Bob Dylan 2001.11.17 in Philadelphia

Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: philly
From: Peter Stone Brown  psb51@earthlink.net
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 08:18:54 GMT

Tonight was Bob Dylan's seventh show at the Spectrum in 27
years and his first show there without any kind of
supporting act since 1981.  Of the three shows I've seen the
Spectrum was the most packed and also one of the most
appreciative.  The crowd was pumped.

Again "Wait For the Light to Shine," kicked things off in
high gear, followed by an "It Ain't Me Babe," that was
incredible featuring a subtle guitar solo from Dylan that
took the song somewhere else and at the end he went back for
the harmonica and delivered a somewhat astounding solo that
just built and built.

"Hard Rain" was every bit as strong as it was in Washington,
with Dylan's left leg constantly, twitching, shaking almost
contorting-it never stopped moving, reminding me of ancient
articles by Bob Shelton and Nat Hentoff, where they talked
about how ever, while sitting at a table, Dylan's left leg
was constantly going.

"Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum" rocked, but there was
something in Dylan's phrasing that took the song somewhere
else to an almost spooky place.

Dylan then bounced back to '69 with "Tonight I'll Be Staying
Here With You," and then came the night's first surprise. 
Instead of staying with the pattern of the previous shows
(that I saw) where he then dipped further back into his
catalogue, he pulled out an astounding "Lonesome Day Blues,"
that featured a startling good guitar solo by Bob.  And this
solo pointed out what made the Philly show special.  While
consistently singing with impact and intensity, Dylan seemed
focused on the getting the music and his playing right.  His
guitar solos, whether acoustic or electric took each song
higher.

"High Water" which has consistently been a high point of the
night, came next followed by "Don't Think Twice" and an
excellent "Tangled Up In Blue" with Dylan emphasizing the
"written in my soul" line.  "John Brown" was stripped and
stark with Larry's bouzouki providing an eerie drone. 
"Summer Days" was simply superb with the three-guitar
attack.  At one point Dylan realized he muffed the "my
back's been to the wall line," and quickly sang it again
somehow squeezing it in.  This led to a slow, almost
delicate "Sugar Baby" that seemed to silence the arena.  It
seemed as if everyone was actually listening.  A ferocious
"Cold Iron Bounds" came next leading into "Rainy Day Women."

On the encores "Things Have Changed," and "Honest With Me"
were the standouts.  At the end of "Blowin' In The Wind,"
something happened that I haven't seen at a show in years. 
Suddenly there were a few thousand lit cigarette lighters
flickering through the entire arena.

Dylan and the Band returned for "Exodus" into a searing
"Watchtower."  The band came together to soak into the
applause with Dylan shuffling, smiling and pointing to
various members of the audience. They left the stage for the
last time and the applause continued for several minutes
till the lights went up.  This is easily one of the GREAT
Dylan tours.


--
"The game is the same, it's just up on another level."  --Bob Dylan
Peter Stone Brown
e-mail: psb51@earthlink.net
http://store.yahoo.com/tangible-music/petstonbrowi.html




Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: philly
From: Brett Kornfield
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 08:35:31 GMT

Goddamn. Bobby was so good tonight.  It was almost seven
moths since I had my last fix.

Tweedle Dee is fantastic live, so much better than album. 
High-water is a totally different song with a new tempo and
solos breaking up the verses. In Things Have Changed, I love
how Bob has added the "yeaaaaah" to "Yeaaaaah but things
have changed."  Charlie and Larry and Tony and David were so
great tonight mixing swing, country, and blues.  Bob no
longer plays rock and roll; only Cold Irons Bound is rock. 
Rainy Day Women and Rolling Stone are so mellow on this
tour.  I slow-danced to Forever Young with my new fiancˇe. 
Is getting a live Mississippi going to be like getting a
Visions of Johanna used to be?  My college age sister and
her friends just love Summer Days.  Sugar Baby was out of
place in such a happy show, but John Brown somehow fit in my
view.  Wait for the Light to Shine could be Bob's best
opener in a while, but its not the quite like other covers
like the Stone Walls and Steel Bars or White Dove he
sometimes pulls out for pure beauty.  Where were the other
rmders I've seen at North-East shows every year?  Was I the
only one here who chose the floor?  As soon as It Ain't Me
Babe was over, five people in my group of eight said, "Bob's
singing real clear tonight."  No one retracted their earlier
words 2:45 later when he flubbed Honest With Me.  The way
Bob sang the words right to the last second of music on
Watchtower was damn cool.  I think Bob may have a point to
make with Hard Rain, Blowing in the Wind, and John Brown. Is
Philly always such a cool place to see a show for someone
who likes to stand, smoke, and sing out loud?

And MSG on Monday!

Brett



Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: November 17, 2001 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - setlist
From: karen  rinny52@yahoo.com
Date: 18 Nov 2001 05:11:42 -0800

God Bless Bob & Larry & Charlie & Tony & David. It's been a
year (11/8/00 Bethlehem) since my last (confession) audience
with the pope of music. By the last notes of AATW Bob had
all 20,000 screaming fans in the palm of his hand.

