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Bob Dylan 991108 in Baltimore, Maryland



Subject: Re: November 8, 1999 - Baltimore, Maryland - Setlist
From: Dino 
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 05:43:37 GMT

>    3.   Visions Of Johanna (acoustic)
>    4.   Ring Them Bells (acoustic) (Larry on pedal steel)
>    6.   Big River (song by Johnny Cash)
>    7.   Joey
>    8.   Down Along The Cove
>    9.   Man In The Long Black Coat (Larry on pedal steel)

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  One of the most interesting setlists this side
of the Supper Club.

Let's see what Seth Kulick has to say about song #4...  :-)

dino


Subject: Re: November 8, 1999 - Baltimore, Maryland - Setlist From: Adam S Date: 09 Nov 1999 06:11:56 GMT Jeheseus Christ. I don't think i've sat there grinning like that at a setlist since Granda in April! This tour looks to be a gift that keeps on givin', after all.
Subject: Re: November 8, 1999 - Baltimore, Maryland - Setlist From: Adam S Date: 09 Nov 1999 06:15:19 GMT FIRST Ring Them Bells since Luxembourg, 6/24/96, Joey in about a year Big River in ever, if I'm not mistaken. "How Long Has It Been Since Dylan Played..." http://members.tripod.com/Bloomeenee/boblast.html
Subject: Baltimore!!! From: Barclay Reynolds Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 10:22:56 GMT There are Bob shows and then there are the other kind of Bob shows, then there was Baltimore last night. The set list only hints at the true wonders of it all. They were on fire from the first note to the last hug.( Yes Virginia, Bob and the boys were hugging and mugging with Phil Lesh as they left the stage.) Visions was ethereal ! Bob caressed every word as if he had written the song earlier in the day. Them Bells was likewise a classic performance. After all our shows that was a welcome first, as was a blazing version of Down along the Cove, a song that only showed up once last summer in Oregon. The band absolutely crushed Tombstone Blues. Charlie was on fire, playing the best solo I've heard from him yet and by the end they had their four guitar necks dueling in close formation at center stage. The crowd nearly came unglued. As they returned to the stage to start their encores Bob suddenly drifted off to the front of the stage to the bands left, bent over and just sorta disappeared. Our first reaction was that Bob had leapt into the crowd, but in the next instant he stood up clutching what appeared to be a pencil drawn portrait of himself, which he then proudly showed to the crowd before returning it to the artist who must have been standing at the edge of the stage. At this point the fellows in the band were doing the intro to Lovesick. Well our boy Bob then walked back around behind the amps, re-emerged between Kempers' drum set and Tony at the back of the stage - and with band now starting Lovesick - strolled towards the mic, on the way picked up his guitar and slung it leisurely over his shoulder and broke out " I'm walkin ...." with perfect timing. It was a classic moment with Bob at the height of his power. After Rainy Day Women Bob finally got around to introducing the band and mentioned that Phil Lesh would join them. They broke out an outstanding Friend of the Devil. Twice Bob and Boys turned the solo over to Phil, who had Tony right next to him wrapped around his stand up bass and the two of them were beatin' that bass line to death while Bob strummed a wonderful solo along with them. It was a great duet! Everyone was obviously having fun. After the song ended Bob and Phil kinda applauded each other, but the real treat was the old hipster high slow slide five they gave each other. Grinning faces were in abundance! The show ended with a Not Fade Away that nearly ripped the roof off the arena. There just seemed to me to be a new level of integration of roles between Bob, Larry and Charlie that was not present this summer. The power that was only hinted at from time to time during the Simon tour simply exploded into actuality last night. And I can't wait for the next show ..... See all you folks at the Apollo, Barclay
Subject: Re: Baltimore!!! From: "John A. James" Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 15:00:14 GMT Barclay Reynolds wrote: > There are Bob shows and then there are the other kind of Bob > shows, then there was Baltimore last night. The set list only hints at > the true wonders of it all. But the set list sure says a lot. This was my ninth Dylan concert over the past 22 years, and he only played four songs I've heard him play before. "Visions of Johhana" actually seem to bring a collective gasp from the crowd -- how often does he play that? It was a concert full of highlights, but "Ring Them Bells" was particularly memorable; beautifully played and beautifully sung, it could not have been better. Bob also seemed to be enjoying himself a great deal, which has not been the case on some occasions I've seen him but appears to be more common these days. He actually put down his guitar toward the end of "Tangled Up in Blue" and moved around the stage during a kick-ass harp solo. He really seemed to be having a good time (and why not, we sure were!). John J.
