Bob Dylan,
Long Beach Arena
10/21/2006

Bob Dylan is an unpredictable performer; having seen him in concert several times over the years, I try to come into one of his shows ready for whatever it is he has to offer on that evening; I never saw him during his fundamentalist Christian phase, but...you never know. So, Bob-wise, I think I entered the Long Beach Arena in the right frame of mind--new songs, old songs, cover songs, blues songs, I was prepared to hear anything Dylan wanted to play.

Security, on the other hand, now that caught me by surprise. I mean, I saw a heavy metal triple bill here three years ago (Iron Maiden was the headliner, but I was there for Motorhead) and it was nothing like this. Christy and I were patted down four separate times before entering the building, and despite the fact that we came to the event with tickets already in hand, we had to wait in two different lines to obtain wristbands that would allow us, respectively, to stand on the floor and pay $10 for a draught beer (we attempted to do the latter, but the venue made it so hard that we just saved our pennies for the bar after). And just in case this wasn't already overkill, there were the signs posted at the entrances warning that there was to be "NO STAGE DIVING" and "NO MOSHING." Damn. And we were really looking forward to some good-old slam-dancing during "Like A Rolling Stone."

Bemusing as all this was, none of it seemed to matter much once Bob Dylan and His Band started playing. They were in good form right from the beginning. Bob played keyboards throughout the evening, occasionally playing his trademark harmonica, but surprisingly never once picked up a guitar. Arthritis, perhaps? His rhythm section was really tight, as usual. The pedal steel guitarist made some wonderful contributions as did the lead player, though I thought the latter did overdo it on a couple of occasions. Bob's voice seemed to be a bit hoarse, but he was able to finesse that for the most part. Besides, it's not like the guy ever sang like an angel in the first place.

The set was really nice, a mix of some recent material along with some older tunes that ranged from the big hits--"Like A Rolling Stone," "Tangled Up In Blue," "Just Like A Woman"--and some that went a little deeper like "Watching the River Flow" and "Ballad of Hollis Brown." One of the best of these was "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," which was given a luminous full band arrangement and was read with chilling intensity by Dylan. The thought occurred to me that though William Zantzinger may have evaded justice in his lifetime, thanks to Dylan history will forevermore render a harsher verdict on him. Life is short, as they say, and art long. The band played with a bluesy/swing feel, and Muddy Waters' "Rollin' and Tumblin", the lone cover of the evening, fit into the program like a glove--one filled with gravel, perhaps, given Dylan's delivery.

I first saw Bob Dylan twenty years ago, with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Grateful Dead as his backing bands. The musicians playing behind him tonight can't be said to be at that level of musicianship, but the show--Dylan's performances over the last fifteen years generally--was better anyway. Bob has had his ups and downs personally and artistically through the years, and we are fortunate to be enjoying an up period right now.