Bob Dylan 990709 in Tinley Park

Subject: Report on Tinley Park
From: Bill Parr (William_C_Parr/UTK@ln.utk.edu)
Date: 9 Jul 1999 23:17:00 -0700

A report on the Tinley Park July 9, 1999 show:

I'm going to try to keep this one brief....

The BoDeans (spelling?) opened.

Paul Simon was on first.

Setlist (song titles questionable):

Bridge over Troubled Water
Boy in the Bubble
A song from Rhythm of the Saints with the phrase "worth some money"
occurring repeatedly
Trailways Bus (from Capeman)
Mrs. Robinson
Me and Julio
From Rhythm of Saints - "Further to Fly" -- during this one, Baron was
lurking to the side of the stage

Graceland
"Cool Rivers/Memory of God" - what is the real title?
Slip Sliding Away
Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
Be My Buddy (title????)

Encores:

Late in the Evening
Still Crazy After All Those Years


Then, Simon briefly introduced Dylan - something like "It's a
great honor and a pleasure to introduce Bob Dylan."

Bob was not wearing a jacket, or a tie.

Duets:

Sounds of Silence

This had beautiful guitar work. Dylan performed on Harmonica."
Best Dylan vocalization (and there were many this night) was
"Ne-OWN Night."

That'll Be The Day

Lots of grins by Dylan. Neat piano and guitar work by Simon's
band.

Wanderer

Knocking on Heaven's Door

Dylan played some lead on this one. The usual clowning around
about "I hear you knocking and you can't come in" at the tail end
of this one.

Then, all left stage, and 20 minutes later Dylan and band
returned.

Bob was now wearing suit and tie (white piping on pants).

1. Cocaine Blues

Tony is wearing a purple suit, and a hat. Larry is wearing a
striped jacket with solid colored pants. Kemper is wearing a hat,
and sexton a matching (I think) jacket and pants.

Cocaine Blues was quite pleasurable. Nothing special - to
separate it from other performances of this song I've heard
lately.

2. Mr. Tambourine Man

It occurs to me listening to this - Dylan uses ALL the notes
within his range. How do you sing with him? Do you try to use the
notes he isn't currently using? Or do you try to travel with him
vocally?

Sexton appears more confident.

When Dylan says "jingle jangle" the voice notes go up and down.

Lots of joy in people's faces surrounding me, as they watch this
song's performance.

Dylan does another harp solo.

Dylan signals "stop" to Kemper and the song winds down.

3. Masters of War

The spotlight is on  Bob as this one starts. The sincerity and
earnestness on his face is impressive. He means this song.
Interesting that it seems to appear so often in setlists.

When Dylan bends over to look at his stuff where he has the
harp(s) kept, I'm struck how much he looks like the Dylan of 1966
in basic profile.

Beautiful guitar work by Larry and Bob.

Vocalization is striking again ----- "so - ul" ---- soul appears
to have grown to the point of two syllables. My notes indicate
the guitar work seemed magnificient to me. "De - ad" has AT LEAST
two syllables.

As usual, Dylan passes up singing the "Even Jesus would never
forgive what you do." verse.

After this song, Dylan says "Thank you kindly, ladies and
gentlemen."

4. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Dylan's into that little small step dancing routine again
tonight. (I note this on my setlist spiral notebook as
"D-Dancing.") Dylan smiles a lot on this one.

5. Tangled Up in Blue

The crowd pleaser, as usual. Lots of little dance steps. Dylan's
delivery/vocalization is amazing -- "abandoned it out west" gets
sung unbelievably quickly. As if he got a late start on the
phrase and had to make up time.

Lots of high volume acoustic guitar, and Dylan solos. Dylan
favors us with a harmonica solo, also.

Tony continues to dramatically swing his bass back and forth to
keep time with the music. Larry and Charlie strum vigorously and
maintain the strong rhythms which make this song work. Dylan
signals to Kemper, and the song is over.

Now, moving to electric . . .

