Bob Dylan 980908 in Glenfield
Subject: AUCKLAND REVIEW 2ND NIGHT 8 SEPT 98 (a tad longish) From: Rob Zorn (zorncat@HOTMAIL.COM) Date: 8 Sep 1998 20:13:11 -0700 Organization: None A Dylan concert two nights in a row! I feel really privileged. The rain held off this time, and entry to last night's gig went a lot more smoothly. It was the second show, an extra one scheduled when the first one sold out so quickly. Due to a mix up, we'd left buying tickets for this show too late. We ended up near the back on the mezzanine floor. A shame not to be close, but the benefit was a better overall view of the show. I think the sound was a little better up there too. Patti came on again at about 8:05 and began a very different set to the one the night before. One of her opening comments referred to the baseball player (his name eludes me) who broke some record by hitting 61 home runs. She said it probably doesn't mean much to us here in NZ, but with all the shit going on in the world, it was nice to know that some guy could go out and hit 61 homers. Fair enough. Her comment won her some applause, but tonight was not going to be as good a night for Patti as the one before had been. Gone Again (A great version) opened her set and that was quickly followed by Dancing Barefoot. (You can tell I remembered my pen this time). The setlist was much different to Monday night's. but something wasn't quite gelling for Patti. She was good, no doubt about that, but the big crowd of devotees weren't there at her feet this time. Maybe it was because of it being the second show. Beneath the Southern Cross was her third song. So far so good. Fourthly she said she wanted to play a new song that her and the band were still sorta working on. It was called "Grateful" and was a tribute to Jerry Garcia. She was charming as this began. Some quiet guitar and then she said, "Oh, shit!". She turned to the band and they started again. 8-9 bars into the intro and it was, "Oh shit!" again. The band stopped. "What do I do now?" she laughed. "Make it up, Patti!" someone yelled. "Okay," she replied, and off they went. It was a nice little song, but probably not one that a New Zealand audience, many who probably came to the second show because the first one was said to have rocked so hard, could relate to all that well. Free Money. Good to see HORSES being represented, even if this is the worst track on the album imho. I would give three toes from my right foot to hear her do "Kimberly". About a Boy. If this song really is for Kurt Cobain, then tonight was a real tribute night. It didn't go down well, and Patti gave us the extended version. The song is good in terms of art, but I think the audience wanted to rock, and couldn't relate to well to her slower stuff. Because the Night reclaimed a bit of territory for her, but it just wasn't there like it was the night before. Gone was the aggressive posturing, and she wasn't spitting on the stage nearly as much. :-) Lots of people dancing in the aisles now, a good sign on the whole. Roc 'n' Roll Nigger. A great way to end a set. This was wild and loud, a real crowd pleaser. It seemed the roadie didn't have the guitar properly ready, he burst onto the stage when her solo was due, and she started it a bit late. The amp seemed to be playing up too, so she kicked it, let the guitar hang, and picked up the clarinet. Neato!!! This was really cool, lots of loud squealing, and she still pulled all the strings off her guitar for effect! The last stanza was sung on her knees, with heart and with lots of ad-libbed encouragement to New Zealanders to look after each other and not take any fucking shit. Thank you Patti! 40 mins and it was great! I think she could do a longer set. I wish she would. AND NOW FOR BOB... Maybe it's just me, but tonight was a real guitar night. Interval was only about 20 mins again. Bucky is a sly fox. While the roadies are running around setting up, he happily comes out in his old clothes and sits at his guitar box. No one even recognises it's him. Then he goes back stage and comes out in his suit and bowler. Anyway, the lights went down, the strobe started and Bob and the band came out to great roars. Bob was wearing a dark suit with light piping. He looks good again. 1. Maggie's Farm. Straight into the hard rock jamming. Bob's voice isn't mixed well, but I was more interested in the guitar jamming anyway, even if this song has become a theme song of mine of late. The dancers are into the aisles and down front immediately. Security are there right away like they wanna line all the dancers up and shoot 'em. They intimidate them all into sitting on the floor and the band plays on. From up the back, it was easier to see the light show as a whole. This was really something. 2. Senor. Good solid stuff. Excellent guitar closing from Larry (I'm gonna rave about him in this review, so get ready). Soaring, crying stuff. 