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Bob Dylan, July 17th, Save on Foods Arena
| Message Board > Show Reviews > Bob Dylan, July 17th, Save on Foods Arena |
| KinChris User Info... | Wow. Bob Dylan, quite the legend. When my friend told me he got a free ticket for me, I was stoked. With the chance to see someone as influential as Bob, I knew I would not be disappointed. Surprise... This show sucked! The stage presence blew. They all walked up there looking like Quakers. Bob went and stood by the side of the stage and played piano, he had his back turned to a third of the audience for the entire show. I know they're an old band, but they looked dead up there. No movement what so ever. They played 12 songs, and 2 encores. I respect Bob Dylan for not over playing his crowd pleasers, but if you're going to play songs that the audience doesn't recognize you have to sell them. You have to at least look like you're having fun playing them, and it helps if the songs are half decent. These songs were horrible. Boring country/rock songs that I've heard hundreds hack musicians bust out at jams at old people parties. For someone who supposedly influenced the Beatles, you'd think he'd have it in him to try and continue to influence others. I guess he gave up on that. My ticket was free, and I still feel like I was ripped off. I can't imagine paying 80 bucks for that show. And if you are going to pay 80 bucks, why are you sitting in your chair doing nothing. The crowd looked deader than the band. When Bob finished with "All along the watch tower", people finally did leave there seats and dance a bit, but I think that was more because they were just tired of sitting down than anything else, and they wanted to think themselves into feeling like they got their money's worth. The arena was partially to blame for the crappy show. The sound was crap (although that is sort of to be expected in an arena), but it was very quite as well. I couldn't hear shit from the private box I was in, so I snuck around the arena until I found the spot with the best sound. Security didn’t know what they were doing, so used that to my advantage. The only thing the arena was smart with, was their beverage pricing. 42 dollars for a six pack of Canadian. Now that's good business sense. I saw a lot of young people at the show and I thought to myself, “It’s great how so many young people are open to an older artist like Bob Dylan, which their parents have been listening to for years.” Then I thought, “It fucking sucks that so many of these parents don't give a shit about the bands that their children listen to.” People say that "with age comes wisdom," but in most cases "wisdom" seems to be accompanied with close mindedness. Parents close their minds to new music; Bob closes his mind to originality. - I apologize for my digression. Sorry. So yeah, the show licked balls, and I've become a more sinical person because of it. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 6:47am | ||
| duncan User Info... | i think you should have thought about who you were going to see before you accepted that free ticket. we're talking about bob dylan here, the man who never gave a fuck about being a famous musician or putting on shows. the ex-pillpopper who has told reporters dozens of different places he was supposedly born, and dozens of different years he was born. he doesn't give a fuck to dance around on stage so you feel like you got your 80 dollars worth. he was never in this for the glam of it, i dont think. part of dylan is the fact that he's not that good. hes not a good harp player, not that great at singing, but his song writing is amazing. and when he was onstage, even with the shitty sound, he commanded the attention. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 7:56am | ||
| Nat User Info... | Well, i was expecting more. It's bob fucking dylan. The same guy who sold out to Starbucks-perhaps i shouldn't have expected a memorable experience. The only memorable thing about it is the fact that i've seen the guy live before he croaks (which judging by his lack of movement on stage won't be long). I've listened to Dylan for years, since i was fifteen, and i must admit i was pissed he didn't cover more of his classics. Sure hes sick of playing them but what the hell, it's what made him famous. Half way through i was wondering when it would be over and was glad i had a few beers before i came. I was warned by a few people that he was, supposedly, losing his voice. Does this explain why i couldnt hear a damn thing he was saying? The only thing that sufficed was the fact that i didn't pay for the damn tickets. By the end i was really craving some bass guitar. But hey, its bob dylan...i guess when youve reached that level of fame your name is enough to please people. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 8:14am | ||
| nick User Info... | you get the impression that he relies on his name though. And does little else. Glad I went though. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 8:25am | ||
| hellbetty User Info... | I must totally agree with Duncan. If you have a distaste for Dylan why did you take the ticket? It seems like maybe it was your stupid mistake than Bob Dylan's lack of talent. Stick to Lucky Bar, you'll like it there. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 8:40am | ||
| Nat User Info... | Nobody who has posted has a "distaste" for bob dylan-just because someone wasn't entirely positive about the show does not mean they don't appreciate the music. I would argue that those who feel the show was amazing are simply blinded by the fact that it's bob dylan. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 8:49am | ||