6. All Along the Watchtower

I enjoyed this one. Larry Campbell was on fire - his guitar work
was INCREDIBLE. Charlie is still on acoustic, but Larry is
playing incredible stuff. The song ends a bit suddenly.

7. Just Like A Woman

Larry is on pedal steel for this one. (For some reason, whenever
I hear Just LIke a Woman with pedal steel I think of the scene in
Annie Hall when, well, you all know...)

Dylan grins repeatedly, and hops around before the end of the
song. He is obviously pleased with this performance. I think this
may be the best version of Just Like a Woman I've personally
witnessed live.

9. Stuck Inside of Mobile

Charlie remains on acoustic guitar, more smiles coming from
Dylan. He is certainly cranking out the smiles tonight.

Larry Campbell and Bob trade leads.

9. Not Dark Yet

Charlie is now on electric guitar. This one isn't as good as the
version played at Saint Andrew's back on Tuesday night of this
week.

BOB JOKE ALERT: Dylan does band introductions, and when
introducing Larry C. (I think it was Larry) he indicates Larry
had his first job in Chicago as a waiter. Dylan indicates Larry
never took tips - that he was a "dumb waiter."

10. Highway 61

Dylan and Larry Campbell start out trading off leads, with
Charlie providing rhythm. Then, Charlie takes some lead work,
also. Tony continues to swing back and forth as he plays.

I am very fond of the way the current band performs Highway 61. A
true guitar piece.

ENCORES

After the band leaves, the cheering and cigarette lighters rage
on, and

11. Like a Rolling Stone.

Dylan's obviously proud of this song. He's almost strutting
around the stage during the performance. Charlie, Larry and Bob
all do leads. How does it feel -- very good!!

Now, shifting back to acoustic, we get

12. It Ain't Me Babe

Sad, mournful start. Both Dylan's face and voice show this.

It  occurs to me - Bob is an acoustic guitar hero. It is when he
plays acoustic guitar that, to me, his guitar work is t he most
impressive.

ANother harmonica solo here. Dance stepping by Dylan - he seems
to need to do a lot of moving around whenever he plays harmonica.

13. Not Fade Away

When I hear this (back on electric) I think that's it for the
night.

Three strong leads again. Larry really hams it up! I don't ever
recall being as impressed with Larry Campbell's playing as I was
tonight.

14. Rainy Day WOman

A surprise second return to the stage. Lots of guitar hero posing
by Bob. Still another harmonica solo. Bob chats with Tony about
something in animated fashion as they are leaving the stage, and
then they return to play

15. Blowing in the WInd

Dylan takes lots of acoustic lead, and favors us with lots of big
Dylan smiles.  He bows, and is gone.

This was a wonderful night. Not as emotionally intense for me as
the Saint Andrew's show Tuesday night, but superior, in my
opinion, musically. Some of this contrast may be because I had a
hand on the rail (Sexton side of stage) at Saint Andrew's, and
was in row 7 at Tinley Park.

A good time. Anyone who passed up the opportunity to come - blew
it big time!

See you on the road,

Bill Parr



Subject: My First Show (Tinley Park, 7/9/99).
From: Josh Miller  jlmillr2@uiuc.edu 
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 01:29:30 -0500
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Evening, all.

And what a fine evening it has been.  I just returned home to
Joliet from Tinley Park, which is normally a 30 minute drive that
has turned into a long, hard hour due to heavy consturction on
Interstate 80.

This was my very first concert, but I am by far a newbie to Bob
and his work.  I have been listening for about 6 years now (I
began at 13, and will be 19 in a few days).  These tickets were
actually a birthday present from my parents.  They couldn't have
given me anything better.

I arrived early to the 6:30 show - very early. They were still
doing soundchecks when I wandered into the very front of the line
for reserved seating.  Paul and his band warmed up to the
immortal "That'll Be The Day", and they must have played it at
least 4 times as we all stood, awaiting the chance to find our
seats.  I thought I was just about sick of the song...  Until
later.

