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Bob Dylan 2001.08.24 in Las Vegas



From: "john jameson" jmjesq@ionet.net
To: webmaster@expectingrain.com

Subject: Fw: review  of bob's show 24 aug  2001 las vegas nevada
Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001 21:50:20 -0700

i flew in from okc on thursday for the friday night bob show at the
hard rock hotel. having seen bob twice in the last eight days, i knew
the band was working really well together and i should be in for a
treat.

again, i didn't have a ticket to this gen. admin. show. i went to the
hard rock box office in mid-afternoon and was told that the floor was
sold out and the balcony was available for $152 a ticket!! the balcony
is in the rear of the room, so noÊthanks.

i've seen some good shows at the hard rock before, but there's
something about the place that makes me uneasy.  i feel that peter
morton would just as happily packaged another concept if it would make
him more money. it reminds me of how rock musicÊmight be provided by a
fascist government.... anyway, the twenty somethings that predominate
the place on the weekends seem to enjoy it.

i arrived back at th HR two hours prior to bob's show and quickly
bought a floor ticket from a broker at face value. stood in the line
with some nice folks, all from out of state. one guy went a and got
beers for all of us. nice.Êa few feet behind us in line was a lady in
full costume, leopard mini and pill box hat, with a heart shaped
collage made up of bob'sÊpictures.  you go girl!!!  and itÊdidn't look
balanced "on (her) head like a mattress balanced onÊa bottle of
wine."Ê

the crowdÊwas allowed in "the joint" about 7 p.m., an hour before the
show was to start. i found a nice place to stand about one third of
the way back  behind a rail with a clear view of the stage. i stood
between a 40 year old there with his teenage daughter (who was up at
the stage rail) and a calif. couple who wereÊalso going to bob's show
in calif. the following night at the antelope cty fair. all
niceÊpeople, which is common to these shows. spent the time in idle
speculationÊover whether the lady clad in aÊpink spandex top and black
hot pants accompanying a disabled fellow in a chair in front of us was
a "sex worker". the consensus was yes. (not that there is anything
wrong with that....)

bob took the stage with a  rousing "hallelujah, i'm ready to go".
charlie exchanged glances with tonyÊafter both of them looked at bob,
as if they were thinking "this night might be interesting".

the opening acoustic numbers were all strong, especially "its alright
ma...Ê" and "country pie".  the crowd was loving it.Ê

when bob reached theÊeighth song "absolutely sweet marie", the band
jelled completely as one and sounded wonderful. bob's harmonica solo
was incredible!!! so much so that drops of spittle marked the right
side of bob's silver silk suit. (as usual. bob looked great in the
suit, with a satin westernÊshirt and black string tie.) the crowd
roared when bob finished the harp solo. more harp, bob, pleaseee!!!

in sharp contrast to the shows the previous week, where charlie had
served as bob's foil on the guitar breaks, tonight i swear bob shot
charlie a look like "yeah that's you over there, soÊwhat?" it was
definitely a different dynamic than the other shows. bob seemed to
match up with larry tonight.

still the band sounded great!! and when they started the electric
songs it seemed to take it to a higher level.ÊÊ"everything is broken"
started of with the mix wrong but was quickly fixed and the band
rocked. bob quickly introduced the band, with no comments or jokes,
and finished up the set. taking a bow, the sweat was clearlyÊvisible
under bob'sÊblue eyes.

this leads up to the encore, and tonight it was really something
special. to me it was one for the ages.  in the small room theÊsound
was excellent and bob and band nailed "love sick". someone threw a
t-shirt on stage and bob eyed it like it was a snake. "rolling stone"
was a revelation. much better than last week. bob spit out the lyrics,
not throwing them off like he sometimes does. the song vibrated.
"watchtower" rocked, and the hendrix guitar solos wereÊextended
moderately.

"blowinÊin the wind" was powerful and i assumed it was the end of a
great show. but no!!!  bob strapped on his cream stratocasterÊwith his
name in mother of pearl scriptÊon the fingerboard for a sizzling
version of "highway 61".  flanked by charlie and larry on telecasters,
the song reallyÊwas a revelation. the final break was total wall of
sound. the crowd was in heaven.

bob graciously took bows, smiling broadly as he had several
timesÊearlier. definitely not grimaces, but what appeared to be a man
enjoying himself.

for the record, the rest of my weekend wasn't too damn bad
either.Ê"love and theft" should be a treat. john jameson



Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan Subject: las vegas review 08/24/01 (long) From: Michael G Smith mikeygsmith@hotmail.com Date: 27 Aug 2001 11:47:34 -0700 Just got back from a whirlwind road-trip tour of the southwest where I caught the last two Dylan shows before the release of Love & Theft. I had very high expectations of the Vegas show (as I knew it was the smallest venue he's played all year) and they were met to the fullest. This was Dylan at his peak - going above and beyond the call of duty and delivering a full 2 hour set of diverse material at a level of maximum energy. My friends and I waited in line all day to secure a spot in front of the stage and it was great to see familiar faces and make new friends while waiting. The Joint security made us line up outside and it was blistering hot but we took turns going inside for water/food/bathroom breaks. A couple of hours before the show we were excited to hear that Bob had been seen walking around the casino with his bodyguard and checking out the rock and roll "memorabilia" on display. I wonder if he saw his own Ibanez acoustic that he had signed in 1986? A little while later we also heard that the band played the Christmas carol, "O Come All Ye Faithful", at the soundcheck! We were let inside at 6:30 and after an interminable wait, Bob and his band took the stage at 8:10. Bob was looking very dapper in a gray suit and - contrary to other reports - still sporting the pencil thin moustache. They immediately tore into... Hallelujah, I'm Ready to Go - This always sounds the same, call and response vocals on the chorus, Larry on mandolin, but if you like it as much as I do, it's a nice treat. Bob's face was inscrutable throughout the song. To Ramona - Really good. Larry's mandolin playing provided a nice segue from the previous song but what made this rendition special was the phrasing. Bob really spat out the words with a machine-gun-like delivery (regularly pausing every few seconds) that he would repeat later during Blowin' in the Wind. His face came alive here for the first time too and you could see the blue of his eyes whenever his eyebrows shot up. It's Alright Ma - Good solid version. Nice vocal by Bob singing in a higher register, though he flubbed a line in the final verse. Searching For A Soldier's Grave - was Searching for a Soldier's Grave. Country Pie - Typical rocking version with great playing all around. Tell Me That It Isn't True - Fantastic. One of the highlights of the night. Great vocal as Bob sang in a much lower register and some new lyrics too - "To know somebody else is holding you tight/ It just DRIVES ME CRAZY, it just doesn't sound right". Strangely, this turned into a HWY 61 style guitar rave-up as there were long instrumental jams before and after the last bridge. The song concluded with Bob playing an excellent solo; if I had heard it on tape, I would have assumed it was Charlie. Big smiles from everyone in the band. 'Til I Fell In Love With You - Excellent rocking version. Dylan's delivery of the lyric was hilariously playful (in stark contrast to the albulm version) and he smiled real big a couple of times. Absolutely Sweet Marie - Another highlight. Beautiful fluid pedal steel by Larry. They nailed it. Masters Of War - the familiar version of many years running except for the repeated first verse at the end, which is great because the circular quality gives it a new tragic dimension. Bob's vocals at their most menacing. Big crowd reaction. Love Minus Zero/No Limit - Lovely version with Bob playing a monster harp solo at the end, dancing from one end of the stage to the other. Larry was cracking up. But this wasn't just a typical 3-note solo; there was tremendous variety in the playing and it was the harp that pulled the band along rather than vice-versa. Mama, You Been On My Mind - Well done all around with a long instrumental jam (3 verses and choruses) before and after the last verse similar to TMTIIT. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - More hilarity on stage as Dylan playfully experimented with the phrasing - never doing anything the same way twice. My favorite was "I'LL! . . . BE! . . . your baby tonight" Make You Feel My Love - The vocal highlight of the night for me. Very low and pitch perfect. Cold Irons Bound - The usual explosive version. What can I say - I love it. Everything Is Broken - I was really hoping for this and my wish was granted. "Broken leaves/on broken trees/ Broken ships/ sailing on broken seas". Bob introduced the band in the middle of the song. Tony opened his mouth real wide when his name was called. Love Sick - the fourth TOOM song of the night! More great ominous vocals and nice dual solos from Bob and Larry. Like A Rolling Stone - As others have noted, much slowed down from the versions this past spring but fine nonetheless. Knockin' On Heaven's Door - the same arrangement as this past spring with the melody rising during the third line of each verse and chorus. Nice solo from Charlie on electric guitar. All Along The Watchtower - Dramatic new arrangement. I didn't know how to feel about this one 'til I heard it again the next night. This is the punkest thing Dylan has done in a long time with Dave laying down a jackhammer rhythm and the boys in the band speeding through the four chords in double time. Blowin' In The Wind - Great phrasing unlike any version I've heard before but similar to To Ramona earlier in the evening! Bob really leans back into Larry after each chorus as they both let out a flurry of dramatic strums. After the