Bob Dylan 990726 in New York City (Tramps)
Getting the tickets. Subject: Re: July 26, 1999 - New York, New York - Setlist From: "Mark X. Cronin" mxcronin@bigfoot.com Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 05:30:40 GMT Llrrbb4 wrote : >Holy Crap!!! What a setlist!!!! And the set list only begins to tell the story......I've never seen him so up, so on, so good. "John Brown" mesmorized, "Visions of Johnanna" sent chills up my spine, "Seeing the Real You at Last" came at you like a sonic wave, "Ballad of a Thin Man" turned into a deep blues number with shards of notes flying from Dylan's guitar, I could go on and on. Between bery song, DYlan seemed to be bouncing on his toes like a boxer ready for the next round, TOny G. had a broad grin on his face the whole time, Charlies Sexton never stopped staring, both to see what Dylan would do next and in utter awe. THe whole show worked, the audience standing, dancing, pumping fists int he air, loving every turn in the set list right from "Ain't No Lie" to the third encoure with Elvis Costello and Dylan starting "I Shall Be Released" twice. I never saw him having so much fun. Meanwhile, my firend and myself, having scalped tickets through E-Bay and paying more than I've ever paid for a concert before, knew we had underpaid by the third song. I kept gigling throughout the show because I couldn't believe how good it was. I've been listening to Dylan for 27 years, seen him over 40 times, and tonight, it was seeing/hearing him in a totally new light and I began to get it as to why he keeps playing. If I could do something half as good as he played tongith, I'd never stop either. Sorry if I'm rambling on, but I figure I've got to share how great the show was tonight.
Subject: Re: July 26, 1999 - New York, New York - Setlist From: Ellen Friedenberg ellenmail@rcn.com Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 00:55:14 -0400 I'll let other people give a blow by blow account of the Tramps concert. And I admit that I hadn't seen a club show before, so I can't provide any comparisons. But I'll say this: Bob Dylan was clearly having a lot of fun, and you could tell it was going to be a great performance starting with the first song. The crowd was, of course, totally enthused and I have to believe that the audience reaction contributed to the length of the concert (started about 9:30 and ended about 11:45). After the end of the first encore (Blowin' in the Wind), we were all hoping the band would come out again, and we were treated to two more songs, including I Shall Be Released with Elvis Costello (who looked a little hesitant at first -- I wonder if he was just in the audience and hadn't expected to perform; it appeared to me that Dylan wanted him to sing the first verse, but eventually Dylan started the song himself; nevertheless, once they both got into the song it was a really nice duet). I especially liked John Brown, Thin Man, Every Grain of Sand and It Ain't Me Babe (with a long harp solo). On behalf of the fortunate 900 who saw you and your band perform tonight, THANKS MR. DYLAN!
Subject: Re: July 26, 1999 - New York, New York - Setlist From: Tumulty tumulty@aol.com Date: 27 Jul 1999 05:28:55 GMT I've got to ask you lucky devils who were there, what comes next? What do you really have to look forward to anymore after hearing that kind of a setlist? I envy and I pity you.. I remain, TuMuLTY
From: "Walsh, Stephen" SWalsh@draftnet.com To: "'karlerik@monet.no'" karlerik@monet.no Subject: Bob at Tramps Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 11:04:33 -0400 I went to the Tramps show too last night, and it was probably the best show I've ever seen by anyone. Everything else that people have written here about the show is true, but I'd also like to add that Bob said a very funny thing at the end of "Visions of Johanna." On the last verse he said "And these visions of MADONNA are now all that remain." Very funny update, but I wasn't sure how many people picked up on it. The band also rocked especially hard; I think they were getting off on the small space and killer sound system. The acoustic moments were great too, especially "Boots of Spanish Leather" and "It Ain't Me Babe," which he played for about 10 minutes. Bob was so lighthearted and having so much fun; it was like he was playing at a high school talent show and trying to impress the girls. It truly doesn't get any better than that.
