Bob Dylan
Birmingham NIA
“Am I over the hill, am I past my prime?”, sang Bob Dylan on his return to Birmingham.
It is a question posed in his Workingman’s Blues but one he has to answer every time he goes on the road.
This was the legend’s second appearance in the city in two years but the Modern Times tour brought him to the NIA instead of the cavernous NEC.
And the more intimate venue suited his new style better. Last year Dylan spent the entire performance facing sideways, away from the crowd, tapping away at his keyboard.
It was good, therefore, to see the star amble on to stage with a guitar slung around his midriff.
And along with the other two guitars, bass, fiddle and drums he made a great noise on new hits such as Thunder on the Mountain and The Levee’s Gonna Break.
He switched to the keys for the brilliant blues of Aint’ Talkin’ and a reworked version of Like a Rolling Stone which brought the house down.
Last year he played it too, but this was closer to the original and better for it.
Dylan brought the curtain down with another classic, All Along The Watchtower, which fell somewhere between his original and Jimi Hendrix’s cover.
By Daniel Poutney
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18 Comments
I love bob on the keys and on the guitar…
I love bob on everything…
If is such a wonderful man…One of a kind!!!…And sexy..
~~Jeana Isis Zimmerman~~
Agree with everything, other than “The Levvee’s gonna break” which (disappointingly) he didn’t play in Birmingham!
In your opening paragraph, you misquote. Th correct quotation is “you think I’m over the hill / you think I’m past my prime.” Moreover, it is from “Spirit on the Water” not “Workingman’s Blues #2.”
You should invest some time into checking your sources, Mr. Poutney.
He was at the NEC in 2005, not last year. The quote is from Spirit on the Water, not Workingman’s Blues. Thunder on the Mountain was played on keyboard, not guitar, and When the Levee Breaks was not played at all. Other than that, a good review… and a very good concert. Having said that, the 2005 concert in Birmingham was — strangely, given the venue — possibly the best of the 40-odd performances I’ve seen Bob give since 1978. I guess it all depends on where you’re sitting and how it strikes you on the day.
There are so many errors in this ‘review’ - why bother if you clearly haven’t been to the concert? You could at least have based it on other people’s reviews of UK concerts on this tour which will tell you amongst other things which songs feature Dylan on guitar. These do not include ‘Thunder on the Mountain’ or ‘The Levee’s Gonna Break’.
There’s little worse than reading a review when the writer, in asserting their authority on the subject, only reveals their ignorance of it.
Would it not have made a little, tiny bit more sense to take a review from a reporter who actually has some knowledge of the singer and the songs they are singing?
Unlike Matthew Z I’ve seen his Bobness a mere 10 times, but going back to 1965 and the ‘Judas’ tour of 1966, plus the legendary Blackbush. I quite agree that the NIA is a far better kind of venue than the deeply unattractive NEC (fine for Crufts, but not for music). I thought Mr Zimmerman was outstanding on Tuesday night, and to have ‘Ain’t Talking’, which he hadn’t played at Wembley (I gather) was an immense bonus. This is one of his best ever tracks, up there with ‘Idiot Wind’, ‘Isis’ and ‘Desolation Row’ - to have heard him perform that was breath-taking. Also brilliant takes on ‘Hollis Brown’ and ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’. All in all just an outstanding evening - and his voice seemed to me to be in much better shape than in any of the five times I’ve seen him in the 2000s.
Bob’s setlist for those (including Daniel Poutney) who were not taking notes:
1. Cat’s In The Well (Bob on electric guitar)
2. It Ain’t Me, Babe (Bob on electric guitar)
3. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (Bob on electric guitar)
4. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
(Bob on electric guitar)
5. Workingman’s Blues #2 (Bob on electric guitar)
6. ‘Til I Fell In Love With You (Bob on electric keyboard for rest of show)
7. Tangled Up In Blue
8. When The Deal Goes Down
9. Highway 61 Revisited
10. Spirit On The Water
11. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
12. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
13. Ain’t Talkin’
14. Summer Days
15. Like A Rolling Stone
(encore)
16. Thunder On The Mountain
17. All Along The Watchtower
Check out http://my.execpc.com for Dylan set lists and reviews - Mr. Poutney shoud have done so.
Embarrassing stuff.
P.S. Joe - Bob did play Ain’t Talkin’at wembley.
Okay, it seems I’ve got some explaining to do.
First of all, I’m sorry for the inaccuracies in this review.
It really is inexcusible but let me say for the record, I definitley was there.
I got home about two hours after the concert finished and still had to write it up for the next day’s paper.
Without owning the Modern Times album I had to rely on my own memory of the songs he played - it turns out it wasn’t that good.
It was no good having a pen and paper because Bob doesn’t introduce the songs so I had to search the internet to find the proper song names.
It just wasn’t feasible to read through all of his lyrics though.
Anyway I think the review at least conveyed that I enjoyed the show very much.
Thanks for all your comments.
Ouch, oh, er, watchout! Remind me never to blawg any of my memories that fail me when I need ‘em most. I do like and agree most with joe andrew’s comment….my first ever concert being Bob Dylan and The Band (Oakland, 1974). It was a long, long, time before I saw a better Dylan show than that, but it finally happened. In retrospect, I don’t think he was ever in finer form than during the 1979 Warfield shows. Modern Times? Well, I was shocked at having this kind of quality record so late in his career…he always talked about getting better with age, and to me, he’s finally proven it. I’m usually in tears by the 5th note of Workingman’s Blues #2.
The story may not have been totally accurate / BUT / Although many many listener(s) never really read between the lines and actually understand & FEEL Dylan’s words. His live performance(s) are another art form altogeter / to be judged on another level - I will say it is difficult to fully enjoy his live show(s)without an understanding of the songs or the ARTIST himself. Go prepared and keep an open mind.
ah well, at least you recognised Like a Rolling Stone and Watchtower
Must try harder 4/10
useless…..you are a joke mate…get a proper job.
this a joke, innit mate.
#1 is nuts Dylan is not hot hes 65 and hold enough to be my granddad that is disgusting….ick.
Hey, Disturbed don’t talk about Sugar Baby like that, chump!
And I agree with Bill. Get yourself a proper job…you are nearly as bad as the legendary Patrick MacDonald of the Seattle Times…America’s worst rock journalist.
My granddad is well hot. Well, my granny thinks so and most of these Dylan fans are coffin dodgers too so does it matter?