Bob Dylan U.S. Tour

whos this guy? I want another Coldplay review...

Weak sauce.

If he's playing keys again and still making songs sound unrecognizable, it's a waste of my time. I'm all for experimentation and Dylan's the master and changing things up, but eventually it just gets tiresome. You can't even sing along. He doesn't even sing. He just rifles off the lyrics.

Dylan plays the keys Cola21 becaues he has arthritis in the hands.

Also Cola21, who goes to a show just so they can "sing along"?

I just wish he was coming closer to Boston

mattland, I didn't give you a thumbs down for dissin' on Bob, I gave you a thumbs down because you said "weak sauce". That term is on the same list as "face melt" or "crunchy jams". We need to cut that shit out.

Dylan is the king of all men and that is all I have to say. Long live the king!!!!!!!! Pulitzer. Greatest songwriter of all time. Step the F$@# OFF!!!

stop the hate, Bob puts on a damm fine show.

I've seen Dylan several times.....

woody- I wouldn't say they are 'damn fine' (at least not anymore)

they are ertainly a good experience & if someone HASN'T seen him live- they should....

No one questions his history or relevance- but as a CURRENT live performer- he is not at the top of his game anymore

cola dude, you're an idiot.

dylan can do whatever the fuck he wants hes dylan. thats all that needs to be said.

This man is living legend, the fact that he is still touring is amazing, toss on Bringing it all Back Home today for a classic jam.

oh, you kids, you have no idea......

Wow... trash talkin on Bob??? Who the hell are these people?

Still puts on a great show, Go see him.

saying weak sauce is almost as cool as saying "the boys" ;]

Booked the condo in snowmass to stay an extra day after the two panic shows. Was gonna fish the fryingpan, but now, just might have to check out some dylan instead. Everyone in colorado come out to the jazz aspen labor day fest, it will be kick ass.

P.S. Hippies talking shit about bob dylan? weird.

"My mind may have been positively raped by Ms. Mary Uana" ...what?! ...anyway i respect dylan and i like his music but i'm not a huge fan. i've always been more a fan of donovan. i wish he would tour more often....

Now I'm forced to get philosophical. What is a hippie? If a hippie is someone who blindly follows the opinions of other hippies and digs all the music that he's supposed to dig, then I'm not a hippie. If a hippie is a free-thinker who enjoys Bob Dylan, has seen him three times, and preferred his tour with Paul Simon in '95ish over his tour last year because he thought the music sounded much more interesting and who personally doesn't dig the country-twanged feel that Dylan is going for but appreciates the HELL out of his lyrics and his influence on the world, then that's me. I didn't trash-talk. I didn't diss. I voiced an opinion about Dylan. Go to the shows and rock the fuck out and have an amazing time. Good for you. Why are you boxing me into a stereotype? Forget that. There are more people and opinions in the world than your own.

Big ups though to the "crunchy jams" remark.

I love Bob Dylan. He has been an influence on just about every single one of my favorite musicians, not to mention an influence of American culture itself. That said, I really think that he should stop touring. Last time I saw him play it sounded awful. It was sad actually, and certainly wasn't the way I wanted to remember someone of his stature. I know I'll get 100 thumbs down for this comment, but seriously understand that I have a lot of respect for him, but he sounds TERRIBLE these days.

dylan is a good songwriter, not a good musician. he was average in his prime, and is certainly past that now. he can't even sing on key, or sing lyrics that you can understand. no offense, but overrated.

I said 'weak suace' b/c Dylan can no longer pull off a 'face-melter' or a 'crunchy jam.'

He is a great writer; just let someone else sing his songs. I rank his live performance as one of the all-time great dissapointments.

I saw Dylan open for the Dead and for Phil. Both times I had a great time I wasn't expecting Bob to blow my mind for anything, but I was excited to be seeing a legend a true great one.

Dylan's band has been very good the 3 times I saw him.

The vocals are what I expected. Still a good show, Ill go again.

Oh yeah, how a bout "Ice Cold" or "Fatty Organic"

Get your IceColdFattyOrganicBurritos!

