Bob Dylan @ SydneyEntertainment Centre(15/08/07)

Mon 20th Aug, 2007 in Gig Reviews

I have to be totally honest with all of you here and I will say it outright: I am ALWAYS disappointed when I attend a Bob Dylan concert. It’s not about his voice, which is an ever changing instrument; it’s not about the band he brings, and this band for the 2007 version of the – œnever ending tour’ is brilliant; it is the songs that always disappoint me.

Kicking off with Cats In The Well tonight, as it is on many a night, got the faithful and the band right into it. With Bob on guitar for the first five songs, from my vantage point in the third row, you could tell it was going to be a rocking Dylan night.

Bob looking almost buoyant in his grey suit and very large hat wiggled and waggled while he worked his way through different arrangements of The Times They Are A-Changin and It’s Alright Ma I’m Only Bleeding.

Bob shuffled over to the keyboards after a fairly bland and tiresome version of When I Paint My Masterpiece (only the second time performed during the ‘07 tour and I can see why!) and joined the rest of the band in a set that was a good sample of old and new. There was an excitement in the Entertainment Centre I had not felt in awhile for what could be considered a nostalgia show for some. But Bob is not a nostalgia or an oldies act that has come back for – œone more time’; he is always re-inventing himself and his music. His last three releases prove that he is still an imaginative songwriter and the musicians he surrounds himself with are stellar.

Tony Garnier has played with Bob for many years, since 1989 I believe, and watching him watch Bob for queues on where the music was going was intriguing to see. Bob likes to mix things up during his show and you could tell the entire band really enjoyed the jamming aspect of their show and the interplay with each other. Donnie Heron on all things strings was superb and his violin and steel playing added that country element that has been part of Dylan’s music forever. Stu Kimball added the rhythm guitar and Denny Freeman had some excellent lead and slide licks throughout the show. Truly, besides it being hard to keep your eyes off the old dude in the grey suit and hat, the rest of the outfit were a lot of fun to see play.

We were given a wild ride with Highway 61 and Masters of War before Bob left the stage for a moment to rapturous applause and cheers of – œBobby!’. The encores, as to be expected with the up-tempo nature of the gig, were Thunder On The Mountain from Modern Times and the classic All Along The Watchtower closed the night down. George Recile (drums) gave Bob a smile and a raised clench fist as the show ended and you could see in their faces that joy was found in Sydney tonight.

But back to my disappointment in the songs. Mr. Dylan’s songs of course are far from the problem. The issue is that he can only fit so many into one gig and I always seem to miss the night when he plays the ones I love. So the only choice is to go more then once, and most times I do, but not this time around. So of course, on the second night he plays my second fave of his songs, Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, and also harder to face is that he performed Visions Of Johanna that he has only performed five times on the current tour.

Come back Bob, we miss you already.