>Date: Thu, 1 Jun 95 08:48:39 -0800
>To: rust@death.fish.com
>From: schwartz@euclid.uoregon.edu (Jason Auguste Schwartz)
>Subject: Dylan Concert Review (NNC)
NOTE: ANYONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO DO SUCH A THING IS ENCOURAGED TO FORWARD
THIS TO THE BOB DYLAN LIST (ASSUMING THERE IS ONE).
Rusties,
Last night I attended the second of two Bob Dylan concerts in
Eugene, OR. It was fantastic! Admittedly I was only familiar with about
two-thirds of the material, but he played among others All Along the
Watchtower, Tambourine Man, Don't Think Twice It's Alright, Rainy Day
Woman, Shelter from the Storm, Gates of Eden, Like a Rolling Stone, and My
Back Pages.
His band (the same as on Bob Dylan Unplugged) was fantastic. About
half of the songs were played electric and rocked pretty hard (I don't
normally associate this with Dylan...), and the remainder were acoustic
often with cello and slide guitar complementing Bob's guitar playing. I
would have liked Dylan to play his harmonicas more (he only used one on Mr.
Tambourine Man and Rainy Day Woman), but when he did, he sounded great. I
think his harmonica playing on MTM was worth the price of admission just by
itself. I was lucky enough to sit in the 12th row and had a great view of
the stage.
Dylan was dressed very nicely and looked to be in great shape
(albeit somewhat loaded!!). He was gracious to the crowd (doing two songs
for an encore, and one more for a second encore!), although he didn't have
much to say. His words were limited to a "Thank you" after almost every
song, and a brief introduction of his band. I think he made some jokes
while introducing the band, but to be honest, I couldn't really understand
what he was saying. The girl next to me commented that his concerts should
come with subtitles! :-)
Dylan also played Eugene the night before and got a very favorable
review by the local paper. The reviewer even wrote that his Watchtower
that night matched or surpassed performances by Hendrix and our man Neil
Young! The crowd seemed to really appreciate Dylan's performance and a
large portion of them had no trouble shelling out the $35 necessary to
purchase a souvenir t-shirt. All in all, I'd recommend this tour highly.
Jason
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 1995 13:46:29 PDT
From: Peggy Fitzgerald (pjfitzge@SP-EUG.COM)
Subject: DYLAN WAS GREAT LAST NIGHT IN EUGENE (5/31)
I went to the Dylan show last night for his second show in Eugene and
he was _HOT_! I love this new persona where he is open and interacting with
the audience. He played some good lead licks and came out from behind his
guitar for a couple of songs. I would have liked more harmonica but ...oh
well. A special highlights for me was Mr. Tambourine Man sung slow with
feeling.
The drummer was memorable and energetic. He reminds me of Animal
of the Muppets. The other musicians were good and particularly able to
showcase Bob's musical talents. They never overpowered him. I think it
takes a special unselfish talent to let the star _Star_.
This was truly a performance that ranked high in my thirty years of Bob
concerts, mainly because there was so much BOB out there. At the least, it
was the best I've seen in the last ten years. He looked so much more
healthy and alert than he has for a while. That old man in black and silver
can still turn me on!
Peggy
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 01:13:30 GMT
From: Leonard Coop (coopl@AVA.BCC.ORST.EDU)
Subject: Re: EUGENE setlist 5/31/95
as posted by tapeboy@aol.com (TAPE BOY), here are a few of my comments on
the show:
Hult Center, Eugene 5/31/95
1 Down in the Flood ( great opener, would be even better acoustic?
2 Senor ( powerful, still warming up
3 All Along the Watchtower ( nailed it, many commented a favorite of eve.
4 Under the Red Sky ( vocals incomprehensible, not a hit at all
5 Positively 4th St. ( vocals need some relaxation, kind of strained
6 Silvio ( rocked out
7 Mr. Tamborine Man (a) ( this song alone covers the ticket value for
oldfans
8 Gates of Eden (a) ( loved it, vocals tough to follow at times
9 Don't Think Twice (a) ( amazing band, nuances galore
10 Seeing the Real You At Last ( well done weaker song
11 Shelter From the Storm ( not used to such a rocked out approach
12 Obviously 5 Believers ( built up to best rock performance of eve.
encore 1
13 Like A Rolling Stone ( crowd pleaser, very good overall
14 My Back Pages (a) ( SO MUCH OLDER THEN YOUNGER NOW - now i get IT
encore 2
15 Rainy Day Women ( not a favorite but rocked all - shook the Hult
good
>a Great show, much much better than the previous nights performance.
For me it is a toss up. Vocals a little better the night before.
>Bob began both shows on guitar, only taking it off for Mr. Tamborine Man
>in the main set. Very energized!!!
The crowd had trouble dancing through much of the show - gradually increased
to the point where ushers were not a problem. Bob repeated the joke about
not having anything to say about Tony Garnier except he once tried to
milk a cow with a monkey wrench. He took a rose from someone and slapped
hands at end, was pointing and smiling at someone on right. Bob looked
very good, seemed to be having a real good time, was very in the moment, as
evidenced by very different performances of several of the songs played
both nights.
The Hult center was made for Bob and Co. - just the right size, upscale for
the fashion impaired, the BEST acoustics - look for some great tapes from
these shows (I know where a seed may reside..).
Len Coop bcc.orst.edu
Date: Sat, 3 Jun 1995 16:34:50 -0700
From: Merry Young (merryy@GLADSTONE.UOREGON.EDU)
Subject: Bob in Eugene, OR 5/31/95
I was also at the show on Wednesday, and i have to agree, bob was fantastic.
I've never seen a crowd so energetic and enthusiastic at the Hult Center
before. The sound quality was great, and from the 5th row it sounded
like bob was singing in my ear. his voice was strong and the words were
clear, but best of all, like others have already said, bob seemed like
he was having a great time. The second encore was an added bonus, i
wasn't expecting it. The crowd was left wanting even more. if anyone
knows of a tape floating around out there, i'd die for a copy--this was
a concert not to forget.