 degrees, sunny, dry mountain weather. The folks at the gate were all relaxed and friendly, many sleeping on their blankets, sharing bottled water and stories of Dylan shows past. At 4pm the soundcheck started and we all tried to out-do eachother on guessing the songs. Was it "Girl From The No. Country?" Or "Boots of Spanish Leather?" You could seperate the boys from the men with the identification of the two rare gems on the list: Blind Willie and Tough Mama. About an hour later I saw Bucky, looking down at us from the windows of the upstairs area above the box office. I waved and he flashed his signature peace sign. When the time came for the gates to open, the line had swelled and pressed forward, beyond the table which they had set up for checking bags. Luck was on our side though, and the staff turned out to be rather flexible and accomodating (imagine that!). Rather than sending us ALL back to the table (and risk losing order in the line) they asked just those with bags to move back. This was when Maureen and I both gave our bags to George, who was planning on watching the show from farther back anyway. We had a bit of a giggle wondering what the security staff would think about checking this one guy carrying 2 purses filled with lipsticks and Evian water spray. We may have been giggling, but deep down we appreciated his most chivalrous gesture. Things were friendly as could be at the rail. And we all took turns buying drinks and visiting the portopotties around the corner until From Good Homes started their set at 7:00. They were musically very impressive - the lead guitarist had his Alvarez plugged into a number of effects pedals so that at the flick of the switch it sounded like a slide guitar, fender electric, or acoustic. He also alternated on mandolin and violin. Very strong, versatile musician. The drummer had a great sound - with a tight kit composed of the standard percussion fare, with bongos and cow bell added on. The sax (tenor and soprano) player was down right brilliant - and won a hearty ovation from the audience. They were a good opening act. But they weren't no Ani DiFranco (more on her later). Nothing to write home about in otherwords. The anticipation was mounting. You know why. You know why I was there - why the germans, the italians, canadians, the madisonians and the new yorkers were there. We watched as the crew struck the monitors at the front of the stage which were for FGHomes. It was going to the same setup for dylan that we had seen last spring - monitors on the side of the stage (not the front), drum on the platform just upstage right of Bob, bucky's pedal steel to bob's left. The cuesheets went down, the insense started to smoke. At about this time I heard someone to my left call out, "I see Dylan - he's talking to Kemper" and I looked over to the side of the stage where the band was congregating in anticipation of the start of the show. I could see bob clearly, he was facing me, talking to Dave (who every once in a while moved in front and blocked my view of him). "Bobbbbyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!" I called out and started waving like a complete fool. You know how I felt though, don't you? He looked GREAT!!!! His face looked relaxed and open. Strong. "Bobbbbbyyyy!!!!" and I was quickly joined by the cheers of those around me who could see him too. Bob was wearing dark pants with white stripes and a matching shirt tucked in at the waist, open at the neck. He looked almost naked without his usual jacket. There were a few more love handles visible since April too (has bob stopped smoking again?) - but he looked strong, he looked simply FAAAAAABULOUS!! He picked up a gibson Les Paul and started right into Sweet Marie. When was the last time Bob ever played a Les Paul? They are notoriously heavy (I can barely stand up straight when I've got one over my shoulder) - and often guitarists use them for recording but not for live performing for that reason. BIG STRONG BOB. The stage was high and bob was pretty far back. So there wasn't the kind of contact with the crowd that usually gets bob into the show early. It took about 2 songs before I could hear his voice in the mix. Sounded clear and strong. Tough Mama was great - same arrangement as on Planet Waves. He bit into it with gusto. Silvio was a hoot. He kept altering the delivery of the lines - so that the usually composed Bucky (who was singing harmonies) *almost* laughed, shook his head and smiled. Mr. Tambo Man was a bit slower than usual and Bucky actually switched mid way from mandolin to Pedal steel - which gave the song a more introspective tone. Tangled was also a bit less of a romp than usual - bob I think was taking more time with the lyrics and when he sang, "but me, I'm still on the road, Headin' for another joint" the crowd started cheering and pointing up at him and after he finished the verse he took a step toward the edge of the stage and seemed to dance a step in time with us for just a moment. He was smiling from ear to ear :+} Cocaine was a masterpeice. It was the focal point of the show - Bob's delivery was very focussed and self-contained but at the same time, brimming with the most heart aching regret and pain. The refrain, "Hey, baby, come here quick, This ol' cocaine is makin' me sick" sometimes a plea for help, sometimes a somber resolution, sometimes filled with longing and passion. When Maggie's farm started, I first thought that bob's guitar hadn't been properly plugged in - because the