Bob Dylan 2000.03.28 Milano

Subject: Milan view
From: Duncanehume 
Date: 29 May 2000 18:02:56 GMT

Grey hair is starting to come thick and fast. Wait band a little tighter. Eyes
highlighted with few more lines. Black pants, boots, t shirt and loose fitting
jacket. Yesterday's late night drinking obvious. Another town, another show. I
looked in the mirror and wondered how Bob was doing. 

Actually he was doing fine last night. Desolation Row was focussed and
delivered with his new found vocal clarity. Baby Blue is always a joy and
tonight was no exception. Tangled got's it's ritual demolition. To Ramona was a
waltzing wonder. Such a thing of beauty. Country Pie served up an Appleberry.
Tell Me had me thinking we might get the whole of Skyline live tonight.
Watchtower was punchy. Not Dark Yet it's usual wonder. God it sounds so good.
Cold Irons Bound sucked a big one. It was so bad it was funny. Why mess with it
? Kempers crashing beat smashed in over the last word of each line. "I'm
beginning to hear" ..SMASH, "and there's no one"...SMASH.

Thin Man, Not Fade Away and Blowin' were all you could wish for. And One Too
Many Mornings has to be put on bobdylan.com for the whole world to hear. 

Is Charlie Sexton really trying to look like Robbie Robertson ?

Duncan Hume




Subject: Re: Milan view
From: paddy@centralnet.ch
Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 20:53:07 +0200

I think you're wrong about Cold Iron Bounds - you say it was so bad it was
funny. I think it wasn't bad at all. It was a new arrangement and the band
and Bob had so much fun too playing it this way. A lot of people around me
nearly started crying because it was so intensive!! Thanks for your review
anyway.Bye

Paddy



From: fboggio@tin.it (Federico Boggio)
To: karlerik@monet.no
Subject: 28.05.2000 - ...With The Milano Blues Again
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 10:16:03 +0200

Wow! Second time around and what a show! 19 songs and only 7 in
common with the previous date in Modena which I was lucky enough
to attend too (see my review of 27.05.2000). Dylan and his band
as rocking as ever dispensed the audience of the Palavobis in
Milano with a long string of musical pearls. Great show indeed!

Roving Gambler (ac.)

A very good opener. Though this songÊhasÊnever been amongÊmy
favourite numbers to listen to on tape,ÊI must say that live it
works really fine and takes you by the hand into the show.

The Times They Are A-Changin' (ac.)

Well, Dylan blessed us all withÊan amazing rendition of this song
in Milano. It looked like he was playing with the lyrics and went
high and low withÊhis striking and caressing voice. Marvellous.

Desolation Row (ac.)

It's always astonishing to listen a to a live rendition of this
masterpiece.ÊThis timeÊDylan played itÊsolid andÊclassic, long
and mellow as it should be, and the more the song went on, the
more you felt like hypnotized during the progression of each
verse, withÊjust a moment of releaseÊat the end of each one when
he sang "...desolation row". Good refinings of Dylan on the
guitar. Among the highlights of the evening.

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (ac.)

Another classic. It was a pity theÊsong was played immediately
after "Desolation Row" and we were all stillÊtoo concentrated on
thatÊto appreciate it the way this song should have deserved
tonight.

Tangled Up In Blue (ac.)

Still less impressive than in Modena, my opinion is that time has
come for Dylan to give it a break and put this beautiful song to
a rest for a couple of months at least. Yes, I understand
theÊaudience wants to hearÊTUIB, I know that Dylan enjoys playing
it too, but IÊsee that lately this songÊsounds kind of
"tired"Êand its live renditions are not particularly inspired.

To Ramona (ac.)

Hauntingly beautiful. This ballad in waltz time never fails to
amaze meÊand I find that in the last performances the songÊhas
gained in terms of power united to an incredible tenderness. No
harmonica coda this time.

Country Pie

This short song opened the electric set and sounded much better
than in Modena. The band was tight and concentrated and
everything worked fine with this joyful song.

Tell Me That It Isn't True

Beautiful surprise. This not often frequented song from
"Nashville Skyline" was given in Milano a stunning rendition,
moving and intense. Very interesting.