As you probably know, Paul Simon opened the show tonight.  I'm
not a big fan of Paul's, so I am warning you that the following
might be skewed by ignorance.  But hey - I just call em like I
see em =).  He started the night with "Bridge Over Troubled
Water".  I've heard this one before and like it very much, but
Paul just didn't make the tune stick tonight.  He really didn't
make anything stick.  He is touring with a huge (eleven piece?)
band, and it seemed like something vital was missing somewhere.
Bob's band of 5 accomplished a completeness that Paul and his mob
(3 drummers!) couldn't obtain.  Simon ended the show well though,
and thus satisfied the crowd.

When Bob came out for the duet, the place went wild - and so did
I. "The Sound of Silence" came off wonderfully, Dylan hitting
those low notes as he did.  "That'll Be the Day" and "Knockin' On
Heaven's Door" were also candy to my ears.

Bob came out with the band shortly after.  I am not a huge
"Cocaine Blues" fan, and I don't think 9/10 of the people I was
sitting around had ever heard the song.  But it got people up and
the show moving, so it served it's purpose.  "Tamborine Man"
sounded nice and crisp, as did "Masters of War."  The highlight
of the beginning, though, was "Tangled Up In Blue", which had
non-Bob fans up and dancing.  He did great work with the harp,
and I just couldn't believe my ears.

Another song that was right on tonight was "Not Dark Yet".  Bob
really nailed it.  I have the feeling that most in attendance
weren't familiar with it and that's a shame, but I was going
crazy.

The encore had it ALL - this is what it was all about to everyone
who stayed through the 4 1/2 hr set up to that point; LARS, It
Ain't Me Babe, Not Fade Away, RDW#12&35, and Blowin' In The Wind.
 After he gave the final song of the final encore, I heard some
kid behind me yell, "SHOW YOURSELF, PAUL!"  Nobody could play
after a show like that and expect to come out above water.

Anoter point of interest is the fact that Bob was moving a LOT
tonight!  He was sliding all over the place.  I don't know about
you all, but I hope my knees are in as good a condition as his @
58 ;-).

While introducing the band, he mentioned that the drummer had his
first job in Chicago as a waiter.  But he didn't take tips.  He
was a dumb waiter.  It produced a good chuckle =).

It was a great, great show.  I hope to catch many more while I
have the chance to.  Bob has been a constant influence in my life
for a few years now, and I have thought about my expectations for
this night, my first show.  Bob Dylan lived up to every one of
them.

Keep on keepin' on, Bob...

-Josh



From: Otrax28@aol.com
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 11:53:03 EDT
Subject: Dylan/Simon in Chicago on 7/9/99
To: karlerik@monet.no

Went to the Bodeans/Simon/Dylan concert at the New World in
Tinley Park, IL on Fri. July 9. Show was great. Bodeans were very
good, but did a much too abreviated set. Paul Simon was on next,
and put on a great show. The arrangements of all his songs were
well done. I had heard bad things about the sound system at the
World, but from section 204 each of the 9 musicians on the stage
could be heard well, as I took time to isolate each instrument
during the set. The crowd was very enthusiastic, and I would hope
Simon continues to perform live.

Bob Dylan did a short set with Simon, but it was high quality! I
was suprised to hear how well the two voices blended together.
The medley they did between Sound of Silence and Knocking on
Heaven's Door was a great tribute to their influences.

I told my friend after the Simon set that even with the wealth of
material in the Dylan song book, I would not want to try to
follow a set like the one Simon performed. But Dylan was more
than up to the challenge. His set started acoustically, but
quickly gave way to the electric guitars, and Bob and his band
just flat-out ROCKED! It was a contrast in styles, Simon taking
rock to the edge with world beat and Latin influences, and Dylan
stripping everything away, and showing the very core of what
makes rock so great in the first place. This was the third time I
have seen Dylan, and was by far the best.

