Bob Dylan and Dave Matthews Band

I've gone to two outdoor rock concerts in the past week: Bob Dylan at the JAS Festival at Aspen-Snowmass, Colorado over Labor Day weekend, and Dave Matthews Band at the Greek Theater in Berkeley last night. [Photos by Alex von Oech.]

This was my second Dylan concert (the first was 43 years ago in 1965 when I was 17). Dylan gave a paradoxical performance. On the one hand, it's quite inspirational to see a real "living legend" still pumping it out to a large crowd at the age of 67. Plus, he's got a dynamite band.

On the other hand, I wasn't always sure what I was hearing. Bob doesn't bother to sing all the words anymore, and the arrangements are quite different from what I remember. For example, I listened to one song for two minutes before I realized that it was "Highway 61 Revisited." This also happened with "Visions of Johanna." But what the heck: Bob's entitled to change!

The audience loved him, though, and he gave two thundering encores ("Like a Rolling Stone" and "All Along the Watch Tower"). He's still got his harmonica chops! Lots o'fun.

If Dylan is the "living legend" from another era, Dave Matthews is the preacher of today giving his congregation everything they wanted — and more. The Greek Theater was filled with 7,000 true believers. (This was my fourth Dave Matthews concert; my son has been to 24; and I imagine that many there had been to over fifty of his concerts.) Wonderful music, showmanship, stagecraft, and a genuine bond between performers and the audience.

Nothing like a rock concert to clean your head out!

Comments

[Randy Bosch]

Dylan performed in our remote little town one night five years ago and rocked the house (well, the outdoor on the lawn crowd of about 2400)for over 2-1/2 hours!!

I agree, it took a couple of minutes into a few numbers before the music and lyrics could be recalled as something we once heard him sing!! Was it him or us??

[Mike Wagner]

Thanks for sharing your point of view on these two great artists. Their intimacy with the music and connections with the listener go beyond the notes on a page.

Observations like these always remind me that there can be "something more" when it comes to nearly anything we do in this world.

Keep creating,
Mike

[Roger von Oech]

Randy: It was Dylan.

Mike: Nice to see you again.

[Lewis Green]

Rock on, my friend. Just a note: Dylan has devolved into being a mush mouth before. I remember times in the late '60s and much of the '70s where understand what he was singing was impossible (and no, it wasn't from the audience's propensity for chemical stimulation).

[cameron ralg]

Ive seen both Dylan and DMB this summer and both were amazing different ways. DMB is the best live band today which brings out tons of die hard DMB fans but it is something about hearing Dylan singing Like a Rolling Stone or any other of his classics live. songs like its alright ma Im only bleeding or Maters of war which has as strong as impact on the listeners today as it was in 1965 Dylan is a legend and the best artist of all-time.

[Violin Master Pro Review]

Yes, truly the living legend