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Set List
- Watching The River Flow
- Mr. Tambourine Man
- Things Have Changed
- Mississippi
- Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
- Ballad Of Hollis Brown
- Make You Feel My Love
- Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
- Visions Of Johanna
- Honest With Me
- Lenny Bruce
- I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
- Highway 61 Revisited
- Ain't Talkin'
- Thunder On The Mountain
- Like A Rolling Stone
- All Along The Watchtower
Comments
First Show
I'm 21 years old and this was my first Bob Dylan show. The whole time, I couldn't believe I was seeing him. It was the best show I ever went to and I hope I get to see Mr. Dylan again soon!
"Visions of Johanna", "I Don't Believe You" and "Highway 61 Revisited" were my favorites moments of the concert. "Mississippi" and "Make You Feel My Love" also sounded superb. And I never thought I would ever get to hear "Lenny Bruce" performed live in my lifetime.
I'm so grateful to be alive and able to see Bob Dylan.
First Show
I'm 21 years old and this was my first Bob Dylan show. The whole time, I couldn't believe I was seeing him. It was the best show I ever went to and I hope I get to see Mr. Dylan again soon!
Visions of Johanna, I Don't Believe You and Highway 61 Revisited were my favorites moments of the concert. "Mississippi" and "Make You Feel My Love" also sounded superb. And I never thought I would ever get to hear "Lenny Bruce" performed live in my lifetime.
I'm so grateful to be alive and able to see Bob Dylan.
One of his best shows in recent years...
The Atlantic City show on August 16, 2008 was the 10th time I had seen Bob Dylan in concert over the course of 22 years.
My first Dylan show was in July 1986 (with Tom Petty), and I saw four concerts between 1986 and 1989. I took an 8 1/2 year hiatus then attended four shows between 1998 and 2000. Another 7 1/2 year break, then two shows in 2008: Asbury Park and, most recently, Atlantic City, NJ.
Prior to this A.C. concert, by far my favorite shows were the two I attended at the Sands Casino in A.C. on 11/19/1999 (early and late shows), followed by next year's show at the Tropicana (the early performance on 11/18/2000).
Though it had been over seven years, I knew what to expect at the 8/13/2008 concert in Asbury Park, NJ. I had heard tapes of several recent shows. While I had a great time at the show, I had the sinking feeling that I would never again see the magic and passion of earlier days. (No, I'm not one of those who complain that he "doesn't sound like he used to." Many artists, including the great bluesmen of prior generations, get "better" with age, as a lifetime of experiences resonate in their live performances.)
So I entered the Borgata Casino with a smile on my face but expecting a show similar to the one just three days earlier. Imagine my surprise and sheer delight when I heard the first notes of "Watching the River Flow." This was not the same Dylan, the same band, from Asbury Park. Something special was in the air, and the only question I had was, would it continue throughout the entire performance?
Mr. Tambourine Man seemed to answer, so far, "yes." Not performed in over two years (8/12/2006 in Michigan), the song seemed to ignite the audience, who began to sense -- as I had -- that this was a visibly inspired Dylan tonight. Actually, the magic had begun the night before in Connecticut, as the set list and reviews from that show had indicated.
I'll refrain from a song-by-song review, but suffice to say the Mr. Dylan can still defy all expectations and entertain an audience like few other artists who have been performing for as long a he has. The set list, rather that focusing on his last two albums (as had been the case in the European leg of the tour and the first few shows on the U.S. leg) included some genuine surprises. In addition to "Tambourine Man," Dylan brought back "Lenny Bruce" and "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)" (a song of personal significance for me) -- both of which were seeing the light of day after a 13-month and 12-month absence, respectively.
The highlights for me (in addition to "I Don't Believe You") were definitely the undisputed masterpiece that is "Visions of Johanna" and a heartfelt rendition of "Make You Feel My Love" (with Bob playing one of his better harmonica solos in recent months). "Visions," in particular, benefited from a impressive vocal delivery where Dylan stretched the last word of each verse.
Needless to say, I could not have been happier to have been part of this very special show. It may be my last Dylan concert (though I hope not!). But if this turns out to be the case, I will consider myself fortunate. I could not have asked for more from the one performing artist that has been a constant in my life since my "discovery" of his genius when I was just a 14-year old kid.