3. Cold Irons Bound: The usual fair. Nicely done, good intro again, but pretty much the same as last night. Merely wonderful. Bob starting to experiment with the footwork now. He's searching the front rows. There's no crowd right at his feet yet, but he's looking for somebody... One lone dancer, determined to cheat death and fate, is up again. I think it's a guy, but it could be a girl. Hard to tell from way back. Security tells him to sit. He sits. Security goes back to the barrier, and he's up again waving his arms around. Security returns. He sits, then he's up again. 4. Just Like a Woman. This was perfect. The crowd recognise it right away and respond with much enthusiasm. Bob is singing it like he means it. He's feeling it. The ache is there in the voice. I'm getting excited now. The first noodle of the night from Bob now, plucking away at those essential 2-4 notes. Good. 5. Can't Wait. Just as predicted, vocals pouring out with feeling, but it's not moving me tonight. 6. Silvio!!! YES!! Two nights in a row. Singing it strong again, singing it loud again. I couldn't contain my enthusiasm and can hardly convey it now. I didn't want it to end - the guitar work, the jamming. I was in another world, elevated to a higher plane, shown all the secrets of the universe..... and I didn't care. Just wanted to hear those guitars!! I seen better days but tell me who haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas not! Larry jams this song so well. His guitar riding so high above it all, and the guy is hardly moving on stage, then it descends and he hands over to Bob who takes the lead during the "duh dah, da-da-da duh"s. There was the wonderful 32 bars of Space Jam in honour of the Grateful Dead, too. Folks this stuff was good beyond description. I would give my left arm to be able to play like Larry; of course then, I wouldn't be able to play like Larry. 6. To Ramona @: Bob sings this one in lovely, low, gentle, gravelly vocals, with the band bouncing away underneath in 3/4 time. Bucky's mandolin is lending a pleasing Mediterranean sound, and Bob is pulling off some great lead work here again; plucking away at the bones of the melody, Larry gently beside him lending quiet polish to the whole thing. The lone dancer is back, with both arms waving free. Security manhandle him to the floor where he seems to agree to sit for a while. 7. Desolation Row @: Wonderful - long instrumental introduction, takes some time for me to recognise what it is. Very bouncy, very bluesy. Best version I've ever heard, and not a common one. This is really shaping up to be another great night. The lone dancer is up again, and security don't see him this time. Somehow he's moved over to the side of the hall, but here he comes, doing the swim, and gliding along the front. he comes right up behind the central security chappie, who's looking the other way, and stands there wiggling and swimming like some ancient Egyptian on dope. Eventually the security man turns and sees "the swimmer". It's too much and two security chappies actually drag him away. Not sure where too. Maybe he's in some unmarked grave now, out behind the carpark bushes. Meanwhile, Bob is the performing artist as Desolation Row finishes up. Vocals smooth, lilting, dropping, rising sharply at the end of lines. He's giving us Buddy Holly knee squats, and Bucky is giving us heartfelt, beautiful steel solos. 8. Tangled Up in Blue @: (Again). This was the song I forgot to mention in yesterday's review. It's a great song, but again, I knew it was coming, and the present version is good, but it's not growing or going anywhere. You are free to disagree. Security come and encourage the stage rush again. Ironic, as the lone dancer was man-handled away only 10 minutes ago. Bob's shuffling and noodling nicely all through TUIB. He's doing the twitch like only he can. I'm scared that any minute he's going to lurch into some Fred Astaire flip and actually break something. Sliding side steps, he's having fun. New abrupt ending, that I don't remember from Monday night, almost mid-noodle. Perhaps that's something new. 9. This Wheel's on Fire. This is a song that has always done little for me, but it was a pleasure to watch Once again Larry's guitar work is superb. I really enjoyed the "big sound" during the instrumental work, and the sudden switch to quietude for the verses. 10. I Shall Be Released. 16 bars of solo lead from Larry over a quiet Kemper drumbeat to introduce the song. Sweet vocals from Bob, punctuated by gurgling guitar ripples from Larry. Bob introduced the band. Otherwise he spoke nary a whisper all night. 11. 'Til I Fell in Love with You. Good stuff. Competent. Merely wonderful again. Bob's dancing is great to watch. Encore: 12. Love Sick: I recently heard someone describe the opening staccato guitar to this song as being like a lonely man creeping around his apartment. That's how it was last night. Great build up in intensity, screaming, audacious guitar work from Larry. 