Great drive to and from Philly, pure anticipation on the way
down and nothing but awe on the way home.(Thanks PSB for
directions).  We stopped at the oregon diner for a bite to
eat and some libations to cut the edge. The 4 tour buses
were locked behind a big fence. At least 20 guitar necks
visible on stage. Nag Champa stage left al santos stage
right looking more like santa than ever, 8:15 Rodeo,
L&GPWCRABD, Bob in black w/white trim, the boys in red, all
with grey shirts. Around this time I started uttering the
phrase "I love that man" and have repeated it countless
times since. Prophetic, vital, brilliant, bob with his
mathematical touching the soul music struck again. Magical,
glowing like burning coal stuff.  It took TUIB, RDW, LARS &
AATW to get most of the people awake but us die hards were
glowing from 8:15 till 10:45.  I have a bunch of boots from
this tour and they don't do it justice.  David got to kill
the dead sea tonight. The stadium was packed with all ages 5
to 85. The whole show was a highlight but some specific
moments made me smile bigger or feel deeper.

It Ain't me, Babe - bob let the song come to an end and with
that unbelievable timing revived it by harp A Hard Rain's
A-Gonna Fall & Searching For A Soldier's Grave - chills
Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum - charlie and tony mugging and
playing off each other most of the night, Larry seemed
somber but smiled some times

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You - emphasis on tonight
and you Lonesome Day Blues - hits your blues buttons High
Water(For Charley Patton) chills Don't Think Twice, It's All
Right lavendar lights bob serious but lighthearted

Tangled Up In Blue - audience realized they were alive and
Bob was in the room Reddish and orange lights John Brown -
what can I say? Bob is my hero. Live...now...stunning.
Summer Days - Tony swung the bass a little and the crowd
swung a lot. "what looks good in the day, at night is a
SCARY thing". Sugar Baby - no reaction to the bootlegger
line green and purple swirling lights

Cold Irons Bound rocked, cold white light serious and fast
no harp Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 Audience woke up again
"don't matter what you wear or if you're even there" sounded
like. Short on lyrics big on sound. The finest band in the
world intros. (no doubts here) Things Have Changed - my
husband loves this song so he was all smiles Like A Rolling
Stone  crowd pleaser

Forever Young -seemed like lots of acoustic songs this show.
Love the harmonies on wait for the light, searching grave,
for young, and blowin.

Honest With Me - my least favorite L&T song. Oh hell, it was
great, I have obviously lost all objectivity and bob can do
no wrong. Blowin' In The Wind - I learned this song and took
it to heart 40 years ago and have kept it there ever since. 
I will never tire of it. All Along The Watchtower - THANKS
BOB!

On to MSG and Boston with a deep desire to hear Mississippi
live.




Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Summary thoughts on Philly
From: Wolfds  wolfds@aol.com
Date: 18 Nov 2001 17:19:51 GMT

Great show.  Bob was on from the very beginning, with
goosebump incucing vocal gymnastics during the first three
songs, and many of the later songs too.

It Ain't Me, Babe was stellar--one of the best, I think, and
maybe the highlight of a night of highlights.  Pulling out
the harp as an exclamation point, Bob might have thought so
too.  So many highlights, since I didn't take notes, I'll
surely leave things out.  Hard Rain, Searching for a
Soldier's Grave, John Brown, and Blowin' in the Wind were
all played somberly, and resonate deeply these days. 
Soldier's Grave's arrangement sounded similar to Deportee
during the '76 Rolling Thunder leg.  Tweedle Dee was a
surprising highlight.  The album version gets its share of
criticism, but I love it.  The live rendition, however,
blows it away.  There was a spooky sound to it, almost
Lanois-like, and a claustrophobic, film-noir feel to the
arrangement. Phenomenal.  I also found Summer Days levels
above the album version.  We were shown loving tenderness in
Tonight, I'll Be Staying Here With You, which was more than
matched a few songs later by a subtle, but of course bitter,
rendition of Don't Think Twice.  More goosebump material
with High Water and Sugar Baby, the latter song sounding
very close to the released version, but with more emphasis
on the vocals, as the instruments on Sugar Baby definitely
took a back-seat to Dylan's verbal inflections.

All in all, a tremendous night.  And the teleprompter rumor
is definitely bunk.

Dave



Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 19:53:21 EST
From: Renaldo308@aol.com
Subject: Dylan Philadelphia 11/17/01 Review
To: webmaster@dylanite.com
Cc: billp61@execpc.com

Hello Karl Erik and Bill !!

Hope all is well.  Here is my review of last night's
Philadelphia concert, please feel free to use it on your
websites.

