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[MUSIC REVIEW] Bob Dylan at Wahconah Park
8.28.06
Seth Rogovoy reviewed the Bob Dylan Show, which took place at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Mass., on August 26, 2006, on WAMC Northeast Public Radio today on the Midday Magazine program.
Here is a transcript of the review:
Bob Dylan made it two-for-two in his second headlining appearance at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday night. Dylan pitched a rollicking, hour-and-45 minute, 14-song concert, heavily tilted toward fan favorites from the 1960s, while tossing in a smattering of songs from more recent albums.
With a song catalog now numbering well into the hundreds, Dylan undoubtedly pleased old-time fans with renditions of such well-worn classics as “Just Like a Woman,” “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All right,” and his greatest hit, “Like a Rolling Stone.”
But abiding by his old adage that “he not busy being born is busy dying,” Dylan weaved in a number of tunes from recordings released during the last decade, including the pointedly political “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” and two songs from “Time out of Mind,” his Grammy winning comeback album of 1997, including a hard-rocking, nearly heavy-metal version of “Cold Irons Bound.”
Those who came not knowing what to expect may have been surprised to see the iconic folk balladeer playing the entire concert from behind an electric keyboard, instead of in his customary pose with a guitar strung around his neck.
Others may have been surprised to hear rearranged versions of old songs. “Desolation Row” was given a loping, mariachi lilt, and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” was juiced with enough swing to prompt fans on the infield to dance ballroom style.
Still others not knowing what to expect may have been surprised to hear Dylan's weather-worn, choppy growl, biting off familiar lines and phrases with newfound alacrity but still with his patented sneer.
This was billed as the Bob Dylan Show, and that meant it was more than just a Dylan concert.
The music began promptly at six thirty with Elana James and The Continental Two playing old-time fiddle music at blistering speeds, before country novelty act Junior Brown injected some levity into the proceedings. Texas bluesman Jimmie Vaughan’s set was leavened with the country twang of vocalist Lou Ann Barton, but the crowd really didn’t gel until Dylan and his five-piece band took the stage promptly at nine p.m. and didn’t let go until the final chords of his party anthem, “Rainy Day Women” – better known for its tag line, “Everybody Must Get Stoned” – rang out into the cool August night.
According to promoters, this year's Wahconah Park concert attracted a crowd just a little over half as large as last summer's. Perhaps the absence on the bill of a star as popular as Willie Nelson, who performed last year with Dylan, accounted for the smaller turnout. Or maybe the merely curious got their fill already last summer, and this summer's concert attracted the true diehard fans, some of whom were undoubtedly disappointed that Dylan did not play any songs from his terrific new album, MODERN TIMES, due to be released tomorrow.
Fans in our area will have several more opportunities to catch the Bob Dylan Show, which slides into New Britain Stadium in New Britain, Conn., tomorrow night; into Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., on Friday night; and to Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Saturday night.
For WAMC, this is Seth Rogovoy.
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