Comments on: Bob Dylan – Highland Heights 2010 (Highway HW-033/34)

By: johnbrownsbody

johnbrownsbody — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:33:24 +0000

My two cents…I’ve been to 73 Bobshows in 22 states since 1981, including Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, University Park, and Charlottesville on this most recent tour, and I still take away something special from each and every show. While I too wish he would throw a cherry bomb into the setlist ( I’d love to see him reinvent his ’80′s catalogue ), he still tinkers with the arrangements of much of what he does choose to play. I also realize there are a finite set of performances left in the man, no matter how much longer he tours. I mean, ” it’s not dark yet, but it’s gettin’ there…” I’ll be there when I can, seein’ the unexpected America, coughin’ up a little phlegm with Bob along the way ;-)

By: erikbt

erikbt — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:56:35 +0000

@dansmusic,
you say that you “see our points, but that you disagree with us”.
But that’s not right, because I think we agree completely,
Of course Bobs voice is limited, and everything he’s doing by the age of 69 is just “a bonus” for us who follow him. It’s not 1975 anymore.
Still – he should stir things up…..his voice has nothing to do with it. Bob deserves something better than being “a touring greatest hits jukebox”.

By: dansmusic55

dansmusic55 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:51:51 +0000

I know what you guys are saying …I really do ….but …we do have to keep in mind he’s 69 yrs old ….and I think his approach to his live show are largely due to what he has left to work with concerning his declining vocals …I’ll never count Dylan out until he stops—NEVER!—but I think the arrangements and approaches to the songs are a direct reflection of his vocal limitations at this late stage in his career ………..where I think he can really find some new spark is to mix the setlists up and make for more diverse shows ….I don’t ever have to hear like a rolling stone again …or at least for a while ….so implementing different encores or changing the basic body of the srtlists, and choosing songs that work with his current vocal range could possibly give that extra spark ….2007 I started noticing more inconsistency in the shows; but there are still so any special moments that one can pluck from nearly every show ….no matter what, he treats his career like a real job and goes to work each day ….and playing live is what it’s all about for a musician —But again, I do see your points.

By: gsparaco

gsparaco — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:01:38 +0000

You’re correct. The shrinking repertoire is one issue, but also the adventurous arrangements missing too. It seems the most significant change the past couples years has been a more gentle approach to such songs as “Summer Days” and “Highway 61 Revisited.” When I saw him live in Rochester in 2007 he blew the roof off the place. Now he barely registers a whimper.

By: erikbt

erikbt — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:44:30 +0000

“This is a good sounding tape of a pretty good show”
Agreed. But that’s the problem with Dylan for the last 5 years. It’s hardly ever anything but “a pretty good show”. Wish the great Bob good some new spark from somewhere….as he obviously got the last time after releasing “Modern Times” – and the shows that followed. If you don’t want to write new songs….then please stir the setlist or performance up, Bob