13. Rainy Day Women $12&35: Houselights come on, rousing all the old hippies, and me as well. :-)The smell of burning grass permeates the air. Great jams, fun fun fun.... 14. Blowin'' in the Wind @: After all these years, still sung with such feeling and conviction. The hippies (and me) greet this one with great enthusiasm too. Nice lead mandolin by Bucky, and very pleasing background harmonies by the whole band. 15 Highway 61 Revisited: The second highpoint of the show after Silvio. Larry, oh Larry. Bob, securing this guy was one of the best moves you ever made. Loud, wild, yet technically perfect. This, folks, is as good as live guitar work gets, and I'll stand on Eric's coffee table and say that [Eric Idle's coffee table, not Eric Clapton's :-)]. 16. Forever Young @: Beautiful, loving, gentle. Intense noodling from Bob, a nod over the shoulder to Kemper, and quick and sudden descent into the closing bars of the song, and it was all over. It was a terrific night, as good as the night before. Next stop is back home in Wellington, Thursday night - that's Wednesday for most of you. 4th row centre seats. Sorry this has been such a long review. I'd love to say: "See you there," but for most of you suckers that's impossible. :-) Heh Heh, now you know how it feels. I'm gonna revel in it while I can. Rob Zorn
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1998 06:45:19 +0200 (MEST) From: Carsten Wohlfeld (happyjaq@gmx.net) Subject: September 8, 1998 - Auckland, New Zealand - a review > Bob Dylan & Patti Smith > Auckland, New Zealand > North Shore Entertainment & Leisure Centre, September 8, 1998 > A review by Carsten Wohlfeld Patti Smith amazes me. I was convinced that her shows in Townsville and Wollongong have been the the best two concerts I've seen in my whole life. Tonight she was better. MUCH better in fact. She opened with "Gone Again" dedicated to Akira Kurosawa and then played a show that completely blew me away: "Dancing Barefoot", "Southern Cross", a brand spanking new song for Jerry Garcia called "Grateful" had had a funny false start when Patti got the chords wrong and wasn't perfect the second time they played it either. It is, however, one of the sweetest pop songs Patti has ever written. "Because The Night" followed as well as - yes - "Free Money". Now THAT was a hell of a performance. I've never seen anybody put as much energy in just one single song as Lenny Kaye put into this one. If there's a tape of this show, it has my name on it :-) And as if that wasn't enough they closed with "Rock And Roll Nigger" again, the best version on this tour, too... Patti played the Clarinet at the end with her left hand while ripping the strings off of her guitar with the right. It was quite a sight. And the end Lenny was holding his guitar like a baseball bat, aiming at his amp. But no, he didn't smash it. It was obvious, that Bob would have to play a show like Wollongong now to top this, sdaly, he didn't. It wasn't as bad as the first night, but still veeery uninspired. > Maggie's Farm A song designed to jump start the show, but nobody got up and it wasn't just the tight security that prevented the stagerush (it eventually happened during "Tangled"), but it was simply Bob's pale performance that got nobody really excited. > Senor Good choice cause this is a song where they just can't do wrong. Even on an off night this still sounds great and indeed it did. > Cold Irons Bound Average. > Just Like A Woman A crowd pleaser without a doubt but since he played so many terrific version of this one lately it was sad to hear a below average rendition tonight. > Can't Wait Much better than the night before, mostly cause the band worked extra hard on this one. Bob's singing was rather low in the mix all night or maybe they used the standard mixing and he just sang quieter and not as clearly as he usually does these days. > Silvio was "silvio". > To Ramona (acoustic) Polka time! I get sick when I hear David's drums on this one alone even though I always liked Bob's solo rendition. So it's hard for me to judge, but most people thought this was one of the few highlights of the night. From here on the set went downhill > Desolation Row (acoustic) People around me were close to tears when he started it, but he just threw it away. He simply didn't care. A shame. > Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) was "Tangled". > This Wheel's On Fire Was nice to hear but not the usual show stopper. Bob played around with the phrasing alot which was fun to hear but he just confused Larry and Bucky and they sounded pretty out of tune and shape on the joined choruses. > I Shall Be Released This could've been a wonderful duet (Patti and Oliver were watching Bob's whole set from the side of the stage), but Bob decided to sing it all on his own... okay version with a messed up intro. They never get it right, I wonder what they are trying to do there. It always sounded perfect in the G.E. days and when JJ first played it in 1991. Band