See copyright notice at
 http://www.expectingrain.com/dok/div/copyright.html

Bob Dylan 950618 at Giants Stadium


Date:    Mon, 19 Jun 1995 03:15:54 GMT
From:    Tom Favata (tbuick6@IX.NETCOM.COM)
Subject: Giants Stadium June 18

It's 9:45 and I just got home from the hell that is the N.J. Turnpike.
Even with 70,000 Dead heads still inside the arena, traffic at the
George Washington Bridge's toll plaza was backed up going into NYC for
miles.People don't pay to get into Jersey, but they gladly pay to get
out!(An old joke I know, but I couldn't resist.)Dylan's performance,
however, was well worth the traffic headaches. 

Dylan and band came on stage at precisely 6:00 to a less than half filled stadium. Someone had mentioned in an earlier post how strange it was to see Bob in the sunlight of a dying afternoon. It was indeed a moving sight to see him naturally lit without stage lighting and other effects. It was a hot and muggy night, and Bob wore what looked like a purple silk shirt un-tucked out of his pants instead of his usual black dinner jacket.

He opened with "Down in the Flood". I was looking foward to hearing this as the opener and was not disappointed. Unlike most nights, where it takes 1 or 2 songs before Bob gets his vocal confidence, he tore right into the words from the first. It was incredible! Too bad only a few seemed to care. "Senor" was next, and he delivered it delicately right up to the last verse. "This place don't make sense to me no more. Can you tell me what we're waiting for Senor?" His vocals now echoing around around the half filled arena. A better than average "Watchtower" was greeted by the first evidence that the audience in Giants Stadium was breathing. Next was a song that I must say before tonight I would have been happy to never hear live again: "Just Like a Woman". Thank God he sang it tonight! He sang it like I never thought he could ever sing it again. It was gorgeous! I am glad my girlfriend was sitting to my left, because I would have been embarassed if she saw the tear streaming from my right eye. It was that beautiful. Next, Dylan and band changed gears and tore through "Silvio". A blistering new arrangement made it sound like it should have always sounded, Un-Dead. A definitive take.

Next came the moment I have heard so much about, Dylan sans guitar. It took some getting used to, and I must admit I was first amused by it, but a few lines into "Tambourine Man", it was no longer funny. It was quite heart-warming to see Bob actually looking out at the audience( the front orchestra rows were filled with enthusiastic Dylan fans), and he delivered each line as if it were a prayer. My girlfriend, who has never liked a single version of this song, turned to me after the song and said, " I want the bootleg of this show for Mr. Tambourine." To which I replied, Honey, what's a bootleg?":)Dylan next picked up his acoustic guitar and played incredible versions of "Gates of Eden" and "Love Minus Zero". I could go on about these 2 songs forever, but I am getting a little tired and must start wrapping things up. The electric set resumed with " Seeing the Real You at Last", a great version very much like late 80's G E Smith model. " I Believe In You" was next, and Dylan seemed to sing it with as much conviction as he had during his gospel days. The show closed with "Obviously 5 Believers". It was Blonde on Blonde 95. I was expecting a rendering of the song that would be totally different, like his '94 versions of another Blonde on Blonde favorite, "Most Likely Go Your Way..." I was happy that he played it straight. It was the original arrangement, and it burned! It was like it was '66 again. It was perfect.

Dylan and Band left the stage to crickets. We were sitting in the 3rd level to the left of the stage and I swear, my girlfriend and I were the only ones cheering for an encore within eye or earshot of us. It was sad. I honestly didn't think Bob and the boys were going to come out for an encore, it was that dead. Dylan and band did come out and ripped through a very appropriate "Ballad of a Thin Man" and then left the stage. There would be no acoustic finale. They did not want it... or deserve it. We left after Dylan's set, which ended at 7:25, and headed for home. We'll be doing it all over again tomorrow night. Not even 70,000 dead heads and the Jersey Turnpike can discourage us. Tom


Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 00:29:45 -0600 From: David Johnson (damjohns@NYX10.CS.DU.EDU) Subject: Giants 6/18/95 Set List Enjoy... Giants Stadium, Sunday June 18, 1995 ==================================== Bob Dylan --------- Down in the Flood Senor All Along the Watchtower Just Like a Woman Silvio Mr. Tambourine Man (A) Gates of Eden (A) Love Minus Zero (A) Seeing the real you at Last I Believe in you Obviously Five Believers Encore: Ballad of a Thin Man Grateful Dead ------------- Feel Like a Stranger Bertha The Same Thing Stagger Lee Eternity Deal China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider Freedom Sampson and Delilah Eyes of the World Drums/Space Wharf Rat Not Fade Away Encore: Lucy and the Sky with Diamonds IMHO, Dylan rocked hard and good. The 1st set'o'Dead was stinky, but the 2nd set really made up for it. All in all, a quite enjoyable experience... See below for corrections! Karl Erik.
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 00:20:56 GMT From: ric (ric@TUNANET.COM) Subject: review/setlist 6/18/95 Bob started at 6pm sharp and played approx 1hr+15min crash on the levee (down in the flood) senor watchtower just like a woman silvio tambourine man @(Bob sans guitar!) gates of eden @ love minus zero/no limit @ seeing the real you at last i believe in you obviously 5 believers E: ballad of a thin man Bob's vocals were INCREDIBLY clear. He seems to be articulating a lot more clearly. Opener Down in the Flood was ROCKIN and Bob's vocals were particularly *spirited*. I got the feeling the old guy was having fun. Senor was tender and powerful. watchtower was pretty standard but the crowd reacted LOUDLY. Just Like A Woman sounds great when this band does it. Silvio was heavy. Tambourine Man was a SERIOUS high-point, as I have never seen Bob sing without holding a guitar. My seats were WAY FAR UP IN THE NOSE BLEEDS, but this was still a major treat. He rocked back and forth from left foot to right; at first I thought maybe he was nervous, then i started to think he was just 'getting into it'. Gates and Love-0 were very quiet but a nice sweet little acoustic break from the rest of this ROCKIN set. The last 3 songs of the set were so solid i was just mesmerized. Real you at Last and 5 believers are great additions to this year's sets and sounded AMAZING. Bob's vocal delivery on Real You made me laugh out loud and in I believe In you almost made me cry. 5 believers was kind of an anti-climactic song to end the set on, but sounded great. This band is so wonderful I hope Bob records a studio album of all-new compositions with them *SOON*. I was expecting Rainy Day Womaen or Rolling Stone for an encore, and my expectations made Thin Man a welcome tune, too, even though he plays it a lot these days. Like I said, Bob's vocals were incredibly clear and passionate ALL NIGHT. I don't know what the occasion is for this new-found inspiration to really SING OUT!, but it is a truly great thing. Also, Bob's guitar is finally getting louder in the mix. His solo's are very simple blues-licks, but very inspired and it's great to see him wobbling around and "striking poses", waving the guitar around, etc. The place was pretty empty when Bob started, but pretty full by the time he finished. The deadheads seemed to really respond to Bob's set. I think the jerry garcia band does a couple of the tunes that bob played tonight, and of course silvio was co-written with dead-lyricist robert hunter; so maybe they were just reacting to songs they knew from jerry and elsewhere, but they reacted, period; that's the good thing. I didn't stay beyond the dead's 4th song and i found it ironic that their vocals were muffled and unclear. Seems like Bob gets a lot of bogus criticism about his vocals, but he sounded MUCH clearer than Jerry and Bob Weir did tonight. Anybody with a tape of tonight's set please e-mail me - "ric@tunanet.com" ... I have lots of Bob and Zappa and Phish to trade... Bob is on a serious upswing in my opinion, and this will be the year to see him as mony times as you possibly can. Not that most of us don't try to do that anyway....
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 11:17:08 -0400 From: JohnMal (johnmal@AOL.COM) Subject: Re: review/setlist 6/18/95 ric (ric@TUNANET.COM) said: "Woman sounds great when this band does it. Silvio was heavy. Tambourine Man was a SERIOUS high-point" I agree, with you. Great show. Woman was one of the best I've ever heard. I enjoyed the entire acoustic set. Love-0, Gates, and Mr.T were clear, crisp, and beautiful. I stayed for the entire Dead show and I enjoyed a couple of the songs, but I thought Bob showed them up a bit. Too bad the stadium wasn't but 3/4 full to hear him.
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 11:23:04 -0400 From: JohnMal (johnmal@AOL.COM) Subject: Re: Giants Stadium June 18 X-To: tbuick6@ix.netcom.com (Tom Favata) thanks for the great review! I agree, Just Like a Woman was magical... I was in Sec. 124 also screaming for an encore...