Subject: tramps From: Peter Stone Brown peterb@erols.com Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 06:36:18 GMT New York is not the place you want to go in July, but there's something about Bob Dylan and New York City, something special. Something that goes way back. It's where he went to make it and where he did make it and it's part of his songs and it's part of him. It's where some of his most legendary concerts took place and where he returned to the form the Rolling Thunder Revue. I was lucky enough to see those legendary concerts and the New York area if not New York itself is where I first saw Bob Dylan and so I keep returning there, even in this July of endless heatwaves. At Tramps tonight, Bob Dylan made it special. Now some people may look at the setlist and groan, "Oh, all '60s stuff," and others might say, "What, nothing from Blood On The Tracks?" But sometimes there are shows where setlists do not matter, or how many verses he didn't sing, or even what line he changed. There are some shows that are so amazing that you don't even think or care about what he didn't do, because the only thing that matters is what he did do. See, there's some shows where he's bob dylan and then there's the shows when he's Bob Dylan and then there's the shows where he's BOB DYLAN and every so often there's the ones where he's B O B D Y L A N!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was BOB DYLAN in the biggest boldest letters you can imagine at Tramps. It was easily, without a doubt the best show I've seen him do since the Supper Club. At the beginning it could have been any of the shows on this tour, opening up with "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie," followed by a stately "Times They Are A-Changin'," but then he followed that up with a song from the 2nd side of that album, "Boots of Spanish Leather," and then just as you're starting to think "something's going on here," and he dips back from that same period and conjures up "John Brown" and then that most New York of Bob Dylan songs, "Visions of Johanna." And somewhere in the middle of the second verse I hear right behind me, "Well we cut of out of work on Tuesday and went to get in line," and my brain starts boiling this is "Visions of Johanna," and I'm not sure if this has ever been sung in New York City and finally during the guitar break I have to turn around and say, "Do you have to have a conversation," and the guy says, "I came here to see my friends and that's part of the fun," and I say, "Do you realize that it is totally impolite to talk while he is singing and other people are listening?" He shut up. And then boom, the electrics are on and it's 20 years later into a hard charging "Seeing The Real You At Last" and then into "Thin Man," and there's times when I could care less if I ever hear that song live again except tonight he's really singing it and visions of that very first time he performed it at Forest Hills with cops and kids chasing each other around the stage are running through my brain and bam he's into "Most Likely Your Way and I Go Mine" and just as you're getting over that into a majestic "Every Grain of Sand" and all of a sudden the people to my right are having a conversation about movies or maybe lunch or work or anything but the song which keeps building and building and finally I lean over and say "Could You Be Quiet," and the guy who doesn't seem to have the slightest clue who Bob Dylan is starts to say something and I'm thinking people waited in line to early hours of the morning and would have waited all night for these tickets on a work-night yet and I don't understand - I don't understand waiting in line for hours and hour to get tickets for a show and then waiting in line for more hours to get into the show and then not even paying attention to the show. Something doesn't compute there. Something doesn't make sense. But the guy standing in between me and the talkers said "Thank you" to me and it was all forgotten as Bob was into a kick-ass "Tombstone Blues" with a nasty guitar riff running throughout the whole song and then another immaculate "Not Dark Yet" and Dylan is sailing through the lyrics pulling out all the stops so much so that there's applause and cheers at the line "I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from," and the guy behind me taps me and hands me a little white rolled up piece of paper with a flame at one end and Dylan finally speaks introducing the band and then they're down "Highway 61" and the guitars are roaring, all three of them and they're gone. And then they're back again for "Love Sick," and somehow Larry's making his guitar sound like an organ the way Bucky used to do with his steel and then one hell of a "Like A Rolling Stone" and I keep thinking I'm almost hearing an organ and Sexton is like the ghost of Michael Bloomfield revisited and Dylan's playing around with the phrasing making a song he's sung a thousand times sound new again and then back to acoustic for "It Ain't Me Babe," a song he's performed a thousand different ways and he's doing another way tonight, in the singing, in the guitar playing that took you melting back into the night and then picking up the harp for the second time that night he went on one of the wildest harp escapades I'd seen or heard in years. He must've blown that harp for five minutes, maybe more (I was not looking at my watch) each note clear and strong, perhaps passing through every mood of every version he's ever sang of that song from sad to defiant to wistful to angry and taking the band with him, changing rhythms soft to loud to soft to loud again. And then "Not Fade Away," and it was loud and it was powerful and the band was smokin'. And they leave, but the lights stay down and the audience ain't goin' nowhere and the place is roaring and they're back and the acoustics are on and I'm not quite sure what the song is as they run through the opening instrumental I realize it's "Blowin' In The Wind," but slower than it was last winter and the rhythm guitars are heavy like Live '66, except not the acoustic side except they're playin' acoustics and Dylan's doing something with the melody, that thing only he does where he seems to find every beautiful space in the melody and make it more beautiful and it's perfect. And they're gone again. And just I was thinking it has to be over they're back and ripping into "Alabama Getaway" and they're on fire and they're gone again, but no one leaves and he's back again, and he goes to the mic and says, "A man who needs no introduction, Elvis Costello." And Elvis Costello comes out wearing a hat and straps on Bob's acoustic and into "I Shall Be Released," and it's time for the singing to start and Bob sings the wrong line, the second one, "They every distance is not near," and instantly realizing what he did, and instead of mumbling something incoherent or not singing at all, he acknowledged it and sang, "And they say it again every distance is not near," and then Elvis came in on the chorus and then Bob sang the second verse and Elvis did an soulful take on the last verse followed by an instrumental or two and another chorus and then it was over. Back when Bob Dylan wasn't touring and hadn't played any concerts for years, Jonathan Cott (or maybe it was Ben Fong Torres) -- it was a long time ago and I can't remember - and I'm not at home with all my usual source material - wrote a great article for Rolling Stone about Dylan's Bangla Desh appearance called "I Dreamed I Saw Bob Dylan." B O B D Y L A N was at Tramps last night in some ways it was just like a dream.
Subject: Re: tramps From: Lloyd Fonvielle navigare@compuserve.com Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 01:04:38 -0700 What a great review -- man, I wish I'd been there, and reading this, I almost felt I was. New York. "Visions Of Johanna". B O B D Y L A N!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subject: Re: tramps From: CPyle2bob cpyle2bob@aol.com Date: 27 Jul 1999 10:42:14 GMT hey peter what a great review. i love that bob gave you guys such a treat. 19 songs....wooo-haa!!!!! glad it was such a great night. peace, chris
Subject: Re: tramps From: bbg bbg@bewarethecapemen.com Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 08:35:25 -0400 good morning, everyone. how are you? i'm fine. a little tired, but fine. yes, most of what peter says is true. he missed a couple of things, but all in all, that was a very long review. i'm sure you're all wondering what bob and i talked about during blowin' in the wind. in a moment. anyway, bob seemed very sad tonight during the first part of the set. very. it was getting me down. i could feel his sadness. but then during seeing the real you at last he picked up. i think he got angry then. i think he's mad at his girl. charlie sexton was impressive a couple of times. tony was laughing a lot and smiling. he knew how hot the band was last night. elvis costello was good though they messed up the beginning of the song. all in all, great. visions of johanna, tombstone blues, john brown...no tuib...very neat. bob didn't smile clownishly too often so that was good. some highlights, comments: 1. Oh Babe, It Ain't No Lie (acoustic) sedate. sad bob. larry seemed concerned. charlie is a very distant individual. lots of fear from him on the stage 2. The Times They Are A-Changin' (acoustic) (with harp) again, a sad feeling from the stage. tentative. nothing too believable, but it will sound good. 3. Boots Of Spanish Leather (acoustic) this is where bob's anger starting coming through. the first moment of feeling from him. excellent delivery. crowd in palm. 4. John Brown (acoustic) the band's juices and bob's were kicked in. great delivery by bob. good acting. 