BOB DYLAN BOB DYLAN
(and other music I like)
For Dylan trades follow this link....
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Jordi, my son, bought my Dylan ticket as a (late) Christmas present, actually he bought two of them, so he could come with me, which delighted me as he has been listening to Dylan since the moment he was conceived!! It was a good job he got the tickets nice and early as they were sold out weeks before the concert, and ticket touts were selling 40 euro tickets for as much as 140 euros. (At least that was what they were asking). We got to the Poble Español with plenty of time to spare and Jordi, who has heard all about my previous adventures at Dylan concerts, said he would just follow to see what I got up to!!! The first thing I did was to suss out where the buses were. We waited for almost an hour hoping for a glimpse of the man and finally at about 10.15, a quarter of an hour after the concert was supposed to have started, there was a sudden concentration of guards and so we knew something was about to happen. I had decided that he would come out of the middle coach (the only one that had an electricity cable running in to it) and walk across the road into one of the back entrances, but in fact he surprised me and the other 2 or 3 people waiting there, as suddenly a van backed down the road and Bob and a youngish girl got out of the coach and jumped into the van. I managed to call out “Bobby! Hello!”, but he showed no sign of having heard me even though he was so close… oh well…. So we then rushed round into the square where the concert was being held and got there maybe half way through Wicked Messenger. It hurts me to say this as I love Bobby so much, but it wasn’t one of the best concerts I’ve seen. There were moments, especially at the beginning of songs that the band and Bob didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength and in Floater, towards the middle, I thought oops, they’re losing it, I don’t quite know what happened but the rhythm went a bit astray! It was also the first concert I’d been too where there weren’t any magic moments, when you felt that Bobby was singing just for you. He just seemed to belt them all out, like he was angry with the world. Maybe it was just me, but the band were playing hard and loud and I sensed a feeling of impending doom. I felt there wasn’t enough contrast between the songs, either. Having said that, there were some wonderful moments when Bob played the harp. The songs that stood out for me where Just Like a Woman (he let us sing the chorus!!!), Ballad of a Thin Man, Highway 61, Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) and Hollis Brown, and of course the encores! Larry played some absolutely brilliant passages. Bob concerned me a bit, he was on the keyboard, as I’d expected, but he kept on wandering off to the back of the stage between songs and during one of the songs he walked off and had a long chat with a roadie before sauntering back again. I don’t know what was happening, whether he didn’t feel the sound was right, whether he felt ill, I’ve just no idea. On the odd occasion he walked into the middle of the stage and sort of side stepped/danced a bit which drove some of us wild!!! But a lot of the time, he didn’t seem to respond to us, I know he’s not known for being chatty, but he does usually respond to the crowd in some subtle way. I didn’t notice that this time round. The band were all looking very smart in their suits and Bobby was wearing another of his over-the-top models, a black suit, which would have been neat if it hadn’t been for the gold (I think) buttons all the way down the trousers – where does he get these outfits?!! He was wearing a cowboy neck tie (not sure what they’re called) and something sparkly, maybe the thing that held the tie together, maybe the corners of his shirt collar. He was also wearing the big black hat! Remembering the last two concerts he did at the Poble Español, when the encore started Jordi and I made our way out of the square, round the back to where Dylan would come out. And as soon as the concert finished, George Receli tumbled out of the door and almost collapsed outside, I even asked him if he was alright, to which he said yes, just hot and tired. I thanked him for the great concert (which although I seem to have been very critical I did thoroughly enjoy!!!) and he said No, thank you for coming to it! Just after that all the rest of the band came out with Bobby. My goodness, he looked so exhausted. He was very pale and seemed so tired that he didn’t really know where he was. I said hello to him and he say hello back, then I thanked him for the concert and he smiled and nodded his head at me as if to say, my pleasure. Then I thanked him for all the happiness he brings to so many people and he nodded his head to me again, but I got the impression that he was so exhausted that he really didn’t know whether he was coming or going. The rest of the band said thanks, and good bye and other banal comments like that, and away they all went. I then thought about it, and I was wearing a thin skirt and a sleeveless top, and ok, so I had been dancing most of the evening, but I was absolutely melting, and had drunk a litre and a half of water, and I thought about Bobby and the band, with those suits and shirts and neck ties and hats, and in addition to the very warm summer evening, they had all the spotlights on them too, so I’m actually surprised that they even managed to get through the concert at all!!! They certainly deserved a nice cool shower, a long cold drink and a good rest. They didn’t have a concert the following day, so I wonder whether they actually took time to visit Barcelona and the Forum. I hope so. I also wonder if they ever have time to remember where on earth they even are!! They have such a hectic timetable. Anyway, thanks Bobby and thanks to the band for a wonderful evening, and for giving me the chance, once again, to get close to Bob and to talk to him. Unfortunately the pics I took didn't come out well enough to upload here. I also did a couple of minute long sound clips, but for the moment I can't seem to do anything with them - not even listen to them. So much for modern mobile phones ;-) |
Reviews of two concerts I went to Links to other great Dylan sites Links to Dylan chat rooms, forums, newsletters
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This page may take some time to download as there are quite a few ORIGINAL photos of Bob, taken by myself. Please be patient!! July 11th 1998
Bob at El Palau d'Esports, Barcelona, April 22nd 1999.