^^^^^^that is the best screenname on jambase !!!!!!

oh yeah and dylan is .... well hes dylan and thats ok with me :-)

While I saw him like Freshman year of high school a while ago. And The Times They Are A Changin' didn't really contain any vocal musical notes per say, as I recall. I love Bob Dylan. Along with e.e. cummings, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Allen Ginsberg he's definately one of my favorite poets of the 20th century. I mean, it really is friggin Dylan. I don't think you can really say something like...it's friggin' Meloncamp or...I mean, you could, and I would probably still like you and hang out with you and everything because opinions are like assholes and I'm not a dog, but I love Dylan. That being said, it was awesome to hear that 9,000 year old myth of a man sing Tangled Up In Blue, pretty much just awesome, and Knockin' On Heaven's door, topical, always the realist. Pretty sage guy that Dylan fellow.

i seen dylan live in the 70's, 80's, 90's and last year..... last year I must agree there has to be a time when you just retire.... would you go see baBE RUTH STRIKE OUT EVERY TIME UP? of course not... we love Dylan is why we want him to exit with dignity...not sounding like he does now... compare to the rolling stones, who absolutely still bring the A GAME to the stage...

they booed dylan off the stage in tel-aviv in the 90's.... when he played with the dead it was pretty horrible also.... he is a poet, not a G-D.

There is a point at which you wonder if he is simply touring for the money or touring for the enjoyment of music. My friends told me the last time they saw him he failed to acknowledge the audience once and seemed pissed off the entire time, but on the other hand Dylan is a different character. Then you look at Phil Lesh who is clearly aging, and he is still smiling and laughing and gettin' down on his bass. If only we knew...

Here's why I think Dylan is still touring: He's got absolutely nothing else. He's run through his wives, he has no relationship with his kids, I'm not suggesting I'm his biographer or anything, but it seems like there's not a whole lot going on with him other than the music. And at his age, I'm sure he would drop dead the moment he gave up music.

What I would love to see is for him to spark a fire under this generation's ass as his grand finale. One last CD where his poetry just bursts and blooms and kicks the shit out of society. His last records have been great, but a lot less topical, controversial, inspiring, etc. I don't think he'll do it, but it would revitalize my revolution juices - it would maybe inspire hippies to move beyond blogging on websites. ;-)

One of the best comments I've read in awhile cola.

cavemandan - dude you really should come out of your cave more often !

"the stones bring their A GAME" ?????? well that may be true i guess given that their "a" game is on the level of most bands "c" game..... don't believe me??? - check out a lil band called "stone age" - they make the stones sound like hanna montana or hanoi rocks !!!!

COLA - boy i have to say ( and i have defended you before ) - that you should really read your own comments before you hit the "add my comment" button - how the fuck do you know anything about how mr zimm spends his days and nights??? - what a shithead comment ! and as far as sparking a fire???? how does it fall to him to inspire a generation of spoiled whiners who only give a shit about themselves ????? people need to spark their own fires !!!! in fact i am sparking one right now..... nah

Dylan is kind of the world's greatest prankster. There is something psychedelic about the fact that, here's this guy who can bring in decent crowds of all ages. Crowds who think that they'll get to hear the songs they know and love. And what does he do? He plays entirely unrecognizable versions of these same songs. People think it's just some song they don't know - because dylan has so many songs, right? And then after 9 verses they finally realize that he's singing "Shelter From the Storm" - their FAVORITE SONG - but he's playing it so strange and weird that they can't tell what the hell is going on.

And that happens to everyone in attendance, so by the end of the show you have a bunch of confused slack jawed fans who truly have no idea what was going on for the last 90 minutes.