All Along The Watchtower

The audience went crazy at the first chords of this classic song,
played with punch and determination in the old way (not
theÊmid-tempo arrangement Dylan had accustomed us to in '98).
Dylan sangÊthe mysterious lyrics of this song very
aggressivelyÊbacked up by a resolute band.

Not Dark Yet

We all needed a little rest and there it is. NDY was treated slow
and dark and Dylan's vocals reached abysses of mysterious depth.
In Milano this song was really tremendous, poignant and haunting.

Cold Irons Bound

Big surprise! Not one of my favorites from TOOM, this song is now
completely different, with a striking new arrangement that made
it one of the highlights of the show. It's rock, rock, rock! Not
the usual heavy "wall of sound" arrangement that made this song
sound a little like a whole block of concrete. NowÊthe song is
extremely lively, with vocals well in front,Êlots of stops and
starts, staccatos, and a jazzy and funky influence. Very very
good. Apparently, Dylan is experimenting in new directions (see
theÊre-working of "Can't Wait", "Drifter's Escape" and "Gotta
Serve Somebody") and it will be of extreme interest to see where
he's going to lead us to.

Highway 61 Revisited

A greatÊstopper before the encores. Played with pluckÊand rocking
as usual, great guitar work of Campbell and Sexton.

Ballad Of A Thin Man

This indeed was the top of the tops! BOATM was played
subterranean and intimate, slow and precise with stunning vocals
by Dylan capable as usual of creating a magic atmosphere and
reaching to peaks of sublimeÊpoetry and feeling (the "..nobody
has any respect" middle break, above all).

Like A Rolling Stone

This was a sort of a slowdown, in my opinion, even if the
audience enjoyed this song a lot. Just an average rendition, not
particularly inspired, Dylan sang three verses only and the rest
was routine guitar work.

One Too Many Mornings (ac.)

Hey guys, what a thrill! Dylan's dreamy and narrating voice led
us all into a tunnel of spellboundÊatmosphere. The song was
treated beautifully, soft and slow, and we all felt wrapped up in
a blanket of pure enchantment.ÊAnother  highlight.

Not Fade Away

Always a pleasure to listen to this powerful song opening the
last portion of the show. Played tasty and rocky, this song led
us into the more relaxed atmosphere of the following

Forever Young (ac.)

Once again, Dylan gave another excellentÊvocal rendition of this
classic of his, helped in the choruses by Larry and Charlie.
Entrancing.

Rainy Day Women #12&35

The last but one song, and we all expected it to be RDW. Dylan
sang it a lot, like in Modena the night before, with irony and
fun.

Blowin' In The Wind (ac.)

The last showdown. Everybody stood up and sang along in the
choruses. The rendition of BITW was choral, as usual these times,
and on myÊway home on the highway the bare and solo versions from
'92 occurred to my mind... maybe better?

In conclusion, a very good show with lots of highs and just a
very few lows... what is left to say? I am happy and sad at the
same time. Happy because I had the opportunity of attending two
astounding concerts (Modena and Milano), sad because the next gig
in Florence on May 30 is on my mind, but Florence is far, the
journey is long and expensive, my job is waiting for me. So I'll
have to wait, unwillingly, 'til the next European tour in the
Fall, I hope.

Thanks everybody for your attention Federico Boggio



From: lowreyp@unaids.org
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2000 08:45:06 +0200
Subject: review of Milan concert
To: karlerik@monet.no

Milan

That such a man walks the earth! Bob Dylan torched Milan, turning in a show that
ran through every emotion, a show as rich and complex as Shakespeare, as sincere
and touching as your first kiss. It was the most powerful, intricate and
swinging rock 'n' roll I had heard since the Stones in their heyday in the '70.
This is absolutely as good as it gets. What a contrast to the night before in
the provincial town of Modena! Bob obviously saves himself for the big ones. And
Milan, Italy's most important city, intellectually and industrially, was a big
one. And there I was, in the pit six rows from the front with a perfect view of
the perfect show.

Roving Gambler
I've seen Bob in '74, '78, '86 and '90 and heard endless bootlegs and he always
needs four or five songs to warm up. Not tonight. A great opener, accompanying
an instant stage rush. Such a rich sound with the three acoustic guitars. Dylan
playful with his singing and Charlie especially providing gorgeous back up
vocals in his cowboy voice. It really rocked.