| hellbetty User Info... | What do you consider a Bob Dylan classic? I could have sworn I heard a few... and I don't believe I am "blind" because I enjoyed the show, I really think it was amazing. Unfortunately for you, Nat, my opinion is just as valid as the others...even if I didn't use words such as "sucked", or "croaks", "crap" or any other big descriptive teenage-angst-I'm-so-cynical-and-hardcore dingers! Yes, I dare to say I LOVED the show! I guess I don't get to be cool. Oh poo. Dylan is still amazing. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 9:23am | ||
| Nat User Info... | You simply cannot say "Dylan is amazing". You've never met the man nor had an intimate conversation with him. What you can say is that his music is amazing. For all we know hes a pretentious, arrogant prick. Or perhaps, he's humble. Anyway, everyone has their own opinion and it's completely unfair to call those who disagree cynical and teenage angst ridden. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 9:38am | ||
| hellbetty User Info... | I said...Dylan is amazing. Now, shhhh. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 9:48am | ||
| mica User Info... | i heard he farts a lot. like, a lot. he probably farted like 200 times during that show. thats crazy. don't ask me where i get my information - its classyfied. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 10:05am | ||
| Yo Mama User Info... |  1. Maggie's Farm 2. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You 3. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight 4. Lay, Lady, Lay 5. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) 6. Blind Willie McTell 7. Watching The River Flow 8. Ballad Of A Thin Man 9. Highway 61 Revisited 10. New Morning 11. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again 12. Positively 4th Street 13. God Knows 14. Summer Days (Encore) 15. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right 16. All Along The Watchtower - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 10:57am | ||
| Kimberleykaos User Info... | Just noticed this post...didn't realize there was 2 going on... still...someone can (not saying I am), CAN say he is amazing, if they feel that way about his music, but ALSO other aspects as well. Just because a person has not had an intimate conversation etc with him, doesn't mean you can't divuldge into personal aspects besides the music, such as countless interviews, bios, books, political opinions, etc etc... Most people that enjoy music whole-heartedly, spend more time than just a few years of playing the same well known songs over and over, or base favs on one record, there is more to it, and plenty to take in and learn of a person/band, should it intrigue your interest. Thanks tho, Kin Chris, for some info on how the show was. Fuck, I can go watch the one man band dude down in the Inner Harbour and enjoy myself, its just about the spirit of music. When did everyone get so uptight... - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 12:26pm | ||
| mica User Info... | yeah, but you aren't obliged to throw $80 into the one man band's guitar case. although, i'm sure he'd be a little more excited than bob if you did. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 12:54pm | ||
| Tragedy User Info... | What the hell is everybody bitching about? You got to see Bob Dylan in your lifetime. And just because he didn't stick to the greatest hits album doesn't mean 90 percent of those aren't classics, if you truly follow the man. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 1:43pm | ||
| ian johnson User Info... | well i liked the show but i wasent like face melted or anything. partly becuase bob didnt play any guitar cuase of his arthritis and becuase he toured with his "Band" he changed the songs to fit how the band played them and i came to hear songs i recognized and i pretty much only figured out all along the watchtower but anyways i'm just stolked to see such an icon in my own city before hes gone, even if i do say i was dissapointed i can still at least say that. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 2:26pm | ||
| howie User Info... | Strange concert. Bob he is a Icon but but songs like Maggies farm and Mr jones I could hardly reconize. The band was really tight- Bobs keyboards not. Lay Lady lay he changed so much in the melody (his right)it was strange. All Along The watch Tower was amazing truly worth the 80 bucks just to say you were there to experince it. Over all not what I expectecd but glad I forked out the hard earned money to see him. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 4:45pm | ||
| changingweather User Info... | i think the show was worth it alone to see him jump from the feedback. classic. i think he did beautifully. i loved the suit. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 7:05pm | ||
| Peter Gardner User Info... | "i think the show was worth it alone to see him jump from the feedback. classic." Yea that was so funny. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 7:09pm | ||
| Dirtymac User Info... | Umm, to all the people complaining that the songs he played weren't well known, might I suggest buying his albums. To anyone who owns Highway 61, Blonde on Blonde and Another Side of Bob Dylan, that setlist is familiar. Oh, and anyone who complains about the showmanship should realise that it is Bob Dylan...Bob Dylan. You shouldn't have expected much more. - Mon, 18 Jul 2005 8:20pm | ||
