Thanks Jon! Can't wait for Memphis and my planes/trains/automobiles trip to Austin in a couple of weeks (from which I'll get back just in time to go see you in Milwaukee on the 10th).
Well shit, I wish I’d known that Wurster was in Charlotte. It was a *great* show. Not a great R&RW show…a great Bob show, period. I was 8 rows out. The crowd was the least unprepared of any R&RW crowd I’ve experienced, so there wasn’t much “WTF is this!?” coming from the audience. The sound was superb (unsurprising at the Blumenthal). And Bob was on it from the start. If this is the end of R&RW (I’ll find out right here in CLT with Willie in June), then that was the way to go. CLT ‘24 and Hershey ‘21 were the two best I saw.
Hi Jon! It's always good to be where the Bob is. However, for me, the [Charlie Drayton] artistry of the 2022 R&RW is not being matched now. At Fayettevillle show I felt like I was watching the [slow] beginning of a song, but it lasted all night long. Toe tapping was in short supply. I know, I know, this may be the last time, I don't know.... And of course that lit floor in '22 was truly snazzy and special. Can't say I miss the upright piano, however.
The best moment of the night was when Bob started drumming a beat with both hands on top of the piano [actually, on top of his cheat sheets or whatever they are]. It only lasted a few seconds but was the most spontaneous [and funny] event of the show.
One of the things that has always amazed me is that he remembers so many words and long songs without paper or prompter helping him. Is this no longer the case? Finding out what's on the papers on top of the piano is the quest.
Doug Lancio was watching Bob the entire time, never saw him looking anywhere else except between songs. This is not what Doug was like in John Hiatt's band. However, I've never seen/heard him be flashy. Tasteful, yes. His talents are not being used to their full extent in Bob Dylan's band. He mostly played acoustic rhythm in Fayetteville.
I'm going to be bold and say that I can't hear a thing Donnie Herron plays [except violin]. What's the deal with that? it's possible that he's playing such background-y stuff that it's getting lost. Has he ever taken a solo? Seems like it's all padding to me.
Thanks for this excellent account of the NC shows. I was a few rows behind you in Charlotte and I agree --- the show was mesmerizing, and the crowd was ready for it.
For the record, The dates are Charlotte on St Patrick's Day sunday March 17, and Fayetteville on monday the 18th. I was up front in Fayetteville and my reaction was the same as Doug's comments on the Charlotte show and Jon's thoughts on both shows.
Fantastic review. I saw 2 consecutive nights a few nights before these - March 14 and 15 in Athens, Georgia - and I still haven't written my reviews yet because I'm rolling it all over in my mind. (I write a review of every show I see, just for my records.)
But this paragraph you wrote just KILLS it - it encapsulates so much of what is special about Spring 2024 Dylan, I don't know that I can top it:
"These current concerts feature almost all of his most recent album, and a handful of album tracks and covers a casual listener wouldn’t recognize. It’s almost diabolical when you think about it. But that unique mix of free spirit survivor and flagrant contrarian is what’s so inspiring about Dylan. Most people his age are in the ground, yet he’s out there giving some of the best, weirdest performances of his career. It’s kind of the most punk thing anyone has ever done."
Also, a dear friend was grilling me recently on why I'm so obsessed with Bob Dylan ... and your phrase here probably aces it:
"But that unique mix of free spirit survivor and flagrant contrarian is what’s so inspiring about Dylan."
Thanks Jon! Can't wait for Memphis and my planes/trains/automobiles trip to Austin in a couple of weeks (from which I'll get back just in time to go see you in Milwaukee on the 10th).
Well shit, I wish I’d known that Wurster was in Charlotte. It was a *great* show. Not a great R&RW show…a great Bob show, period. I was 8 rows out. The crowd was the least unprepared of any R&RW crowd I’ve experienced, so there wasn’t much “WTF is this!?” coming from the audience. The sound was superb (unsurprising at the Blumenthal). And Bob was on it from the start. If this is the end of R&RW (I’ll find out right here in CLT with Willie in June), then that was the way to go. CLT ‘24 and Hershey ‘21 were the two best I saw.
Hi Jon! It's always good to be where the Bob is. However, for me, the [Charlie Drayton] artistry of the 2022 R&RW is not being matched now. At Fayettevillle show I felt like I was watching the [slow] beginning of a song, but it lasted all night long. Toe tapping was in short supply. I know, I know, this may be the last time, I don't know.... And of course that lit floor in '22 was truly snazzy and special. Can't say I miss the upright piano, however.
The best moment of the night was when Bob started drumming a beat with both hands on top of the piano [actually, on top of his cheat sheets or whatever they are]. It only lasted a few seconds but was the most spontaneous [and funny] event of the show.
One of the things that has always amazed me is that he remembers so many words and long songs without paper or prompter helping him. Is this no longer the case? Finding out what's on the papers on top of the piano is the quest.
Doug Lancio was watching Bob the entire time, never saw him looking anywhere else except between songs. This is not what Doug was like in John Hiatt's band. However, I've never seen/heard him be flashy. Tasteful, yes. His talents are not being used to their full extent in Bob Dylan's band. He mostly played acoustic rhythm in Fayetteville.
I'm going to be bold and say that I can't hear a thing Donnie Herron plays [except violin]. What's the deal with that? it's possible that he's playing such background-y stuff that it's getting lost. Has he ever taken a solo? Seems like it's all padding to me.
Thanks for this excellent account of the NC shows. I was a few rows behind you in Charlotte and I agree --- the show was mesmerizing, and the crowd was ready for it.
For the record, The dates are Charlotte on St Patrick's Day sunday March 17, and Fayetteville on monday the 18th. I was up front in Fayetteville and my reaction was the same as Doug's comments on the Charlotte show and Jon's thoughts on both shows.
Fantastic review. I saw 2 consecutive nights a few nights before these - March 14 and 15 in Athens, Georgia - and I still haven't written my reviews yet because I'm rolling it all over in my mind. (I write a review of every show I see, just for my records.)
But this paragraph you wrote just KILLS it - it encapsulates so much of what is special about Spring 2024 Dylan, I don't know that I can top it:
"These current concerts feature almost all of his most recent album, and a handful of album tracks and covers a casual listener wouldn’t recognize. It’s almost diabolical when you think about it. But that unique mix of free spirit survivor and flagrant contrarian is what’s so inspiring about Dylan. Most people his age are in the ground, yet he’s out there giving some of the best, weirdest performances of his career. It’s kind of the most punk thing anyone has ever done."
Also, a dear friend was grilling me recently on why I'm so obsessed with Bob Dylan ... and your phrase here probably aces it:
"But that unique mix of free spirit survivor and flagrant contrarian is what’s so inspiring about Dylan."
That's it, man.