Dylan does Northrop
Posted on November 5th, 2008 – 1:07 AMBy Jon Bream
It usually takes His Bobness a few songs to get the frog/phlegm out of his throat. On Tuesday at Northrop, it took him a good hour to bring consistent clarity (such as it is) to his voice and then he got overly croaky once again anyway. In short, he was not in good voice, for him that is, but he was often passionate. The band, following Bob’s lead, was a bit unfocused and less forceful than in recent Twin Cities performances.
Playing on election night, Dylan didn’t get political, though his bassist, St. Paul-bred Tony Garnier, wore an Obama button on his lapel. After the bandleader introduced his sidemen before the final number, he finally made a comment to acknowledge what was happening on this night. “It looks like things are gonna change now,” he said. Then he called an audible, eschewing his usual and planned finale, “All Along the Watchtower,” and instead playing “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
Here is the set list:
1. Cat’s in the Well 2. The Times, They Are A-Changing 3. Summer Days 4. This Wheel’s on Fire 5. Tangled Up in Blue 6. Masters of War 7. Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again 8. John Brown 9. Beyond the Horizon 10. Highway 61 Revisited 11. Shooting Star 12. It’s Allright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding) 13. Red Sky 14. Thunder on the Mountain 15. Ain’t Talkin’ ENCORE 16. Like a Rolling Stone 17. Blowin in the Wind
What did you think of the concert? Please post your comments here:
19 Responses to "Dylan does Northrop"
Hey, Bream,
A wholly unsatisfying review. All you talked about was his craggy voice and how he “grooved” on one song.
Readers count on you to report what Dylan said during the concert. To write that “he said something like…” is not reporting.
To be in the house last night was an incredible experience. The last time I saw a concert on election night was in ‘92 in Milwaukee as Bruce Springsteen ushered in the first Clinton term. What a long, strange trip it’s been.
What Jon forgot to mention is that there was a screen in the lobby of the auditorium that was showing cnn and at the end of the concert, as everyone filed out, the screen showed that Sen. Obama had secured 292 electoral votes and the Presidency. As each new wave of fans came out spontaneous and raucous cheers overwhelmed the lobby. It was awe inspiring. I did not expect to hear a lot of rapport from Bob, just not his style. But to work in “Times They Are A Changin”, “Masters of War”, “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “Tangled Up In Blue” (with the line “Revolution was in the air”) certainly demonstrated an acute awareness of what was happening on this most magical of nights! Long Live Bob!
……Northrup was electric…seated near the back on the main floor..we stood the entire concert along with most of the crowd….the sound was excellent!
Anyone who goes to see Bob for his voice, should stay home and listen to his recordings. It is however, worth the price of admission to hear a living legend perform the greatest song in rock n roll history. In addition we also got “Times They Are a Changing, Masters of War, Tangled up in Blue, Blowin in the Wind” He made his statement. It was surreal exiting the Northrup as the election was being called, and watching all the fans spontaneously erupt
Yes, Bob’s voice was rough, tough to understand sitting in the balcony.
This was the first time I had seen Dylan though I’ve been a fan since the 60’s. The real disappointment for me was not only was he hard to understand but that he / the band changed the melody of many of the songs. So I could occasionally pick out a word, maybe figure out what song he was singing, and then try to find a relationship between the song being played and the song that I knew.
Overall for me a big disappointment.
Did Bob play guitar this time around, or did he stick to piano? Any harmonica solos?? What the hay??? Man Bream, you’re going downhill with reviews! Worse Review Ever
While the band may not have been as down and dirty and on fire in the way they were at the Rochester ball park a couple of years ago, the playing was elegant - maybe almost too finished. People I was with didn’t like this Tangled Up in Blue, but hey, he played Tangled Up in Blue and that hasn’t been true for a while! I loved it. Also Highway 61 - different but so cool.
On the way in I told my kids I’d wet my pants if he did John Brown on this particular night (he did, I didn’t).
Seems to me as though Mr. Bream and others were attending the concert in a different universe! But hey–it’s good to have different opinions otherwise the world would be boring…
Apparently, I might be the only person among 4700+ who though Mr. Dylan was in fine voice last night (certainly compared to the last concert he played here at Excel two years ago). He sang clearly–but after the first two songs they turned the volume up just a bit too much and made it harder to distinguish. Still, Mr. Bream, I had no problem making a written note of each song within the set list within the first couple of notes.
I thought the band played excellently! It was tight and crisp. The arrangements were all first rate and interesting with the possible exception of that on Beyond the Horizon which ended up sounding a bit monotonous. It was certainly a rock ‘n roll night–one is more accustomed lately to hearing “Look Ma, I’m Only Bleeding” in a blues rendition, but I was intrigued with last nights rock version.
