Bob Dylan 980521 in Los Angeles, California
UCLA
Pauley Pavilion
Capacity: 12,700
Ticket prices: $86
Ticketmaster phone number: 213-480-3232
Triple bill with Joni Mitchell & Van Morrison
Subject: Re: May 21, 1998 - Los Angeles, California
From: (spjohnny@earthlink.net)
Date: 22 May 1998 17:16:33 GMT
I thought this was a very good show. Bob was strong right from the start,
with Just Like A Woman the high point early on. Unlike the last time I
heard it (the El Rey), he was anything but subdued, really yelling out the
"YEAHHHH" a couple of times in a somewhat jarring but very effective
manner.
It did seem, though, that the performance lost some steam from about Silvio
through most of Tangled Up in Blue. In particular, something seemed to
break Dylan's concentration after the first verse of Rank Strangers, which
also suffered from overdone hick-style background vocals.
But the show picked up again when Bob took up his harmonica. Though I was
pretty far from the stage, it looked as though he started playing it while
still out of range of the microphone -- like he was sort of teasing people
with whether he'd actually do a solo or not. Then he pushed his guitar back
and blew (reminding me quite a bit of Bruce Springsteen). Probably not one
of his better solos, but a lot of fun.
Another good thing about the show -- the time constraints, or something,
seem to have caused him to cut back on the jamming on many songs, which I
found to be a plus overall. Most of the tunes had a kind of bouncy pop feel
-- unlike his co-headliners, he got to the point and then moved on. I
thought this was especially notable on an excellent "Highway 61," where the
vocals took center-stage for a change. The "Mac the Finger" verse was
especially good, with Bob rasping it out one sharp syllable at a time, sort
of musically hyperventilating.
As for Van Morrison, he wasn't nearly as obnoxious as the last couple of
times I've seen him. While he did sing "It's just a fucking job, you know,
it ain't Sweet Lorraine" and ended the same song by saying "Fuck it," he
seemed to do it playfully -- unlike a few years ago in San Francisco, when
not long before (and after) singing the line, "I've got a rainbow in my
soul," he told a woman in the audience: "Oh fuck, shut up," "Shut the fuck
up."
And Mark Isham(?) played several pleasant trumpet solos.
Finally, the security people didn't seem to be frisking anyone.
Sorry about any factual errors.
Subject: Re: May 21, 1998 - Los Angeles, California
From: Jim.Hori@ElSegundoCA.NCR.COM
Date: 22 May 1998 11:36:56 -0700
This was an extraordinary evening of music. Van Morrison,
contrary to some reports of other shows on this tour, was
magnificent, in great voice, and vamping and improvising
with joy and imagination. Joni Mitchell hasn't written a
memorable melody in years, her lyrical style has veered
from the poetic to the pedantic, and she played too many
slow songs in minor keys, but there was still something
sweet and winning about her.
Dylan was in a great mood,
playing the rock'n'roller with as much ebullience as he
can show, the band supporting him with a thick groove on
the rockers, and delicate taste on the ballads. I think
now that the reworked melodies are often the result of
his diminished vocal flexibility, most noticeable on
"Just Like A Woman", but other songs requiring a deft
touch, like the surprising closer "Restless Farewell",
were just right. That closer, a hypnotically driving
"Tangled Up in Blue", and the crisp opening "Absolutely
Sweet Marie", were my highlights. I've seen him several
times since my first show, the currently being discussed
'65 Hollywood Bowl concert, and I will see him every chance
I get in the future. Unlike so many of that generation, he
is not going through the motions and fading away. Rather,
he is as vital now as he was then.
....
jimh
