Bob Dylan 980606 in Malmö, Sweden
Brofastet, Sibbarp Beach
Date: Sun, 07 Jun 1998 14:33:56 +0200
From: Mattias Davidsson (mattias@quark.lu.se)
Subject: review of Malmoe concert
Hi!
Here are some thoughts on the Concert in Malmoe at the beautifully
located "Bridge-Festival" close to the construction site of the Bridge
connection Denmark and Sweden.
Standing in the very front some feet from the stage with some thousand
people at my back it was all set to go. Bob entered the stage with his
band a few minutes late.
A newspaper reported that Bob and his crew came to Malmoe already on
thursday and that they brought mountainbikes to stroll around town on
their day off. However the chilly winds from the sound in the west kept
them in their Hotel rooms. Arriving at the festival area Bob and the
band was said to go down to the rocky beach some 20 meters from the
stage overlooking the Mounumental "Bridge to be" some Kilometer away in
the horizon. Bobs comment to the band was said to be "Here is Cool".
Bob felt in such a good mood, he tried to get the festival arrangers to
let him play 2 h's instead of the 1 h planned. The agreement in the end
was a 1 h 30 show that showed to be a really magnificent one.
Entering stage in his grey MaverickJacket and metal-buttoned-striped
black pants he and the band kicked into a rocking (new) version of
"Watchtower". The respons from the audience was really good and you
could see it, especially in Larrys eyes (with his wide baby-grin) that
we were in for something special. Bobs eyes had a show of their own,
bending on his nees staring at the people at the front of the stage,
from left, to right and back again. It was real fun and Bob smiled the
whole show through.
Saying thanks everybody, as he did between all songs i think (no further
chat though, eccept for the eye-talk then..) he went along with a
beautiful "Pretty Peggy-O".
"Cold Irons bound" followed and now you really new that Bob was in
shape. I could not hear him hit one single wrong note, and that is with
his voice!
Now he also started to do the "duck-dance" and other kinds of sudden
moves, wiggleing is legs, one leg on the drum podium the other knee
almost on the ground, the crowd went crazy and Bob loved it. I also
noted something i havent seen before, and that is handeling the guitar
as a Machine-gun a'la Sly'Stallone, pointing it at the audience.
Now followed the biggest (no really big ones though) surprise of the
evening, 4'th street. I think I'll wait until I hear it on tape, but my
first impression was that I've heard better.
Silvio rocked as usual and the duett parts with Larry were excellent,
perfect teamwork.
Roving Gambler was also very nice, fast version in the sence that there
was no jamming in between verses.
I forgot to take notes of all those places were Bob stretched and
refrased the words in the way that gives you goose-bumps but there was a
lot of them and they all worked, expanding the songs just a little
beyond what you've known of them before.
There was also some new lyrics on some songs, I cant remember wich.
However, Masters of war was just perfect. In the end of it you could
see Bob fixing up his Harmonica . I tell you that the Work on the
Harmonica on "Masters", and the following "Don't think twice" was
excellent, holding it with one hand, guitar on his back, twisting his
knees Wow man!!
Tangled up in Blue followed after quite some rearrangement of the
queue-list. This time he discussed with Tony and Larry beforehand though
;-) Tangled was great, and tonight we got five songs in the acoustic set
ending with another brilliant duet-with-Larry song "Forever young".
After that perhaps the highlight of the show, Highway 61. It totally
rocked your Brains out. Jamming and connecting with the audience, eyes
drilling into each and everyone on the first rows.
Somewere around here he introduced the band.
A festival as it is, we only got 2 encores, the best ever Love Sick and
of course the crowd pleaser Rainy day Women. Worth noting is that Bob
brought his white stetson on stage for the encores, but probably forgot
to put it on. He also forgot it when walking of stage having to return
briefly on stage to get it.
A great show, and looking forward to the Gotehnburg and Copenhagen show!
Plese get in contact when you get the tape, I might have something you
desperately want ;-)
/mattias davidsson mattias@quark.lu.se
