BOB DYLAN : MELBOURNE 2007 FIRST EVENING

 

Disc One (50:13)

  1. Intro
  2. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
  3. It Ain't Me, Babe
  4. Watching The River Flow
  5. Tangled Up In Blue
  6. John Brown
  7. The Levee’s Gonna Break
  8. When The Deal Goes Down
  9. Things Have Changed

Disc Two (69:00)

  1. Desolation Row
  2. Honest With Me
  3. Spirit On The Water
  4. Highway 61 Revisited
  5. Nettie Moore
  6. Summer Days
  7. Ballad Of A Thin Man
  8. Thunder On The Mountain
  9. Like A Rolling Stone

Label : no label

Venue : Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia

Recording Date : August 17, 2007

Quality : Audience recording (A+)

Review : Bob played 2 shows in a row at The Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. This is an excellent recording of the first evening.

Concert Review (Bob Links) : Absolutely priceless performance! Irish outfit The Frames did a fine albeit short set that quite simply set the scene for the nightly ritual of a Bob Fest (or with this show, Feast) Dylan and his band opened the evening with a Rainy Day Woman 12&35 (Oscar stage left) huge warm roar surged forward from the audience Bob grinned! I new we were in for a treat. It Aint Me Babe, Watching The River Flow followed lyrics slightly blurred but the voice of rock's poet laureate had risen to a higher plain, deep, drawn and venerable. Tangled Up in Blue follows, it is during this classic Dylan song that you recognise the talent that Bob has surrounded himself with, truly these guys are masters of their chosen instruments and to hear this new arrangement is divine Bob has dismissed his guitar for the evening and seated behind his electric keyboard he reinterprutted another classic with emphasis on words "and all those words rang true like it was written from me to youuuuuu" phrasing totally rearranged and his keyboard playing brilliant (a huge improvement on his last show in Melbourne 2003) as the song draws to a close his harmonica playing, again draws a roar from the audience half of which sang along to this one. The very rare & sublime anti war song John Brown is next and Bob with help from Donnie Herron on banjo and Tony Garnier on standup bass knock me out! this is to yours truly the highlight of the evening! again, his phrasing and tantric like timing, shows that he is a musical shamen words are wasted on describing this performance you had to be there! The Levee's Gonna Break kicks in again Bob's voice just brilliant the band so tight and the audience again roars with delight. When The Deal Goes Down follows with Bob assuring us that he will be with us at the end and hallelujah to that. Things Have Changed comes in at the perfect time eighth song of the night. Bang! another revelation the lead into Desolation Row just blows me away tonight he reads this who's who like it was written last week and the band are just so focused through it! Honest With Me opens and as the faders brighten up he is grinning again!! I am only five rows back and this time I see the grin from a set of binoculars!! Spirit On The Water next and once again the band all eyes on Bob make this modern classic really standout as another highlight of the evening. highway 61 revisited is orated gloriously. Nettie Moore next and Bob again shows how damn good his vocal range still is. Summer Days follows and then Ballad Of A Thin Man and the audience again join in! Bob leaves the stage and the applause is deafening some five minutes and Bob and his merry men return to the stage for Thunder On The Mountain telling it like he is a later day Moses come down from the mountain! "friends let me introduce the band" and we are into another excellent re-interpretation of a Dylan classic Like A Rolling Stone, a luminous finale for an astonishing performance. and just for a few seconds there is a feeling in the enraptured audience around me that he may even do another encore, alas not to be. Stage lights up and out comes Bob and Band to take the bow and its all over. Truly the show tonight will go down as one of the best shows I have seen for years - Bob's generosity the catalyst tonight .