By Daniel Seth Levine
Bob Dylan, 67, has been touring the world since 1963, but for the first time, on Nov. 21, he gave a concert strictly for his fans.
On Oct. 27, it was announced that Dylan would give an exclusive concert at the United Palace Theater in New York City forBobdylan.com readers. Tickets went on sale on Oct. 30, quickly selling out.
The show itself, certainly was special, although it mostly followed the format of his other recent concerts. That is, performing five songs from his last album, 2006's "Modern Times" and performing songs from the 1960s in such a way that it makes them almost impossible to figure out. Still, he performed enough different material to make the audience happy.
Dylan came out with "Gotta Serve Somebody," the song that earned him his first Grammy in 1979 from his LP "Slow Train Coming." This was the first time Dylan had performed the song in public since 2003.
From there, there the concert snowballed into something incredible. He ran through an electrified "The Times They Are A-Changin'" before going into "The Levee's Gonna Break" from "Modern Times."
After "The Levee's Gonna Break," Dylan broke from the confines of his keyboard to get on guitar and perform "Tomorrow Is a Long Time," a song not played since 2005. Following that, he ran back to his keyboard to do an excellent version of "Things Have Changed," his 2000 Oscar-winning song.
The performance was amazing, proving how even recent songs are not invincible from Dylan's re-arranging habit.
Next was "Beyond the Horizon" before he ran through two tracks from 1997's "Time Out Of Mind", "'Til I Fell in Love with You" and "Make You Feel My Love." The latter was a rather pedestrian reading, but "'Til I Fell in Love with You" was amazing. He stood in the center of the stage, playing only his harmonica the entire time. It was just incredible, especially when he went on a tear for a solo!
Next was "Honest with Me," a rocker from 2001's "Love And Theft," the slow, almost grueling "Spirit On The Water" and then he threw on "Highway 61 Revisited." It was a great version of the song, although the police car noises were greatly missed.
Of course, Dylan returned for an encore, which was just as special as the rest of the show. He ran through great versions of "Like a Rolling Stone" and "All Along the Watchtower." Usually, Dylan only does two songs for an encore, but here, he did a third. He ran to his guitar to do "Blowin' in the Wind" to close the absolutely amazing concert.
As for everything else, the United Palace Theater, a converted church, was a great place for Dylan to play. It was small but had a sound system that let you hear every nuance from the stage. His band, made of Tony Garnier (bass), George Recile (drums), Stu Kimball (rhythm guitar), Denny Freeman (lead guitar) and Donnie Herron (violin, viola, banjo, electric mandolin, pedal steel, lap steel), was on fire, spouting solos left and right whenever Dylan allowed for it. Freeman on lead guitar was incredible, especially during "All Along the Watchtower" and "Honest with Me."
Honestly, the only complaint is that the audience at these concerts, even some 'fans,' doesn't seem to care what Dylan is playing, as long as he is on stage. The audience, at least in the balcony, could have cared less that he was actually doing "The Times They Are A-Changin'" or "Things Have Changed." I think the problem though, might actually lie in Dylan's hands. He never addresses the audience, although if anyone is familiar with his history, they wouldn't expect him to. Anyway, as a self-appointed Dylan nerd, I had fun, and the concert is not one I shall soon forget.
This year marked a special anniversary for Dylan. He has been touring non-stop since June 7, 1988, when he began a tour promoting the recent release of his "Down in the Groove" LP, making 2008 the twentieth anniversary of "The Never Ending Tour." Although this concert has been announced as the last for this year, Dylan is only taking the winter off. He will start a tour of continental Europe in March, and, if the past is any indication, he will be back in the U.S. in the summer or fall.