Dylan @ ACC: Who's goin'?

[StoneMtn]

That was a very mediocre show, at best. Dylan's band was clearly far more excited about playing with Dylan than Dylan was about playing.

The show was 'average', and that's not why I go to see Dylan. I think I'm done with him live. He's too hit-and-miss.

Oddly enough, the Foo Fighters actually quite impressed me.

[Kanada Kev]

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/D/Dylan_Bob/ConcertReviews/2006/11/08/2276931.html

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - November 7, 2006

By BILL HARRIS - Toronto Sun

Living legend Bob Dylan performed at the Air Canada Centre last night. (File photo)

TORONTO - Distant but dignified. Dignified but distant. But in decidedly good voice.

This may invite the wrath of multitudes, but Bob Dylan is not the most compelling live act, visually speaking.

That is in no way meant to question the 65-year-old Dylan’s status as a legend or his continued above-average output in the recording studio. He’s Bob Dylan, for goodness sake, the voice of a generation whether he wants to be or not.

The vast majority of the sold-out crowd at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto last night assuredly went home happy because they got to see and hear Bob Dylan in person. But the hearing bit was by far the best part.

In 2006, perhaps you go to a Dylan concert mainly to be able to say that you saw him. His live show — evaluated strictly as a show — is achingly plain.

Still, only Paul McCartney can match Dylan these days for the sense of history that is in evidence when he walks on stage. And from the first few phrases of opener Maggie’s Farm last night, Dylan’s raspy voice was notably rich and deep, combining with his stellar and tastefully reserved band to fill the vast venue with surprising depth.

Dressed in black cowboy attire, Dylan didn’t move much or speak until he introduced his band prior to the final song, All Along The Watchtower. And if you were sitting on the south side of the arena, you rarely saw Dylan’s face because he spent all night standing at a keyboard facing north.

Simplistic charm aside, it would have been nice had a big video screen been set up. It’s common practice at major rock shows in the 21st century, and as Dylan should know as well as anyone, the times do change.

But as Dylan played chestnuts like She Belongs To Me and Tangled Up In Blue, as well as songs from his new CD Modern Times, you could close your eyes and still feel as if you were getting your money’s worth. That’s rare.

And at the end of it all, there even was a visual memory to take home, too.

After the lights went down and the applause was just dying down, the lights came back on and Dylan was standing there, swaying slightly, as his band stood stoically behind him. No waving, no mugging, just taking in the ovation.

Pretty cool stuff. Distant but dignified, you might say.

There aren’t many performers famous enough to attract Foo Fighters as an opening act, but Dylan is one of them.

Foo frontman Dave Grohl engineered a truncated version of the acoustic concert his band played at the Hummingbird Centre mere months ago.

Grohl last night got a standing ovation for his solo run at Best Of You, but he admitted he initially had left the song off the ACC setlist.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to scream at people for four minutes, it might freak them out,†Grohl said. “But then a friend of mine said, ‘Dude, they’re Dylan fans, come on.’ â€

[StoneMtn]

“I didn’t know if I wanted to scream at people for four minutes, it might freak them out,†Grohl said. “But then a friend of mine said, ‘Dude, they’re Dylan fans, come on.’ â€

Pffft. I didn't need to be a Dylan fan to be able to handle four straight minutes of screaming. I got that every morning of my childhood living with my Mom. I'd like to see Grohl deal with that!

(I think I really dig Dave Grohl after last night.)

[phishtaper]

love him or hate him, one thing I dont think we can argue about is that Dylan is not afraid to put great openers out on the stage. he told me that last night, when we had dinner together.

[M.O.B.E]

Im just glad to see Dylan is playing Masters of War. This tune is important. Not many artists left that play to whats surrounding them in the world everyday. The times they are a changin'

[paisley]

I actually loved the first time I saw him at Kingswood in the early/mid-80s when he kept tuning his guitar so it was out of tune with the band, and stormed off the stage after a little over an hour after bashing out his 3rd "Like a Rolling Stone" in an hour

"WOULDN'T YA LIKE TA KNOW!... WHAT IT'D LIKE TO BE ON YOUR OWN!... LIKE A COMPLETE UNKNOWN!..."

haha, I think you may have been smoking some strange shit that night bro

At Kingswood in 89 (only show there in the 80's) he didn't play LRS, I have the AUD recordings if you ever want copies.

well... something was pretty damn funny (I think)

it was the '89 show, was suprised how much I liked Steve Earle live

[Large Marge]

Wow, what a show. That was the Dylan that I had been expecting to see/hear all along but had been fortunately blessed with much more stellar performances up until now.

It was so bad that it was good, if that makes any sense. I kept apologizing to Mr. Slippery, as this was his first Dylan show, but really, I was secretly happy to finally hear the intelligable "Rah-NA-da-DA-da-Ra-da-DA" that defined the pre-millenium Dylan whom I thought I knew.

Sneaking down to the front for the latter half of the show was definitely a good call... the staging was fucking brutal with the band all squashed up at teh back of 30 feet of nothing. No big screen, no idea what was actually happening up there, especially from the upper levels. Dylan was set up all sideways like so that he had his back to half of the audience (including me) the whole friggin time!

As much as I loved this show, it frustrated me to no end that the nuances were lost in such a detached setting... the floor looked like a friggin military assembly!

[Kanada Kev]

Dylan's been playing on a sparse stage for some time now. I really think his show is more suited for the theatre style settings. Shit, a 3 night run at the Hummingbird would have been better.

I was in the "army" on the floor, however I was standing for the dylan set riding the rail over on Bob's side. We had a speaker right in front of us that was pumping out Dylan's vocal. Maybe we were the only ones who could hear his voice clearly, but it sounded pretty cool from there.

I was really surprised at how full the venue was actually.

[phishtaper]

I really think his show is more suited for the theatre style settings.

or, maybe the Phoenix? now, THAT was a Dylan show!

[Large Marge]

or, maybe the Phoenix? now, THAT was a Dylan show!

Who-ah! Why do you think I'm so spoiled? That Phoenix show was the night I was deputized Marshal Marge of the Bob Dylan fan club

[livingstoned]

why did you dry hump his leg or something?

[StoneMtn]

I think you mis-heard the story about who dry-humped Bob that day, livingstoned. That was me.

[Booche]

I'ld dry-hump Dave Grohl.