Bob Dylan 990422 in Barcelona, Spain
To: karlerik@monet.no From: gturo000@correu.udg.es Subject: Barcelona review Date: Fri, 23 Apr 99 10:36:00 +0000 Tonight I've seen Bob Dylan for 5th time, and it has been wonderful again. It hasn't been better nor worse, it has been simply different. If they had showed me the setlist before the show, I wouldn't have been very happy. With Dylan, you are always expecting for some songs and then he plays those you don't like so much, but it doesn't mean a lot. I would have liked to hear 4th Time Around, Cold Irons Bound, Just Like A Woman or Señor, and not Mr. Tambourine Man, It's All Over Now Baby Blue, One Too Many Mornings, Masters Of War, Mama You've Been On My Mind or To Be ALone With You. But he didn't play really these songs; he played some new ones. One more time, Dylan has re-written his songs making them be even better than before. The acoustic set is nearly a new Unplugged. The new version of Masters Of War has left us impressed. So did Mr. Tambourine Man, It's All Over Now Baby Blue or, in the electric set, Love Sick, Highway 61 Revisited and To Be Alone With You. What about a live album? And... What about Dylan? He looked healthy, happy. I've never seen him dancing like tonight before. He seemed to laugh at the people who wasn't able to sing the songs like he did. He was often smiling and looking at us, those who where in front of him, with a very expressive face. His voice is not what it was before, but it's hidden by the perfect playing of the band. In a Dylan's concert You can always ask for more (more harp solos, more songs, ...) but you leave always satisfied. I've seen Bruce Springsteen only two weeks ago, and it was fantastic, but it can't be compared with what happened tonight and the Dylan's concerts in Bareclona in 1993, 1995 and yesterday. But not only Bruce; I've seen The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, U2, ... Them all were great, but a Dylan is specially special. Why nobody is able to surprise as he does? Dylan... as you said tonight: after all these years you're still the one. I don't know how much longer I can wait... for you to come here to play again. Guillem (Girona, Catalunya)
From: "Jaume Rufi" (jaume.rufi@pas.udg.es) To: karlerik@monet.no Subject: Dylan in Barcelona Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 14:08:46 +0200 Last night Dylan gave the best of his five concerts in Barcelona to date. The main reason was the excellent setlist with unexpected gems like Not dark yet, Mama you've been on my mind, One too many mornings, To be alone with you ... Cocaine blues set the mood for the acoustic part of the concert when all the songs sounded as if they were made by some lost blues or country singers from out of our time. The acoustic sound of Dylan's band really has evolved and stands now with great personality. Masters of war was excellent, given with great fury, like Tangled up in blue. Mama was pretty, and sounded much like Don't Think Twice.Ê The electric half of the set was just correct in some numbers, the usual ones, more delivered than really felt but included Not Dark Yet and this was the highlight, stunning, the crowd couldn't wait until the end of the song to offer a big round of applause. Really, the songs of the new album (three!) are the right fit of Dylan's voice at this moment, you could follow even his breath, also in Love Sick.ÊÊÊÊÊ Ê Jaume Ê
BOB DYLAN at El Palau d'Esports, Barcelona 22nd April 1999. I arrived at el Palau d'Esports just after 9pm, a quarter of an hour after the support singer, Andrès Calamaro had started. (More about him later). I decided to have a wander around before going in and went to have a look at all Bob's buses. What surprises me is that for a European tour with no concerts in Britain, all the buses had British number plates and right hand drive. There were only about 20 people hanging around the bus area and a few bodyguards. I asked one of the guards whether Bob was already inside and he told me that I was in luck as the bus Bob was in was literally just arriving!! First Bucky got off the bus and hobbled into the building with the use of a walking stick, I wasn't sure whether this was because he needed one or whether it was a disguise!! Then, after about 5 minutes there was a flurry of activity and Bob and a few other people (you didn't really expect me to notice who they were, did you!!) got out of the bus and walked into the building. Bob was wearing a light coloured sweat shirt or jacket with a hood over his head, but when he heard the applause that his appearance caused he stopped for a couple of seconds and raised his hands in the air a few times like a triumphant sportsman before going into the building!! Happy now that I knew Bob had arrived safely I decided to go and check Andrés Calamaro out. I already knew from having seen his album cover, that he looks like a young Dylan, but he has obviously spent ages studying Dylan too as lots of his movements and gestures and the way of playing the guitar and singing were very Dylanesque. He also appeared to be stoned out of his mind!! I actually enjoyed his music, but can't help feeling that he should try and develop his own style rather than attempt to be a Dylan clone!! When