So, thank you, Bob. Please keep on keepin' on, and may you stay forever young at heart.
Hi
No Rating
GOD BLESS BOB
Great review.Saw Bob in Baltimore,He only played nine songs but it was awesome.
Craig
Hi
No Rating
GOD BLESS BOB
Great review.Saw Bob in Baltimore,He only played nine songs but it was awesome.
Craig
Hi
No Rating
GOD BLESS BOB
Great review.Saw Bob in Baltimore,He only played nine songs but it was awesome.
Craig
Hi
No Rating
GOD BLESS BOB
Great review.Saw Bob in Baltimore,He only played nine songs but it was awesome.
Craig
bob dylan LOVES new jersey
high noon. and i am asking myself how many hours 2 reach AC on a saturday afternoon from CT. as predicted the garden state parkway was a parking lot and at exit 82 another car fire, only this one was complete with a woman jumping out of the window as the SUV laid on its side in flames. i was listening 2 lovesick for the 7 hours. the CD victoria secrets was handing out a few years back with purchase. so when i got 2 AC at 7pm i made a quick change of clothes and met up with the posse for the last of my shows on this tour. the strange thing about bob dylan tours is that u never really get off of them. for instance, sunday morning i landed on a beach by my house and as i lay there dreaming of you comes on NPR radio. " feel like a ghost in love, under the heavens above", "travel under any star, you'll see me wherever u r", "maybe u were here and maybe u weren't, maybe u touched somebody and got burned", and my personal favorite lyric in the song, " for years they had me locked in a cage, then they threw me under the stage". all swirling around in my head as i lay mesmerized on the beach. whewwwwww. in AC bob dylan had a wealth of diamonds to choose from. and i am not talking about the ones on his fingers. sitting here on THIS old bank of sand, watching the river flow, bob dylan took NO prisoners. he went straight for the jugular. that set the tone for the entire show. mr. tamborine man was next telling u that bob dylan was there for one reason, 2 take u 2 a place u have never been b4. like mississippi.u say my kisses r not like his, i am not gonna tell u why that is and he meant it. u just know a love song is brewing........and a love song it wassssssssss! make u feel my love. after that i had a hard time concentrating and handed my body over 2 the beat. tweedle dee dee and tweedle dee dum kept me there suspended in a world of sound and pulse. is he the same one just last night i was with? this was no man, this was a musical wizard out 4 my tone deaf soul. he went from i dont believe u 2 i believe in u all in one breath. right now i am trying 2 take it all in, process all i saw and heard and felt, the never ending tour will do this 2 u. how does it feel? bob dylan makes me happy 2 be alive and he certainly has it going on!
Jealous
No Rating
I'm "Brett's" daughter. I went to the Electric Factory concert too. Hearing your review of Dylan's concert in Atlantic City makes me wish we had gone there. That was our first plan. It sounds like his show at the Borgata really blew the Philly show out of the water. Would you say that? Well, I'm a little jealous, but atleast I got to see him either way. Plus, I thought he was fantastic at the Electric Factory anyway. I just really would've loved the chance to see Bob Dylan play Like a Rolling Stone. Oh well! I had a great time with Bob in Philly and I'm content with that.
Cardiac Consumption
No Rating
Brett, I really don't have a way of responding to this in a manner that will not cause you to eat out at least some of your heart. I cannot speak on the subject of crowd engagement since I like to sit near the sound mixer and, therefore, I am not close enough to see what is going on between Dylan and the crowd. I will say when he introduced the band between Like a Rolling Stone and All Along the Watchtower, he added, "I'm Bob Dylan," which is pretty unusual in my experience. As to the rest of the criteria you mention, the answer is EVERYTHING was better last night than at the factory. The band was strong and tight. Even a tune like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum became more interesting because of the strong lead guitar work. The sound was much better owing to the fact that there is some fabric on the walls of the venue to reduce echoes. I liked the Atlantic City atmosphere for the reasons set forth in the original post. The Event Center at the Borgata is more comfortable for an old guy like me because there are comfy chairs, unlike the Electric Factory with its minimal uncomfortable seating with people leaning all over you if you can get a stool.
As for Dylan's voice, it is difficult to comment because the acoustics at the Borgata are so much better than the Electric Factory. I was able to make out the lyrics more clearly at the Borgata.
