Bob Dylan and His Band

November 5, 2000

Hill Auditorium

Ann Arbor, MI

I was lucky enough to see Bob Dylan and his band play in Ann Arbor on Sunday evening at the historic Hill Auditorium. I met some friends down at Ashley’s on State Street before the show for some beers and a bite to eat. It was a random coincidence that two students from the Fall ’99 European Cultural History Tour that I directed happened to be going to the show too, so we all decided to meet beforehand. Doug had driven up from Kalamazoo for the show and had organized our little get together, while Carrie lives in the area. Jill another student from that tour also joined us, but didn’t go to the concert. We spent a happy few hours reminiscing about our travels together while hoisting pints.

Before long it was time to head to the show. Hill Auditorium is about a block from Ashley’s so we strolled down the street through the cool autumn evening. Inside I picked up a poster to add to my collection and then found my seat, which was just left of center, 13 rows back. The view was really good and the inside of Hill Auditorium is very pleasant.

The crowd was obviously anxious for Bob to come on stage and just a little past 7:30 he finally did. The band started right in to an acoustic reading of "Duncan and Brady" which I assume is a traditional tune. This was my first time hearing it, but I really liked it. I am going to make a point of looking this one up and seeing who originally did it.

Bob was dressed in his customary black suit with a white pinstripe down the pant legs. He also had on some stylish black and white cowboy boots, which completed the outfit.

Barely missing a beat the band started into a nice version of "To Ramona" which was rearranged with a sort of Spanish/Southwest feel. Larry Campbell picked some nice mandolin on this one.

The sound in the hall was just about perfect. My only complaint would be that Tony Garnier’s bass was a little low in the mix. Bob voice sounded clear and strong and improved even more as the night went on.

Next was an upbeat arrangement of "Desolation Row" which was just exactly perfect in my book. Dylan was obviously into the words and the crowd applauded after every verse. This is simply one of the best songs ever written in my opinion and I consider myself lucky to see the author perform it in a relatively intimate setting. Dylan really got into the "electric violin verse" and during the whole song he was making all sorts of his trademark funny faces and eyebrow movements.

Still on acoustics, the band played a soft version of "Mama, You’ve Been on my Mind" which most of the crowd didn’t seem to recognize, but it was well received nonetheless. During the instrumental break we got our first and last dose of Bob’s harmonica playing. He let his guitar fall to his side and played a pretty cool solo with his left had before finishing up the tune.

Larry Campbell began strumming the intro to "Tangled Up in Blue" and the crowd went wild. Even though I have seen Bob play this at almost every one of his concerts that I have been to, this was a particularly strong version. People criticize Bob saying he can’t sing. I will agree he does not have a traditional singing voice, but I disagree that he can’t sing. This version of "Tangled Up in Blue" is a perfect of example of his ability to phrase and rephrase a particular song beautifully. It is subtle what he does with the rhythm and cadence of a songs lyric, but he is as good at it as anybody. He knows how to draw meaning out of phrases again and again, even on songs he has played hundreds and hundreds of times.

Next was a bluegrass cover called "Searching for a Soldier’s Grave" which featured great harmonies by Larry Campbell and second guitarist, Charlie Sexton. I had never heard this one before either and it sounded good. It was a little short and wished that they had stretched it out a little bit.

Now the band switched to electric and launched into a tight version of "Country Pie" off the Nashville Skyline album. Dylan performed this live for the first time earlier this year and I was eagerly awaiting the possibility of seeing him perform it. It didn’t disappoint either. Bob was obviously having a great time singing, as he was very animated in his phrasing and his movements. Larry and Charlie also seem to enjoy playing this one with it perky lead guitar lines. Definitely a highlight for me.

Bob brought things down for a beautiful reading of ‘"Standing in the Doorway" off of Time out of Mind. This is a quiet song and Dylan played some really nice, understated leads and sang great. Again, I was impressed at how well Dylan’s latest writing stands up to anything he has done in his career.

The band switched personas again and this time they morphed into an electric blues band for a furious version of "Tombstone Blues" with another great lead vocal from Bob. Larry seemed to summon up the ghost of Michael Bloomfield with his bluesy leads and again Bob seemed really into the lyrics.

Next up was a countrified version of "Simple Twist of Fate" from Blood on the Tracks. Larry played some nice pedal steel that set the mood for the song. The crowd seemed to react real strongly to this one. This a great example of Bob telling a story with one of his songs, but you never know quite what is happening.