Marty's cousin Bobby 



Poetry in Motion

July 9, 1999

First Appeared in The Music Box, August 1999, Volume 6, #8

Written by John Metzger


Both Bob Dylan and Paul Simon have had the type of careers that
should allow them to headline their own individual concerts. It's
almost certain that they would find themselves stepping onto the
stage in smaller venues, but these more intimate locations would
much better suit their music than the spacious outdoor
amphitheatres that they are playing this summer. These days,
though, the rule seems to be "bigger is better," and concert
promoters are feeding massive monetary rewards to artists who are
willing to jump onto these blockbuster tours. Therefore,
Chicago-area fans of both wordsmiths were forced to endure the
pitiful acoustics of the New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park
when the duo dropped in to perform on July 9.

Of course, we're not talking about just anyone -- we're talking
about Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. While many artists have failed to
connect genuinely with their audience at the gargantuan New World
Music Theatre, these two magicians masterfully turned the event
into an intimate party for 35,000.

Dylan and Simon are both veteran performers who for decades have
managed to defy the odds by not only continuing to create vital
music but also seemingly to improve with age. Their musical and
lyrical genius is shared by only a scarce few, and every time
their critics have written them off, they've come back stronger
than ever.

Simon is in the process of recovering from his noble attempt to
buck the system on Broadway, where his short-lived musical was
virtually ignored or unjustifiably bashed by the status-quo
press. His subsequent album Songs from the Capeman is a solid
effort, though it doesn't quite live up to the music on Rhythm of
the Saints or Graceland. For whatever reason, he chose to perform
only one song from the new disc, a beautiful rendition of
Trailways Bus, which was a perfect fit stylistically with his
other recent material.


Unfortunately some of the subtle textures of Simon's performance
were lost in the sonic black hole of the amphitheater, but he did
his best to overcome the venue's deficiencies by allowing the
grooves to carry the songs. Augmented by a band that included
four percussionists, two keyboard players, two guitarists, a bass
player, and a three-piece horn section, Simon fused
multi-cultural cadences with jazz and folk music. Since his work
on Graceland, he has come to understand truly the power and
mysticism of rhythmic beats, and as expected, many of his songs
drifted into a whirlwind of drums and percussion.

Not surprisingly, more than half of Simon's material came from
his three most recent albums, and the audience latched strongly
onto the material from Graceland, dancing and singing gleefully
along with the band. With as many times as it's been played and
heard, it's amazing that You Can Call Me Al still sounded fresh
and vibrant and was delivered with dynamic intensity. The Cool,
Cool River from Rhythm of the Saints, was the strongest song of
the set and built to a majestic climax while exploring an
exquisite jazzy terrain.

In addition, Simon also reinvented several of his classic songs.
Mrs. Robinson drifted along a slower-paced country groove and
contained a '60s surf-pop synthesizer solo as kaleidoscopic
images flashed on the screen behind the band. Me and Julio Down
by the Schoolyard benefitted from its driving rhythm and its
percussion interlude.

Dylan has been riding high since the release of his
Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind, and his recent concert
performances have been solid affairs that touch upon the dynamic
range of his back catalog. A lot of hype had been made in regard
to the anticipated collaboration between Dylan and Simon taking
place on this tour -- so much so that it was impossible to not be
a little skeptical. Nevertheless, it succeeded brilliantly and at
least appeared to be a true partnership. Sounds of Silence was
revamped, with Dylan providing an acoustic guitar line straight
from the songbook of Johnny Cash. Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's
Door was refitted with a reggae beat ‡ la the Jerry Garcia Band,
and this particular rendition was especially moving. The final
Grateful Dead concert took place exactly four years ago tonight
in Chicago, and after a quick glance through Dylan's set list,
it's hard to imagine this wasn't in the back of his mind. His
song selection seemed to tend towards those songs that the
Grateful Dead or the Jerry Garcia Band had covered, including
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue, All Along the Watchtower, Tangled
Up in Blue, Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,
and even a cover of Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away.

I've seen quite a few outstanding performances by Dylan in recent
years, but this may have been the best yet. As usual, the gifted
bard toyed with his phrasing and recreated several of his most
familiar songs, refusing to allow them to become stale.