Calamaro finished his set lots of people went off to the bar to buy a beer, so I took advantage and managed to get right to the very front. Here I should comment that the place is a sport ÇpalaceÈ and you could either join the throng all standing in front of the stage or sit in the stands around the outside. I found a place right up against the barrier just to Dylan's left. The concert was supposed to start at 10pm and just a few minutes later...... Bob and the band appeared on stage!!! Straight into the acoustic set, which I think is a good way of starting the concert, in this way the tempo gradually increases throughout the whole concert. First he sang Cocaine, then Mr. Tambourine man, followed by Masters of War which the crowd went crazy about as soon as they realised what he was singing. It's ironic and tragic how 30 years on this song is so utterly topical. The next song was It's all over now, baby blue, with a long instrumental introduction. Then into Mama, you been on my mind, the only song in which he played harp. It was a very country and western version. By now Bob was clearly getting into the swing of the concert and while playing harp started to dance a little. I just love the way he moves around a bit then looks to the crowd for approval. The next song was Tangled up in blue, which was done very well, the stage was almost in darkness, and the first time he sang Tangled up in BLUE the stage was flooded with blue spotlights.. Neat!! It was an excellent version, again with a heavy Country and Western feel to it. Next, a lovely surprise for me as it's one of my favourites and he hadn't been playing it very often.. One too many mornings. With this he ended the acoustic set. He started the next set with Can't wait, a deep pounding version. Then he introduced the band , and made a comment about not having been to see a bullfight yet. (God forbid!!!) Then he did I'll be your baby tonight. During the guitar solos he was concentrating so hard that his tongue was sticking out!!! Yes, I was close enough to see how pink his tongue was as well as the sweat dripping off him!!! Then into Stuck inside of Mobile, Not dark yet and Highway 61. Apart from Not dark yet, lots of people were now dancing, myself included.... how can anyone NOT dance during Highway 61?? ;-)) For the encore, they did Love sick, To be alone with you, a great acoustic version of Blowing in the wind, with Larry and Bucky (and the crowd) joining in on the chorus and a really rousing version of Like a Rolling Stone. Then, they were gone..... Dylan is like a good wine, he seems to just get better and better as the years go by. The band he has at the moment are perfect for him and they are together and all look as if they are having such fun! Bob was looking slim and well, although he is so pale, it seems a pity that he couldn't have enjoyed some of the Spanish sun while he was here. He was wearing a black suit, with a long jacket. The trousers had white stripes down the sides, and the jacket had white piping on the pockets and lapels as well as at the bottom of the sleeves, leading to white buttons!!. He was wearing a black and white shirt, I couldn't really see if it was checked or if they were little white circles. He also had a black ribbon tie. His shoes or boots, couldn't tell which, were ÇuniqueÈ!! Black and white!! ;-)) General comments after the show from the people I met up with, some of whom had been to all 11 concerts in Spain, were that the set list could have been a little more surprising! In fact there were very few ÇunexpectedÈ songs. Interestingly though, the comments from the press after the concert were that it had been an absolutely marvellous concert, but that Bob hadn't played the songs that everyone expected to hear. I wonder what they had expected... we had Blowing. LARS, Tambourine man. The audience was made up of all ages from about 18 to 60 and, at least from where I was, everyone seemed to be having fun. I managed to sneak in my camera and hopefully have a few photos, which I will post to my web page which I should have up and running by April 28th. Bob, you're the greatest!! Veronica
Subject: Dylan in Barcelona From: Bob Zimmerman (babydif@HOTMAIL.COM) Date: 26 Apr 1999 07:13:16 -0700 Hello friends! Just a few comments about Dylan in Barcelona. 1) The show was GREAT!!! (But you already know that). 2) His voice was in perfect condition, he sang loud and clear. So it's not true that he lost his voice somewhere in this tour. By the way I heard a bootleg from a show in 1998 and the voice was worst than what I heard in Barcelona. 3) The band had a hard time to follow him, his guitar solos starts when he wants and nobody knows when they end, I think that these solos are the substitute for the harp nowadays. It's incredible to see how he changes the setlist in the middle of the show. 4) He only used the harp in one song and very briefly. 5) He knows how to rock, Highway 61 (and some others) was first rate rock and roll. He played loud the whole night, even the acoustic songs. 6) Highlights (for me) : Masters of war, an impressive rendition of the song, Tangled up in blue and Love Sick, simply incredible. Well.... and all the rest of course. That's all, thanks to Bob Dylan for existing. Cheerio!