sound was just a wash of bass and drums. It was a sort of lanoisesque sounding arrangement. A bit spacey. They kept it going but it never really gelled. Rolling Stone and Forever Young were two perfectly fitting anthems for the moment and the crowd went wild at every opportunity. I admit I completely lost composure during RDW when I decided I needed more room to dance what with the crush at the rail. You see, there was all this space between the barrier and the stage - plenty of space to dance. And the song was really almost over. So I figured what the hell....actually I didn't figure anything, I just went for it (with the assistance of a neighbor). I landed, I started to boogie and just as I heard my friends calling out (was it in shock?) "Go Sadie!!!" the friendly security officer who I had had a nice chat with before the show: ["Is that a snicker bar in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" (it *was* a snicker bar)] came over and told me I'd have to go back over. Me I'm not a trouble maker, not really, so up and over I went again. Gracefully, with style. Luckily the stage was so high - that I don't think Bob, or any of the band even noticed. But later that night, I kept wondering if at a future show, I'd feel a tap on my shoulder and see Baron's eagle eyes and hear a warning "you pull something like that again and you're OUT!" It wasn't as if I'd started anything. I wasn't followed by a string of girls in halter tops and bell bottoms trying to gain the stage. But I know I don't have to explain myself to you. You forgive me this little lapse. I know you do.... xx sadie Delia ain't dead, she's got one down and nine more to go....
Subject: Re: Loon Mountain (addled brain review) From: Thomas B Gross (tbg@world.std.com) Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 02:03:04 GMT I tried posting something earlier about the Loon concert but it doesn't seem to have appeared anywhere, so here goes again. This was the first Dylan concert I had attended since November 1965. I was up in the mountains for the weekend and was astounded to see that Bob Dylan was playing at Loon Mountain (where my family has had a place - in Thornton actually, since '62). Had to extend the weekend one night to take my nine-year-old son. Called Loon Sunday morning and inquired about tickets. A very friendly gentleman told me that he had about 3000 tickets left. I asked how I could get one or two, where did I go to buy them, he said just drive up to Loon and look for where all the aging hippies were hanging out hoping to see Bob appear. He said he'd been up there since Wednesday being kept alive on a resperator (this was all a joke if it's not clear - the point being that he was very old). At the Back Bay theater in Boston in 1965 he played two sets. The first was acoustic and featured such new, unrecorded songs as Desolation Row. During the intermission, a large crew came out and set up about 20 enormous speakers. Dylan than reappeared with this electrified group (when I say acoustic in the first set I of course mean a solo performance), and began to play an electric version of "Baby Let me Follow You Down" (I think - to be honest I am not sure now but my older brother would remember). This moment, which was the first time I had ever heard live rock music played professionally (at a time when we listened to albums on little monoraul portable record players from Sears - that kind of thing), was one of the highlights of my life, like arriving in Europe for the first time. Many many people in the crowd were appalled by Dylan's move into rock and roll. People yelled things like "it's not you bob". I remember someone had brought their banjo in the audience to sing-along. Finally a girl yelled out "if you don't like it you should have left during the intermission" and that seemed to quiet the crowd down. During these arguments amongst the crowd (in between songs) Dylan would stand with his back to the audience, talking to his drummer. Sunday night I wanted to yell out "it's not you , bob" at some point but there didn't seem to be an appropriate occasion. To be perfectly honest, although it was interesting to see Bob Dylan again, and I did enjoy the music, I would rather have a good CD of the concert. I really enjoyed Maggie's farm and Highway 61. I thought Mr. Tambourine Man kind of sucked actually. What on earth were the slides in the background supposed to mean during the "unplugged" songs?? Incidentally, anyone up on the hill who did not view the concert with Zeiss binoculars really really missed a lot. Someone needs to tell Bob that he doesn't really look very sharp in those stupid striped pants (were they black or maroon or what?). I also found the ritual of encores to be rather tedious. Why couldn't he just say, this is the last song, sing it, and leave. What is all this bullshit about going off stage and coming back?? Although I enjoyed listening to familiar tunes, Dylan as a solo acoustic artist is really so much more interesting than as a rocker - I would love to have heard him out there alone, singing folk songs. Although this may sound like a contradiction (read carefully), I like Rock, I liked the rock at this concert, but it just didn't rock enough - wasn't actually LOUD enough. Lacked the oomph, relatively speaking, the edge that was there 32 years ago. It was a little funny (maybe sad) to see him spread his legs and play lead guitar - I said to my son - "this is his elvis imitation..." /tom -- http://world.std.com/~tbg
