Monday night, my dad and I attended Bob Dylan’s first Melbourne date for his Australian tour at the Palais Theatre. As an avid Dylan fan, I of course already knew about his reputation for what many refer to as ‘sub-par’ live routines, however, I must say to those nay-sayers that if you’re going to attend a Bob Dylan concert expecting the excellent melodic voice exhibited by Dylan on his 1969 album Nashville Skyline, you’re a fool before you’ve even criticized his performance.
To be honest, besides knowing what not to expect, I was not really sure what to expect, however, what was delivered validated his stance as one of music’s greatest icons (as well as the outrageous ticket prices).
Over the two-hour performance Dylan had the sold-out audience entirely captivated, playing a set list that consisted majorly of Dylan’s more recent works. The first real highlight for me came early into the first half of the show with his rendition of ‘Workingman’s Blues #2’, from his 2006 album ‘Modern Times’. Dylan’s poetry is the one thing that seems will live on forever, and has certainly outlasted his vocal chords. Nevertheless, he had the crowd captivated by his simple poignant words as he mumbled/sang/spoke his way through the set
Even though the sound was ostentatiously mixed to highlight whatever Dylan was playing (whether that be a quick burst of harmonica, or the sporadic, out of key piano fumbles he played here and there), his backing band held the songs together, maintaining sweet folk/country rhythms; the perfect accompaniment to Dylan’s grumbles. Don Herron, (Dylan’s pedal steel/ banjo/ keys player) proved to a be a particular highlight to myself, showcasing an immense quality of musical talent as he shifted to and from his many instruments adding layers of melodically perfect country licks to the solid groove set by the rest of the rhythm section.
It seemed that the majority of the crowd were nearly as old as Dylan himself, and had come along to relive the glory days, and as expected ‘Tangled Up In Blue’ was an obvious crowd favorite, receiving massive applause from the crowd as soon as they were able to figure out what Dylan was singing. As Dylan and the band worked their way through the song, the elderly man sitting next to me couldn’t help but show off an incredible smile as Dylan mumbled the lyrics “Lord knows I’ve paid some dues getting through / Tangled up in blue.”
After a brief 20-minute intermission, initiated by Dylan mumbling a few inaudible words before busting out a charming ‘thankyou’, the crowd eagerly returned to their seats for the remainder of the show. Bob’s showmanship never faltered through the set as he delivered somewhat shaky renditions of classics such as ‘Simple Twist of Fate’, ‘All Along the Watch Tower’, before finally ending the encore with ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’, getting the crowd out of their seats, for a standing ovation that lasted long after he had left the stage.
It seemed that the majority of the crowd at Dylan’s first night at the Palais left completely content with the show put on by Dylan and his band. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the set, and am ecstatic to have seen a performance by one of music’s untimely figures.
Bob