BOB DYLAN : PALO ALTO 2019

 

Disc One (51:46)

  1. intro
  2. Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
  3. It Ain't Me, Babe
  4. Highway 61 Revisited
  5. Simple Twist Of Fate
  6. Can't Wait
  7. When I Paint My Masterpiece
  8. Honest With Me
  9. Tryin' To Get To Heaven
  10. Make You Feel My Love
  11. Pay In Blood

Disc Two (51:50)

  1. Lenny Bruce
  2. Early Roman Kings
  3. Girl From The North Country
  4. Not Dark Yet
  5. Thunder On The Mountain
  6. Soon After Midnight
  7. Gotta Serve Somebody
  8. Ballad Of A Thin Man
  9. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry

Label : Uxbridge

Venue : Frost Amphitheater, Palo Alto, California, USA

Recording Date : October 14, 2019

Quality : Audience recording (A+)

Concert Review (Boblinks) : In the Frost Amphitheater at Stanford, Dylan seemed to have as much fun as the audience did. He was on excellent form, and his band is (as usual) superlative. His voice sounded gruff early on, powerful and effectively raspy - Beyond here lies nothin' - but by the time he reached the end it was clear that the way he sings is a choice, not a collapse. When he wants to, the notes are clear; maybe this is the benefit of the Sinatra-style recordings, who knows? He also played much more harmonica than we've become used to: most of the time he was "center stage" (see the set list) there was a harp in his hand, and sometimes when he was at the piano, too. Perhaps this is a way to rest his voice (and maybe his hands) while also definitely giving the people what they want - his harmonica solos have given us high points throughout his career. The whole stage was lit, not just spots on the singer, the whole band (in uniform; dark suits) deserved the attention. Weirdly, at times he reminded me of Liberace, as portrayed by Michael Douglas - a pro down to his toenails, though Bob shares very little else with old Lee except that they both are (or were) exactly who themselves and no one else could be. Also, less weirdly, he reminded me of the way he did Charlie Chaplin bits in his very early performances, funny little dances that just make you smile. When Bob and the band hit the stage, the audience rose as one to our feet, and most of us stayed there pretty much all of the time. It was a joyous celebration, probably my favorite of the gigs I've attended since, er, maybe San Jose in 1992; not up to Rolling Thunder in Boston but then what is? There are three dozen more shows on this tour - catch them if you can!