The biggest difference for me was the emotional character of the evening's set. The songs last night were very personal and were delivered in a manner where it seemed like Dylan was speaking to each audience member individually. That, of course, is projection but I think those in attendance felt that way, at least the ones I spoke with after the show.
Final observation. Dylan has been in the public eye for nearly fifty years. As we look back upon the body of his work, I believe that we must seriously consider ranking Dylan ahead of Stephen Foster as America's greatest song writer. Last night proved it to me.
philly/ac
No Rating
Hi. I originally had tickets to the AC show but couldn't go this weekend, so ended up going to Philly, which I actually thought wasn't bad. Other than the set list, which I acknowledge was way better down the shore, what else was different or better about AC? Was his voice better? Sound, band, atmosphere? Was he more engaging with the crowd? Sorry, just trying to get a mental picture of the difference of the two shows. Thanks.
Brett
Absolutely earth-shaking!
So my husband and I drove over from DC to see this great artist who I have admired for so many decades (and I must agree with the previous writer's comment about the excesses of Atlantic City. At least I noticed some wind turbines behind Borgata ... I cringe at the carbon footprint of the whole sorry place). But anyway we were there to see Bob. This is my 4th time since 2006 and after the 2007 concerts, which were enjoyable enough, I had wondered if it was time to stop ... in case you are wondering the same thing, it's NOT! Don't Stop! Both Bob and the band were so "on" last night that I cannot imagine a better performance. His energy and connection with the moment were palpable. We had 5th row tickets, and fortuitously were right in Bob's line-of-site across his keyboard. Whenever I could not keep myself from jumping up to applaud and wave I could almost imagine he was looking back at me and smiling because he knew how well he was coming across at that moment and how happy I was to be there. (I asked my husband, "Do you think he saw me?" and got the sardonic reply, "How could he NOT have seen you??") Bob was in fantastic form last night, smiling a lot, and clearly enjoying the show. His voice was in good shape, the band was tight and clean as usual - I never have had any complaint about this band, however in past concerts I've noticed the band more but last night Bob had everyone's undivided attention. The Grammy was there, with the same set-up man we've seen every time - same but with a continuous evolution, as I guess it has been for years. The set list was great and what a special treat to hear Visions of Johanna. Only one personal perspective to add - I'm so thankful I'm on Earth at the same time as the soul we know as Bob Dylan. Thank you!
Eight days later...
On a beautiful summer evening, Bob Dylan and His Band descended upon Atlantic City. In certain ways, Atlantic City with its carnival atmosphere and faded glory interspersed with modern high rise temples dedicated to all that is wrong with America circa 2008 is the perfect setting for Dylan. Last night, he descended directly into the belly of the beast playing the event center at the Borgata.
A week and a day earlier, Dylan and company played what was, in my opinion, a lackluster performance at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. I was prepared to say after that performance that Dylan looks like he has reached the end of the line. I thought about getting rid of my tickets for the Borgata show because I could not imagine that the performer I saw at the factory was capable of reaching the heights of previous summer days.
I was WRONG. Totally and completely WRONG. The Dylan who appeared last night with his band was amazing. The set list last night was deep and wide, culling great songs from every aspect of Dylan's 50 year career. The opener was Watching the River Flow which was exactly what did not happen last night. Dylan unleashed tidal wave after tidal way of emotion. Mississippi, Make You Feel My Love, and Lenny Bruce all scored direct hits to the heart, as potent as when we first heard them. The Electric Factory show lacked, for me, a single moment of transcendence. Last night's show just kept touching and retouching a spot inside causing an exquisite pain, the kind that is excruciating yet you cannot stop touching it.
And then there was Visions of Johanna. In a survey of English Literature professors, the lyrics to this song are the greatest ever written for a popular music song. Dylan performed it differently from the original (no surprise there), but every bit as emotionally as any performance I have ever heard. Transcendent, brilliant, beautiful, heart wrenching, Visions of Johanna took the audience to a place where could see, and feel, the commonality of our humanity. It was a tsunami of a performance.
Dylan finished with Like a Rolling Stone and All Along the Watchtower, which were wonderful and well received.
So, everyone can pick up a dozen eggs and start throwing them at me, especially my dear friend Nancy who gave me the Brian Setzer line from my last screed which I did not attribute. Dylan is alive and well and I'll be back for the next one.