Live review: Bob Dylan at the Hollywood Palladium
He ignores songs from his new album -- that's nothing new. Neither is his attempt to define himself through his changing set list.
Bob Dylan opened his three-night stand Tuesday at the Hollywood Palladium,
essentially in the backyard of his Malibu residence, on the same day his latest
studio album was released. How many songs did he play from the new collection
for the hometown crowd? Zip. Nada. Zilch.
That's not a huge surprise
given that the album happens to be “Christmas
in the Heart,” his first holiday collection. Mid-October feels a little
early to be dipping into the seasonal songbook -- even assuming Dylan would ever
offer up "Must Be Santa," "Here Comes Santa Claus" or other chestnuts from the
Christmas set in his live act.
The fact is, he's bypassed other new
albums in concert before. Two decades ago he came through town just after "Oh
Mercy" was released, but you never would have known it from his concert set
list. The salient point being that the word "promotion" seems to be the one
entry in the English language missing from his otherwise unabridged
dictionary.
Instead, Dylan seems to treat the song selection at each
night's performance as something of cabalistic ritual, a mystical exercise in
which something transcendent might emerge from the proper sequence and
combination of thoughts, sounds, notes and rhythms on a given evening.
On
a new tour swing that opened last week in Seattle, several cornerstone numbers
have appeared nearly every night. From the early years, he's relying regularly
on "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)," "Highway 61 Revisited,"
"Ballad of a Thin Man," "Like a Rolling Stone" and "All Along the Watchtower."
Then there are linchpin songs from his most recent studio releases, including
"Cold Irons Bound," "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'," "My Wife's Home Town," "High
Water (for Charley Patton)," "Thunder on the Mountain" and
"Jolene."
Together, those songs constitute about two-thirds of the show,
the other third consisting of wild cards that shift dramatically from night to
night.
It might well be Dylan's way of emphasizing who he is right now
-- the face the artist always had been most interested in sharing -- while
offering enough of a reminder of who he used to be to keep hits-conscious fans
from staging an uprising.
On Tuesday, following a spirited 40-minute set
by an impossibly ageless-looking and sounding Johnny Rivers, Dylan also weaved
in "Shooting Star" from "Oh Mercy" and "Nettie Moore" from 2006's "Modern
Times," songs separated by nearly two decades that look differently on romances
of yore.
"Shooting Star" savors the sweetness of what once was, while
"Nettie Moore" becomes immersed in the loss: "I loved you then and ever
shall/But there's no one here that's left to tell/The world has gone black
before my eyes."
His sly sense of humor came through in subtle ways. "My
Wife's Home Town," from "Together Through Life" is savagely funny on its own --
the hometown in question is Hell -- but segueing directly from that wicked
sentiment into "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" added extra
sting to that bluesy lament from the mid-'60s.
Many of the "Together
Through Life" songs are rooted in the blues, a form his five-piece band excels
at. Guitarist Charlie Sexton, who had been in Dylan's touring band nearly a
decade ago, has returned to the fold and reeled out some fat rhythm support and
a couple of nicely stinging solos. Drummer George Recile supplied much of the
instrumental magic on several numbers with consistently surprising rhythmic
accents that kept the musical train jumping.
And even though the momentum
built inexorably toward the powerful finale combination that included "Ballad of
a Thin Man," "Like a Rolling Stone" and "All Along the Watchtower," Dylan again
defied any attempts for singalongs with his off-kilter phrasing of his signature
tunes.
He piled the words in the verses of "Rolling Stone" into the
front half of each measure, then allowed for a pregnant pause before dropping
the last few words in behind the beat at the end of the musical phrase. It's as
if he was going through that old enunciation exercise where you repeat a
sentence multiple times, putting the accent on a different word with each
repetition to see how it changes the emphasis in meaning.
Meanwhile, from
his station at the keyboard, he pounded out descending notes during "Watchtower"
that created the impression of soldiers marching down a castle staircase on the
way to carrying out their duties. The band filled out the arrangement with a
suitably thick, thunderous accompaniment.
