Saturday night at the Borgata
St. Annie
One of the best shows I can remember seeing since the Greek Theater in
LA 20 years ago. The Borgata was the perfect venue for what this tour
sounds to be -- the
place holds less than 3000 and there were no more than 1500 there (who
knows why? pretty day, people stayed at beach, people got stuck
gambling, watching Yanks & Giants in quadruple overtime, figured
there'd be an opening act and there wasn't).
It's almost a lounge act this time: Bob Live at the Sands. The show
and the songs they do and the way they do them won't, I think, be as
much fun in big spaces outdoors -- am no longer looking forward as
much to Jones Beach and Bethel because with 16K people &
more, outside, the sound might just be sucked up and gone.
Tonight he was crystal clear -- you could hear every word. Tangled Up
was danceable, Highway 61 of course, & Summer Days. But the slow
quiet ones were the best. Lay,
Lady, Lay was hot as all holy hell, and he knew it, and seemed to love
all the girl-screaming at the end. Girl from the North Country was as
sweet and clean and lovely as I've ever heard it. But Nettie Moore
was the standout. Stone gorgeous.
He stood a long time at the end for applause (not a great encore --
people, not me I've heard it plenty, wanted Rolling Stone, and whined
on the way out because they didn't get it) and he looked down fondly
at
us -- in his new, thank God, hat. No more mammoth cowboy hat. Now
it is a pretty tasteful correctly sized off-white sombrero style with
a rolled brim, very classy, and a little feather
on the left side. Same black cowboy getup, same double-diamond rings,
same rhinestones -- and a PINK-rhinestoned strap for his
guitar at the beginning!
(If the man likes pink rhinestones, let him have them. They
look good with the Mardi Gras beads, and the little spotlight on his
Oscar.)
A super, intimate, small, happy, show. It felt like seeing him -- or
as close as we'll ever get again -- to seeing him in the Cafe Wha or
Kettle o Fish. He's never been a belter of songs, and really has gone
a little bit piano bar this time around -- in the best possible way.
What a fabulous night it would be to hear him at the Cafe Carlyle, I
thought on the way out. Cozy works amazingly well for Bob -- and God,
to be in the front row, making eye contact and calling out things you
knew he could hear! We all dream about that secretly, right?
Anyway, I am now completely spoiled, and horrified at the thought of
hearing
him in any venue that holds more than 3000 people, ever again.
The 49th time around hearing Bob was so perfect I wish I could have
the 50th be something even more intimate.
Oh well -- on to Jones Beach next weekend!
Goodnight, everybody.
lowg...@ao1.com
Babs
> One of the best shows I can remember seeing since the Greek Theater in
> LA 20 years ago. The Borgata was the perfect venue for what this tour
> sounds to be -- the
> place holds less than 3000 and there were no more than 1500 there >
> as close as we'll ever get again -- to seeing him in the Cafe Wha or
> Kettle o Fish. He's never been a belter of songs, and really has gone
> a little bit piano bar this time around -- in the best possible way.
> What a fabulous night it would be to hear him at the Cafe Carlyle, I
> thought on the way out. Cozy works amazingly well for Bob -- and God,
> to be in the front row, making eye contact and calling out things you
> knew he could hear! We all dream about that secretly, right?
Enjoyed your review very much. The idea of Bob at the Cafe Carlyle is
a wild and wonderful one, and stranger things have happened...