A few months ago, I read that Bob Dylan was going on tour. I sent off an email to my friend, who immediately scored two tickets for November 23rd at the Capital Theatre in Port Chester, NY. We have seen a few shows at the Capital since it was renovated a few years ago. Back in the seventies it was a regular stop for all the big bands (e.g., Grateful Dead). Neither of us had seen Dylan and with Bob now 81 it seemed like if we were going to do it now was the time.
I have been a Dylan fan since high school. My first exposure to Dylan was the album “The Concert For Bangladesh”, the George Harrison 1971 benefit show for this beleaguered country. Dylan was an unannounced guest and his five-song set took up one side of the three-album set. This was one of Dylan’s few appearances since his motorcycle accident in 1966. In my opinion, this is one of Dylan’s best live recordings. The side opens up with a passionate reading of “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” and closes with the quintessential version of “Just Like A Woman”. His voice is incredible and his performance brings the house down.
In early 1974 Dylan announced a national tour with The Band, his first full tour since 1966. I was getting into music and was starting to get out to shows but somehow, I missed this one. My friends and I all got his next album, “Desire”, that was released in 1975. This record spawned the Rolling Thunder Review tour, a rambling minstrel show with a host of guests (Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell et al). I didn’t get to see Dylan then either but I followed the coverage in Rolling Stone.
From there my relationship with Dylan and his music went dormant only to be re-kindled in the late nineties when I picked up one of his bootleg series albums; a live recording of one of 1966 shows in England. This was the tumultuous tour where the crowds booed and threw things at the stage during the electric set with The Band. Dylan started releasing expanded studio and live recordings under his Bootleg Series in 1991 and, like so many other things, he set the standard for artists’ archival recordings. The series includes live shows and studio outtakes from all phases of his career.
In the past few years Dylan has become more important to me and my appreciation for him has grown. I am particularly taken by his quotes, his philosophy towards life and his style (e.g., the Nobel Prize kerfuffle). There is a great podcast interview of Ethan Hawke[1] where at one point he talks about Dylan and his “density”, meaning how he lets nothing in that he doesn’t want to let in. Lately when I perform my own music I have been closing the set with a Dylan cover (never play Dylan BEFORE your own songs). I had low expectations for this show. Bob’s voice and delivery for the past few decades render most of his old songs unintelligible. I had checked on setlist.fm and the tour set list was unchanged each night. It was also mostly songs from his new album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways” with a few older songs mixed in. The point was to see Bob Dylan and hopefully the music would be passable.
Port Chester is the last exit on route 287 in Westchester County before it merges into route 95 which takes you east into Connecticut or south to New York City. The exit dumps you on Westchester Avenue which is a straight shot down to the Capital Theatre. I got there a little after 6:00, parked in the train station lot and met my friend for dinner at a Mexican restaurant next to the Capital. We went over to the theatre around 7:30. The show being in New York it was a vax-only show. Our seats were a few rows up in the balcony. The Capital is very strict on cell phone use for photos – threatening to eject you if you used your phone. I heard some rumblings from people sitting around me about Bob playing the old favorites. These people had not prepared for what was about to come and would probably be disappointed. Need to manage those expectations. This was not 1966 or even 1974.
There was no opening act and Dylan and his band appeared on stage at exactly 8:00 (actually 7:58). Dylan was right center stage on piano[2] with the band fanned out behind him. There were two guitars, a multi-instrumentalist, bass (sometimes an upright) and drums. As expected the show consisted mostly of material from his new album. The older songs included “When I Paint My Masterpiece”, “Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”. The new songs were pretty good and, in a way, it was probably a better experience than a show laden with mostly older songs. Dylan was clearly into performing these new songs. He finally addressed the crowd before the last song when he introduced his band. There was a flash of the old Dylan wit when someone yelled his name and he responded “Bob? There’s no Bob up here you must be at the wrong show.” With that they went into the final song “Every Grain of Sand”. When the song ended Dylan and his band left the stage and that was it. No encore. Thank you and goodnight. It was 9:30. I guess there’s no late nights when you’re 81. You have to give Dylan credit though, he still does what he wants (in this case a set of mostly new songs) and not what the crowd expects. As we shuffled out with the rest of the crowd onto Westchester Avenue and made our way to our cars I thought that after all these years I had finally seen Bob Dylan.
ARTS ROUNDUP
Streaming
“Only Murders In The Building” (Hulu). Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez play three tenants in a New York City apartment building who come together to solve a murder of one of the tenants. Each of them has a back story that is slowly revealed as their investigation proceeds. Martin, Short and Gomez are excellent.
“Succession” Seasons 1 -3 (HBO Max). We were definitely late to this party but we have barreled through the three seasons. It is that unique show in that there are no likeable characters but it is so well produced you can’t look away.
Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary “Get Back” (Disney+). Almost nine hours of watching the most famous band in the world sit around in the studio and work out new songs for what became the “Let It Be” album. Fascinating and tedious at the same time.
Music
The War On Drugs, “I Don’t Live Here Anymore”. The latest from one of my favorite new bands. I have to say this one hasn’t clicked for me yet like the previous two records. There are some minor annoyances too like the strange LP packaging (there’s a flap that has to be moved to get the records out). Also, the album is only 52 minutes spread across four sides which makes for some sub-ten minute album sides. I’m giving it some time.
Julien Baker, “Little Oblivions”. I’ve had this one on my Spotify playlist for about six months. I keep coming back to it. Baker is among a group of introspective female singer-songwriters[3] that have emerged on the scene over the past few years. The full-band arrangements give “Little Oblivions” more punch than her previous records.
Snail Mail, “Valentine”. I just started listening to this one last month. This is the second album from Lindsay Jordan’s indie rock project. The songwriting is solid and the production keeps you listening.
Books
“Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman. Clever story about four septuagenarian friends in an English assisted living facility who get together on Thursdays to work on solving old murder cases (supplied by one of the friends who somehow gets access to these old files). Then one day a real murder takes place on the grounds of the facility and the four begin working the case (much to the chagrin of the local police). Good fun and rumored to be a movie soon. The second book in the series is supposed to be even better.
“Gentleman In Moscow” by Amor Towles. A Russian aristocrat, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov,
is put under house arrest for life in an attic room at the Hotel Metropol across from the Kremlin. The Count makes the hotel is base of operations as the years in exile unfold inside and outside the Metropol. An absorbing and well written story.
Podcasts
I’ve been listening to a lot of episodes of “Rolling Stone Now”. Recent episodes include interview with Alison Krause and Robert Plant, a new book on Paul Simon, a tribute to Charlie Watts and a review of the The Beatle’s “Get Back” documentary.
[1] The Sam Jones’ “Off Camera” series.
[2] Dylan hasn’t played guitar on stage for several years. Arthritus is one explanation that has made the rounds though Dylan has never confirmed this.
[3] This group includes Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacas.