Thinking about the 2012 Tour with Bob Dylan

[xman]

Hey Folks,  I've been a BD fan since 1968 and seen him many times in concert.  In Key Arena (Seattle) 2003 his band and he were really, really strong.  Truly great stuff.  2009 or 2010, well, he was okay (Bumbershoot).  2012 with MK was hard for me.  Partly this is because the first several rows never sat down, and we couldn't see anything although we were in the 12th row.  But more.  BD seemed blown out.  His band, excellent as ever, was watching him like a hawk to be ready for any change he was going to throw in.  It was actually stressful.  MK opened the show, my first time seeing him, although I was a casual fan of DS and the stuff that was on the radio.  MK was simply grand.  He (dared I say it?) spoke to the audience.  My disappointment was that, given how much he helped BD in Slow Train and Infidels, they never played together.  I gather that MK would only play at the behest of BD and that he did pop into the Dylan set various times during this tour.  I was also sorry that MK, in Seattle, didn't play "Seattle."  Of course I know about set lists and the like, but, still . . .

[yontwocrows]

Hi xman,
i'm more a mk fan than a bd fan, nevertheless there is no way to ignore BD. He is one of the greatest songwriter of all time and i'm listening to his stuff regularly. But I share you're feelings of this tour. I expected more and it is like a missed opportunity. Take Blind Willie Mc Tell as one example. I think we all expected them to play it. And we all hoped for more togetherness of the two masters. Also the first MK concert part felt always a little bit too short, too stressfull...

I expected also Seattle to be played in Seattle, but somehow it was ok.

So, you're right it's a pity! In Hammersmith there was a little bit of the spirit I hoped for the whole tour:

[LoveExpresso]

Being a fan of MK for nearly 30 years, he was the one that got me to discover the music of Bob Dylan, because of Slow Train Coming. Bob is great and I am not a fan but an admirer for at least 25 years, having lots of his albums. I saw him live several times, 1995, 1998 and 2011 two times - Oberhausen and Hannover. I was there because of MK, but to be honest, the Hannover show of Bob really blew me away. The band was tight, the set list great, and Bob was also in a very good mood. All those contrary opinions about the 2011 tour are the usual stuff when it comes to Bob I think. People leaving the venue, bad reviews, but also really enthusiastic people in front of the stage, folks of all ages. I really enjoyed the Bob shows. And I really think Mark did something to the good vibe. I think Bob respects him and was proud to have him on his stage, although he would never show it of course! 

LE

[Pottel]

the moment bob started playing Blind willie in Oberhausen, and i was looking at mark filling in, from 2nd row, right hand side, was a pinnacle in my concert going career
it may not have been a perfect version ( for me it was) but that song has a mythical status for me, i am actively collecting every recorded live version of it, so that was...
awesome.
i also intensively collect both bob (preferably post 84 shows, not into older dylan performances) and EVERYthing that is mark. (and so many others)
welcome in here.

[Fletch]

Hey xman, I was also at that Seattle show combined with an American road trip holiday. It's a shame the song Seattle didn't make an appearance but both Mark & Bob have a tendency to do exactly what they want and no more, to say the least.
One of my fave memories was walking back to the hotel from the show and over-hearing lots of people say "Goddamn that was the worst thing I've ever heard..." or words to that effect!

[yontwocrows]

Pottel!! Thank you. I missed that Oberhausen occasion. Don't know why, i thought i followed the tour pretty well. Saw it now on you tube. What a historical moment! Fletch, i had the same experience with the aftershow comments. I, however, enjoyed also Bob's part, because i was in a crowd with good spirit that celebrated every song by the master. Looking back it was certainly the most debated gig i attended.

[superval99]

I was at the Manchester 2011 concert and it was a concert of two very contrasting parts.   The MK part of the show was wonderful with very clear sound, but far too short.  The BD part of the show, however, was a great disappointment for me, because the sound was so loud that it hurt my ears, even wearing ear-plugs, and it was almost impossible to recognise the songs that were performed.  Bob's band, though were extremely good and would have been even better if the sound was not so loud.  Hundreds of people exited during Bob's set, but I was determined to stay to the end, surrounded by lots of empty seats!   

I think those people who went to the concerts in Europe were probably the lucky ones, because they were fortunate enough to see Mark join Bob on stage and so I feel we had a bit of a raw deal in the UK - with the exception of the Hammersmith gigs, of course, which seemed to be something special!

I have been listening to and enjoying Bob since the mid-sixties and I have a pretty large collection of his albums, which I still enjoy very much.

[LoveExpresso]

Yeah, Oberhausen was great. First time Mark attending four songs if I am not mistaken (I might).
About the sound, it is true, Bob was very loud compared to Mark. Not sure if that caused my meadache which made me leave the venue three songs before the end.. but Hannover... wow!

LE