# Anyone seen Dylan live recently? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2007, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566 "2007-06-03T10:20:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/21 "2007-06-04T11:42:38Z")
I saw him about two years ago. I’ve been a fan forever, and I had heard that his performances had deteriorated. I went pretty much for the reason mentioned by **pprgr** l, to fill in a gap in my life list of live performances by legends. A big surprise for me was that he played electric piano for the entire concert, didn’t touch a guitar. He is not a good keyboard player, and his entry-level chording detracted from the sound of what I thought was a pretty good band. His voice was horrible. I’m with **astorian** here; I have enjoyed Dylan’s singing for a long time. I’m not talking about his technical shortcomings circa 1965. Everything he sang was hoarse, guttural, tuneless and incomprehensible. I mean as rough as Tom Waits, but without Waits’ musicality. It was nearly impossible to identify the songs, and I know the songs. He spoke once, before the encore, to introduce the band. I couldn’t understand much of that, either. It was the worst live performance I have ever paid money to attend. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/22 "2007-06-04T11:56:49Z")
I wonder if he’ll play [My Humps?](http://www.ifilm.com/video/2842442) ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/23 "2007-06-04T14:47:19Z")
[QUOTE=pprgrl] It’s really only worth it if you want to tick an item off that list of “Stuff to Do Before I Bite It.” If “Seeing Bob Dylan Live!!!1!!1!” isn’t in your top 30-ish on that list, don’t bother. You won’t be able to understand anything he’s singing and even if you could he won’t play a single damn song that you like, or hell, even know the chorus of. And he won’t give a tiny rat’s ass whether or not any one in the audience is enjoying the show. “Seeing Dylan live” was on my list at 18, so I’m kind of glad I did it. But Jesus-fucking-tap-dancing-goat-licking-Christ, that was one of the worst shows I’ve ever been to. [/QUOTE] Nailed it. I saw him live in 2002 with free tickets. I really just wanted to go to say I saw Dylan. You should see as many legends as you can in your lifetime. But suck, he did. To make matters worse, he was playing the Houston Rodeo, which is in a 72,000 seat arena. I imagine Dylan is better (but not good) at a more intimate venue. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/24 "2007-06-04T17:30:20Z")
I’ve never seen him live myself, but had a math teacher in high school that went to every show he within reach. He said the secret was to see him in a small, intimate setting with a couple hundred or fewer people–that he was barely watchable in an arena setting, but that seeing him in a tiny venue was an amazing experience. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/25 "2007-06-04T17:53:24Z")
Sounds like if you’re going to see the Zim, you need to see him close up. The one time I saw him wasn’t very recent–it was nine years ago–and it was in a huge arena, _but_ I was sitting fourth row center, close enough to really see Zimmy’s face, and the vibe was awesome. A few notes I posted in another forum at the time: > [@me](#): > > I was completely unprepared for how **animated** Bob was. He > started out the set as I expected, standing stiffly at the mic with a > stern expression on his face. But soon enough he was doing that weird > little knock-kneed dance that he kept breaking into throughout the > evening–and GRINNING! Bob was DANCING and GRINNING! As the angle > and color of the lights changed and Bob moved his head I was astonished > to see clearly the faces of the 1965 Dylan and the 1974 Dylan and the > 1978 Dylan before me–then the white lights would come up again and > he changed back into the craggy, jowly 1998 model. > > Before the show started I had noticed a green bullet mic next to the > vocal mic, so I figured there was guaranteed to be some harmonica in > the set. Sure enough, he pulled it out for “Tangled Up In Blue,” but he > seemed tentative. He blew a couple of test notes off-mic, and looked > at it as if he weren’t sure he had the right key. Then he looked like he > wasn’t sure when to come in. That Zimmy, what a tease… ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/26 "2007-06-04T19:18:15Z")
I’m obviously in the minority here, but I’ve seen Dylan eight times between 1974 and 2004. Five of those shows have been since 1999. I’ve only been disapponted once - when I saw him at the Illinois State Fair in 1989. Most of the shows I’ve seen he’s completely blown me away. [QUOTE=pprgrl] You won’t be able to understand anything he’s singing and even if you could he won’t play a single damn song that you like, or hell, even know the chorus of. [/QUOTE] I don’t get this at all. Here are the set lists of the shows I’ve seen since '99: 10/27/1999 I Am The Man, Thomas The Times They Are A-Changin’ It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) One Too Many Mornings Tangled Up In Blue All Along The Watchtower This Wheel’s On Fire Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again Not Dark Yet Highway 61 Revisited Love Sick Like A Rolling Stone It Ain’t Me, Babe Not Fade Away 5/4/2001 Duncan And Brady Mr. Tambourine Man Desolation Row Tangled Up In Blue This World Can’t Stand Long Down In The Flood Just Like A Woman Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again Where Teardrops Fall Drifter’s Escape Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 Things Have Changed Like A Rolling Stone If Dogs Run Free All Along The Watchtower Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door Highway 61 Revisited Blowin’ In The Wind 2/9/2002 I Am The Man, Thomas My Back Pages It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) Searching For A Soldier’s Grave Lonesome Day Blues Lay, Lady, Lay Floater High Water (For Charley Patton) It Ain’t Me, Babe Masters Of War Tangled Up In Blue Summer Days Sugar Baby Drifter’s Escape Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 Things Have Changed Like A Rolling Stone Forever Young Honest With Me Blowin’ In The Wind All Along The Watchtower 5/2/2003 Duncan And Brady Mr. Tambourine Man Desolation Row Tangled Up In Blue This World Can’t Stand Long Down In The Flood Just Like A Woman Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again Where Teardrops Fall Drifter’s Escape Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 Things Have Changed Like A Rolling Stone If Dogs Run Free All Along The Watchtower Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door Highway 61 Revisited Blowin’ In The Wind 4/13/2004 Cold Irons Bound It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue Lonesome Day Blues Under The Red Sky Things Have Changed Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum Positively 4th Street Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine) Masters Of War Floater (Too Much To Ask) This Wheel’s On Fire Honest With Me Not Dark Yet Summer Days Cat’s In The Well Like A Rolling Stone All Along The Watchtower I’m not sure you could ask for a more varied mix, given that the man has a catalogue that spans 40 years and several hundred songs. Granted, his voice isn’t so hot, but I’ve known the lyrics to just about every song I’ve heard him perform, so that wasn’t a big deal to me. And I’ve always loved the way he reworks tunes so that they sound completely different from the way they were recorded on the albums. So, you pays your (not insubstantial) money and you takes your chance. I’m a 55 year old geezer who has been enthralled by Dylan for 40 years, and I’d probably pay $50 to see him read from the phone book. One thing you can count on: he’ll have a top-notch band with him. He’s ALWAYS been able to put together a great band! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/27 "2007-06-05T00:44:18Z")
Ditto. COMPLETELY BLOWN ME AWAY. Especially fifteen years ago in a bullring in northern Spain. During the second set I wandered straight up – I mean STRAIGHT UP – to the stage, and the bastard sang a solo acoustic “Mister Tambourine Man” RIGHT TO ME. Also heard him in New Haven back in '78 (awful) and at Madison Square Garden in 2001, when he followed Joni Mitchell and completely destroyed her. Encored with “Blowing in the Wind,” which was extremely nice of him. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2007, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/28 "2007-06-05T12:41:08Z")
Define ‘recently’. The man’s about a hundred years old. So I count the Slow Train Coming tour (1980) as recent. He was pretty good, but let’s face it, he’s unpredictable, and has been for about sixty years. He really doesn’t care too much if you have a good time, and on any given night/tour, he specifically won’t play the songs you want to hear. When I saw him he laughed at calls for Lay Lady Lay, Like A Rolling Stone, etc. “Shoulda been here fifteen years ago,” he mumbled as he launched into another unknown Christian rock number. It’s a crap shoot. Catch him on a good night, and it’s magic. Other nights, it’ll be the worst show of your life. Buyer beware. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2007, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/29 "2007-06-06T09:44:06Z")
I saw him a few years back at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. He melted the place. It was a great show. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/30 "2007-08-18T16:38:47Z")
I hope I am not transgressing here but, as a courtesy to those people who replied to my plea for guidance, i thought I should let them know how the whole thing worked out. Everyone was right: He didn’t say one word to the audience during the set. After the last song they simply walked off stage. After the first encore _Thunder On The Mountain_ Bob says. “Thank you friends,” and introduces the band. Many of the songs do sound similar because he chooses, this time, to present half of them as straight blues songs. He could have Bo Diddley playing guitar. But the band he has is just about the best blues band I have ever heard. Sometimes it is hard to understand the lyrics, but only on the songs I know by heart. Nothing sounded like the original version - he did blues, he did pop, he did country, he did gospel - I was waiting for death metal but he skipped that. His set list was heavily weighted in favour of more modern stuff that I didn’t know. But the truth is in the post before this one he was …FUCKING FANTASTIC. The arrangements were so clever. He would pick elements of songs and weave them into a totally different musical framework so that you had a constant sense of familiarity and novelty within the same song. He sang superbly - more deep and sonorous than I expected but with lovely changes of phrasing and pisstakes of “Bob Dylan.” And as you would expect the band was uniformly excellent. Here is what he played: Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 It Ain’t Me, Babe Watching The River Flow Tangled Up In Blue John Brown The Levee’s Gonna Break When The Deal Goes Down Things Have Changed Desolation Row Honest With Me Spirit On The Water Highway 61 Revisited Nettie Moore Summer Days Ballad Of A Thin Man (encore) Thunder On The Mountain Like A Rolling Stone More concert set lists and reviews at [Bob Dylan - Bob Links - 2013-2014Tour Guide](http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/dates.html#0815) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566/31 "2007-08-18T20:49:41Z")
Thanks for the update, **don’t ask**. Glad it worked out well for you. As you saw in this thread people either fall into the love him/hate him in concert camp. I’m happy you ended up in the former! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-seen-dylan-live-recently/406566.md?page=1)