5. Visions Of Johanna (acoustic) took a while for this one to get going... but by the time it did, 1/2 way through...real good 6. Seeing The Real You At Last he really got into this one...like i said, bob is having girl troubles... women...i don't know how we put up with you people sometimes. 7. Ballad Of A Thin Man (Larry on pedal steel) this review is starting to get boring, isn't it? really good...super good...bob getting into it... 8. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) surprises after surprises... more evidence of bob's girl problems i was thinking for a bit he was remembering past girl problems in nyc, but no, this is a current problem. 9. Every Grain Of Sand very good 10. Tombstone Blues good... 11. Not Dark yet sublime and all that 12. Highway 61 Revisited good 13. Love Sick....really something...crowd went a bit nuts...bob seems a bit sick of love..... 14. Like A Rolling Stone....one of the highlights....charlie's solo was something else...bob was noticing it..... 15. It Ain't Me, Babe (acoustic) (with harp)....good as always.....crowd goes nuts w/ harp..... 16. Not Fade Away....again, same as always....but the guys were standing very close...small stage...like the johnny cash tribute stage...so.... 17. Blowin' In The Wind (acoustic).....eh....silly hippy song...nobody believes it...should ditch it.... 18. Alabama Getaway...disappointing choice, but i suppose we can't complain... it would have been a drag to end the show here.... but then... 19. I Shall Be Released (with Elvis Costello)....redemption.... i think bob thought elvis was gonna take the first verse 'cause when nobody did (the crowd noticed) bob jumped in and flubbed the first lines, as peter, who was under the influence of the pot, mind you, said...some people laughed...then they recovered...tony was laughing and smiling at bob and elvis belting this one out... so...good show...get the tape...cd...send me a copy... i'd like to thank my kind benefactor who responded to my request for a ticket. you're too kind, you really are. oh yeah. when it came time for our little chat, i said hello bob and bob turned toward me and said hey. i asked if he was feeling a bit down tonight, if things were ok, and he said he was feeling a bit down, but that the show picked him up and he was hanging in there. i didn't want to pry, so i just left it at that and thanked him for a good show. but, it's obvious...girl problems. poor bob. it was a pleasure being with you all, my fellow bob fans. peter was right about some of the annoying people there last night. i'm pretty sure i spotted a couple of capemen. bastards. ok, better get going. your friend and fellow bobfan, bbg p.s. one final note - bob dylan may have been bob dylan last night, whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean, but i've seen better shows. bob hit all the notes and the band was great, but when he's not in a good mood, anyone who isn't under the influence of the pot and who is a perceptive and sensitive person can feel it. so, for those of you who couldn't bet there, you may enjoy the tape more. don't feel bad.
Subject: Re: tramps From: Barclay Reynolds barclayr@chesco.com Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 17:21:34 GMT I again felt this was an excellent show, and the way peter stone brown described it was eloquent and a perfect review. I was at this show, and I still cannot understandwhy anyone that would wait in line twice, and move themselves up moderately close, not like the 2nd row, but at the 9th or 10th with me, and then be so out of it and motionless, and still, I felt if I knocked one over, they would shatter (there only movement was there head moving side to side occasionally to get another look at Bob). How when Bob played such an amazing and legendary show, how could anyone be disappointed, because they didn't get there perfect eagle eye view of him. I was yelled at 3 times, and a shoulder was heaved at me, for dancing, I replied i paid for the show too, and if you want to sit and just look buy a picture. Everybody enjoys the showin different ways, don't get me wrong on that, I respect it, but don't try to ruin the experience for me because I enjoy it differently. Also, people must know that Bob, and the "greatest bunch of musicians ever" as he put it, work off the crowd, and if everyone is going absolutely crazy, Bob gets into it and returns fire, by kicking it out. One last note, after he beat the hell out of tombstone blues, I personally was going crazy, I looked over my right shoulder, and saw the people that so kindly moved back and let me up because of my predicament with this one man, those kind people were going absolutely mad. Then to my left I saw a dedicated man and woman, and then about 20 golf claps. What is that about, above the head, yell, give Bob some credit for being the man. Thank you, David Reynolds (Barclays son)
