Bob Dylan 990730 in Wantaugh
From: Boosingh@aol.com Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 12:43:35 EDT Subject: Wantaugh show Friday night To: karlerik@monet.no Dylan was great. In strong voice. Set list disappointing for a fan though. Only one song less than 24 years old!!!! The crowd was definitely a Paul Simon one. People streamed out constantly during Dylan" set. As my friend Willie put it "It's like someone must have farted". By the time of Not Fade Away the place was at least half empty. Those bozos missed some great performances. His harmonica playing on It Aint Me Babe was out of this world. It sounded orchestral and elevated what had been a so so arrangement to the highpoint of the evening. LARS was done slowly with only three verses. As I think about it, TUIB, Shelter, Desolation Row all were shortened a bit. Band was great. Maggie's Farm a treat. All in all a tremendous improvement over the last few years shows. Rumor in the crowd "Dylan kicked heroin that's why he is so good again"!!!!
From: "drellel" drellel@gateway.net To: karlerik@monet.no Subject: Review - July 30th Date: Sun, 1 Aug 1999 02:51:07 -0400 Friday, July 30, 1999 Jones Beach, NY Ê What a night!Ê For a college student, to be attending a concert like this, with two artists that I grew up listening to was a real treat.Ê To be attending the concert with my father, who idolizes Dylan, made it that much greater.Ê It was only his second Dylan show and the first one (18 months earlier to the day, which I also attended) had been enjoyable, but not as good as we had hoped for. Ê The whole day through work I couldn't wait to get going to the show.Ê I had billed it for myself as being the highlight of my summer, and I was desperately hoping that it would live up to my expectations.Ê It would not disappoint.Ê We arrived fairly early for the show, and I picked myself up one of the cool Dylan/Simon in Concert shirts at the booth.Ê Proceeding to our seats we waited for Paul Simon to take the stage.Ê His band's equipment lay scattered around and I could tell based on the large percussion section that it would be a treat.Ê He took the stage and immediately the proverbial roof flew off the arena...I say this since the Jones Beach theater is an open arena, and there was no roof to go anywhere.Ê But it was obviously a Simon crowd, and that suited me just fine...less people getting in my way when Dyln would take the stage later.Ê Looking at the stage from our high vantage point you could just tell from his body language that Simon was enjoying himself out there.Ê He immediately greeted the fans and actually stopped to say hi to somebody not at the show on a first row fans cell phone.Ê Simon's set was a treat.Ê Having never seen him in concert before I can tell why the fans really love him.Ê He was energetic and vibrant, and really got the fans pumped up.Ê His versions of "Me and Julio down by the Schoolyard", "Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes", and "You can call me Al" had the crowds dancing in the aisles.Ê He also impressed with good takes of "Mrs. Robinson" (highlighted by cheers for the late Joe Dimaggio), and "Bridge over Troubled Water."Ê Ê After Simon came out for his two song encore ("Late in the Evening" and "Still Crazy...") he introduced Bob Dylan, and the concert really began.Ê For an opening act, Simon put on a hell of a show, and for some people he put on the only show that night, but for me and my dad, he was just a warm-up.Ê The four song duet, "Sounds of Silence" (much darker than the Simon and Garfunkel, and a little bit eerie, but quite good), "I walk the Line", "The Wanderer" (good, but hardly anything of noteworthy quality), and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (a surprising highlight...probably my favorite version ever of this track).Ê After a long intermission, during which my father and I discussed some of the great concerts he'd seen, Dylan took the stage. Ê He was wearing his, now custom, western style suit, and he seemed to dance, trot out to his microphone, armed with his acoustic guitar, and ready to play.Ê He opened with a song that I am unfamiliar with, and while I couldn't really understand many of the words, it was a good opening.Ê He then launched into "Mr. Tambourine Man" and it was magnificent.Ê Although he skipped a verse, he sang the song fabulously, and since this is my father's absoulte favorite song, and he didn't play it at the first show we'd seen, this was a treat.Ê It became even better when he picked up his harp at the end and played a nifty little solo.