I'll start my blog off with a review of last nights Bob Dylan show in St. Louis.
Yesterday morning my fiance and I drove three hours to see Bob Dylan play in St. Louis at the Fox theatre. We left at about noon and drove across Illinois towards St. Louis. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. We enjoyed a Dylan retrospective with music selections ranging from slow train to bob dylan's dream. We visited the Cahokia mounds along the way, which was very interesting. It was wonderful to look over the St. Louis skyline from atop the mounds, knowing that we'd soon be in the city seeing our first Bob Dylan concert. We got to the venue without trouble, and checked out the buses to see if any of the band members were around. We met a really wonerful man who was excited to meet young Bob Dylan fans, and assured us we'd enjoy ourselves. I was really excited see what the organ would sound like in person, and equally excited to get my first listening to the vocals and harmonica playing of my favorite musician. The theatre was breathtaking and the sound was great from where we were sitting about ten or eleven rows back. I heard some people say that it was hard to hear up in front of the stage because the speakers were directly over them, aimed towards the back.
Merle's set was really good. He seemed very happy, and his voice sounded great. He seemed much more into it than in the recorded I heard from his set in Texas. His song choices were varied and the strangers played very well. Merle was very funny and seemed like a great guy. His set seemed a little short, but it was alright since I was so excited to see Bob.
Bob started with Maggie's set list. I was happy about that since it was my first concert and that list has a lot of the songs I just couldn't go without hearing live at least once. Maggies started off a little shaky and I'm pretty sure there was a lyric flub somewhere in the middle of the song. I think Bob got off track and the band went one way while Bob went the other. He rovered well and the rest of song sounded great. Bob seemed to be in pretty good voice. She belongs to me was the same as early in the tour, with the lower notes at the end of each line. Lonesome Day Blues was good, and pretty much the same as before. I don't know if I like the way the Love and Theft songs are being translated on this tour. The songs were very much arranged a certain way on the album, and I think Bob is trying to breathe life into them with new arrangements, but the new versions just sound like watered down versions of the original. I was glad to hear Queen Jane, but it was a little lackluster. I think Till' I Fell In Love with you falls into the same category as the Love and Theft songs. It still sounds good, but it isn't different enough from the original to really take off. It's Alright Ma was wonderful. I like the way this song is being played now. Donnie Herron's playing on fiddle and mandolin was wonderful. Bob started to liven up on this one. It looked like he was having fun and really enjoying playing with Donnie. From here on out there was a lot of communication between the two going on. Make You Feel My Love was good to hear. It's my fiance's favorite song, so I was glad for her. Highway 61 was good, but a little distracting because the man next to us was dancing in a very odd manner. I think he may have popped something before Bob's set. I was really excited to hear Positively Fourth Street. Bob had a little trouble with the lyrics, but it was still nice to hear. Honest With Me was standard, Girl Of The North Country was nice, but Highwater ended up being one of my favorite performances from the night. Donnie played a banjo solo that sent chills down my spine. It surpasses any of the versions I've heard from this tour by leaps and bounds. It was magnificent. Bob seemed really excited to hear it too. It was nice to see him dancing around behind his organ and enjoying himself. His organ parts are getting more defined and better I think. His harmonica playing surpasses what i've heard of this tour so far.
I was sad to see the band leave, knowing I'd be left only with the predictable encore of Like a Rolling Stone and Watchtower. I ended up enjoying the encore much more than I thought I would. Especially, Like A Rolling Stone. lights lit up the crowd every time he said "How Does It Feeeeel", and you could see the expressions of everyone in the crowd. The energy was amazing and Bob knew he was nailing it. I think I would have enjoyed Watchtower more, but we had a slight crisis when we realize an idiot behind us had spilled an entire cup of beer into our isle, soaking my fiances purse. Luckily it was made out of vinyl type material, so the beer didn't seep through. I wasn't all that impressed with the guitar players, but I think Bob want's more laid back guitar playing to make room for Donnie. Overall the night was great. It was great to finally see Bob and I think we hit a pretty good show.
