Bob Dylan Determined to Stand on 2019 Never Ending Tour - Review

Reviews

Last updated: 27 Nov 2019, 4:49:58
Published: 21 Nov 2019, 19:45:09
Written by: Hannah Cotter
Categories: Reviews Tagged: Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour Performing Arts Center Bob Dylan at Providence Performing Arts Center

I had the privilege of attending my first Bob Dylan concert last night, November 20, at the historic Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

The venue, which opened as Loew's Movie Palace in 1928, has been restored to its original splendor, boasting intricate designs and beautiful gold architecture. It was so hard not to take any pictures, but Dylan has a strict "no photos" policy and fans were getting asked to leave for even holding up their cellphones, so I didn't want to risk it.

Dylan is on the umpteenth leg of his Never Ending Tour, which began in 1988. The legendary songwriter plotted a 38-date North American trek, which will conclude with an additional 10-night residency at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

Those he surrounds himself with are all a part of the Dylan mystique. Last night, he was joined on stage by his five-piece band – well, seven-piece, if you could the two mannequins in suits lurking in the back of the stage – which consists of members Donnie Herron (mandolin, violin, banjo), Charlie Sexton (guitar), Bob Britt (guitar), Tony Garnier (bass) and Matt Chamberlain (drums).

Opener "Things Have Changed" set the tone for the night. Dylan was recruited by Curtis Hanson to write the song for his 2000 film, "Wonder Boys," but it serves more like a 21st century-Dylan mission statement. "People are crazy, times are strange," he spat. "I used to care, but things have changed."

For decades, fans have complained about his live shows, saying there's little setlist variation and that he mumbles through the whole thing, to the point where you can't even understand what he's saying. Last night, I was pleasantly surprised by his clarity as he shifted his tone ("highway siiiixty one!") and made every syllable count.

Throughout the 17-song set and two-song encore, Dylan and his band offered rearrangements of some of his best-known songs, including "It Ain't Me, Babe," "Highway 61" and "Simple Twist of Fate." He kept switching from a ragtime-style piano to his trusty Telecaster, sprinkling in a few harmonica solos here and there.

He even reconstructed songs from his newer albums, which made them all the more sentimental. Songs "Tryin' to Get to Heaven" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece" were characterized by an overwhelming sense of accepting ones' own mortality, and "Not Dark Yet" was particularly chilling.

"Lenny Bruce," which is a fairly new addition to his Never Ending Tour setlists, seemed more relevant than ever. "Maybe he had some problems, maybe some things that he couldn’t work out," Dylan sang. "But he sure was funny and he sure told the truth and he knew what he was talkin’ about."

Everyone in the theater hung onto every syllable; it didn't matter if it was their first time or their 200th time seeing him. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the maestro didn't speak a word during the show, other than band introductions after main set closer, "Soon After Midnight."

Still, you could feel his passion – something fans say had disappeared from his live performances in recent years. Before the show started, I was chatting with the woman sitting next to me, who’s seen him live 70 times, about Dylan’s purpose.

“For a while, he was wondering what his divine purpose really was,” she said. I'd heard the stories. In the 80s, Dylan seemed to be searching for intent. His approach to music had changed: he was disconnected and his mind was elsewhere.

On October 17, 1987 at a show in Locarno, Switzerland, Dylan had a revelation. He was touring with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Queens of Rhythm. As he stepped up to the mic, legend says, a line came into his head: “I’m determined to stand, whether God will deliver me or not.” And that’s when everything changed.

Music journalist Mikal Gilmore explains this well, but here it is in my own words: It was in that moment that he realized the only honest music experience is in the live performance. No two performances of a song are the same – a song sung live can never truly be replicated. Each performance creates a new moment and a new perspective.

And that’s the foundation Dylan has built himself on – and continues to build himself on – with these live shows. He breathes new meaning into the songs we think we know, and as we leave, we’re left wondering how much we really understand after all.