| James User Info... | Anyone who has heard his latest album 'Love and Theft' would've known exactly what sound to expect. Anyone that knew he was 64 years old would've known exactly what kind of performance to expect. If you expected to hear music that sounded just the same as it did 40 years ago, then I guess you got dissapointed. You should feel glad that you didn't pay 80 dollars to some guy who plays his greatest hits the same way he always has just so that he can collect your money. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 6:27am | ||
| Anonymous User Info... | if you want a crowd pleaser, go see paul mccartney - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 7:46am | ||
| Kris User Info... | I saw dylan because he is dylan, not because i wanted to see a good show. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 8:03am | ||
| Zippgunn User Info... | Then you are a fool. In about 1984 I got to see MY idol, Miles Davis (free ticket). He blew chunks. I kept thinking "well, I got to see Miles before he croaked" but the more I thought about it the more cheated I felt. I couldn't lose the feeling that Miles was just profit taking and that I (and everyone else there) were suckers. I find it significant that only 2 of Dylan's songs were from after the '60's. So I hope everyone who "got to see Dylan before he croaks" feel that they got their money's worth. But it seems clear that touring has turned into a job for Mr. Zimmerman, a job that gets less interesting every time out. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 8:23am | ||
| [+} User Info... | did you expect the guy to throwdown or something? i'm not (by any means) an official on bob dylan, but the show was great. the band was incredible and mr. dylan isn't rehashing his old hits to make you fall in love with him. because - let's face it - he wrote those songs decades before i was born, so who wants to hear the same song over and over. he is a master songwriter, not an arena rock thrash god.. he's allowed to change his songs, he's allowed to play piano instead of guitar, he's allowed to play the fucking best version of all along the watchtower. these are things that he can do because they make sense with his music and how his career happened. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 8:26am | ||
| duncan User Info... | i hear that aiden. anyone who would keep playing the same songs, the same way, for 40 years, i wouldnt go see. the fact that he changes these songs just shows that hes still creating within his creations. ] to sum the thread up: bob dylan is a straight up gangster. word. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 2:02pm | ||
| slipintotheshade User Info... | here's the thing, bob's your uncle see? you pay eighty bucks just to watch the old fart drool on himself and hit on the waitress and act inappropriately, possibly fart and play one note harmonica solos and you cheer! why, because we all need applause once in a while, at least his greatest hits package isn't as generic or should i say geriatric as the rolling stones' predictably boring sets. did he wank off and let his band carry him? of course he did! did the sound guy suck? of course he did-there's like three in this town that don't! but damnit, i still fuckin love that little jewish cowboy, i'd pay $80 bucks to be his roadie. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 3:03pm | ||
| Tyler User Info... | " In about 1984 I got to see MY idol, Miles Davis " If you had seen him in the 50s or 60s, it would have been amazing. Too bad it was 1984, and he was playing cheesy synth-rock-fusion. Am I correct? I think this can similarily be applied to the Bob Dylan show, even though I didn't go. He's not a bright young musician, now he's a musician following what he wants to do. Don't have such high expectations. Like Aiden said, he can change things around. You're seeing what HE has to offer. He can charge that much because, look at it, everyone here seems to have paid that much or have gotten tickets another way. I'm sure if I had a job, I would have gone just for the experience. "did you expect the guy to throwdown or something?" Actually, I take back what I said. If he performed some floorpunches and windmills, everything would have been amazing. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 4:22pm | ||
| Kris User Info... | I don't really care what bob dylan does. He wrote good songs, now they sound totally different, I got bored, i wouldn't go see the rolling stones if it was free..end of story. - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 9:49pm | ||
| lauren a User Info... | aidan knight saves the day again! bob dylan throwing down. haha that's priceless! - Tue, 19 Jul 2005 11:11pm | ||
| c User Info... | That show fucking put me over the top, I loved every song and moment. If you just stop thinking about the fact that bob dylan is not playing "shelter from the storm", and start considering your seeing some great songs played by bob dylan on stage, you all would have been alot more happy. Dylan is an icon, but in the end, hes a real person, and a true musician.. I think the majority of people on this board are caught up in some fantasy of what dylan sounds, and acts like. ... plus i thought the sound guy was solid, and the band were pretty amazing musicians. - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 5:28am | ||
| Eurydice User Info... | How could you creeps say this show sucked? It was Bob fucking Dylan. He can play whatever he wants, however he wants. Just because you didn't recognize all of his music it doesn't mean he didn't play it well. You witnessed a legend! Chill out. - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 8:27am | ||
