Philzone.org Discussion Board: Archive 2004: Non-PF/Dead Show Reviews Archive 2004: Bob Dylan 11/4/04 OSU Campus

Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State University
Schottenstein Center
November 4, 2004

Drifter's Escape, Dignity Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,Mr. Tambourine Man Hight Water,Po' Boy, Cold Irons Bound,Tryin' To Get To Heaven, Highway 61 Revisited,Blind Willie McTell,Floater (Too Much To Ask),Honest With Me,Every Grain Of Sand
Summer Days
encore
Like A Rolling Stone
All Along The Watchtower


Review:

Over the course of seeing Dylan over the years I've noticed the changes that take place from tour to tour. Sometimes it's a stylistic change and other times it's a change in band lineup. This particular time it was both.

I was gravely dissapointed to see that Dave Kemper was not behind the kit anymore. This was almost as dissapointing as when Bucky Baxter left the band years ago. But regardless I opened my ears and prepared for whatever Mr. Zimmerman had in mind for us this tour.

Drifters Escape as an opener was quite the shocker. Over the course of many many Dylan shows, I have not seen this particular tune live. The tune tells the tale of a vagrant pulled into a courtroom to be judged for a crime. It had an ominous spooky feel with slow moping spidery leads from Larry Campbell. Bob's vocals were way out front in the mix.

Dignity is one of my favorite Dylan tunes. It was played to perfection tonite with an almost tribal drumming feel. They build up the tune masterfully with a fantastic backbeat from the drummer.

This time around Dylan wants us to know that he has a ton of new material. The entire show focused mainly on songs from the last two albums. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum is definitely one of the most audience friendly cuts off the most previous album. It was played pretty much the way the album presented it. And frankly I was bored with it midway through.

Tambourine Man was done in the midtempo style prevalent mostly in alot of the 99 shows that I saw. On this one I finally got to hear Dylans keyboard playing for pretty much the first time. It had been kept way back in the mix for most of the evening. He was comfortable with the tune and his leads albeit choppy and quick fit the tempo and left fairly impressed. He's not a virtuoso obviously...but he's competent on tunes that he's comfortable with.

NOW WE GET TO MY PICK OF THE SHOW. HIGHWATER was the best damn tune of the night. It's a rollicking blues jam that tells the story of a various characters in a small town described by once again a drifter that rolls thru town and stays longer then he should have. Apparently it's a new tune written for somebody named Charlie Patton, whom unfortunately I am unaware of. I will say the tune is lyrically perfect for the older Dylan vocal style:

"High water risin', six inches 'bove my head
Coffins droppin' in the street
Like balloons made out of lead
Water pourin' into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm going to do
"Don't reach out for me," she said
"Can't you see I'm drownin' too?"
It's rough out there
High water everywhere"

Po Boy was a shift in dynamics for the entire show. The curtain dropped behind Dylan to show a fairly slick looking white back drop. The standup bass was brought out and a fiddle. And it's safe to say that at this point ole Art was in heaven. What followed was a earthy down home rendition of Po Boy complete with out front understandable lyrics from Dylan. Feels like a song written for a depression era feel. And nowadays that's fairly apropo I'm sure.

Cold irons bound followed blasting the place back into bluesy back alley bar jams. And the backdrop had various tye dye and paisley patters projected on it throught the rest of the night. I'ts not like our Candace was there....but for a Dylan show this was more then I've ever seen and a nice touch. The tune packs a heavy punch. I've heard it evolve heavily over the years since Time Out Of Mind has come out...and I will say that at this point and time it's the heaviest rock crunch I've heard.

Trying to Get to Heaven....AHHH, another of my favorites. This is yet again another tune off the acclaimed Time Out of Mind album. It was played impeccably. Delicate, loping rhythm. Nice leads from Campbell, and a bass line that was the most prounounced of the entire evening. Dylans vocals shone like the sun on this one. People slam on his vocals...have for years. But I tell you this, on songs like Trying To Get to Heaven.....I don't want to hear anybody else sing it. That gravelly old man sound works with this one for certain.

Highway 61 was next. If you have seen Dylan alot, you've seen this alot. It was played perfectly. I'm just really tired of the tune. The people around me ate this up. I'm glad they enjoyed it. The best thing about this tune is it was the first time all night that both guitar players came out swinging and actuall solo'd off each other.

BLIND WILLIE MCTELL is phenomenal. Worth the ticket price right there. The song had a driving rhythm and the lyrics are poignant and accusing:

"Seen the arrow on the doorpost
Saying, "This land is condemned
All the way from New Orleans
To Jerusalem."
I traveled through East Texas
Where many martyrs fell
And I know no one can sing the blues
Like Blind Willie McTell"

You just can't go wrong with shit like that folks. It was right up there with High Water as far as tunes of the night go.

Floater, another newer tune followed. It was a throwback once again to the mellow Po Boy from earlier. Back with the white backdrop and the standup bass. I enjoyed the tune...but most of the crowd left for the concession area at this point.

Honest with Me...yet another tune off Love and Theft. It's the runt of the litter on the album if you ask me...however to the be the runt of any Bob Dylan album, pretty much means it's still a damn good tune. It was played standard, just like the album.

Every Grain of Sand....wow. A tune I had never paid much attention to over the years. I was very impressed with the tune live. It had a great church type feel. Dylan sang it more passionately then I'd heard him do in quite some time. And he looked out at the crowd more then normal...almost like he wanted to make sure we were all paying attention. The songs off of the "Shot Of Love" album..which I'll be honest I've not really spent much time with. I dug it out this morning and plan on listening to the entire album.

Ever show for this entire tour ended the same as this one. It's my pet peeve with Dylan.

Summertime, Encore: Like a rolling stone, Watchtower.


I am glad he did the one two punch with the popular songs for the encore. This show focused on 7 songs from the last two albums. Most of the crowd was there to see songs like the encore tunes. And after having Bob lambast them with unfamiliar material the entire night....most folks around me were restless. One guy even asked me: "Does he play his old songs anymore? Where the hell is Positively Fourth Street?".

I'll say this for the aging Mr. Zimmerman. The band is classy as hell. They come out dressed in suits...with Dylan in a black suit and cowboy hat. He reminded me of Johnny Cash's rock n roll cousin or something.

Dylan's not resting on his laurels whatsoever. The guys in his sixties and kicking out newer material every few years AND performing it live for most of his show. He could just as easily play "Blowing in the Wind" for hordes of people who would gladly pay to see it. Thankfully Dylan still wants to challenge his audience.

Go see this tour. You'll appreciate it.

nice review, thanks