I think it's the ultimate joke that he's managed to play on everyone.

kizzy - i'm disappointed i've lost your support. but - as i duly noted - i am not his biographer. but if you look at his tour schedule, that's ALL HE DOES (if we're going to be technical and anal, yes, he does have days off and even some weeks off). if you noted the wink at the end of my comment, it wasn't meant to be flirtacious - it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek but additionally, i think the music scene hasn't been honest enough when critiquing our society sparing maybe Bright Eyes. I would just love for Bob to remind us how powerful and influential music can be. Trust me, I've been in a deep rut the past few weeks actually over my dissatisfaction with so-called activists/progressives who just get progressively more stuck-up and self-serving. I hope this clarification won back your favor. But I appreciate the cursing and repeating puncuation. that's what i call passion.

P.S. Spot on, brother joe. Spot on.

i would check out the SPAC show, but im seeing ratdog and allmans in canandaigua that night muwhahaha

BOB FUCKIN DYLAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DAMMIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

kizzy that stone age band sucked.... you were lucky if you left a show without getting shot.... the stones at hershey like 3 yrs ago was the bomb... sound quality...selection of new and old tunes.. sound mix...presentation... overall prolly one of the best concerts I have seen out of hundreds if not thousands!.... the only problem were the ppl who decided since they knew the words they should sing along.....blah....but the band themselves act like teenagers... dylan at hersey was a disaster... front row seats that were free and still not worth it.... old women with white hair blocking yer view by "dancing" in front of your seats, and super uptight security.... but musically it was aweful... reminded me of a garage band that just was going through the motions with no emotions, no presentation, no charisma, no stage presence, nothing.... i'm done going to nazi hershey for any concerts ....what a difference from the dead 85 there.... welcome to america... we cant block our borders but we can make sure our legal citizens are arrested and harassed by muscle boys who think a yellow staff shirt makes them cool.. i say put concert security at the border and border patrol problem is solved.... most venues seem to suck anymore...it has become a greedy music scene. from promoters more interested in ticket sales than the music to washed up folk singers still trying to grab every last penny they can from the naive.... sorry i see phil still rocking (but shouldnt be singing) and jorma stronger or strong as ever and bromberg and so many others...dylan on city island around 1990 was ok... a world apart from his current baloney... i called you when i had a 5 week run at doc hollidays in yer town... the nazis there shut us down... 1 electric set and we had to go acoustic...crowds were growing, then they said they needed patio open so no more live music until fall... they play the jukebox 10 times louder than the band ...dissing dylan is understandable but dissing the stones?...no chance!

"w/out getting shot" - wow guess i can't argue on that one.....

dylan at hershey - pouring down rain - masters of war......i enjoyed...

washed up folk singer ? - i love his last album - but i am naive - happily

never saw the stones live - couldn't get the loan approval

those yellow shirts should say "shaft" not staff

let me know next time you are in the area - will be sure to make it

i am back on the east shore now .....going to ABC on cameron st saturday

i think that fredricos band - the hungry ghosts is supposed to play it is

summer solstice !

his voice is extremely annoying, stick to the writing bobby!!

I first saw him in Albuquerque in 2001 or 2. He played his guitar and that made the show. Everybody in the front area was sitting down except me. I don't understand how they could do that - he was totally rocking out. At one point he was even doing the duck walk just like Chuck Berry. Sure, his voice is unclear, so what? If you don't know those songs, too bad.

So, pray for healing on the arthritis cause believe me, if he can pick, he can still melt your face, yo!

Dylan? melting faces? Are we talking about the same person?

Charleston - Raleigh - Atlanta - Wilmington - Richmond - Asheville dates for the Fall.

Hey Joshc104, are those fall dates true? If that's the case I'm definitely going to one of them. He needs to come to the South

I took my 16 year old son to see Dylan last year. My 10th show since '78; each one different. I warned him not to get his expectations up, which was fortunate since it was one of the least moving performances of all the times I'd seen him. His comment after was "I just wish I could've heard the lyrics".

So Dylan does what he wants. It's too bad that what he wants right now is not only to flatten out the melody in his vocals, (which he's always done), but to snarl and murmur the lyrics as well, with an irritating up note on the last word of a phrase.

That being said, what is common to all the shows is: his bands ROCK! He chooses top notch musicians with a true sense of the deep groove (even if they're playing straight R&B) That's part of his art: the music always has soul.