Date: Mon, 02 Aug 1999 19:59:45 -0700 From: Carsten Wohlfeld carsten.wohlfeld@ruhr-uni-bochum.de To: billp61@earth.execpc.com CC: karlerik@monet.no, happyjaq@confetti.ruhr.de Subject: June 26, 1999 - new york, ny - a review Bob Dylan New York, New York, July 26, 1999 Tramps A review by Carsten Wohlfeld Well, youāve seen the setlist and Iām sure a few people thought it was just a joke, but no, it was for real and actually something like a dream come true. People (including myself) critizised the fact that the setlist didnāt vary as much as before on this tour and even though this was obviously a special show, Bob only repeated four out of 19 songs compared to the previous and that aināt bad, right? People started getting in line in front of the Tramps as early as 111am, but since it was a very hot day again I decided to wait till 6.30 and still got a very decent spot in the 7th row or so when the finally opened the doors shortly after 8pm. Bob and his band only took to the stage at 9.30 and the crew did endless soundchecks but still forgot to turn on Dylanās mic! So we couldnāt hear thefirst two lines of: Oh Babe It Aināt No Lie (acoustic) which was okay but nothing more. Bob was more screaming than singing and he very bad PA didnāt help much. There seemed to be a constant feedback during every single song and Bob kept having trouble with his amp throughout the night, which confused him a whole lot and he kept missing lines cause he either couldnāt hear himself or got distracted. The Times They Are A-Changinā (acoustic) First long band discussion on what to play... Okay version even though Bob seemed to have a hard time getting the lyrics right and he might have stumbled over a line or two as well. Loooong harp solo at the end. Up to this point it seemed to be a ³regularć show and if they wouldāve played ³Masters Of Warć next it probably wouldāve been a dead boring 75-minute show. Instead they went for: Boots Of Spanish Leather (acoustic) and if you know anything about anything, youāll know that he nails this one every single time he plays it. It was grrrreat! Using his lowest voice, his singing was soft and tender and by the time he reached the last (title) line, he whole place just went nuts. There was hardly anything that couldāve topped this song, but then again they followed it with... John Brown (acoustic) Larry on bouzouki. Basically the same arrangement as last year, with Larry, Charlie and Bob starting, Tony joing in after a couple of verses and David only joing in close to the end. Very good version though Bob got distracted during the second to last verse and I think me messed up a couple of lines, though it hardly did matter cause it was quite a spectacular version. The bouzouki was interesting too, cause it changed the sound of the song considerably, een though it was the same arangement as before. Now I was convinced that they definitely couldnāt top this performance and I figured ³Tangledć would be next and sort of an anti-climax. But, oh no, Bobās really warming up now! Visions Of Johanna (acoustic) Oh my god! I though this was a bit better than any kinda version of ³Tangledć for sure! It was a weird version though, very fast, very loud and very different. Kinda like the difference between the regular ³Desolaton Rowć and the speeded-up version from Graz in April. It was played with three acoustic guitar and thus missing though sweet pedal steel sounds from this springās Portland version. Bob stumbled over a few lines, but at lleast this time he got the ³ghost of electricityć verse right. Bizarrely, he changed the last few verses to ³Visions Of MADONNAć, whatever thatās supposed to mean. It was quite a sight. Needless to say the crowd went crazy. Seeing The Real You At Last Not one of my favourite songs, but when itās played at bonecrunching volume and with amazing guitar solos (by Larry) like tonight, I wonāt complain. Bob had a great time singing it too and he seemed to have tons of fun to ROCK after the slow and somewhat quiet start. Ballad Of A Thin Man Larry on pedal steel. Very cool version indeed. Larry played a long solo and he seemed to look up all the time instead of staring at his fingers like Bucky used to do. Bob put in a pretty good guitar solo, too. I only wish they would play this one more often! Most Likely To To Your Way (And Iāll Go Mine) The only minor disappointment. It is very rare that I get to hear songs that I havenāt heard before and this was one I was especially looking forward to, but it didnāt live up to my expections. There was too much going on, three guitarists playing all sorts of different licks, changes in pace and ryhthm, David doing a lot of weird stuff on drums - Bob seemed to enjoy it, but I wasnāt too impressed. I was however, VERY impressed