| KinChris User Info... | Any show that makes me want to leave half way through the performance, I say "sucked". I only stayed because my friend wanted company. And don't get me wrong, I have a lot of repect for Bob playing the songs that he wanted to play. I just think the songs that he likes suck. Oh, and Hellbetty; I use words like "fuck," "shit," and "sucks," because they grab peoples attention. Gotta go, I'm off to Lucky Bar. - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:14am | ||
| JasonLove User Info... | oh, lucky bar! that says it all. - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 12:10pm | ||
| mv User Info... | what's that supposed to mean? Lucky isn't cool....oh no!!!well i better stop going there....thanks for the heads up Jason - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 3:20pm | ||
| Kimberleykaos User Info... | SLIPINTOTHESHADE~ Thanks for that, think I bruized a rib gigglin'... JASONLOVE~ or Jason poopypants. C'mon people...like it FUCKING matters...any live music venue has my respect. Where is it you frequent?...do tell - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 4:26pm | ||
| Kimberleykaos User Info... | Just Mr.Love, no need for a new thread now...or is there?! - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 4:29pm | ||
| alcoholly User Info... | there you go stirring up the pot of poo again.......... - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 4:38pm | ||
| Kimberleykaos User Info... | GOT A PROBLEM BIATCH?!! Huh...do ya, do ya?! C'MON!... and....go! - Wed, 20 Jul 2005 6:18pm | ||
| alcoholly User Info... | let's go chickie-chachie-bitchachi........ my place....Saturday night!! - Thu, 21 Jul 2005 12:19pm | ||
| _Griphin_ User Info... | WOO!!! - Thu, 21 Jul 2005 1:55pm | ||
| john User Info... | To get this forum back on topic, one must ask, does one love bob dylan for WHO he is, or does one love bob dylan for WHAT he is? In a world where everyone under the sun in the last forty years has heard pretty much every bob dyland "hit" countless times is there any excitemnet replaing the song 200 times a year the same way it was written when he was 20? bob dylan is not the bob dylan he was in his "prime"in the sixties, it cannot be expected that he will be able to hold the notes and strum his guitar the same way as he did when he was 18. Im sure if bob dylan was told when he recorded his songs that they must be played with pinpoint precision the same way for the next 40 years, he would have not recorded a single song. Boy dylan is a story teller that works at the pace he sets, by the rules he wants. This concert to me was unlike the classic "washed up hasbeen cashing in on his younger fame FINAL TOUR" (motleycrue, rollingstones etc etc etc) This was a show by a man that cant not perform he plays hundreds of shows a year because that is what he loves. His body is giving out before his integrity will. To me the 2 solid hours flew by, dylan, knowing he cant play like he used to surrounded himself with the best talent there is, and these songs were played to perfection. sure none of them immediately hit me, and it would have maybe been nice if he played a few more "by-the-book" but thats not his style, thats not his way, thats not who bob dylan is. For us who wanted to see bob dylan for WHO he is, we were fulfilled, for those who only wanted to see the "legend" because hes a legend and it might be fun to hear a few songs youve heard before, you wanted to see dylan for WHAT he is, unfortunately you were unable to see what exactly that meant. - Thu, 21 Jul 2005 9:07pm | ||
| john User Info... | by the way, can somebody help me get down.... im way up top of my horse... and its a high horse. - Thu, 21 Jul 2005 9:08pm | ||
| Anonymous User Info... | If anyone's made it down these many posts to the bottom, I'll just say that, being a huge massive Dylan fan and knowing his recent stage setup going into the concert and his propensity for changing the arrangement of the old songs, I was amazed at how close a lot of the songs were done to the original recordings. Songs like "Lay Lady Lay", "Stuck inside a mobile..." and "Tonight I'll be staying here with you" I recognized from the first chord change. That's saying a lot since his repetoire covers essentially "Three chords and the truth" (an exaggeration) for over 40 years and hundreds of songs. And for those who say he didn't play many greatest hits, an anecdote: I went home after the concert and put on my vinyl copy of "Bob Dylan's greatest hits volume 2" (which may be his highest selling album) and 6 out of 9 songs on the first record were played at the concert. Personally I would have liked to hear more obscure stuff and at least one song off of "Blood on the Tracks". But I believe, as has been mentioned ad-nauseum on this post that the man is Bob Dylan and therefore can do whatever the fuck he wants. He's never cared what the masses expected and has made a career out of constantly changing and innovating. His latest album "Love and Theft" is no exception. He's using his now deceased voice to its maximum and still making "poems to make a young man lose his mind". Here's to you Bobby, you've still got it! -K.C. - Sat, 23 Jul 2005 10:19am | ||
| Anonymous User Info... | OH, and what I didn't like about the show was the overpriced merch (no surprise, $20 for a BD coffee mug) and the bitchy middle aged yuppies who called security on me for *gasp* standing up in the front row during the encore. Thanks for ruining "Don't think Twice..." I mean "no thanks", you know irony and stuff.. I'm going back to sleep. -k - Sat, 23 Jul 2005 10:29am | ||
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