And, sigh, what Mr. Dylan said was (ok, paraphrase since I didn’t write it down), “You know, I was born in the year of Pearl Harbor, and things were a lot different then. Seems like things really can change after all.” (And yes, I could hear this all clearly sitting up there in the balcony.) I would have sworn he preceded that comment with “Looks like Obama’s won” but since no one else has mentioned it, I begin to wonder…
I really wish the newspaper’s reviewers would get off of their schtick about Dylan not chit-chatting. Look–you KNOW he’s not going to and, moreover, WHY should he? He came to perform music which is what he did most excellently. Outside of its being an interesting local footnote, of what import can it possibly be that he happened to be born in the state or went to school here for one year? Good Lord, the vast majority of his life has been spent elsewhere–why expect nostalgia for this place, and why entertain expectations concerning other than his music anyway? His music is what he has offered to us, and it is his music that I, for one, gratefully accept.
My most reliable measure of a band’s performance after more than 40 years of attending rock concerts is whether the band moves me to dance. Bob Dylan and his band got me dancing! Even Bob seemed to dance a jig or two towards the end as he stepped out front of the band. He showed vulnerability and his age in his hesitant steps. Dylan’s superb harmonica playing stood out as one of the highlights of the evening. Another was the brief moment during the band’s final bow when Dylan stood on stage, waving his outstretched arms overhead just as his many fans were doing in the audience as they cut loose with raucous applause. Dylan said a lot during the night. It just wasn’t always with words.
Could’ve taken a music class which would have taught him how to take care of his voice? You’re a fool. The man has been singing constantly since long before your smug waste of space was even born. “All Along The Watchtower” isn’t his “usual” finale. He’s ended with other songs, including “Blowing In The Wind” how many times….? Oh: THOUSANDS. How did you get this job?
While it’s true that those who expect a golden oldies show are likely to be disappointed, perhaps they should be. Don’t worry, the State Fair is just months away.
Sandra Jahn said “I would have sworn he preceded that comment with “Looks like Obama’s won” but since no one else has mentioned it, I begin to wonder…”
He was introducing the band and said “And over there wearing the Obama button…”
Wases reveiwer even at sowh? Rob Dylan protest Hibbing upraising ambot looting adn train tracts. Scratch on voices Rolling Tome enchanted sogn even mroe.
Well, I know I’m supposed to say the Dylan show was memorable or great but I guess I’m not that enlightened. This was my 13th Dylan show so I am not some wet behind the ear rookie. For the first time in my life I actually left an event early that I paid for. Anticlimactic, brutal, simply dreadful all around. Sound, song selection, you name it and I didn’t like it.
I consider myself a pretty big Dylan fan, but last night’s show was terrible.
I paid $172 for a pair of nice seats in the first couple rows of the balcony, and I left early. I couldn’t believe I was doing it. But it was pointless to stay there.
To me, there was way too much band and not enough Dylan.
Wow, a lot of wide ranging experiences last night.
I was at the show and I thought Dylan did an amazing job. He put himself all the way into nearly every single song. By the end of “Ain’t Talkin’” he was out of juice and I saw him let out an exhausted sigh, but otherwise he was dead on all night. For me the highlight was “Stuck Inside of Mobile.” He did the “Oh, Mama…” part different each time. On Highway 61 he screwed up the lyrics of the last verse by singing the first line correctly but then doing the rest with the words from the previous verse. He played it seamlessly though and it’s not like it was too easy to understand what he was singing anyway. But that didn’t matter. Rhythmically and creatively he really laid it out there and gave us our money’s worth. But, not everyone feels the same as me, I see now.
I thought BOB ended by saying since Pearl Harbor the world has been in darkness, and then a remark about change, was difficult to clearly hear it all.
more importantly the Sound SUCKED!!
The set selection great,
the experience of seeing and hearing Dylan was still well worth it.
I’ve seen Bob eight or ten times in the last 12 years, at ballparks, state-fairs and gymnasiums, at the edge of a cliff in Washington State, and the Northrup was really great. One thing about Bob… it is what you make it.
With so many factors swirling around the guy, everyone who wanted to experience the show whould have been able to find something to love.
I knew he wouldn’t have any kind of speech, and I think “Ain’t Talkin” was a nod to that. Obviously this reviewer wasn’t a real dylan head. If you want these crystaline renditions of all of the historic songs, pour yourself a glass of wine and pick-up any of teh many dvd’s and cd’s availible.
or show up and be a part of history.
“how many times must a man look up, before he can see the sky?”
that line made me laugh out loud last night. thanks bob, you’re the joker man.
I just got a recording of the show and listened to it on the ipod this morning. I love the Internet sometimes! Anyway, I can easily hear what he said during the band introductions. Here it is
“Tony Garnier wearing the Obama button…. Alright… Tony and I think its a brand new time right now. The age of light. Me, I was born in 1941. That’s the year they bombed Pearl Harbor. Well, we’ve been living in a world of darkness ever since. But it looks like things are gonna change now!”
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