Times Changin'
I think he should retire this song actually as he obviously knows it's not true.
It is a period piece and a young man's song. Nevertheless he played it
beautifully. He left out the line "and admit that the waters around you have
grown", coming in on the following line. I thought it was a flub at the time but
now I think he fooled us. A couple of songs later he paused in the middle of
lines, to heighten the drama, but we all thought he had forgotten the words! Our
hearts were in our mouths! I think he was just playing a practical joke. 

Desolation Row
Sheer genius.  Heavy meaning in every word. Larry played some tasty guitar licks
in perfect counterpoint to Bob's picking. A real treat.

Baby Blue
Larry on steel. Bob continues to limber up, pausing in the middle of lines and
working his guitar.

Tangled up in blue
Bob's playing from the hip now, lively and savouring the words of this classic.

To Ramona
A lovely Tex-Mex treatment with Larry on mandoline. Like a brand new song,
almost a waltz. Bob sang it with freshness and tenderness, as if he were
speaking the sentiments to a woman standing in front of him. How he can achieve
such intimacy in front of 8 000 people is really the mark of the man.

Country Pie
Now the guitar work starts in earnest. The song ends with guitar runs from
Larry, then jumps to Charlie for an explosive burst of speed picking -  totally
original. It is still ringing in my brain days later. That boy may not get a lot
of solos but he saves up for them, that's for sure. Bob's in full voice now, not
holding back in the least. And his voice sounds good. Better than on many
bootlegs from the mid '90s. (As far as I undertand, he uses a special mic that
adds a very slight reverb to his voice to buck it up a bit. Is that true?)

Tell me it isn't true
His singing is getting better and better.

All along the watchtower
A tour de force. Larry takes care of the famous opening Hendrix rift; he has the
steel guitar screaming with urgency. On the rift goes to Bob in a seamless flow
of music. Watchtower, with its "none of them along the line know what any of it
is worth" and its conspiratorial "but you and I, we've been through that and
that is not our fate", has always meant a lot to me. It's a song of existential
decision. It's a song for anyone who has tried to march to his own drummer. Bob
puts heavy emphasis on "BUSINESSMEN, they drink my wine; PLOWMEN dig my earth",
singing hard and clear. I'm overwhelmed with emotion and in tears. A great
moment in my personal rock history.
Not dark yet
Another highlight. He sings it with poise and dignity. Beautiful lyric guitars
all around. Who would believe that "it's getting there".
Cold Irons Bound
An amazing new arrangement. He starts with a simple single guitar and bass
accompaniment, almost speaking the words. Suddenly, the band hits it with
everything, then stops. Another line, the band hits it again. The crowd is in an
uproar. Again, and I think a fourth time. Then the traditional rocking
arrangment to the end. 

Highway 61
Exceptional. Bob's firing on all cylinders, spitting out some of his best
lyrics, obviously having a great time. In the middle of a roaring four-way jam
at the end, Tony suddenly ups the tempo and they are off on an even higher
plane. I haven't heard such intricate and just plain wonderful guitar interplay
in a long, long time. Simply superb. 
Ballad of a Thin Man
Another song I think he should retire since I don't think such sarcasm becomes
him now. It is still well done.

Rolling Stone
A mid-tempo version and an obvious crowd pleaser. By this point, there is a real
love-in going on in the pit. People turning to each other and smiling or with
looks of amazement. There is an eight-year-old boy on his father's shoulders six
rows from stage centre. That kid is going to be far out. Three generations are
singing along to the song. 

One too many mornings
Tony's got his huge wooden bass working again. Bob is singing tenderly and
beautifully. Larry's steel is gorgeous.

Not fade away
In the excitement I had forgotten that he might play this. As the first
chug-a-chug rifts sounded out, I thought to myself "my love is bigger than a
Cadillac??" Yes! Dylan's having a ball and so is everyone else.

Forever Young
With so many young people in the crowd and Charlie Sexton standing beside him
(is that guy even 25?), this song had a special poignacy. Again I was in tears
with the wisdom and beauty of the lyrics, sung with so much heart. If I never
get to see Bob again (perish the thought) this will remain his final
benediction.

RDW
More great rock 'n' roll.

Blowin' in the wind
Beautiful. They put the concert to bed, Bob puts on his black cowboy hat and
walks with straight-backed dignity off the stage to thunderous applause.