Bob Dylan 970805 in Montreal, Quebec
Subject: REVIEW of Montreal (Blind Willie's debut)
From: Colin Hill (chill@po-box.mcgill.ca)
Date: 6 Aug 1997 06:19:08 GMT
Organization: McGill University Computing Centre
Let me know what you think, please:
REVIEW OF MONTREAL CONCERT, AUGUST 5
Here is the setlist for Aug 5, 1997
1) Absolutely Sweet Marie
2) Lay Lady lay
3) Tough Mama
4) You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
5) Silvio
6) Mr. Tamborine Man (Ac)
7) Tangled Up In Blue (Ac)
8) Cocaine (Ac)
9) Watching the River Flow
10) Blind Willie McTell
11) Highway 61 Revisited
12) Like a Rolling Stone
13) It Ain't Me, Babe
14) Rainy Day Women #12 and 35
As I saw it:
Dylan came on stage in a dark-coloured, slightly-spangled
double- breasted jacket, and a pair of nearly matching pants
with a white (rhinestone?) stripe down the side of each leg.
He looked good, healthy, but perhaps a bit tired -- it may
take him a week or so to get into the full routine of
touring again. As is often the case, his voice was a bit
lazy in the first couple of numbers, although he hit some
nice notes in "Sweet Marie," and "Lay Lady Lay," which was
done real country-style. "Tough Mama" confirmed the
welcome, though perhaps temporary, retirement of
"Watchtower" from the number three slot. "Mama" saw Dylan
really hitting his stride for the evening -- the band was
very energetic, and Dylan's voice loosened up considerably.
He articulated well, spitting out words like "crotch" with
an ironic sense of humour. And the way he bellowed out
"Dark beauty!" showed that he was really enjoying his new
third-slot number. "Nowhere" was the piece that really got
the crowd going, and he sang beautifully and played some
characteristically charming licks on his new guitar. He
harmonized the last chorus with his back-up singers
a-cappella, and invited the crowd, in his only address of
the evening (aside from band intros and a brief "thanks
ev'rybody" after Silvio) to "finish the song". His phrasing
was remarkable in "Silvio," which really kicked, and,
although no one in the crowd seemed to know the number, he
got the dancing going despite a rather oppressive security
detachment that tried to keep the stage rush sane. There
were equipment problems with the drum kit, and a roadie had
to rush on stage 3 or 4 times to make adjustments -- he even
conversed with the drummer mid-song, although not a beat was
lost -- Dylan, who was jovial and full of good will as he
has been in concert of late, even requested "a big hand" for
the road crew during his band intros. An enthusiastic
response greeted the opening bars of "Tambourine" which Dylan
phrased uniquely but advantageously -- he skipped the third
verse, solo-ed, then belted out verse 4 with a delightfully
energetic "Take me disappearing . . .". Then he waddled
over to an amp, picked up a harmonica and delivered an
anticlimatic harp solo that received cheers despite the fact
that Dylan seemed to have trouble getting into it.
"Tangled" followed, and Dylan and the crowd were loving each
other here. The song was rendered rather powerfully,
without the tenderness but with twice the energy of its
delivery when I saw Dylan a year ago here in Montreal. I
counted 6 vocal and 7 instrumental verses, ("burner on the
stove" omitted) and, man, can Dylan play a mean lead guitar!
The anticipated "Cocaine" followed, and friendly laughter
filled the pristine and sterile venue, Du Maurier stadium,
which welcomed Dylan tonight as its inaugural musical act --
it is a tennis venue, and, when I arrived, there wasn't so
much as a stain on the concrete, or a cigarette butt on the
carpet that covered the tarmack. From the 11th row, I could
see the expression on Dylan's face as he rendered "Cocaine"
with great emotion, repeating the "this old Cocaine's making
me sick" verse 3 times, and I couldn't help thinking this
might be a reference to the histoplasmosis scare. "Cocaine"
seemed to have Dylan in blues mode, and he followed with an
accordingly bluesly "River Flow" which was energetic but
dull, and saw him stumble over the lyrics a few times.
The TREAT!!!! of the night followed -- "Blind Willie McTell".
The opening bars had me expecting "Gates of Eden" -- when I
heard "Arrows on the doorpost . . ." I screamed out loud
involuntarily and kissed the person next to me. It was a
stunning performance -- I don't know how often he has
performed this live, but it was worth the $50 admission,
alone. He seemed aware that the audience knew the song
little, or not at all, and he enunciated so clearly that
every word was clear and beautiful. Dylan didn't sing as
soulfully as he had last year (in fact he was kind of talk
singing circa 1988 style at times) but NOT in "McTell" which
had me in rapture. (He changed the lyrics as follows: each
verse was concluded with "I know one thing! / No one can
sing / The blues like Blind Willie McTell"). The only cause
for regret was that Dylan forgot the words to verse three --
he skipped "see them big plantations . . ." and started with
"woman by the river" before correcting and singing the
second half of verse three. So, we got only 4, not 5
complete verses, sandwiched around an awkward pause, and
missed verse 3 part 1 -- "big plantations" -- and verse 4
part 2 -- "chain gang." It was a great performance,
however, I can't stress this enough, though Dylan terminated
the number quickly and seemed a bit uncomfortable with the
performance despite the band's having hammered out the
catchy chord progression with panache. I would not be
surprised, however, if this number is not repeated again.