---

Dylan's performance at the First Union Spectrum was nothing
short of spectacular and that is a lot to be said for a man
who's 60 years old.  This was my 12th time seeing Bob,
my 4th time being within 10-15 feet from the stage because
of the beauty that is general admission.  We got there
around 3:30 and there were already people in line.  So we
patiently waited and prayed for bladder control.

The wait was well worth it.  I hadn't been this close
since the general admission show in Stanhope, NJ last year. 
Before that, the Trocadero nightclub in Philly and William
Paterson College in '97.  This is definitely one of
the best shows I've ever seen, by any artist.  Bob
rocked harder in Philly that night than most bands do that
are less than half his age.  With Tweedle Dee, Lonesome Day,
Tangled, SUMMER DAYS, Cold Irons, Things Have Changed,
Honest With Me, and Watchtower, he delivered his most
hard-rock, dance-friendly rebellious and ass-kicking set I
have ever seen.  The best part was I was so close I could
see his piercing blue eyes…and the unsightly mustache.
 It was like watching the show in high-definition
television.

Wait For the Light to Shine

Awesome opener, some Bobcats were singing along and
clapping, which gave it a very honest and good hearted feel
from the audience to a great gospel-tinged number.

It Ain't Me Babe

Very laid back version, but we all knew that we were in for
something special when he broke out the harmonica. 
Naturally the crowd went nuts.

Hard Rain

Good standard version of it.  Bob seems to have no trouble
remembering the words in all the live versions I hear.  My
only complaint is he didn't utilize Larry and Charlie
for the chorus this time.  When they provide harmonies it
creates a glorious wall of sound that has enough force to
make the hair on your arms stand straight up.

Soldier's Grave

Almost identical to the way it was played in 2000. 
Excellent mandolin solo by Larry.

Tweedle Dee

Very ominous sounding, much more spooky than the album
version.  Bob might have flubbed a line or two, but
otherwise it was great.  First song of the night to really
get your groove down to.  A dark, mysterious classic for the
post-9/11 world.

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You

Bob showing his sweet, romantic side to the ladies.  Lovely
pedal steel work.

Lonesome Day Blues

An all-out blues rocker.  Bob and the boys tore this one up
and it was easily a highlight. I love the words.  He DID
teach peace to he conquered and he DID tame the proud and
has every right to sing about it.

High Water

A fan standing right behind me got his request.  This was
definitely the high point of the show, much more danceable
than the album version.

Don't Think 2x

Very good, more laid back than other versions, but a solid
performance.

Tangled

Well, I haven't seen a Tangle-free show ever, so when
he played it I didn't complain.

John Brown

A silenced crowd listened intently as Bob delivered this
story.  After Bob sang the line “I could see that his
face looked just like mine” an young African-American
man, the only one in visible sight, applauded which caused
many of the people around him to start applauding as well. 
That was a cool moment that made me feel a real spirit of
community that the deadheads and phish phollowers strived
for.  That was it right there.

Summer Days

THANK YOU BOB.  That's all I really gotta say.  Lots
of frenzied dancing, admittedly some from yours truly, and
means solos from everybody including Bob.  Perfectly placed
in the show and great segue for…

Sugar Baby

All of the reviews for this song live on the net are that it
hushes the crowd, and Philly was no exception.  It's a
wonderful ballad and even more intense when Bob's
right there in front of you singing it.  It was probably the
closest form of Paradise that I will experience on this
Earth.

Cold Irons

Just like the 2000 version and nothing like the ass-kicking
‘97 and ‘98 ass-kicker.  Bob and the band really
got it cooking at the end and could have easily jammed at
least 2 more minutes to please the people who like to
boogie, but instead ended it rather quickly after the last
verse.

RDW1235

No one close to the stage wanted to hear it, because
they're sick of it at this point.  But it was a crowd
pleaser and at the end when the band were standing in the
formation something interesting happened.  Bob just kinda
stood there motionless and then moved his right hand forward
to the audience and they responded by screaming even louder.
It just blew me away that he had that much CONTROL over the
audience.  By a slight gesture he we able to control the
amount of noise they were making.  Just amazing.

Things Have Changed 
Like a Rolling Stone

Standard-fare encores performed with gusto that you
wouldn't expect from a senior citizen.

Forever Young

The harmonies on this were great.  Charlie has the highest
voice and hit a 3rd higher than Larry's.  It really
smacks you in the face.

Honest With Me

The last good song to boogie to.  I love the slide guitar
lick in its majestic simplicity.

Blowin' 
Watchtower

These two were very powerful closers that were just bonus on
top of the wonderful tunes he already sprinkled on his
audience.  The crowd was very appreciative and I was
completely worn out by this time.  Bob and the band stand in
formation for the last time and wouldn't you know it,
Bob gives the audience a smile and thumbs-up.

All in all, a great show with absolutely no low
points…2+ hours of pure, righteous entertainment. 
Thank you Bob and I look forward to lucky show # 13.  See
you soon.

Trevor
Renaldo308@aol.com