A dramatic recasting of "Cold Irons Bound" came next with a huge riff played by Charlie and Larry that coincided with the light show. The crowd loved this one too and I thought the reworking was very powerful.

Bob introduced the band next and he described them as "some of the best musicians in the country" and I couldn’t agree more. This is one of the strongest bands Bob has ever had. I would never say that they are better than the Band because they are truly legends, but this band is approaching that level of telepathic playing with Bob. I am amazed at how versatile they are. They play electric and acoustic; they play blues, country, bluegrass and even jazz. Larry Campbell plays guitar, mandolin, pedal steel and sometimes fiddle all with great taste. Charlie Sexton holds down the rhythm and occasionally the lead on second guitar. Tony Garnier on bass has been with Bob the longest and is a masterful player whose playing is solid yet innovative. David Kemper is one of the finest drummers I have seen and again can seemingly play in any style.

After introducing the band, Bob said something like, "I want to bring out somebody who used to be in this band a few years ago, I think you know him well, Mr. G.E. Smith." The crowd did recognize him, probably from "Saturday Night Live" and not his time in Bob’s band though. G.E. sat in for a blistering version of "Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat" and G.E. took a really nice bluesy slide solo. He looked really excited to be playing with Bob again and Bob was laughing and smiling during the song as he looked over at G.E. They finished up and the whole band came out to the front of the stage and soaked up the applause before leaving, Bob being the last to leave.

After a few minutes they came back out for a cool version Bob’s latest song, "Things Have Changed". This is a cool song and it worked well in the live setting. I think this is the exact band the cut the record of this, so its arrangement and sound were similar to the recording.

Bob satisfied many in the audience by playing a strong version of "Like a Rolling Stone". I am impressed at how well he plays it and how much meaning it has even after being played so many times. This was an extremely good reading with excellent guitar work by Larry Campbell and Bob. The crowd was of course into it and Bob seemed to enjoy himself too, even adding a little "Rain, Rain Go Away" guitar line to the ending of the song.

Next up was an incredible version of Dylan’s little known tune, "If Dogs Run Free". This is a jazzy little song from New Morning and Bob just recently played it live for the first time. The band played some cool jazz backing while Dylan who played acoustic on this one sang. His singing was very expressive and full of humor on this song and it was a real treat to see the whole band in this musical setting. Again, Bob seemed to be really enjoying himself during this one. If you had told me a year ago that Bob would resurrect both "Country Pie" and "If Dogs Run Free" I would have bet against it. He has so many great songs in his catalog and luckily he regularly digs into it and finds gems like this.

G.E. Smith rejoined the band for an extremely loud version of "All Along the Watchtower’ that was well played and sung. This one also has to go into the category of greatest songs ever. Even though it only contains three simple verses and no chorus it is still incredibly powerful. Every word counts in this song and the riff is one of the most memorable in rock history, up there with "Smokestack Lightning", "Satisfaction" and "Sweet Jane".

As the band switched to acoustic and started playing the chords to "I Shall Be Released" I was excited because I had never seen Bob do this one before. It was a cool version that actually sounded a lot like "Brownsville Girl" to me because of the way Bob phrased it and the way Larry and Charlie did the back up vocals.

Highway 61 was next and the addition of G.E. Smith added some punch to this song which is always a crowd favorite, but that can also be performed on automatic pilot some nights. G.E. played slide and Larry played pedal steel and even with 4 guitars up there nobody stepped on anybody’s toes.

Finally, the band switched back to acoustic again and started to play "Blowin’ in the Wind". G.E. Smith stayed out and quietly strummed along on his electric. I like this group version of "Blowin’ in the Wind" and Bob really nailed the words. It all seemed especially poignant just two days before the election. They finished up and again came out to the front of the stage to thunderous applause before leaving for good. The lights came up and the crowd filed out into the night.

Every time I see Dylan I think," That was the best I have seen him yet" and last night was no exception. I think his band just gets better and better and Bob is really enjoying himself on stage. It was nice to see him a small venue again too. His funny faces and Chuck Berry dancing are best appreciated up close. I counted up before the show and this was my twelfth time seeing Dylan over almost exactly 10 years and I never get sick of his shows. Hopefully I will get the chance to see him again sometime soon.