After this, anything would have been a let down, and the
closing "Highway 61" was just that. The performance was
great, but I've heard this number too many times live, and,
as you can see by the setlist, this show was a bit too much
of a greatest hits retrospective. Dylan said "goodnight,"
played with his hair, and went backstage where I saw him
puffing a cigarette through a part in the curtain while the
audience demanded more. 1st encore: the standard "Rolling
Stone" with nice vocals in the 1st verse that tailed off as
the performance went on. A passable "It Ain't Me Babe"
followed, and Dylan scowled playfully at the first 5 rows
that were lit up with floodlights. Pretty girls were
hoisted on the shoulders of boyfriends, and one tossed a
sealed envelop on stage that went unreceived. A man in the
front blew large clouds of pot smoke Dylan's way, and the
smoke engulfed him, but he didn't seem to notice. "Babe"
ended enigmatically -- Dylan played harp for the second and
final time of the evening, this time magnificently for a
couple of verses, and the band got real quiet, creating a
kind of sound like we get at the end of the studio recording
of "What Can I Do For You," when we hear just harp and
organ; then the band shifted gears, into overdrive, and a
final instrumental verse was played to great applause. The
final number had everyone dancing, and I mean everyone.
"Rainy Day Women" tailed off as the lights came up and Dylan
went towards his bus. I heard only positive feedback from
the crowd on the way out, though I was a little disappointed
at the lack of dancing, strutting, and kiss-blowing that
Dylan had provided last year. He seems healthy enough,
though maybe there just wasn't enough left over for all the
shananigans -- last year he had sweat soaked through the
back of his jacket. All in all, a very solid, fun, but not
historic night.
Subject: Review-Aug 5 Montreal
From: (amullins@total.net)
Date: 5 Aug 1997 23:26:06 -0700
Organization: None
Well, they weren't lying when they said it started at "7 pm sharp!"
We were relaxing out front, having a Sleeman's Cream Ale (after
checking out our 10th row seats) when BR-549 hit the stage at
6:59 pm and we wandered into the stadium. A fine fun set, though
personally I think when it comes to this kind of retro
country/hillbilly music, Canada's Ray Condo and his new band
could blow them off the stage, and would make for a great Dylan
opener (catch Ray at a dive near you! Worth every penny!). Still,
they were tight as hell,and it's not every day you hear Ray Price
songs at a Dylan concert (or Blind Willie McTell, for that
matter--more on that lower down). Sounded like Ray to me anyway...
They played half an hour, and then Ani DiFranco came on.
Ani was charming, a huge grin on her face pretty much the whole way
through the set. I've heard a lot about her though haven't heard
her before and was pleasantly surprised, with a few reservations.
The stage rush had started right after BR 549 left, all the young
little Ani-ettes lining the front of the stage and middle aisle.
She played with a bassist and drummer (fine Canadian boys,
she pointed out), not solo as I was expecting. It was an enjoyable
performance--can't really haul out the superlatives for her--fans
might tell you otherwise. She's an interesting guitar player and
songwriter, though I was surprised at the number of angry/pining
relationship lyrics (angry I expected, though not delivered with that
huge grin). A love-gone-wrong song with a chorus that started with
the words "Fuck you..." was a standout, in my mind, not so much for the
language, but a beautiful, funny, sad song. Other remarkable things were
the pickguards on her guitars. Pickguards the size of Texas. Some took up
2/3rds of the top. Though she didn't bang on the guitars as much
as I've heard about...
Incense lit...
Bob came on at about 9 pm in a dark suit, sparkles woven in there
somewhere, pants striped along the sides with what looked like teeth
from the men he's killed over the years (maybe the stripes weren't
teeth, but teeth-shaped). He's wearing a gold Les Paul, now that he's a
guitar hero. Absolutely Sweet Marie. Never a favourite of
mine until I heard Completely Unplugged, and I've been waiting to hear
it ever since. A great version band-wise, though the standard first-tune
low vocals in the mix at first, corrected by the end.
Lay Lady Lay followed unexpectedly, a wonderful version with Kemper
tapping out the familiar cling-clang rhythms on cowbells. This one
was as close to the Nashville Skyline version as I've heard, a rockier
bridge with some power chords thrown in, Bob's 90's growl instead of
the warbly Skyline sound. Not one I'd pick for a dream setlist, but I
was once again proved wrong. Still, I woulda killed to hear Death
Letter Blues, the alternate on the setlist.
No. 3. Not the song we've all come to love. No one will be able to
just write "Duh..." in this spot for awhile. Instead, Tough Mama seems
to be settling in here. Much like the Planet Waves version, as Sadie
mentioned in her review of Loon Mtn. Not a great vocal from Bob, but
this isn't a vocal song anyway, more of a romp-stomp swamp-rocker.
