Show Review

Recently, a pair of legends rolled into a city that has seen some pretty hard times, and is trying to redo its image. The most beautiful day so far of 2005, with an 80-degree evening, lent itself to some adventure, so after a short train ride from the Big Apple I entered Newark, NJ and headed for the magnificent NJPAC.

The venue was built for symphonies, operas, ballet performances and the like, so there was little doubt that seeing Bob Dylan and his Band tailing his opening act Merle Haggard and the Strangers would be quite enjoyable.

Merle is country folk, and a country singer. That’s what he does best: sing. He has a strong voice - the perfect compliment to the venue, very smooth and elegant - and the Strangers are a nine-piece band, but feel like five too many. The songs were simple, carried by Merle’s voice, but they leave little room for a trumpet, a pedal steel guitar or even a back up singer. On the whole his set was smooth and refreshing, but only an appetizer. I was in Newark for the Main Course.

Dylan, the boys and a girl came on stage and steam rolled directly into “Tombstone Blues.” He’s playing piano and harmonica nowadays and for this leg of the Never Ending Tour he has employed: two guitarists (Danny Freeman and Stuart Kimball), a slide guitar player (Donnie Herron) and a female fiddler (Elana Fremerman), drum (George Receli) and bass (Tony Garnier). The bassist and drummer have been with Dylan the longest and really lead the band while Bob points/nods/shuffles towards the strings when he wants them to come in and work their magic. The beauty of seeing him from leg to leg on this tour is the addition of new players, which equals new arraignments and new sounds for songs as old as 40 years. These new changes in personal can sometimes contribute to some rough moments, but the uniqueness of each performance lends charm to the self-proclaimed “Song and Dance Man’s” repertoire.

As for this night, the band didn’t truly come into there own until the 5th song, “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.” Up until “Tweedle” they played like they were in a field – an outdoor summer venue at a Midwestern State Fair – not utilizing the acoustic majesty NJPAC possesses, as the venue acoustics are on par with Radio City, and Carnegie Hall. As the band began “Tweedle,” they clearly took note of their surroundings and scaled down the wall of sound, creaking into this Love and Theft opener. A song that typically works in the set as an out and out rocker, with Dylan growling about duality, this time featured Elana on fiddle, adding a haunting new voice. The rest of the band stepped back and let her control the tempo. The quieter the band was the better it sounded in the NJPAC, a reoccurring theme throughout the evening. From here on out the playing, singing, and performance noticeably improved.

The band continued its scaled-down hum on “John Brown,” Dylan letting his raspy snarl ease back down his throat, toning down his cackle to almost a spoken sternness, making “John Brown” the highlight of the night. With the band playing mostly acoustic and the stage bathed in purple, Dylan told the haunting tale of Mother/Son and Pride/Pain, and cost of failing to challenge conventions.

His softer (if one dares call it that) voice lead through “Under a Red Sky” and sped up and roared like a Harley on Highway 61, with some of the most unique tempo changes Dylan and any of his backing bands have played. Some fans seemed perplexed as the band apparently fumbled about, but this is just the post 1995 Dylan that has come to be expected. Since 1995 the unexpected is the norm, no song or sound has become sacred. Jagged jazz notes infiltrate anthems, complete tempos are decimated mid-song and reconstructed. Dylan is admittedly trying to keep fans on their toes, discover a new audience and let them discover him. This ain’t no greatest hits show, and it doesn’t always work, but when it does, beware – Dylan births a new language.

“Bye and Bye” featured a wonderful dueling fiddle interlude, while “Absolutely Sweet Marie” had a swinging, country arrangement. In today's political climate when “Masters of War” starts, people immediately latch on, but by this point the band seemed to be going through the motions. Bob however sung with power and added the chorus back on to the end of the song, rather then ending with the stark image of ‘standing over your grave, making sure that your dead.’ It almost softened one of the hardest songs ever written. Almost.

After a bow and a quick stage exit, the troops came back and someone shouted for Bob to play guitar. He took the rare opportunity to talk to the crowd, pointing to his stand-alone piano and stated in his best Bob Dylan voice, "If you can find someone to play this thing, I will play the guitar." With a quick snicker “Shooting Star” eased in to the air, and the passages about writing this song while sequestered in New Orleans from Chronicles Vol. 1 entered my mind.

I saw a Shooting Star tonight...and I thought of me.

When he finished, he quipped, "You might not have known all the songs tonight, but you will know this one." The rollicking “Watchtower,” banged through the air. In other rooms the raw electric blues of Dylan's recent, power-driven Never Ending Tour roars, but tonight, in a concert hall cut for operas, Dylan &Entourage let their softer sound ring true.

I saw a Shooting Star tonight...and I thought of you.

Newark Set List 4-19-05

Tombstone Blues

I'll Remember You

Lonesome Day Blues

This Wheel's on Fire

Tweedle Dee &Tweedle Dum

Watching the River Flow

John Brown

Under the Red Sky

Highway 61 Revisited

Bye And Bye

Absolutely Sweet Marie

Masters of War

Shooting Star

All Along the Watchtower