Thursday evening, about just more than half way through Bob Dylan’s set, I realized not only was I listening to Dylan churn out a very bluesy version of Highway 61 Revisited, I was sitting on Highway 61.
While this was my sixth show, it was by far the best I’ve ever seen Dylan. And, it was delightful to hear him do Highway 61, it was even better that his arrangements were all very blues. It was phenomenal to hear Tangled Up in Blue, my personal favorite, get new life through the arrangement. Dylan often said that the lyrics were never quite right, or he was not satisfied… but perhaps, after hearing this rendition, it wasn’t the words, but the music.
Dylan, true-to-form spoke little. Mom commented that he never says much, and I suspect he’s been taken out of context so many times, it’s just better to not say anything and let the music say whatever needs saying. To that end, I’ve posted the set list at the end of this entry.
But, back on the Highway… let me first say, that the Foo Fighters opened with their acoustic tour, and they were phenomenal. Better than I expected. When we took our seats, there was nearly no one sitting near us. Shortly after the Foo Fighters left the stage, “Binoculars” and his wife showed up. Binoculars counted the seats out and made me move one. Keeping in mind there was no one else around. It seems that the row in front of us were added later for promotional purposes and were pretty much all empty. Enter a group of 3 young women five rows ahead. Then enter 3 seemingly gay men with their red wine three rows ahead. Meanwhile, Binoculars (so nicknamed because he was fussing with a pair of binoculars for about 5 minutes after he got himself, his coat, his soda, his popcorn and his chair settled. Unfortunately, in getting all that settled, his wife did not get settled and continued to come to and fro, disturbing me immensely.
The show starts.
Three’s company in the rows ahead somewhat merge in a weird paradigm of awkward flirtation perpetuated by excessive red wine consumption. They were standing and dancing (badly), which prompted Binoculars to begin screaming at the top of his lungs for them all to sit down as he could not see. Binoculars was not pleased when they refused to be seated. He also, apparently, had no concept that I was seated next to him, though one might imagine that my ribcage and leg restricting the weird and awkward movement of his elbow and knee would alert him to such a fact, but apparently not. Finally, Binoculars and his wife, who was just as vocal and uncontented as her husband, moved to another row so they did not have someone standing in front of them.
But, while Binoculars exits, a whole new posse enters. A group of several women, all approximately a size 14-16 but seemingly only able to squeeze themselves into a size 10. The belt buckles, crop shirts, big hair (think 1980) and excessively troweled on make up of the women and big-ass hat of the guy were a slight distraction, but I was still horrified. The two older in the group of about 8 folded up the chairs in their aisle, the one right in front of me, and began flailing around in what I can only imagine was their hopped up version of the “white man overbite” dancing. Fueled by obviously large amounts of alcohol, they continued dancing, and thankfully, the one who began stripping, refrained before things got really ugly. The Dude would dance, then suddenly collapse in a chair, only to pop up suddenly, and unexpectedly and start all over again.
Binoculars and his bride, at one point, nearly started a fight with the woman as she “shimmied” her boobs near them. Occasionally, we noticed them yelling at someone, and had a bet going as to which one would start the first fight.
Aside from the side show, there seemed to be an abundance of self-proclaimed Dylan experts (who interestingly did not refer to themselves as Dylanologists) yaked on incessantly through the show. Because, when you are such an expert, you really aren’t interested, apparently, in hearing the man perform live. I’m guessing that a self-proclaimed Dylan expert means that they have watched “No Direction Home” and maybe read a Rolling Stone interview. POSSIBLY they have read Chronicles, and even more unlikely, they’ve hunted down a copy of “Don’t Look Back”… But I’m guessing they could only name 5 albums and could not have identified most of the set list—if only because they didn’t shut the fuck up the whole time.
Still, I had a great time. He ended the show on a high with (again) a more bluesy version of Like a Rolling Stone and the electrified Hendrix version of All Along the Watchtower… which seemed quite appropriate….
"There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.
Businessmen, they drink my wine, plowmen dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth."
"No reason to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke.
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late."
All along the watchtower, princes kept the view
While all the women came and went, barefoot servants, too.
Outside in the distance a wildcat did growl,
Two riders were approaching, the wind began to howl.
Copyright © 1968; renewed 1996 Dwarf Music
Bob Dylan’s Set list from November 2, 2006: Palace of Auburn Hills--MICHIGAN
1. Cat's In The Well
2. Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
3. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
4. Spirit On The Water
5. High Water (For Charley Patton)
6. Positively 4th Street
7. Cold Irons Bound
8. Visions Of Johanna
9. 'Til I Fell In Love With You
10. Tangled Up In Blue
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Nettie Moore
13. Summer Days
(encore)
14. Thunder On The Mountain
15. Like A Rolling Stone
16. All Along The Watchtower