Who needs Christmas carols
anyway?
randy.lewis@latimes.com
Read it 3 times and sure enough - no mention of the opening song "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking". Why? Not significant? (Bob's opened 3 other sets with it). Maybe because...it's got "Jesus" in it? I'm just wondering.
Posted by: Richard Bacon | October 14, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Exactly my thoughts, Richard !
Posted by: Anth | October 15, 2009 at 01:24 AM
Great show. Great review, Richard. Not sure the new 'album' will be great, but I'm not sure we need to think twice...we got 46 others to choose from. http://bit.ly/QtsFw
Posted by: Tom Grasty | October 15, 2009 at 08:28 AM
Not going to do a blow by blow of the concert - it was a great show and Charlie is awesome (as always) and glad to see him back. Back when Charlie and Larry Campbell were the string slingers Dylan had his best band since Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield.
One of the best Dylan shows I have seen and waaay better than the show in Lake Elsinore a month or so ago which I also really liked but lots more energy like everyone is saying. Welcome back Charlie - now "STAY"!!!
Posted by: RJ Money | October 15, 2009 at 11:02 AM
Enjoyed your article about the Dylan concert. He’s an incredible entertainer. I am a fan of both Bob Dylan and Johnny Rivers; and enjoyed your brief mention of Rivers’ pre-show 40-minute set. It seems to me, however, that local papers print a lot more about Dylan than Rivers. JR is still touring and his fans would like to see him featured in the Pop & Hiss section of the LA Times a little more often. Have I missed some articles about him, or am I right that he is rarely mentioned? He is one of the most talented singers of a generation with a unique style and we admire him for his contributions over the years. He is sort of a fixture in the LA scene isn't he... initiating the fame and success of the Whiskey back in 1964, influencing the LA music industry, and "happenings" around LA all these years? Just a thought. Good article man.
Posted by: Evonne Reynolds | October 15, 2009 at 02:41 PM
dylan at hollywood polladium
Posted by: Lindsey Leigh | October 15, 2009 at 07:33 PM
I'm looking forward to seeing Bob in Chicago in October. I've been having trouble finding out how long the show actually lasts, and who, if anybody would be opening for him. I'm also wanting to hit Second City at 11pm afterward, and don't know if it's feasible, timewise.
Posted by: Tim Conama | October 16, 2009 at 06:04 AM
Tim,
The show in L.A. started at 7:30 p.m. with Johnny Rivers, who played right around 40 minutes. Bob and his band came on at 8:35 and played until 10:30. I hope that helps. He had a different opening act on each of the three shows in L.A.--John Doe the second night, George Thorogood on the third--and they were listed on Ticketmaster shortly before the shows. I don't see opening acts for the Chicago shows listed there yet, but check back and you'll probably find them soon. Hope that helps.
Posted by: Randy Lewis | October 17, 2009 at 08:59 AM
I saw Dylan in Vegas last night, at the Hard Rock Hotel..he was great, pretty much the same show ...I was the only black person there, other than security..
Posted by: Gary Robinson | October 19, 2009 at 09:15 PM
When we saw him at Pechanga aways back, he just sat behind the organ looking grumpy. Still an honor to just be there.
My good friend just saw him perform with this band at the Arizona State Fair and said it was the best he'd ever seen. And this from a Dylan addict! Plus he & two others only paid $10 - total!
I love "Shooting Star" - a gem from an under appreciated album, imo. Would have LOVED to have seen this.....
Posted by: Jennifer | October 20, 2009 at 12:42 AM
Jennifer,
I happen to share your opiniion of "Oh, Mercy," the 1988 album that contains "Shooting Star." I think it ranks right alongside "Highway 61 Revisited," "Blonde on Blonde" and "Blood on the Tracks" as one of the best of his career. Every song, IMHO, is a gem of songwriting craft and inspiration.
I have a feeling Dylan was particularly happy with his one as well, and that's why he used it so prominently in "Chronicles, Vol. 1" to shed some light on his creative process while making an album.
Randy Lewis
Posted by: Randy Lewis | October 25, 2009 at 01:15 PM