In addition, the recent departure of Bucky Baxter didn't seem to
faze the group one bit, and they managed to paradoxically
straddle the fence between being a tightly- and loosely-knit
outfit. A few songs, like All Along the Watchtower and Not Fade
Away, seemed to be cut short -- most likely due to
time-constraints. For the most part though, the group pushed each
selection for maximum effect by stretching them out into lengthy,
full-blown jams, anchored by the dependable cadence of David
Kemper. Highway 61 Revisited raged as the dual guitar assault of
Dylan and Larry Campbell became a fiery tempest of unyielding
energy. Their twin leads intertwined and folded into each other,
constantly changing the shape and texture of the song. Likewise,
Tangled Up in Blue simmered upon an acoustic-tinged groove as
Dylan peppered the jam with his unique harmonica style. Even the
leisurely flow of Not Dark Yet, the only song in Dylan's set that
was less than 25 years old, connected to a haunting and powerful
spiritual presence.

Dylan seemed unwilling to let the evening end, returning to the
stage to scatter five songs over two encores and blowing the
venue's usual curfew by nearly 30 minutes. He finally relented
after delivering a stunning rendition of his anthem Blowin' in
the Wind that brought the emotionally exhausting evening to a
rousing conclusion




Subject: 7/9/99 review
From: joshua michael gulley  jgulley@ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu
Date: 14 Jul 1999 14:35:33 GMT

Here is a review I sent to a few friends and they suggested I post it 
here.  So, here you go........

**************************

7/9/99 World Music Theater, Tinley Park, IL

The BoDeans opened up and really got the place going.  I've
followed them since 1987 and it was fun to see them again.

I was definitely relieved to see Paul Simon take the stage next. 
He played a rather entertaining set, but I found myself wishing
he wouldn't play so many songs off "Rhythm of the Saints."  Just
stick to the hits I thought.  I realized the irony of this kind
of thinking when Dylan delivered a prototyical greatest hits set
when he took the stage.  More on that later.

The duet worked pretty well.  I was suprised at how well Dylan's
and Simon's voices blended together on Sounds of Silence; I would
never have imagined that they could pull that one off.  The
"That'll Be the Day/Wanderer" medly was fun, but all too short. 
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door," was fun to hear reggae style, but I
think it works a bit better for Clapton.  Plus, I found the
repeated "you keep on knockin' but you can't come in" line way
too cheesy.

On to the main event....

Dylan et al. started a bit slowly with "Cocaine Blues," as the
harmonies that graced this classic back in Summer '97 just
weren't evident to me. Dylan's delivery of "Tambourine Man," a
song which I thought I had grown completely sick of, really
suprised me.  The harp playing in this song was fantastic and it
turned out to be an indication of Bob's harp prowess for the rest
of the show.  About this time Dylan's voice really hit me.  It
was sounding better that I have heard it in quite some time (in
person, that is).  "Masters of War" was a real treat as you could
almost see the contempt hurling out of Dylan's mouth.  Powerful
stuff.  This turned out to be my Dad's favorite one of the
evening.  "Baby Blue" was fantastic, mostly because Larry got on
the pedal steel.  It really made the song and reminded me how
much I miss Bucky's contributions to the overall sound. TUIB
rounded out the acoustic set and caught me off guard.  I had
become a little tired of this one, but Dylan almost completely
reinvented this late 90's warhorse.  His harp playing was
exquisite.  I can still here it now....

On to the electric set.  AAtW got things off to a horrible start.
 It didn't work at all.  Dylan seemed to flub or miss a few words
and the song ended rather abruptly.  Why he didn't just treat us
to "Down Along the Cove" like he did the following night in St.
Louis (my typical luck) I don't know.  Fortunately, this was just
a little speed bump as Just Like a Woman was incredible.  Again,
Larry's pedal steel made the song. "Mobile" was just a step above
AAtW, unfortunately.  The next tune was worth the price of
admission, and quite a steep price it was (ticket price was $92
w/ TM charges).  "Not Dark Yet" was just heavenly. I closed my
eyes during most of the song and just took it in.  That man can
really write a song.  Highway 61 was a rockin' end to a great
set.  High energy indeed.

