Context: Much like last week's article, this was written before I had chosen a home for these things or a timeframe for rolling them out. The show was back on November 6th, 2017.
Bob Dylan came through town this week. He stopped at Heinz Hall and brought Mavis Staples with him.
The problem I always have with
assigned seating at a venue is the gamble of who ends up sitting
around me. There's the usual drunks, the mouth runners or the hipper
than thou music nerds that try to out nerd each other, to name but a
few. This time out, I was held captive by a mix of all of the above.
Before the show, it was the music
nerds bragging about their overpriced guitars and other equipment. And also how they only listen to jazz and classical music now. They
feel betrayed by the local NPR affiliate because they have branched
out into more mainstream rock music instead of the obscure mid-tempo
singer/song writer types or the flavor of the month international
fare. These guys were so cool that they didn't realize that there
are different hosts with different tastes that play different music
on the station. And I guess I'm so cool because I can't even
remember the last time I listened to a locally broadcast radio
station. They couldn't figure out that there are these things called
records, CDs and iPods that play music and render radio pretty much
useless if they don't play music that you like.
Thankfully, Mavis Staples came out and
shut these idiots up. She was all smiles while she shuffled around
the stage. Her voice is still powerful enough to the point that I
don't think she would have needed a microphone if she didn't want
one. Mavis had the crowd in the palm of her hand. Other than
getting to hear Mavis Staples tear it up every night, I don't know
why Bob Dylan would want to bring her on tour due to the fact that he
would have to go on stage after her. That would be a daunting task
to pull off night after night. Her new album came out recently. It's called If All I Was Was Black. I can't wait until I have a chance to listen to it. Ms. Staples is
a national treasure and should be revered as such.
Then Bob Dylan
happened. Given the amount of shows I've been to, they have become
kind of predictable to me. If the opening act finishes at 8:55, it's
a pretty safe bet that the headliner won't go on until 9:30, even if
the change over and tune up is done by 9:15. With this notion in
mind, I thought there would be a long wait between sets. Then I
forgot who we were all dealing with. Bob Dylan runs on Bob Dylan
time and you would be a fool to try to tell him what to do. He came
waltzing out with his band almost as soon as the change over was
done. He's Bob Dylan and has places to go and no time to waste.
When
going to see Bob Dylan these days, one must remember that he doesn't
care about you and has earned every right to not care about you and
what songs you want to hear or how you want to hear them. Every song
has been rearranged to the point where they are unrecognizable until
he starts to garble away. I was able to pick up on It Ain't Me Babe,
Highway 61 and one of the songs from Time Out Of Mind. Everything else was a blur and I was alright with that because the
new arrangements are just as good as the originals. The only thing
about them is that they're new.
This is where the
commodification of art becomes a problem for the average consumer of
live music. Most people buy a ticket and expect a note for note
reenactment of their favorite songs, forgetting that music is an art
form. Bob Dylan has been doing his thing for fifty some years at
this point. If he wants to rearrange all of his songs so he doesn't
get bored then he can do that. He is talented enough and his band is
tight enough that they can pull it off.
My only concern
was that he stopped playing guitar. He attacked a piano most of the
night and occasionally stepped over to a mic stand to croon away like
Frank Sinatra. My concern is not rooted in any musical purist
nonsense but more about his health. It's hard to realize that your
heroes have become senior citizens so I'm hoping he gave up playing
guitar as a choice and not because of a loss of dexterity.
Most
people still complain that he mumbles and garbles his way through the
songs. If that is an issue with you, then I suggest that you listen
to the album of Sinatra covers he put out. He is in clear voice from
beginning to end. His garbling can then be seen as a subtle fuck you
and an act of rebellion towards all of these people that want to hear
him play the greatest hits. He's daring you to come with him as he
moves forward and how dare you want to live in the past.
The most
distracting part of evening was all of the people being ejected
during Dylan's set. Upon entering the venue, there were signs posted
all over the place saying you will be ejected for taking
videos/photos with your cellphone. It seems that those signs were no
hollow threat. Members of the road crew were posted all over the
venue to keep an eye on the crowd. People were being removed swiftly
and frequently. At some point you'd think people would have caught
on to what was happening. Stupid white people. Given the extreme
cost of the tickets, I was on my best behavior so as to not be shown
the door.
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