Outside the Palace Theatre on that cold November night last fall, a raging financial storm was brewing; threatening to destroy practically everything in its path. But inside the former gilded movie palace, the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan gave an uplifting and exhilarating performance, one which was billed as an exclusive "Fans Only" show for die-hard members of his fan club & website, bobdylan.com. Although I have seen him perform a number of times over the years as a younger man, that night I had no idea what to expect. I am pleased to report that, despite the audience's somber mood upon arrival, Bob Dylan and Company delivered us from evil, for at least two hours, with a blazingly hot show, blasting away our blues with their home-brewed mix of loud, raucous, good old American guitar-based rock n' roll.
The band''s inspired musical arrangements came straight from the DNA of American rock n' roll, ranging from hard-driven rockabilly, country western swing and raunchy electric rhythm & blues. In his latest self-styled incarnation, Bob looked more cheerful and animated than he's been in years, dressed like an upbeat mariachi Leonard Cohen in a borrowed country star's Nudie suit. Throughout the show Dylan mostly played the electric organ, as he has been doing lately, snarling his thought-provoking lyrics in a standing position. On a few cuts he played some spirited guitar, showing that he's still got it, throwing in some classic blues harmonica on other cuts. Overall Dylan seemed transformed,..... re-born and rejuvenated, as a growling, stalking, Muddy Waters-esque frontman, backed by the best searing electric blues band you could find anywhere. Standing at the organ he churned out thick smoky R&B riffs, appropriately drenched in the classic Hammond organ "Leslie" sound. (He had a small Leslie tone cabinet hooked up).
By the middle of the show I had a major epiphany about Dylan and his half-century musical output, which put to rest the longstanding "which Dylan is the best Dylan?" debate which has dogged my personal relationship with the man's new work for decades: From my perspective that evening, there is no best Dylan. Nor is there any point in debating the merits of the "old" Dylan versus the middle period; versus the new; or of comparing his classic '60s work to his later music. It's all good, as they say.
Dylan's newer (last-ten-years-or-so) music, especially if experienced in a live performance setting, is as rich, thought provoking, and relevant as any time period, and stands on its own - even with the huge shadow of his earlier work. Comparisons are pointless and irrelevant. One must live in the NOW, like Bob himself must try to do,.. and don't look back. At this show his newer songs outshone the older ones by a leaps and bounds; some even taking on powerful new relevance and meaning for our troubled times.
I got the chills when he snarled the powerful refrain: "I used to care, but things have changed" (from 2000's "Things Have Changed), as loud spontaneous cheers of recognition arose from the crowd. But the audience's roar was not just for the song – it was more for the searing sentiment; as if Dylan's dark words were channelling our pain and anger, and gave definition to the sense of betrayal we all felt that night – reeling from the near-collapse of our entire financial system. It was especially powerful because earlier that same day the banking giant Citibank nearly bit the dust. Similar emotions of impending doom were evoked in other works, such as Dylan's searing rendition of "The Levee's Gonna Break" from 2007's excellent "Modern Times." Another "newer Dylan" standout was the poignant love song, "Make You Feel My Love" from 1997's "Time Out Of Mind."
By the show's end I had done a 180 degree turn, as if I was hearing and seeing the older/newer Dylan as Dylan for the first time. I even wished that Bob had focused solely on his new work, and performed fewer, if any, of his "classics." He doesn't have to. In my opinion, I do not need to hear an updated version of "Like A Rolling Stone." Bob Dylan is not, has never been, and probably never will be a "golden oldies" act. And furthermore, since Dylan routinely performs his old stuff with totally different arrangements anyway, he might as well be doing new songs (which paradoxically he already does, in essence, with the old classics...? maybe.). Lucky for me, the concert focused more on his stellar later work, like "Modern Times," "Time Out of Mind," and "Love and Theft" -- all fine recordings that all ""old-school" Dylan-ites should check out and embrace.
If you have not yet been there, also check out Bob's classy website, BobDylan.com, The site is a successful compendium of his long career, which is equal parts scholarly archive, part news and PR, and part web 2.0 e-commerce and social networking site. Like Bob, the site has its feet planted solidly in both the past and the present; chock full of song lyrics, set lists, a comprehensive discography and more. Click on any song title and watch the retro record spin as you listen to it. And read the user's reviews and comments from this show in the Tour Archives (including mine).
Also, the concert's venue, the United Palace theatre, is a spectacular treat and worth a trip uptown in itself. Like Dylan, the theater has lived a number of lives. Starting as a grand, gilded RKO movie palace in the golden 1920s, and dressed in the latest garish neo-Moorish and Egyptian styles of the day, it survived the Depression and World War Two only to be nearly done in by the advent of Television. Ironically It was saved from the wrecking ball in the 1950s by Harlem's "Pray for Cash" TV-evangelist, Reverend Ike and his church, which still owns the building. This mainstay of the Washington Heights neighborhood recently became available for rent to concert promoters, and it Is truly a unique evocative venue in which to see any performer – especially an American legend like Bob Dylan.