intros followed. > 'Til I Fell In Love With You was "Til I Fell..." Bob tried to connect with the audience all night, moved around a lot more than the night before even smiled occasionally, but the magic that often shines through was completely missing. > (encore) > Love Sick Even on an average night this is pretty good. Probably it's simply one of the best ten songs Bob has ever written... > Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35 And now all together: " Everybody must get cloned"... > Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic) He encore are so predictable, it hurts! I can understand that he's not changing the set for the few people that follow him around, but at least for a second night in the same city he should mix up the set a little bit, don't you agree? > Highway 61 Revisited dito. > Forever Young (acoustic) After they had messed up the ending completely (actually Bob had signaled that the song was about to end and when he band was almost on their way backstage he started it again at half speed adding two more choruses) this was an average version that many in the crowd loved to death. As usual. All in all the show was not as disappointing as the first night but even many of the locals who waited six years for these shows didn't really like it all that much. Almost everybody was well impressed by Patti though... Makes me wonder what Wellington will be like. I'll keep you posted! Thanks for reading! carsten wohlfeld -- "your girlfriend can leave you but the rolling stones are there forever" (alan mcgee)
Subject: Auckland Sept 8th review From: (andrew.mccallum@moc.govt.nz) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 21:07:09 GMT Just a quick review. I missed the 1st Auckland concert because of unexpected family commitments, and it was touch and go as to whether I would make the trip for the 2nd. In a weird confluence of events I also lost my glasses, which means the world becomes slightly blurred. So I find myself at 7 pm driving over the Auckland harbour bridge in a friends car, not certain about where I'm going and straining to see the road signs, and my heart back at home. Anyway, when I get to the venue Patty Smith had just started. I find my seat and meet Carsten. Patty does a powerful set. Everyone I spoke to afterwards thought she was great. I could *see* it was a powerful performance, but somehow it didn't touch my heart. I know this is sacrilege, but that's the way it was for me. I wonder if I am getting old. When Dylan came on I had little of the excitement I felt in the other three times I've seen him. I wonder if this is because I have seen and heard so much of Dylan in the last year or so via video and tape. Or maybe my heart was still elsewhere. Anyway - a quick run down of some of the songs Maggies - not the opening I hoped for - just like on the tapes. Senor - well sung, and a pleasant surprise. Cold irons Just like a woman - I thought this was very well sung indeed. It sent shivers down my spine. Can't wait Silvio - just like on the tapes. Ramona - others thought this was a highlight. I found it disappointing. No last verse which to me negates the power of the song somewhat Desolation - Tangled - good fun I thought. I'm pleased I've seen it. Bob can drop it from the setlist now. Wheels on Fire - very good - a highlight. Very well sung. Audience didn't recognise it at first, but then recognition dawned with the first chorus, and you could almost hear all those who have heard the song in other contexts (Absolutley Fabulous e.g.) realising that this was a Dylan song. One of his finest in my opinion. I shall be released - again very well sung. Audience appreciated it. Till I fell in love with you - big cheers at the end The encores were like a mini concert. Bob didn't go off between them. A funny moment when after RDW Buck walks off, then has to come back on as he realises Dylan has not left the stage. Blowin in the wind I thought was very well sung - the best of the live versions I've personally seen HWY61 rocked as hard as anything you'd want And Forever Young too was well sung. So overall, a good show. A few general impressions. Songs are shorter with less guitar work. The band is *very* tight. This band does have a unique sound. Bob's voice seems to have lost much of the gravel of late last year. His singing was very good I thought - my main impression. Your casual punter who has a few albums and knows the famous songs would have been well satisfied. Interesting how different this show is to the last show I saw in 1992. This was a very professional show, and the song selection is clearly crowd pleasing. 1992 was - in a word - weird, and perhaps a little more interesting because of it. But it is very pleasing to see Bob performing so well. Interesting too to hear the perspective of those who have seen a lot of shows. If I ever see a show which *they* consider top notch, I shall be happy indeed. I have two more chances. Andrew.
