To be fair, I was never a huge Dylan fan. Still, I had a few of his albums and much of his stuff is without peer. He may be the greatest folk/rock song writer. So, I am a fan.
Amos Lee opened up. Why this guy and his band aren’t as popular as Matchbox 20, or others I don’t know He was Fantastic with a capital F. The tickets were $47.50 and I would have gladly paid it for a night of his music. Fabulous.
Next was Elvis Costello. Never a huge fan, but like Dylan loved some of his stuff. (like Allison etc) He was very entertaining. It was very good.
Next came Dylan. His band is tight and first rate; experienced musicians. Now Dylan was never known for his melodic voice. But he would sing. Sometimes he would do this talk/sing thing where he wouldn’t hold a tune very long. But it was still singing mostly. His voice was high pitched, nasal and whiney, but he was Bob Dylan for God’s sake. Bob’s now 67, and he didn’t sing a lick. He talked/ barked through every single song. I suspect he’s a lifelong smoker, because he has a mouth/throat full of road gravel. Song after song he simply talked his way through it with the gravel voice. There was about 2500-3000 people in a venue that would seat 8000+ easily. After about an hour I saw a few hundred or more filing out. (he played for 90 minutes) As is his habit, he said nothing to the crowd—nothing before, during or after the show. (save announcing the band, which was indiscernable in his incoherent rambling voice)
A lot of people have been telling me Dylan’s concerts these days are just horrible. It’s as though he just doesn’t care any more whether or not he’s actually reaching his audience.
He was like this when I saw him ten years ago- I can’t believe word hasn’t got out in a decade that his live shows now stink, and that people shouldn’t go. Or maybe it has, and a lot of people just want to see a legend, even an incoherent one.
Yeah I saw him in '98 and his “singing” wasn’t up to scratch much and he ignored the audience. Van Morrison on the other hand was extremely engaging and entertaining.
His shows are hit-and-miss. I’ve only seen him once in concert and I’m not sure I need to see him again. But anyone who expects him to be Mr. Personality onstage doesn’t know him very well. Who cares if he doesn’t banter with the crowd or if he rambles incoherently between songs? That’s not why he’s an icon.
I last saw him about 5 or 6 years ago,. and his voice was fine - for Dylan. I understand he can’t play guitar anymore now. As for connecting with the audience, he didn’t the two times I saw him here, and he didn’t when I saw him in 1980 in Baton Rouge, and if the Cd is any indication he didn’t in the “Royal Albert Hall” concert in 1966. The only indication I have of him ever connecting is from the 1964 Carnegie Hall concert CD, and the liner notes said he was drunk.
Richard Thompson connects to the audience. Dylan, not so much.
An ex girlfriend went to see him about 15 years ago. I didn’t 'cause I’m not a fan. She came back very disappointed. She said it might as well have been called “Requiem for Dylon.” She said he was either drunk or stoned or both so bad that she couldn’t understand 80% of the words. (I thought - hell, how is that different then any other time?)
That’s why I didn’t catch this year’s tour, even with a solo Costello opening. I saw Dylan with Paul Simon, and didn’t recognize half the songs Dylan performed until he got to the chorus in most of them.
Saw him in 79 or 80 (Slow Train Coming tour). He didn’t connect there either. He smirked when somebody shouted out “Lay Lady Lay!” and replied “You shoulda been here ten years ago, man.” Don’t recall that he said anything else that evening.
It’s got to be a combination of hard living and indifference, because John Fogerty (62) and the Stones (Jagger 64, Richards 63) are still out there playing, and sounding really good. Fogerty’s voice in particular seems to have faded hardly at all, which is impressive considering his vocal style is pretty strenuous.
Saw the latest show (travesty!) in Atlanta and I have to agree with the OP. Dylan was terrible!. I enjoyed Amos Lee (and I thought I heard him introduced as Aimless Lee). Elvis Costello was good, and worked hard for the audience. He even shared a couple of brief anecdotes.
Dylan was a waste of time. Couldn’t make out his lyrics even when putting my fingers in my ears, the words were still amorphous mud. His voice had odd bass undertones which was very annoying. As far as stage craft he didn’t talk to or acknowledge the audience (which I’ve heard is normal for him).
I’m so glad I saw him (2 or 3 times) back in the '60s, when he had his “normal” voice and stage presence. He was really great back then, in spite of the fact that he “couldn’t sing.” Perhaps his new act is an attempt to make the old one look good in comparison.
I’m a Dylan fan who really enjoyed his singing in the old days. To make up for never having seen him in concert back in the day, I went to see him maybe two years ago in Columbus, OH. His voice was guttural beyond anything you’ve ever heard from Tom Waits, and totally unmusical. It was an unsteadily rhythmic roar. No words or tunes could be distinguished. Before and since I’ve read praises for his band, but I think that they sounded good only in comparison to Dylan. They weren’t bad, just journeymen. They had to work pretty hard to overcome the legend’s piano playing.
Bob Dylan reportedly scared the children at his grandson’s kindergarten after treating the class to a live show. He has allegedly been dubbed the “weird man” by children in the Calabasas school where Jakob’s son attends.
A source told the New York Post newspaper: “The kids have been coming home and telling their parents about the weird man who keeps coming to class to sing scary songs on his guitar. He’s been visiting the school just for fun, but the kids don’t appreciate they are in the presence of a musical legend. They just think of him as the weird guitar guy.”