song, I give Larry the thumbs up and he gives it to me back. Reports of Bob being unhappy with Larry in Europe are either untrue or water under the bridge by this point. Larry continually surveyed the crowd with that same dreamy smile on his face and it was clear that the other bandmembers were having fun too. At this point I assumed the show was over but they then strapped on the electrics for... Highway 61 Revisited - This was the first time I can recall hearing Bob sing the "fifth daughter" verse live. So not only did he sing the whole thing, the band rocked real hard and long as usual - with Tony and his extra long chord wandering all over the stage. A great conclusion to a great show: Four TOOM songs plus Everything is Broken and a handful of other gems, with Bob and the band all clearly in a good mood and having fun. When we left the casino a couple hours later we noticed Kevin, Dylan's guitar tech, standing by the crew's bus, still in the parking lot. We waved to him and, apparently recognizing us from the front row, he walked over to us and chatted for a few minutes. Super nice guy. He asked if we were going to Lancaster and we told him no, which we thought would be the case at the time. But funny things sometimes happen when the next show is not too far out of your way driving home... Michael
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:44:36 -0400 Subject: Vegas Impressions From: Brian Austin baustin@pbimedia.com To: webmaster@expectingrain.com Hello Karl Erik, I got back this morning from my Las Vegas trip and thought I'd share some impressions of last Friday's show. I'm not much of a reviewer but here goes. This show was a unique experience right from the start because my wife and I took our daughter for the first time. She's nearly twelve and has been asking for some time to see a Dylan concert. She spent the majority of the summer in a full leg cast after breaking her leg and ankle while doing gymnastics. She was freshly out of the cast, but still on crutches. I'd made arrangements in advance for a table on the balcony. We flew into Las Vegas the night before the show. We got to The Hard Rock Hotel early and there was a real buzz of excitement in the air. A rumor was circulating that Bob Dylan had been spotted walking about the casino, but we didn't see him. We spoke to the folks from The Joint box office and met some of the security crew. Everyone was very nice and they set us up around 6:30 with a nice table on the second row of the balcony from which we could see clearly. A nice woman from the security team tipped us off that Johnny Depp was about to enter through a side door. He came in and sat nearby, with his girlfriend and their infant child. It had been just over a year since I'd last seen Dylan and I was quite excited. The band took the stage and launched right into a high energy "Hallelujah, I'm Ready To Go". Bob was wearing a silvery grey tux, with black piping, and had on black boots with white flames sweeping back from the tips. He looked very dapper with the moustache and one leg was dancing in place from the start. Larry Campbell had trimmed his beard quite a bit from what I'd seen in recent photos. The harmonies were terrific and the sound quality was great. Larry's mandolin cut right through. Bob and the boys were having fun and it felt like it was going to be a special show. It most definitely was. "To Ramona" was gorgeous as the lovely mandolin playing continued. This song is a real favorite of mine. I've always felt that the versions from late '97 were definitive but this performance was right up there. As the show progressed I realized how much I consider Bob Dylan's shows to be a full band experience. Oftentimes my favorite moments are purely instrumental. The interplay between the musicians is great to watch in person. Dylan's guitar playing had great confidence and authority. I joined my daughter at times in focusing on David Kemper's drumming, which is truly a marvel. My favorite songs of the evening were: Country Pie The first electric number really kicked the energy up. Absolutely Sweet Marie Gorgeous from top to bottom. Love Minus Zero/No Limit Wow! Gorgeous and heartfelt, leading into an extended jam. Bob played the harmonica beautifully and danced forward & backward as he played. His harmonica playing is like changing voices and singing in another tremendously expressive language. Everything Is Broken Really rocked. This was my daughter's favorite. Knockin' On Heaven's Door I love the new arrangement. It reclaims the song after it's been beaten up by so many bands. Highway 61 Revisited This was a complete surprise. It seemed as if the show was over, as expected, Êafter Blowin' In The Wind. The security people had taken their stations at the exit and one of them told us the show was about to end. This number was LOUD and Charlie Sexton really opened up and played full throttle, bending deeply at the knees. Just before the band left the stage he looked out and noticed a bride and groom who'd been working their way forward throughout the show. The bride wore the full bridal regalia and Charlie pointed at her and laughed. The show lasted a full two hours, having run from 8:10 until 10:10. It's hard to put shows in perspective after you've fully enjoyed the experience. I wouldn't say it's the best Dylan show I've ever seen but it was excellent throughout. We left the theater feeling fully satisfied. Thanks for all the enjoyment I've gotten from your wonderful Web site! Brian Austin
2001: February - March - April - May - June - July - August -

Tour