Bob Dylan: a long time ago, I used to be a big fan, but I haven't thought of him lately at all.
Until a stroke of good fortune hit yesterday: my friend's daughter got sick, hurray! (sorry, M, feel better soon sweet-heart), one of her parents had to stay home, and I found myself with a ticket to an outdoor Dylan show. I went with somewhat mixed feelings. I had last seen Dylan in Syracuse in 1994, with Aimee Mann opening, and he had been pretty fabulous. That wasn't a bad last memory to have of the old man... better than what I feared would be an embarrassing, Rolling Stones-bad, performance by a doddering old guy who really should have known when to retire. On the other hand, how could I turn down the chance to see him?
So off I went to see the old man play in Pittsfield, Massachussetts... thinking how depressing it might be to be a rock and roll legend older than my parents playing to a Saturday night crowd in a minor league stadium in Pittsfield, Massachussetts. The two opening acts were utterly forgettable (one reviewer termed one of the acts "blessedly short" - amen to that). So were Dylan's first two songs. The third (Tweedledum and Tweedledee) at least showed that the old man was having fun that night, always a good sign - and so was his band.
Then he did "Just Like a Woman," and I was thinking, here we go, Embarrassment City... but it didn't turn out like that. As the song unfolded, he almost seemed to be making fun of the song and the crowd, in that lovely nasty Dylan way, putting the beats just off-center, screwing with the melody and the pacing, so that you could almost hear him sneering "yeah, get out your lighters now you maroons" (some people actually did, but they soon put them away in some confusion). It was great. But then he made the song (never one of my favorites) into more than a joke, and about halfway through the song he and the band seemed to catch fire... and they never cooled back down.
If you just saw the set list, you'd think it was just one of those staid greatest hits shows done for the money: Stuck Inside of Mobile, Desolation Row, Million Miles, I'll Be Your Baby, Don't Think Twice, I Shall Be Released, Like a Rolling Stone, Rainy Day Woman, and others. But it wasn't like that at all - he has so thorougly deconstructed and rebuilt these songs that they actually sound new and exciting, and not just annoying the way they did at some Dylan shows I remember from 15 years ago. The old man's voice is way stronger and clearer than it was in 1994, the band more musically interesting, and the arrangements more complex and unpredictable. The opening chords of each song were so completely random that it got to be a running joke - thirty seconds in to each song, I would say "it's Like a Rolling Stone! or else Mr Tambourine Man!" - so that by the time he actually did play Like a Rolling Stone, I wasn't even bothering to make the joke (or see it coming, since the opening chords were again so random that it sounded like it was going to be, I don't know, Masters of War or something). At the end of the show, midway through the encore, he even deigned to say a few words to the audience - "thank you," or something equally pithy.
Anyway, this post is pretty much pointless - just to say that it's darn inspiring to see the old man making such great music and sounding so focused, amused, and good. When was the last time that someone really exceeded your expectations like that? Oh, and if you ever liked Dylan and he comes to town, you might want to check it out - especially since his show just the previous night seems to have had an entirely different set-list and sound, and to have turned out just as good - and the new album due out next week would make a fine gift for anyone, including aardvarks...
Not a comment on Dylan, but rather the Qaddafi website link on your Arab media picks!
The site (http://www.algathafi.org) has been described by the NYT as "semiofficial" (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/04/news/libya.php), and belongs to the Tripoli-based "World Center for Green Book Studies."
The abbreviated WHOIS, for those who are interested:
Registrant Name:Abdallah Alhamil
Registrant Organization:World Center For Green Book Studies
Registrant Street1:Jamhooriya Street
Registrant City:Tripoli
Registrant State/Province:
Registrant Country:LY
Registrant Phone:+218.213406493
Registrant Email:[email protected]
Admin Name:Domain Direct
Admin Organization:Domain Direct
Admin Street1:96 Mowat Avenue
Admin City:Toronto
Admin State/Province:ON
Admin Postal Code:M6K3M1
Admin Country:CA
As you can see, its hosted on a Canadian server. Green Book, eh?
Posted by: Rex Brynen | August 27, 2006 at 08:18 PM
Good for you. I had a very similar experience at the Crosby Stills Nash & Young concert a few weeks ago. Hearing them perform live under the stars and harmonize on their many classics was pretty great. Yes, they sounded fabulous. These songs also stand the test of time(although, also like Dylan, CSNY sure look the worse for wear). Plus, they have a heart-felt anti-war message. Despite the teasing you are sure to get, I say you take Mrs. Aardvark if they come to town...
Posted by: Amy H | August 28, 2006 at 06:04 PM
Posted by: Gag Halfrunt | August 29, 2006 at 01:15 PM