Ê It was so good that my dad said we'd have to try and locate a bootleg of the concert right then and there. Ê However, when Dylan launched into "Desolation Row", giving it the more calypso type feel that he used on the Unplugged tape, then the original Highway 61 version, my dad turned to me and said this was the best concert he'd ever seen...better than the Beatles at Shea, or anyone else.Ê Here was his idol, playing his favorite songs, and playing them well.Ê To see my dad that excited made my night, but the music was fabulous on top of that. Ê Dylan kept on going, pulling out a lot of my personal favorites, "Girl from the North Country", played extremely well, and then a fabulous TUIB...even if he missed a verse.Ê Absolutely outstanding.Ê He then cut into his electric set and ripped out a fiery "Watchtower", followed by an enjoyable "Shelter from the Storm".Ê "Maggie's Farm" was enjoyable, but not a highlight, nor as good as the Hard Rain version.Ê Dylan bared his soul for "Not Dark Yet" and the way they had the lights going along with the eerie vocals, just blew me away.Ê I've always loved this song and to hear him draw it out so precisely this night was a treat.Ê "Highway 61" brought his set to a close, and while I was disappointed that we hadn't heard "Stuck inside of Mobile..." I was greatly enthused by his set.Ê Ê His encore was everything you could hope for.Ê A good version of LARS, although he cut a verse for a longer guitar solo.Ê "It ain't me Babe" was an interesting arrangement, but the harp solo at the end was simply amazing.Ê Dylan closed the evening with a roaring "Not Fade Away" and as we filed out of the theater, I knew that it would be a long time before a concert would affect me the way this one had.Ê Altough the crowd was definitely more geared up for Paul Simon, both performers were unbelievable, and it was truly a magnificent night.Ê Hopefully I'll get to see Dylan again before he stops touring, but if not, I know I've seen him at his best...all in all, a terrific evening, easily living up to, and surpassing my own expectations. Ê Jordan Ellel Ê
Subject: How terrible is Dylan these days? let me count the Ways. From: Joe Pollock bonsaijo@ptdprolog.net Date: Sun, 01 Aug 1999 06:58:44 GMT On MY GOOD! I went to the 7/30 Jones beach show and Paul SImon was of course EXCELLENT as he always is (I am a PS fan if you haven't gathered these last few months.) So lost night were there at the theather and Paul does his EXCELLENT set and he calls out bob (or something that looked like him) and they Played "Sounds of Silence" bot didn't even keep up w/ Paul, bob looked like was going to pass out a few times. They did "I walk the line/ the wanderer" Medaly then Knockin on heavens door, Paul did a SUPERB Job on it, Much better than Dylan ever could. Then Paul left :( and there was an intermission. Bob came out and did "Oh Babe it Ain't no Lie" Which really Sucked, his voice was terrible, I couldn't even tell what it was untill a verse or 2 in. NExt was Mr tamb. man then Girl from north country (good performance) then Desolation row, Tangled up in blue, Watchtower and I don't know what elese. But he was terrible, he sounded and looked like this: 1) He sounded like His lungs were going to collapse 2) He looked like he was going to Collapse 3) He sounded like his balls had been chopped off. 4) His face looked like it could have passed a Ball-bearing test (anyone who thinks he is sexy or his eyes are sexy need their heads checked, you look in his eyes and it looks like the driver is having lunch and the car is vacant, guess he must have like 2 cells fighting for life) Many people left during his set, I almost did, I wated for Watchtower (which Dave Matthews does better than bob) It's a shape how bad bob is these days, I was laughing at him at times, a song sounds like something, but is something elese. The good thing about bobs show is that I realzied that I can sell my Dylan Cd's and get some Simon CD's w/ the money :) caise dylan scared me last night, he scared me Simon straight. You guys lie to yourself about how good bob is, but you guys are clueless to what he sounds like, Paul SImon's voice is like a bottle of wine, it gets better w/ age. Bob's is like a bottle of wine left in the sun, he turns into vinegar. You guys keep lying to yourselfs about whats good and whats not. Bob was great in the 60's not in the 90's Joe "Losing love is like a window in your heart, everone knows when you're torn apart, everyone sees the wind blow" -Paul Simon
