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Atlantic City Review 2nd Night May 10th

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Peter Stone Brown

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May 11, 2003, 2:18:45 AM5/11/03
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Something weird seems to happen every time Bob Dylan plays Atlantic City.
Tonight it didn't matter at all. The difference between Friday's show and
Saturday's was like night and day with the energy level rising like "High
Water." The show was inspired on all fronts.

Starting again with a rocking "Maggie's Farm," they then went into "I Don't
Believe You," and with the opening songs both having shades of 1965, I
wondered where the show would lead. When it came time for the guitar solos
the difference in the band became apparent. Larry Campbell and Freddie
Koella had obviously worked out parts and I began to wonder whether they'd
spent the afternoon playing. And Dylan was on playing a fine harp solo.

"Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum" brought things back to the present in a
perfect version with the guitars really ripping and then it was a perfect
"Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" with Larry on steel and Dylan
playing not one, but two harp solos and since the arrangement was so close
to the original, like the night before on "Lay Lady Lay," I couldn't help
but think if he had played these harp solos on the original record, it was
would have been a whole other experience.

"Things Have Changed" was nothing short of amazing, Dylan tearing through
the vocals with unbelievable intensity. It may well have been the best live
version I've seen of this song. Then unlike the night before, Dylan put on
his strat for "Drifter's Escape," and again the guitars are happening, and
Dylan's into his guitar solo and Freddie does something I've seen no Dylan
guitar player do, he goes right up to him and plays with him, playing around
and with what Dylan is doing on guitar and then Dylan has the harp and he is
playing to the crowd and the level of the show went up another few knotches.

The lights go down and in the darkness you heard the unmistakeable strum of
Dylan's Gibson J-45 and it's "Don't Think Twice," and again it's time for
Dylan's solo and again Freddie goes right up to him and starts playing with
him, and Bob shoots him a glance, but it's a glance of "hey we're playing
guitars," and Dylan finds this groove and Freddie goes right along with him
and Dylan sings another verse and then it's back into the guitars again with
Dylan finding the same groove and you knew something special was happening.
And the lights go down again and you wonder what's going to be next and then
there's prolonged silence, and then a voice announces, "Ladies and
Gentleman, the fire marshal has determined that the show cannot continue
until the aisles are cleared and people return to their assigned seats. The
lights go up. Plot of the eternal bring down. But after about 10 minutes
they go down again and Dylan and the band came out and rip into a "Highway
61 Revisited" that made you forget what just happened. The song is soaring.

Then there's deep, dark ominous piano chords and a swamp groove appears that
turns out to be an incredible version of "High Water (For Charley Patton)
and Dylan is laying out each line ferociously, and maybe it was after the
second verse he comes out from behind the keyboards and does this strange
little Dylan shuffle dance moving his hands around, kind of pointing them
and then goes back to the piano to repeat the same thing a couple of verses
later. But it was the singing, the voice, almost coming from somewhere
else, that thing that makes music be a magical experience, and that thing
that Dylan - when he wants to and the stars are aligned - does better than
anyone else.

The energy stayed for "Honest With Me," and then they shifted gears into
"Bye and Bye" which was both lounge jazzy and extremely funny with Dylan
actually cracking up on stage when he sang the line, "I'm not even
acquainted with my own desires." Now I've seen Dylan laugh when he tells a
joke or something to a band member away from the audience, and there's been
a couple of times I've seen him where it seemed like he was trying his best
to keep a straight face for most of the show and not exactly winning, but
the last time I remember him actually cracking up into laughter during a
song was at Philharmonic Hall in 1964.

This was followed by an excellent "Summer Days" that more than made up for
the one the previous night, with both Freddie and Larry going down on their
knees at one point! And then it was encore time, with a fairly average
"Like A Rolling Stone" followed by a standard but at the same time quite
good "All Along The Watchtower."

Now while Dylan was on from the first note singing with not only true
conviction, but fire, the difference was in the band. Tonight, they seemed
like a band and jelled like a band and they were having fun. There were no
missed cues, no glaring mistakes. It is obvious that Campbell and Koella
are working out parts where they both trade off each other and play
together. They are onto something, something that could take the sound of
this band to a whole other level. Freddie Koella can play in a variety of
styles and he's not afraid to step out and let loose. And perhaps at the
same time he is challenging Larry, long the backbone of this band to some of
his most inspired recent playing.

From talking to people who were there who've seen other shows on the current
tour, tonight's show quite possibly may have been the best one yet.

--
"I'm having a hard time believin' some people were ever alive" -Bob Dylan
e-mail: p...@peterstonebrown.com
http://www.peterstonebrown.com


Kyle Pucciarello

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May 11, 2003, 2:28:06 AM5/11/03
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Very well captured in that review...couldn't have said it any better.

----------------------------------
Favorite Boss Quote: "Oooh....socks and underwear!!"

out spam]@btopenworld.com Not Dark Yet

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May 11, 2003, 5:04:07 PM5/11/03
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To hear High Water as so eloquently described by Peter, go here:

http://www.btinternet.com/~pcvincent/Leven/


Mike


Kyle Pucciarello

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May 11, 2003, 5:23:14 PM5/11/03
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Thanks so much!!

When a boot comes out of this, can someone let me know. Being that its my
first show I'd love to have it captured forever.

Thanks

Ratbaggy

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May 11, 2003, 9:35:08 PM5/11/03
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I could not agree more Peter. I was at both shows and I'll take a shorter
show with this much fire anyday. God this was a great great night.

Steve

"Peter Stone Brown" <ps...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
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Drew

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May 11, 2003, 10:27:45 PM5/11/03
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"Peter Stone Brown" <ps...@earthlink.net> wrote in message news:<9Xlva.65448$ey1.5...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>...
> Something weird seems to happen every time Bob Dylan plays Atlantic

Thanks, Peter, for the excellent review. I was at the show and agree
completely. However, can you give a clue as to why only 14 songs? Were
the songs played LONGER then the previous night, or do you think it
was "fire marshall" thing? The amazing thing to me was the show had
such energy that it wasn't till I was home (three hours driving in
thick fog)that I even realized it was a shortened setlist!
Drew.

Kyle Pucciarello

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May 11, 2003, 10:36:59 PM5/11/03
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I realized it was a shortened set as soon as they left...before the encores.

I turned to my friend who was with me and we both did one of these "oh
man...only 14 tonight," but all the while crossing our fingers that something
may follow the two stationary, but great, encore songs.

But that was a very high energy show. Definitely kept me awake enough for the
2 1/2 hour ride home...when I walked in the door and got into my room that was
another story...out for the count.

I don't think the shortened set was because of the firemarshall thing, unless
it is because Casinos ask their performers to only do 2 hours. If so, that
would make sense. But you have to figure that the announcement gave them a 10
minute break, so that would, in my mind, increase our chance for more than the
regular 16 songs.

Either way, I can't complain.

----------------------------------

Peter Stone Brown

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May 11, 2003, 11:24:08 PM5/11/03
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"Drew" <dgro...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:87a9e9f7.03051...@posting.google.com...

Drew,
I think it was definitely the fire marshall thing and I didn't know it was 2
songs short till I got home either.

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