Bob and Larry (too dark, but the best I could manage!) I arrived at el Palau d'Esports just after 9pm, a quarter of an hour after the support singer, Andrés Calamaro had started. (More about him later). I decided to have a wander around before going in and went to have a look at all Bob's buses. What surprised me is that for a European tour with no concerts in Britain, all the buses had British number plates and right hand drive. There were only about 20 people hanging around the bus area and a few bodyguards. I asked one of the guards whether Bob was already inside and he told me that I was in luck as the bus Bob was in was literally just arriving!! First Bucky got off the bus and hobbled into the building with the use of a walking stick, I wasn't sure whether this was because he needed one or whether it was a disguise!! Then, after about 5 minutes there was a flurry of activity and Bob and a few other people (you didn't really expect me to notice who they were, did you!!) got out of the bus and walked into the building. Bob was wearing a light coloured sweat shirt or jacket with a hood over his head, but when he heard the applause that his appearance caused he stopped for a couple of seconds and raised his hands in the air a few times like a triumphant sportsman before going into the building!! Happy now that I knew Bob had arrived safely I decided to go and check Andrés Calamaro out. I already knew from having seen his album cover, that he looks like a young Dylan, but he has obviously spent ages st udying Dylan too as lots of his movements and gestures and the way of playing the guitar and singing were very Dylanesque. He also appeared to be stoned out of his mind!! I actually enjoyed his music, but can't help feeling that he should try and develop his own style rather than attempt to be a Dylan clone!! When Calamaro finished his set lots of people went off to the bar to buy a beer, so I took advantage and managed to get right to the very front. Here I should comment that the place is a sport "palace" and you could either join the throng all standing in front of the stage or sit in the stands around the outside. I found a place right up against the barrier just to Dylan's left. The concert was supposed to start at 10pm and just a few minutes later...... Bob and the band appeared on stage!!! Straight into the acoustic set, which I think is a good way of starting the concert, in this way the tempo grad ually increases throughout the whole concert. First he sang Cocaine, then Mr. Tambourine man, followed by Master of War which the crowd went crazy about as soon as they realised what he was singing. It's ironic and tragic how 30 years on this song is so utterly topical. The next song was It's all over now, baby blue, with a long instrumental introduction. Then into Mama, you been on my mind, the only song in which he played harp. It was a very country and western version. By now Bob was clearly getting into the swing of the concert and while playing harp started to dance a little. I just love the way he moves around a bit then looks to the crowd for approval . The next song was Tangled up in blue, which was done very well, the stage was almost in darkness, and the first time he sang Tangled up in BLUE the stage was flooded with blue spotlights.. Neat!! It was an excellent version, again with a heavy Country and Western feel to it. Next, a lovely surprise for me as it's one of my favourites and he hadn't been playing it very often.. One too many mornings. With this he ended the acoustic set. He started the next set with Can't wait, a deep pounding version. Then he introduced the band , and made a comment about not having been to see a bullfight yet. (God forbid!!!) Then he did I'll be your baby tonight. During the guitar solos he was concentrating so hard that his tongue was sticking out!!! Yes, I was close enough to see how pink his tongue was as well as the sweat dripping off him!!! Then into Stuck inside of Mobile, Not dark yet and Highway 61. Apart from Not dark yet, lots of people were now dancing, myself included.... how can anyone NOT dance during Highway 61?? ;-)) For the encore, they did Love sick, To be alone with you, a great acoustic version of Blowing in the wind, with Larry and Bucky (and the crowd) joining in on the chorus and a really rousing version of Like a Rolling Stone. Then, they were gone..... Dylan is like a good wine, he seems to just get better and better as the years go by. The band he has at the moment are perfect for him and they are together and all look as if they are having such fun! Bob was looking slim and well, although he is so pale, it seems a pity that he couldn't have enjoyed some of the Spanish sun while he was here. He was wearing a black suit, with a long jacket. The trousers had white stripes down the sides, and the jacket had white piping on the pockets and lapels as well as at the bottom of the sleeves, leading to white buttons!!. He was wearing a black and white shirt, I couldn't really see if it was checked or if they were little white circles. He also had a black ribbon tie. His shoes or boots, couldn't tell which, were "unique" !! Black and white!! ;-)) General comments after the show from the people I met up with, some of whom had been to all 11 concerts in Spain, were that the set list could have been a little more surprising ! In fact there were very few "unexpected" songs. Interestingly though, the comments from the press after the concert were that it had been an absolutely marvellous concert, but that Bob hadn't played the songs that everyone expected to hear. I wonder what they had expected... we had Blowing. LARS, Tambourine man!! The audience was made up of all ages from about 18 to 60 and, at least from where I was, everyone seemed to be having fun. Bob, you're the greatest!! |
These are links to some of my favourite Dylan sites:
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For the moment I have only given a link to one web site each, but a search on Alta Vista will bring up lots more pages, MP3s etc. As time permits I will add to this section. |
DYLAN AT THE POBLE ESPANYOL IN BARCELONA 07.07.2004