The encores were a lot of fun, highlighted by an etheral "It
Ain't Me, Babe."  The pharasing he used on this one was something
else.  It really transformed an old classic into a new sounding,
exciting old classic.  I loved it.  The harp was just a 2-inch
icing on the cake.  The show ended with a suprising (to me)
return to the stage for RDW and Blowin' in the Wind.  A great
topper to a great show.

I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed by the setlist, but
I've got to remember who he is playing for.  The place was packed
and I'm sure only about 10% of the people were fanatics like me. 
They were there to see the songs they new.  They probably had the
same reaction to "Not Dark Yet" as I had to the
songs-I-didn't-know from Simon's set.  Dylan puts on a great
rock-n-roll show for the masses.  He is a performer who
entertains for a living and (seemingly) for his own edification. 
He seems to have a different attitude than he use to back in the
60's through the 80's when it was "play what I want and they'll
deal with it or they won't."

Bottom line?  I'll go see him again, and again, and again.  He's
still the greatest!

Josh

p.s.  If anyone is willing to trade for this tape or CD-r, please get in 
touch!



Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999 23:14:44 -0500
From: Bob 
X-Accept-Language: en
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: karlerik@monet.no
Subject: Tinley Park Review

Hi Karl,

This is a kind of stream of consciousness review.  I hope you can use
it.

Thanks,
Bob Condren
Chicago, Illinois



JULY 8, 1999

 9:58PM - Just got off the phone with my friend Janice to secure a
ticket to Bruce Springsteen's September Chicago show.

10:00PM - Phone rings, I think it's Janice calling back to tell me
something she forgot to say.  But instead it's my friend Joe.  He says
he has an extra ticket to the Paul Simon/Bob Dylan show, the next night,
at the World Theater.  I'm taken by surprise but it doesnât take long to
say yes (I can't help it if I'm lucky!)

JULY 9, 1999


7:45PM - After a night of insomnia,  in part due to anticipation of the
show, a day of allergies, and medication induced disorientation, we
arrive at the World an hour later than the ticket time, several song
into Paul Simon's set.  I have a poison headache, again from the allergy
medicine, but I feel all right due to a mega-dose of Ibuprofen and a
strong 7/7.  PS has a band of at least ten, and he's playing most of the
songs with fairly complex, arrangements.  "Slip Slidin' Away" sounds
good, great lyrics and it's good to hear "Me and Julio" again.  But Paul
is up against the monstrous acoustics of the World Theater.  Somehow his
saxophone player breaks through the sound barrier on "Still Crazy·" All
in all I'd give this3 1/2 stars on a five star scale.

8:30PM  approx. -  PS introduces BD and they do a brooding version of
"Sounds of Silence,"  Dion's "The Wanderer" and "Knocking' On Heaven's
Door."  I've seen the "SOS" duet described as something from a spaghetti
western and I'd say that's pretty accurate.  On "Knockin On Heaven's
Door" they work in Little Richard's "I Keep a Knockin'" but damn if I
can remember how it sounded.

8:45PM, (more of less) - Duets end and roadies work furiously to
breakdown PS's set to set up for BD and band.

9:10, PM (sort of)  - Lights go down and spotlights bounce in a circle
in the middle of the stage - cool way to let everyone know that next
show of the endless tour will start soon.

9:20PM - BD comes out in a black suit that can be described as Nashville
formal wear.  Bassist Larry Garnier is wearing a purple suit and
matching hat and, believe it or not, he pulls it off.

