Bob Dylan in Concert!!

[elrod-tom]

I went with my brother to see Bob Dylan the other night, and I've got to say that it was definately worth doing.

A few initial impressions (more later):

The theatre where we saw him is an old opera house in Detroit (the State Theatre), which I had previously known as the place that my old firm held it's awards celebration. The main floor has a few tables, but is mostly an open floor down by the stage, and there's even a BAR!!

We were about 25 feet from the stage, and save for three tall people standing in front of us, we had a pretty good site line.

When they finally came out, I was surprised at the music...it was a sort of roadhouse variant of Dylan. I had expected a lot more folksy tone, but not tonight. The band was great, and Bob is a great performer. He can't sing to save his life, however...I was surprised at HOW bad he was. Not that it made the show any worse, it was just that I was expecting that he couldn't sing, but I had no idea!!

I don't know his catalog of work very well, so I can't really go through a lot of what he did just yet. My brother is working on that. He played for about 90 minutes, which wasn't bad. The sound was pretty good, though I'm thinking this theatre might not be the best venue accoustically.

That said, it was a very nice evening out...thanks Bob.

 

[tyrion]

I saw Dylan with The Dead this past summer. I must say that I don't think there is anyone more unintelligible then Dylan. His band is good but I couldn't understand a word he said. Now The Dead on the otherhand were good, although this was before Warren Haynes joined the mix. Hope to catch them at Bonarro this June.

 

[sno1man]

I have not seen him live in the couple of years, but I beleive his current band is the same one that he has in the movie he was in recently, Masked and Anonymous.

The movie was strange (though Jessica Lange was hot in it in a trailer trash sort of way)

However the songs performed in the bar were first rate and there are also some cool interpretations of some of his better known songs.

But that's the thing with Dylan you never know what you are going to get. I saw him with Paul Simon and that was outstanding. I saw him with the Dead and he was barely coherent.


I'm going to see him in Norfolk next month.

 

[dougbrad81]

i saw dylan last year at jazzfest, and well it was kinda dissapointing. i don't mean to disrepect dylan, i loved that man's music, but his voice sounded similiar to scooby doo's and just as intelligible.

 

[earful]

when i first heard a dylan recording years ago, i decided he absolutely could not sing. now i'm surprised at how much i enjoy listening to his "best of" album. one thing i learned from a friend who is a professional musician after much grousing from me about a couple of singers (one professional, one not) i videotaped at one event: how a singer is miked can have a great deal to do with how he or she sounds. that and, of course, how good the other musicians are. not to mention personal preferences of the listener. to this day, the professional singer is deemed by one relative to be the best singer in the state. to me she has a nice voice, but i wouldn't go out of my way to hear her perform. maybe with a different sound system, though, i might change my mind...

 

[acs236]

While few would compliment Dylan's vocal abilities, he seems to have good and bad days. I saw in several years ago in Michigan (I think it was at Polaris) and he sounded really good, at least for him.

 

[danaa]

I've seen him two times the last three years and loved the show both times. Without doubt, he is inconsistent as far as vocals. On the other hand, he is a legend and one of the great composers of our time. His band is sensational.

 

[robert]

Quote:

Originally posted by earful how a singer is miked can have a great deal to do with how he or she sounds.

PBS is in a begging mode these days, and our local outlet ran the Peter, Paul and Mary show. not that i recommend them to the younger generation; you kinda had to be there.

anyway, there is footage of concert performances from '63 to around '65. i have live recordings of other folk groups from then and a few years earlier, and i always wondered how they managed stereo that sounded realistic.

simple: two spaced omnis, sitting up there nice as you please. and they actually project like real singers. there's a good 2 to 3 feet from them to the mics. real vocal dynamics, when they get loud it's because they sing louder. such a concept. not any of today's mic swallowers.

 

[hciman77]

In Earls Court back in the early 80s during his brief Christian phase - he was okay but lacking a bit of passion, the next day I saw The Kinks and they were a bit lame too.

 

[elrod-tom]

I saw the Kinks in Detroit in '83, and they really rocked the place. It was a great concert. Interesting...

 

[MD1032]

This guy truly does have an awful voice, but his music and his playing are great.