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 11:45:25 -0400 From: SLampel (slampel@AOL.COM) Subject: Re: Giants 6/18/95 Set List That is not Right. There is no song called Freedom the pleayed Long Way to go home. You also missed the Spanish Jam int Miracle. Just my $.02-Jay ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 09:29:42 -0600 From: David Johnson (damjohns@NYX10.CS.DU.EDU) Subject: Re: Giants 6/18/95 Set List (Really corrected) Post the wrong list, try to correct it and post the wrong list again, cancel that one... Usually am I not such a COMPLETE IDIOT... This is my last waste of bandwidth today... Enjoy... Giants Stadium, Sunday June 18, 1995 ==================================== Bob Dylan --------- Down in the Flood Senor All Along the Watchtower Just Like a Woman Silvio Mr. Tambourine Man (A) Gates of Eden (A) Love Minus Zero (A) Seeing the real you at Last I Believe in you Obviously Five Believers Encore: Ballad of a Thin Man Grateful Dead ------------- Feel Like a Stranger Bertha The Same Thing Stagger Lee Eternity Deal China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider Way to Go Home Sampson and Delilah Eyes of the World Drums/Space I Need a Miracle Wharf Rat Not Fade Away Encore: Lucy and the Sky with Diamonds
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 1995 22:25:39 -0400 From: Michael Feuerstein (mjf@NYC.PIPELINE.COM) Subject: Giants Stadium 6/18/95 Review from Newsday (long) From the June 20, 1995 issue of Newsday: Dylan And The Dead, Still Doing It Their Way Bob Dylan and the Greatful Dead. Titans on the 20-yard line. Sunday night at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. by Ira Robbins He has a complicated message that's too inscrutable to grasp; they have nothing to say. He keeps dabbling new paint over a fully realized body of work; they've never let their canvases dry. He can't wait to get off stage; their clock apparently lacks a minute hand. He has made a career of keeping his distance; they maintain a Krazy Glue bond with their audience. Neither's appeal is easily explained to non-fans. Both Bob Dylan dnt the Greatful Dead, however, are compelling proof that musical artists don't have to pander or compromise, that individuality still wields power in the world of rock. Other than the injustice of Dylan opening for a band that performs his (italics in original) songs, a band that backed him (italics in original) on a July, 1987 tour, the two are perfect co-dependents for a stadium gig. Along with Neil Young (whose music played on the superbly clear P.A. between the Dead's sets Sunday), they remain the only embodiments of '60s spontaneity, the only important veterans of that rock era who still wing it every time. Over time, the Dead have turned improvisation into ritual. Their nightly invention is strictly organized into an hour-long opening set, a long intermission (Sunday's was 40 minutes), an extended second set (100 minutes) which invariably includes an endless solo (25 minutes) by the band's two drummers, and a solitary encore. Into that framework, the sextet places material from a vast and familiar repertoire of originals, traditionals and '60s covers, investing each selection with the patented instrumental doodling of guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir. While it all sounded like the Fillmore East, circa 1968, the light show was displayed on a synchronized bank of video monitors. Dylan, on the other hand, never files a flight plan. Other than the likelihood that he will play for a shade over an hour, what comes out of his bottomless music bag is a mystery until it happens, as are his mercurial ideas about how to perform even the most familiar numbers. Sunday, in a great set that alternately rocked hard and waxed sweetly acoustic, he drew from his mid-'60s electric records, bringing out "Ballad of a Thin Man" (from "Highway 61 Revisited"), "Obviously 5 Believers" and "Just Like a Woman" (from "Blonde on Blonde") and three from "Bringing It All Back Home." He sang "Mr. Tambourine Man" sans (italics in original) guitar, holding the microphone and swaying from foot to foot as his increasingly essential band brushed the song with gentle strums. If that was a visual shock, it was no match for the transformation that gave "Gates of Eden" an entirely new chord pattern and melody. Besides such fascinating obscurities as "Down in the Flood," "I Believe in You" and "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power), Dylan cranked "Silvio" (from "Down in the Groove," a 1988 LP that employed members of the Dead) into a fast-riffing garage rocker and "Seeing the Real You at Last" (from "Empire Burlesque") into Stonesy raunch. Beyond the surprises, Dylan brought a degree of intensity and artistry rarely seen in shows of this scale. At the back of the field, Deadheads ignored Dylan to concentrate on the important business of Hacky Sack games while awaiting the main event. And after an hour's pause--the first impatience test by these masters of slow-motion--the Dead appeared. Warming up quickly, the band showed far more energy and enthusiasm than I recall from a show two years ago. Ten minutes of "Feel Like a Stranger" was enough preparation to make merry work of "Bertha"; if Garcia's soloing didn't sound sure-fingered, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann crisply pounded out the eccentric backbeats. "Stagger Lee" was nearly exciting; "Deal" was downright athletic, with Garcia and Weir teaming up on the vocals. Getting off to a torpid start with "China Cat Sunflower", the Dead's return bout added little. "I Know You Rider," "Way to Go Home" (sung horribly by keyboard player Vince Welnick but capped with a delightful four-part a cappella coda) and "Samson and Delilah" kept things moving, but the first set's vigor was in short supply. Garcia's solos never got airborne, and the show seemed to collapse around the two drummers' electronically aided trance excursion. "I Need a Miracle" and a dire "Not Fade Away" required the audience's shout-along efforts, leaving an impressively accurate encore of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" to end the night on a high (no pun intended) note.
Dates 1995
Tour