Thanks to our old friend Russ for the following review of Bob Dylan’s show last night in Fairfax, Virginia at the GMU Patriot Center, including the snapshots:

WOW! Easily one of the best shows I’ve seen from Uncle Bob. He was energized, enthused, happy and in great voice. In fact, all of his instruments (voice, harp, keyboards, guitar) were in extra fine form tonight. Bob was pulling out all the dance moves…bending the knees, waving the hands, jerking his head side to side. The comment most often heard after the show was that Bob was “having fun.” It sure seemed to be the case.

I’ve not heard him play the harp this well in many years. That’s not to say I think his playing has been bad, but tonight was fantastic. He seems to love using the other mic and belting it out at center stage.

His keyboard playing was also top notch. I found myself forgetting about whether or not he might pick up the guitar…he was that good. Plus, Charlie Sexton’s presence eliminates any weakness there might have been on guitar in the past. Speaking of Charlie…old Charlie. He was prowling the stage all night, keeping Bob energized and nodding constantly at his bandmates. He adds a whole different dimension to Bob’s shows with his constant movement and superior skills.

My wife, Ellen, made a great observation after the show. If you watch “The Last Waltz” (which we had done just two days prior to this concert) and then observe Dylan and Charlie Sexton interacting on stage … it’s almost spooky how much you’re reminded of Dylan and Robbie Robertson on stage together, especially in the movie. Even Sexton’s hair style is similar.

Tonight, Bob sang every song like it was his last. I know that sounds melodramatic, but it’s the way it felt. He was delivering lines with a certain aggressiveness and never let up. Here are some quick thoughts on the set list:

Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again: a great version, with a dramatic pause before the end of the chorus. “…when he built a fire on Main Street and shot it full of holllllllles!!!”

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right: a bright, upbeat version that made me wonder if it will ever get old.

Man In The Long Black Coat: a nice beat to this one, faster than the album, and a line I hadn’t heard before, “I went down to the river, but missed the boat.”

Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum: Charlie being back makes this fun again. He and Stu trade the familiar lick between lines.

If You Ever Go To Houston: Much better live than on the CD. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one. Bob was delivering the lines with so much excitement that you couldn’t help singing along.

High Water (For Charley Patton): Another song that was played faster (a good thing) than the original recording. “I just can’t be happy, love, unless you’re happy, tooooo!”

Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine): Fun! He made sure to pause for quite a while before singing the last part of the chorus and the crowd loved it.

Forgetful Heart: Stunning. Chilling. Beautiful. Hard to explain “we loved with all the love that life can give” when sung that way…center stage…in your face. Any power this song has on the CD is tripled in concert. My wife said it was one of those moments where it felt like time stood still.

Cold Irons Bound: He just keeps making this better and better. The band is flying high at this point, and the crowd is roaring throughout. Bob growls, “the winds in Chicago have torn me to shreds!”
Workingman’s Blues #2: Delivered with such care, like it was extra important that he get this across, particularly, “I’ll drag ‘em all down to hell and I’ll stand ‘em at the wall
I’ll sell ‘em to their enemies.” He also seemed to emphasize, “you can hang back or fight your best on the front line…”

Highway 61 Revisited: By the time we got here it felt like an endurance test. It was remarkable how the entire show stayed at this high energy level.

Ain’t Talkin’: I don’t know how else to describe this but to say it was like a sermon. He even looked like he was preaching.

Thunder On The Mountain: If any song seemed rushed, maybe this was it, but it’s hard to say it really was a bad performance. Musically, it was interesting to hear the organ stay with what seemed to be one chord. Charlie even walked over to Bob to check things out. It never really changed, but they had fun with it.

Ballad Of A Thin Man: This is a complete blast and Bob is in full ham mode. He’s gesturing constantly and smiling his way through most of this one. What a performance!

ENCORE

Like A Rolling Stone: excellent, and naturally a crowd pleaser.

Jolene: Once again, much better live…and I don’t mean YouTube. This has to be seen and heard in person. He obviously loves the song and it shows in his performance.

All Along The Watchtower: Charlie gets to show off and the crowd loves it all.

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Thanks again to Russ for all of the above. A few more pictures to follow.

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