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 1999 18:51:11 -0700 From: Carsten Wohlfeld carsten.wohlfeld@ruhr-uni-bochum.de To: billp61@earth.execpc.com CC: happyjaq@confetti.ruhr.de, karlerik@monet.no Subject: jones beach (1) review Bob Dylan Long Island, NY, July 30, 1999 Jones Beach Theater A review by Carsten Wohlfeld Jones Beach is a great spot to see a show. Youâre either very close to the stage and youâll have excellent sound there or youâre way up in the Mezzanine, which will allow you to the your favourite artist AND the ocean in the background. Isnât that special? After spending the day on the beach I wanted all but having to sit through the horrid opening set by Simon again, which only improved slightly by the time Bob shuffled on stage to do: Sound Of Silence Bob looked great, a lot like Elvis actually, no tie, his shirt unbuttoned. He seemed to have more fun than ever doing the duets. His singing wasnât too strong on this one, but he managed to come up with his best harp solo yet. I Walk The Line was ³I Walk The Lineã The Wanderer Had a funny moment close to the end, when Simon made Bob smile bigtime by changing the phrasing - probably for the first time on this looooong tour. Knockinâ On Heavenâs Door Again, the strongest version Iâve seen them do, at least with Simonâs band backing. The improvised ending with the ³I heard you knockinâ but you canât come inã line was pretty good. A 45 minute break followed and Bob returned at around 10.25pm with: Babe It Ainât No Lie (acoustic) which showed that he was really Îonâ tonight. Strong singing, nice guitar playing - the song sounded much better than usual. Mr. Tambourine Man (acoustic) Yet again a pretty good version that I probably would have enjoyed more if I hadnât heard the song a gazillion times already. Harp at the end. Desolation Row (acoustic) A killer version!!! Pretty fast, included more verses than usual (I think) and some very, very cool unsual phrasings. I only wish heâd do it more often. Probably THE highlight of the night, if not of all the shows Iâve seen this week. Girl Of The North Country (acoustic) Another grrrrrreat version, sung as gently and precisely as ³Bootsã at Tramps. Nice guitar solo by Larry and Bob, too. Tangled Up In Blue (acoustic) Started out (and ended) pretty much as it always does, but in the middle Bob completely changed the melody and came up with some very interesting variations. He obviously enjoyed himself on this one and so I was happy for him. (And yes, I liked the changes, too) All Along The Watchtower Fortunately, it gets faster and louder every night. It is still too short and they end it right when Larry warms up and his solo starts to built up. Too bad. Shelter From The Storm Great version with Larry on pedal steel. Pretty slow, sung very gentle it was pretty much the definitive version. Bob even sang the ³flugelhornã verse, which he usually skips, right? Maggieâs Farm Thanks to Larry and Charlie it almost sounds like ³Highway 61ã, um, revisited. He was defginitely bringing it all back home with this one and even though Iâm usually not very imprssed when an artis tries to recreate the original arrangement of a song, I have to say that it works quite well for Bob and ³Maggieãor ³Memphisã Not Dark Yet The intro was - finally - not too loud and this turned out to be one of the best versions Iâve ever heard. Band intros followed. As did Highway 61 Revisited Bob couldnât remember the first two lines of this one, I guess just because he doesnât do this song that often :-) Charlie took a solo, as did Larry and then it was all over now Baby Blue. Well not quiet. (encore) Like A Rolling Stone after having it played quite fast a number of time, they returned to the deadly slowpace that Iâd hoped they had left behind forever. But as long as it suits Bob singing better, they will probably stick it it. It Ainât Me Babe (acoustic) well, things got a little bit predictable and the harp solo at the end came as not surprise either. Not Fade Away gave you three minutes to place your bets: Would he return to do ³Blowinâã tonight? The answer is: No, he didnât. The encores left a lot to be desired cause itâs the same stuff every single night anways, but up to ³Not Dark Yetã it was a great show, with good songs played almost to perfection. I just have the feeling that he pulled out all the semi-surprising songs out tonight and weâll get the ³regularã set (³Cocaineã- ³Mastersã - ³Baby Blueã - ³Just Like A Womanã - Silvioã) tomorrow. Letâs wait and see, Bob managed to surprise us a couple of times already this week, maybe he can do it again for the last show of this leg of the tour. I certainly hope so. carsten wohlfeld -- ³i donât sleep cuz sleep is the cousin of death. least thatâs what nas sayã (the afghan whigs)