with what followed: Every Grain Of Sand Another gorgeous version with Larry on pedal steel yet again. Wonderful song, nicely done. That#s all I can say really. Get the tape!!! Tombstone Blues Wow! Another song that a lot of people seem to love that doesnāt get played a lot. I thought they probably would do a heavy blues version, but they didnāt. Musically it sounded like a - very welcome - cross between ³Yo Go Your Wayć and ³Memphisć, very 60-ish and - very good. I think Bob skipped the last verse cause he couldnāt remember it. There was a solo by Larry and Bob and it just went on and on, Bob stepped up to the mic and back again a cuple of times as if he was gonna start singing again but didnāt know what and then they just stopped. Weird. Not Dark Yet It was just perfect. Sigh. Band intros followed, no jokes, no frills tonight. Insteringly enough there was only white light, not a single coloured light in sight! Highway 61 Revisited Larry was making eye contact with Charlie (who hadnāt played a single solo yet) before the song, signalling him to take the lead. Saturday in Hartford it was Larryās turn to play a very hot solo, this time it was Charlieās, who played a very raw and dirty blues style solo which brought a rough edge to the song that was kinda interesting. Bob had troubles with his amp again and missed a few lines. A few bows, a few more smiles and then they disappeared. (encore) Love Sick It was interesting to see how they compensated Buckyās absense, cause obviously it was his part to play the lovely intro. Would Larry play pedal steel and thus not have the chance to play his superb guitar solo? No! Charlie played the intro riff on his Strat and apart from that the arrangement didnāt change one bit. Bobās singing was great as was Larryās solo. Like A Rolling Stone One of the highlights of the night! Every on and in front of the stage was having a great time, and Bobās singing was very strong, as was his guitar solo halfway through. The song was faster than in Hartford as well, which was a very welcome change. It Aināt Me Babe (acoustic) Bob sang the song to the women in the front row and was having tons of fun, especially with the line ³a lover for your life (pause) but nothing MORE!ć. Yet another long harp solo at the end even though Bob had to take a deep breath halfway through as it was getting a little hot at the Tramps despite their A/C. Not Fade Away The usual end of the show mayhem, with Larry and Charlie singing back-up for the first time tonight. Well, at least most people thought it was the end of the show as Bob and band left the stage after Bob had thrown some of the roses people from the audience had thrown on stage back into the crowd. But then they returned for the inevitable Blowinā In The Wind (acoustic) Where Bob got distracted by bad sound problems again and missed a couple of lines again. Not one of the highlights, so say it politely. They left the stage again and it looked like as if the show was definitely over now, after exactly two hours, but no, they returned only to discuss for a rather long time what to do now. And what we got was the first rendition since June Ī98 of Alabama Getaway Of course Bob forgot all the words again but it didnāt matter. It was fun to see and a good excuse for Larry and Bob to go wild on guitar. By this time Bob had given us more than we couldāve possibly hoped for, but there was more: ³And now Iād like to welcome somebody to the stage who really needs no introduction: Elvis Costellooooo.ć And there he comes, Irelandās finest, with a funny little hat on and one of Bobās acoustic guitars in hand. I Shall Be Released Bob wanted Elvis to sing the first verse as he couldnāt remember the words, but Elvis didnāt want to apparently, so Bob started and completely screwed up the words, even repeating his mistake by saying: ³i say it again..ć Very funny. Elvis joined in on the choruss, sharing a mic with Dylan and it was a very strong duet, not the usula mumbling you expect from Bobās duets. Elvis sang the last verse by himself and it was great to see the two of them on stage together. After the song Bob accidentally hit Elvis with his guitar, but he (Bob, that is) didnāt even notice :-) So there you go, despite the bad, bad sound it was a fun show and the setlist obviously left NOTHING to be desired. It was absolutely amazing, and though it was a minor disappointment that he probably didnāt do one single song where he got ALL the lyrics right, it was a tremendous show. Together with Dortmund Ī95 and the first Miami Beach Ī98 the best Iāve seen Bob do. A million thanks to Larry and Sadie for getting the ticket for me, couldnāt have done it without you! Now, how will he top this show at the Garden??? Hmmmm... carsten wohlfeld -- ³and iāll be jimmie rodgers, the cure or the who if it makes any difference to youć (mary lou lord)