Subject: EVERYONE GO AND SEE DYLAN From: Sebastian Cucullu Date: 9 Nov 1999 00:18:26 -0800 last night again he brought out a great settlist and hes performing better than ever, hes a quick review with a very sketchy outline of the songs he played (the order is probably wrong), heres the email i wrote a buddy of mine i dont care what they say at work or what you say, but tomorrow were going to philadelphia to see dylan,. i saw him last night and he was incredible, i think im missing one song, but please, please check out the set list, unbelievable 1. i am the man thomas @ (new, about jesus, just like somebody touched me) 2. mr tambourine man @ (i know you dont dig, but i think last nights performance would have done teh same thing that boots of spanish leather at tramps did, get you to start loving a great song 3. visions of johanna @ (and he said every verse this time (i payed extra attention and he screwed up a bit during the second verse (he mentions the night watchman twice-first with him saying something about the d-train and then again asking if hes insane, not as good as tramps, but for christ sake, its visions 4. ring them bells (i know you dont dig, and you probably wouldnt have, but very nice performance-afterwards he said "i know you got a lots of bells in this town") 5. tangled up in blue, (fucking fantastic, best version ive ever heard, and i believe he changed one line slightly but i cant remember it now, sorry) 6. big river (i think its a song he played with cash right? i really didnt recognize any of the lyrics tho, but i never really got into the cash sessions, liked the song alot tho) 7. Down along cove (holy shit did it sound great, weve never really mentioned this song beforee, but damn good one, great tonight too) 8. joey (can you f------ believe it, slight variations, king of road instead of street, that type of stuff) 9. Tombstone blues (much, much better than the tramps performance, really spectacular (fan-f....-tastic is what i screamed at the end and nodded my head thinking to myself that that shit cant be legal) 10. man in the long black coat (i like the version we heard at wolftrap in 97 more, but i havent heard this song in a while) 11. like a rolling stone (bummed out when i first heard, but half way into the song, he kicked into a gear ive never heard him play this song in, really really great for the last 4 minutes or so of the song) 12. love sick (nothing spectacular, just a good performance, ohnyeah and he changed a line, sometimes the silence can be like thunder, something something i feel like im down under) 13. Rainy day women (and just when i tell you i dont dig the live perfomances of this song, jesus christ he blew me out of the water, a lot of fun) 14. Friend of the devil (good, not as good as the acosutic europa 98 version tho, he played this w/ phil lesh (the guy from the dead hes touring with and tonight, i think, was the first time hes ever played with him on this tour) 15, not fade away, to end the night and w/ lesh again and comparable to the tramps version, altho that one has the slight edge i think im missing a song or maybe two, but jesus were not missing philadelphia, i pick you up from work at 5 pm, on the dot, maybe even earlier if you can do so, well be in philadelphia at 730 the latest, just in time to get the deals on the scalpers who just want to get rid of tickets (a lot of that was happening tonight) im calling you tomorrow at 7 am or 730 sebastian
Subject: Baltimore setlist and Review From: Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 16:56:29 GMT According to Olof's Files, last night was Dylan's second ever appearance in Charm City. Granted he played a Baltimore suburb in 1990 (Owings Mills), but you'd have to go back 20 years to find a Dylan appearance in Baltimore. After last night though, who can complain? Those who went to the Baltimore Arena last night caught one hell of a performance. This was the first post-Bucky show I have been to, and I had to admit that I had some reservations. While I have always thought highly of Charlie Sexton as a guitarist, I also liked the feel that Bucky brought to the band. Bucky made the band swing like the Texas Playboys with his steel guitar and mandolin playing, and I didn't like the idea of losing that feel. Fortunately I had nothing to worry about. While the feel is definitely different without Baxter, I find this three guitar approach to be very enjoyable. With Charlie Sexton at lead guitar, Bob's own leads seem more inspired than in the past. I've always thought that the right guitarist could bring out the best in Bob's own playing, JJ Jackson and Robbie Robertson being prime examples. I think you can add Sexton to this list. He seemed well at home in the band, trading solos with both Bob and Larry at times. As Bob said when he introduced the band, "these are some of the finest players in the land!" I couldn't agree more. Of course, the front man is no slouch either you know! And last night he was in fine