BOB DYLAN : BERNS 2009

 

Disc One

  1. Intro
  2. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
  3. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
  4. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
  5. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
  6. Tryin' To Get To Heaven
  7. Things Have Changed
  8. Watching The River Flow
  9. Blind Willie McTell
  10. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
  11. I Believe In You
  12. Honest With Me
  13. Billy 4

Disc Two

  1. Summer Days
  2. All Along The Watchtower
  3. Cry A While
  4. Like A Rolling Stone
  5. Forever Young
    Bonus Tracks :
  6. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
  7. When I Paint My Masterpiece
  8. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
  9. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
  10. Million Miles
  11. This Wheel's On Fire

Label : Crystal Cat Records

Venue : Berns Salonger, Stockholm, Sweden

Date : March 22, 2009

Quality : audience recording (A+)

Review (Collectors Music Reviews) : The first show of the European tour, and the first show in 2009, took place at the 1,200 seat Berns Salonger. This is the first time he's played this venue before. Ancient Footprints (Tambourine Man Records TMR 164/165) contains bonus tracks from this show from a great sounding tape, but Crystal Cat's is from a different, much superior sounding tape. In 2007, when Dylan started the tour in the Globen, he delivered and adventurous setlist but with many mistakes and an overall inferior performance. But this show begins with much more familiar tunes and the band sound tight and well rehearsed. Dylan's voice also sounds very strong and versitile, some of his best vocals in a while. An energetic "Most Likely You Go Your Own Way (And I'll Go Mine)" starts the show, followed by an excellent performance of "Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)." At the concert's half way point, things take an interesting turn. After a kicking "Watching The River Flow," he followed with "Blind Willie McTell," resonating with profundity. He plays a rare version of "I Believe In You" from Slow Train Coming in which he's continuing to reintroduce songs from his "gospel" period into the repertoire. It is slow, stately, and one of the sublime highlights from the set. But the real surprise follows "Honest With Me" when he pulls out "Billy 4? from the Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid soundtrack. (The only song to ever be performed from that LP is of course "Knockin' On Heaven's Door.") It takes some time before anyone recognizes the tune, and it sounds good for a song that has never been preformed before. One of the reviews printed in the liner notes observes: "When you are a Dylan fan sometimes you get a question like this: 'If you met Bob before a concert and he asked you what song do you want to hear tonight, what song is your choice?' When I have been asked this, I have had the same answer for years: BILLY. I have never expected it to happen. Tonight he played it. Beautiful version, what more can I say. Tears running on a lot of faces, first time for me since 2003 in Hammersmith when he played Romance in Durango. Maybe a once in a lifetime experience. Who knows?" The set closes surprisingly with "All Along The Watchtower," a song that is normally the final encore. "Cry A While" makes a surprising apparance in the encores, as does "Forever Young." No songs from the latest album Modern Times, and no previews from the soon-to-be released Together Through Life are performed. Six songs from the show in Jönköping are included as a bonus. Thankfully there is no duplication with the Berns concert, and there are serveral interesting performances. "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" features a banjo / heavy metal guitar duet to fascinating results. A good version of "Million Miles" is included as well as a rare perforamnce of "This Wheel's On Fair."