OK, here's the songs (not complete, omissions are not judgemental, just
due to time and space constraints)

"COCAINE BLUES" -  I thought this was a Blind Willie McTell" song but
it's actually written by Rev. Gary Davis .  I heard he was doing this
one and I'm glad he did it here.  Anti-drug message - great line goes
something like, "my doctor says this drug's for horses, it's not for
people."  (If anyone has the lyrics, please e-mail me,
bcondren@enteract.com - thank you)

"MR. TAMBOURINE MAN" - This song was rearranged, as are almost all the
mid-60's songs.  Bob no longer uses the harmonica rack. Instead, he
holds the harp and mike with one hand and  does a sort of baby step,
soft-shoe shuffle, while he's playing.  Kind of quirky, but cool (what
else is new?)

"MASTERS OF WAR" - Couldn't make out the lyrics due to acoustics but the
feel of the song was there.  Also, Larry Garnier is great on stand-up
bass.

"ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER" - Even though Bob wrote this, I think Jimi
Hendrix has a partial claim to this.  And this version sounds like BD
and band recognize that notion.  Great, fat guitar sound from Larry
Campbell with Charlie Sexton playing simultaneous lead, if I'm not
mistaken.  This song transcends the acoustics (who's ever running the
soundboard may have had a hand in this, too.)


"JUST LIKE A WOMAN" - I've hear that some peolple find this song
condescending to women.  I don't think so.  I think this is a touching
portrayal of a complex woman and relationship.  One of the best lines
ever  - "When we meet again , introduced as friends, please don't let on
that you knew me when, it was hungry and it was your world."  But you
all knew that


"STUCK INSIDE OF MOBILE WITH THE MEMPHIS BLUES AGAIN" - what a song!
It's rearranged but they very wisely keep the descending guitar/bass
riff after each chorus - the dream/nightmare ambience of this song
starts to make me think of the three previous BD concerts I had seen
-1965, Arie Crown Theater, with the Hawks, (I'm ten years old and my Mom
takes me and my sister), 1979, or was it 1980, during the "Slow Train"
era (but he does "Just like a Woman") and again, in 1986(not too much of
a  recollection of this one, except that "Like A Rolling Stone" was
great.  I'm emotionally overwhelmed by this time, like a good part of my
life is rushing over me, and I'm startng to contemplate my own
mortality, as well as Bob's.  I'm wondering if I'll get to see him
again.

"NOT DARK YET" - The segue from "Stuck Inside·." to this one is amazing,
with this song's lyrics addressing the mortatility issue.  Maybe this
was not a coincidence.  This could be the best band he's had since the
Hawks/Band.

I didn't hear the nightly joke or introductions do to a wild raccoon
running through the aisles - honest!

"HIGHWAY 61 REVISTED" -  no sliding whistle on this one.  The John Lee
Hooker boogie beat may sound trite from a lesser band, but with these
guys it feels like it's midnight and you're crossing the border from
Memphis, Tenn. into Mississippi.  I can't imagine a better version of
this song.

 ENCORES ( I've lost track of time)

"LIKE A ROLLING STONE" - close to the original 1965 studio version and
that's OK with me.  This song, along with another 1965 debut, James
Brown's, "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag,"  changed popular music forever.

"IT AIN'T ME BABE" - great song but I can't remember too much about this
one.

"NOT FADE AWAY" - big arrangement, they almost sound like the "E" Street
Band on this Buddy Holly classic.  Now, these lyrics may be considered
sexist, "I'm a gonna tell you how it's gonna be, you're gonna give your
love to me."  All in all, though, a good closer.

I thought that was it. The band left the stage but the lights stayed
down and the roadies were out messing with the equipment.  My friend Joe
says they're coming out again and predicts RDW #12 and 35.  I kind of
laugh.  Yeah, right.  But don't you know it, the band comes back and
they start the familiar beginning to the Blonde on Blonde opener.

RDW #12 AND 35 - great blues rock version of this one.  Also, perfect
for the boozed up, Friday night crowd (Joe, I'm still in awe of your
call.)

BLOWIN' IN THE WIND - Joe call it again. Perfect way to wind down the
show.

The band looks happy, Larry Campbell has a big smile.  Bob blows the
crowd a kiss.  They leave the stage.  This was an exhausting evening but
well worth it.  One of the best shows I've seen.  It's not dark yet, not
by a long shot.