form. His voice was as crisp and clear as the cold evening air outside. He made a couple of lyrical 'adjustments' in Mr. T-Man, and there were a few verses omitted here and there, these are small qualms to make in an otherwise stellar set. Some of the highlights of the evening included the rollicking opener, 'I Am the Man, Thomas', the song that proves that Dylan can now add 'Bluegrass Singer' to his resume. The Johnny Cash classic, 'Big River', was an unexpected gem. For me though, the highlight of the night was 'Lovesick'. Oh to hear the way Dylan added a syllable to the word 'smile'. He held the first part of the word until the tension became too much, finally releasing the rest of it. Dylan at his sublime best. Of course, any setlist with a 'Visions of Johanna' in it is a highlight, but throw in all the other rarely played numbers heard last night and you've got a keeper. Use all the accolades you want for this one. It's well deserved. -Tim Baltimore, MD Setlist as written on the back of a 7-11 napkin: ACOUSTIC SET I am the Man, Thomas Mr. Tambourine Man Visions of Johanna Ring them Bells Tangled ELECTRIC SET Big River Joey Man in the Long Black Coat Tombstone Blues Like a Rolling Stone Lovesick RDW ENCORES Friend of the Devil (Phil Lesh on Bass) Not Fade Away (Phil Lesh on Bass)
Subject: Baltimore From: Peter Stone Brown Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 16:59:03 -0500 Baltimore's a nice town and I'm starting to like it. You can park for free not far from the venue if you try and at the venue itself the ticket-takers are friendly telling you to enjoy the show, leading you right to your seat and even letting you go outside for a cigarette without any hassle whatsoever. I was amazed. But not as amazed as I was when Larry Campbell started playing the intro to "Ring Them Bells" on his pedal steel. My mind was saying could it really be, and as the band picked up the tune I knew it couldn't be anything else. The other songs, even "Visions of Johanna" seemed like just warm-ups in comparison. (And like some other people here so I've heard for I have yet to check out RMD today, the thought crossed my mind that Dylan or someone very close to him is reading this group.) Dylan sang it carefully, clearly and caringly, totally into it, totally shining that special Dylan light that just cuts right through you and into you, into your heart, your body, your soul. But little did I know that was just the beginning of a rocking, reeling, rolling ride that in surprise factor alone would equal perhaps any Bob Dylan show I've seen. And in Baltimore Bob Dylan was full of surprises, one after the other like the master magician he truly is. The next surprise came right after "Tangled Up In Blue," when the band started this very funky bluesy riff that sounded awfully familiar. And I'm saying to myself, what is this, but I'm thinking Bob Dylan songs, not all songs, and given Dylan's penchant for playing with his material it could've turned into any number of his blues based songs and so when he sang is just about as strong a voice I've seen at any '90s show, "I taught the weeping willow how to cry cry cry," and it turned into "Big River," probably my favorite Johnny Cash song of all time that I even play myself, my mind was echoing one huge blasting Holy Shit! And then the band played the intro--though sounding new and different probably because of Larry's input--to "Joey" which at times was a little hard to concentrate on due the couple who was doing some kind of waltz on the walkway in front of me, that was not a typical Dead dance. I contemplated leaning over and saying, "Are you aware you're waltzing to a song about a mobester getting his head blown off in a clam bar, but didn't. Again the band was into a familiar blues riff I couldn't quite place and again Dylan blew my mind when he started singing "Down Along The Cove," and Lord Have Mercy Mama what a version it was with killer solos all along the song. And then from out of nowhere "Man In The Long Black Coat" appeared, spooky as can be, marching to the crickets chirping in the shadows that may not really be all that far from the cove. And then yet another nasty blues riff and wham you're transported to a whole other place a whole other time of bald wigs and reincarnated horses sounding a warning all mixed up in some insane historical funhouse mirror with Charle Sexton scorching and searching, summoning the original Mike Bloomfield licks. And what song could Dylan possibly do after that but "Like A Rolling Stone?" Was there anything left to say? So at last he brought out Phil Lesh and unified this crazy anything can happen tour that's sadly been laden with rumors. In one monumental, too-quick set that went by like some roller coaster dream, he touched on every decade of his career, almost all of his greatest albums and left me both happy and amazed. -- "Where the angels' voices whisper to the souls of previous times." --Bob Dylan Peter Stone Brown e-mail: peterb@erols.com http://www.tangible-music.com/peterstonebrown/
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