I agree that Dylan's stage work in the 90's is some of his all-time best. Great bands behind him: J.J. Jackson, Bucky Baxter, Larry Campbell, Charlie Sexton. TOOM signaled a change in his live show where it became and remains a set list containing a lot of 'new' songs from his current album. That was the way things were done in the hey-day of 70's rock, but aging audiences always want their aging (now aged stars) to 'just play the hits'. But Dylan always re-worked his songs so it was difficult to tell sometimes if he was playing Tangled Up In Blue or My Blue Heaven. Personally, I like that re-invention and I don't like the piano era Bob with his jump blues song setlists as much. Lastly, insofar as crass newspaper headlines re: rock star suffering/death goes, hard to beat the British paper that headlined the news of Kink Ray Davies being shot (he recovered, of course) in New Orleans with: He Really Shot Me!
Rereading this long after it was posted, but oh well. Anyway, yeah, those late-'90s/early-'00s Dylan bands were so good. I saw my first Dylan show the spring after TOOM came out. I was 16 and not even remotely in love with the album, but that show — in the beautiful old Fox Theatre in St. Louis — made it all click. In addition to several from the new album, he played "Blind Willie McTell," "Man in the Long Black Coat," "Born in Time"... all of which seemed to share some of the vibe of the new songs. And he opened with "Absolutely Sweet Marie"! The setlists were so much less predictable back then.
This was right after I was hired by Dylan’s Manager, Jeff Kramer, to set up a Mail Order Tickets Website connected to Bob Dylan.com.
What a nightmare…
How strange was Dylan?
He had a gig in San Jose for a private party for Silicon Valley company AMD at The HP arena, which held 17,000 people. The opening act was The Wallflowers with his son, Jakob. Backstage was divided in half. Jakob was NOT allowed in Dylan’s half, and Bob Dylan NEVER visited Jakob!
When I first met Bob was during a Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at RFK Stadium in July of 1986.
Before we got to the concerts we were informed that we were not to enter Dylan’s half of backstage. We were notified of these rules;
Do not make any contact with Dylan
If you see him backstage do not make eye contact, and turn and face the wall.
This was serious business!
The first day Dylan was surrounded by four big security guards and his manager, Elliot Roberts, but all of us GD employees ignored the rules and waved and said hello, and he waved back.
The next day Dylan was walking around by himself or with Roberts…
Love this. And vividly remember reading it upon its publishing. (As I was making my way through Invisible Republic.) That summer we saw a few of the post-scare shed shows Bob was doing, with the inspired opening acts of BR5-49 and Ani DiFranco. That remains my favorite NET touring band. 'Time Out of Mind' was imminent. (So was Newsweek's 'Dylan Lives' cover story.) Your description of that listening session was fire. I drove safer, ate better, stayed cooped up late at night—minimizing the risk that I wouldn't live long enough to hear the "Highlands" you described.
This elegant prose you wrote describes my feelings while reading this piece: “the long shout that kicked off his first number was like a flag unfurling.” Like a flag unfurling. I’ll never forget it. I hope!
I received two assignments then to write an obit/"appreciation" of Dylan, just in case. One was for MSNBC.com aka MSNBC on the Internet, for which I had been writing a parenting/family life column ("Raising Daddy"). The other was from New West, at which a NY humorist who was one of the editors, had seen a snarky concert review I had written which, wrongly, predicted the end times for Bob. Fortunately, neither ever ran, but I did get paid.
You da man, Greil!
I agree that Dylan's stage work in the 90's is some of his all-time best. Great bands behind him: J.J. Jackson, Bucky Baxter, Larry Campbell, Charlie Sexton. TOOM signaled a change in his live show where it became and remains a set list containing a lot of 'new' songs from his current album. That was the way things were done in the hey-day of 70's rock, but aging audiences always want their aging (now aged stars) to 'just play the hits'. But Dylan always re-worked his songs so it was difficult to tell sometimes if he was playing Tangled Up In Blue or My Blue Heaven. Personally, I like that re-invention and I don't like the piano era Bob with his jump blues song setlists as much. Lastly, insofar as crass newspaper headlines re: rock star suffering/death goes, hard to beat the British paper that headlined the news of Kink Ray Davies being shot (he recovered, of course) in New Orleans with: He Really Shot Me!
Rereading this long after it was posted, but oh well. Anyway, yeah, those late-'90s/early-'00s Dylan bands were so good. I saw my first Dylan show the spring after TOOM came out. I was 16 and not even remotely in love with the album, but that show — in the beautiful old Fox Theatre in St. Louis — made it all click. In addition to several from the new album, he played "Blind Willie McTell," "Man in the Long Black Coat," "Born in Time"... all of which seemed to share some of the vibe of the new songs. And he opened with "Absolutely Sweet Marie"! The setlists were so much less predictable back then.
This is a great piece. The date on it is making me realize that Time Out of Mind is turning 27 this year. What the hell?
This was right after I was hired by Dylan’s Manager, Jeff Kramer, to set up a Mail Order Tickets Website connected to Bob Dylan.com.
What a nightmare…
How strange was Dylan?
He had a gig in San Jose for a private party for Silicon Valley company AMD at The HP arena, which held 17,000 people. The opening act was The Wallflowers with his son, Jakob. Backstage was divided in half. Jakob was NOT allowed in Dylan’s half, and Bob Dylan NEVER visited Jakob!
When I first met Bob was during a Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at RFK Stadium in July of 1986.
Before we got to the concerts we were informed that we were not to enter Dylan’s half of backstage. We were notified of these rules;
Do not make any contact with Dylan
If you see him backstage do not make eye contact, and turn and face the wall.
This was serious business!
The first day Dylan was surrounded by four big security guards and his manager, Elliot Roberts, but all of us GD employees ignored the rules and waved and said hello, and he waved back.
The next day Dylan was walking around by himself or with Roberts…
This is why I read you.
Love this. And vividly remember reading it upon its publishing. (As I was making my way through Invisible Republic.) That summer we saw a few of the post-scare shed shows Bob was doing, with the inspired opening acts of BR5-49 and Ani DiFranco. That remains my favorite NET touring band. 'Time Out of Mind' was imminent. (So was Newsweek's 'Dylan Lives' cover story.) Your description of that listening session was fire. I drove safer, ate better, stayed cooped up late at night—minimizing the risk that I wouldn't live long enough to hear the "Highlands" you described.
This elegant prose you wrote describes my feelings while reading this piece: “the long shout that kicked off his first number was like a flag unfurling.” Like a flag unfurling. I’ll never forget it. I hope!
I received two assignments then to write an obit/"appreciation" of Dylan, just in case. One was for MSNBC.com aka MSNBC on the Internet, for which I had been writing a parenting/family life column ("Raising Daddy"). The other was from New West, at which a NY humorist who was one of the editors, had seen a snarky concert review I had written which, wrongly, predicted the end times for Bob. Fortunately, neither ever ran, but I did get paid.