Live Dylan: Sweden 2003
date: 2003-10-15
location: Göteborg, Sweden
boblink: http://boblinks.com/101503s.html
opener: Tombstone Blues
setlist oddities: five songs from Highway 61 Revisited
Bob factor: Bob was in good voice for most of 2003, as I recall. Here, his voice is a little rough, but he makes up for it well. He sings rather than barks, picks out melodies rather than deadpanning, and seems quite into the performance.
performance: This was a smokin’ band, with Larry Campbell and Freddie Koella sharing guitar duties. Tighter-than-usual arrangements keep solo grandstanding to a minimum and focus the songs. They don’t seem to quite have it together on some of the newer songs, like “Things Have Changed” and “Honest With Me.” Elsewhere, though, they stomp and strut beautifully through songs that suit them well. Bob doesn’t spend a lot of time on either guitar or harp, which is always a shame, but he gets a few good licks in on both.
recording: This was towards the beginning of Bob’s run playing keyboard rather than guitar for most of the show (by the next year, he’d be playing keys exclusively for the next couple years, reportedly due to arthritis), and the keyboard is largely invisible. Not uncommon in a lot of keyboard shows, maybe due to a lack of confidence with the instrument. The recording loses a big chunk of higher frequencies that are really only missed on guitar solos. The vocal comes through okay, and the vocal is what makes this show, so it holds together pretty well.
highlights: Other versions of the band have had real trouble with time changes in “Cry A While” but here they strut through it with aplomb. “It’s Alright Ma” is the grinding blues arrangement which I always like. A wistful harmonica solo on “Queen Jane.” When “Watchtower” first started closing the sets a few years before, it was a full-on guitar freakout. By this time it had evolved nicely into slightly Pink Floyd-esque semi-psychedelic arrangement, stretched out and dynamic. Seven minutes chock-full of seething badassitude.
lowlights: “To Romona” is one of my least favorite live staples, and it gets a meandering electric arrangement that I couldn’t listen all the way through. “Mr. Tambourine Man” drags its feet to an agonizing 7 minutes.
decision: Though it’s not pristine quality, this is a keeper. Nice vocals and a good song selection with few duds.
March 11th, 2008 - Posted in Live Dylan | |