Woulda been more thrilling with The Band I suspect.
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere. One of my favourites, this was dead on. Bob's
reclaimed this tune, just nailed it, a-sneering and a-snarling one moment,
plaintive whine the next. Backup vocals from the boys, and the a capella
ending. I was surprised how many people seemed to know it, or maybe
it was just the groove the band hit. The Voice is in fine shape I say.
Silvio was the same as ever, not one I listen to at home, but a pleaser
in concert. One of the few moments where Larry Campbell--who could give
Bob a run for his money in the stone-faced department--was allowed to cut
loose, dueling with the reborn Bob guitar god. Very tight performance
(it should be by now) with the crowd singing along (!).
I was kind of hoping for Roving Gambler next, but the familiar
chords of Mr. T. Man started (prematurely from Bob). What can you
say about this? I much prefer his slowed down 95 to 97 versions,
so it was a joy, familiar as it is. Nice noodling from Bob on
the Gibson, and a staccato hand-held harp solo at the end.
He's got a bullet mic for the harp now, attached alongside
the vocal mic. Bucky on mandolin. I wish he'd blow
on that thing once in a while instead of just strumming.
We known he can. Crowd went nuts for this song, naturally.
Tangled Up In Blue. This is a slightly slower version than I'm
used to of late, and it was a great, funky acoustic groove that
they had going. Drumless and bassless for the first verse, after
which the fellows joined in. Tony looked especially pleased with
it throughout, and Bob's lead work, while not exactly pyrotechnics,
was some great 2 and 3 note chord vamping on the G to E strings
that worked beautifully. Heard this one in Montreal last year,
and while that was great too, I'd hazard a guess that this one
will be singled out when the tapes are heard (I'll put in a grovel right
now).
Cocaine was next. Not at all the quick fingerpicking version we know
from the Gaslight Tapes (all the lyrics were different as well,
perhaps more along the lines of Rev. Gary Davis's, dunno). Sort
of a You're Gonna Quit Me pace happening. I could listen to Bob
play the oldies all night. Someone should put together a Golden
Vanity Part II tree, I say.
Watching the River Flow was the standard version, some people don't like
this one, I love it. Extremely tight playing from the boys, perfect
vocals from Bob. I prefer Kemper's old school style of drumming, subtle,
but rhythmically all there, a tasteful player (coming from an ex-drummer).
Bucky was much more prominent than usual in the mix throughout most
of the show and his steel really drives the band at key moments.
After River Flow there were a few strange chords, sounded like someone
had capoed on the wrong fret or something. Larry had a bouzouki. All of a
sudden I was hearing the unmistakable chords of Blind Willie McTell, sans
piano, electric/acoustic bouzouki version. No one in the crowd seemed to
know what it was and I started hollering. I should say that I haven't
hollered at a concert in about 20 years. I knew BWMcTell was a possibility
from the sound check report a couple days ago, but didn't actually think
I'd be there at the premiere, if there ever was one. Once they sorted out
what the hell they were doing (tooks a few bars), this settled into an
amazing Arabian (swear to God) influenced BWMcTell. A modal chord vamp
running throughout over top of the regular chords, definitely middle
eastern, not something from the versions we know (never heard that cover
version of it though). "Seen the arrow on the doorpost..." Every
was beautiful, you could tell Bob had been getting ready to sing this
one for a while. I'm outta words for this one. Crowd roared at the end.
(Phew, choked up just thinking about that :-)
Last of the regular set was Highway 61, and what a version. Same
arrangement as in recent years but perfectly played, high energy closer,
blowing any possible version of Maggie's Farm to kingdom come. Soloing was
tremendous and Bucky started to go wild on the steel guitar in the
solos before the last verse. Just pounding out a chord solo, he took
over, even Bob just let him go and danced around, adding his own inimitable
riffs to the mix. By the end Bob was laughing and smiling like you wouldn't
believe, even Larry Campbell looked excited, and Tony (he's the funny one,
right...) was obviously having a great old time. Bucky never even
looked up, was in the zone. A favourite song of mine, and the best
version I've ever heard.
Encores: (quickly, gotta go to bed) Thunder clap from Kemper, Like a
Rolling Stone. Tight, nothing special, aside from some spacey chords
toward the end from Bucky who still wanted to play it seems.
Crowd: nuts.
It Ain't Me Babe. Really pretty rendition, with a soft straight
shuffle from Kemper on the drums. Wonderfully sung, Bob on harp at the end,
looked spur of the moment to me.
RDW #12&35. yadyadayada...Smiling and dancing and pointing from Bob
though. Marijuana fumes poured forth (from the crowd)...
Well, up way past bedtime...that's all folks. A *great* show. Bob's in
fine health, looks younger than last year and is definitely having fun
up there. Don't miss him, and if you get a tape of this show...
Andrew Mullins
amullins@total.net
