Photo by Blaine Schultz
Bob Dylan marquee at Riverside Theater
Bob Dylan opened his “Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour” at the Riverside Theater in early November 2021 (shepherdexpress.com/music/concert-reviews/bob-dylan-kicks-off-tour-at-riverside-theater). Still painting his masterpiece, he returned last night to offer a snapshot of his never-ending work-in-progress for the first of two shows.
Since the tour began Dylan has gathered no moss, playing seven stretches across North America, Europe and Asia. He also released the soundtrack album Shadow Kingdom, the 17th chapter in his Bootleg Series and recently played a surprise set—on guitar no less--at Farm Aid (with a group that included members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers—the band that backed Dylan on tour in the mid-80’s).
New arrangements of old tunes have long been Dylan’s modus operandi in concert, and Wednesday proved no exception. Seemingly in good spirits, Dylan commanded the stage front and center on grand piano.
“Watching the River Flow” was a pleasant shot across the bow with vocals loud and clear and piano up in the mix followed by “Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)”—kudos to the sound engineer for a great mix all night.
Dylan next offered “I Contain Multitudes” dipping into the first of nine tunes he and the band would play from 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways album, only foregoing the epic (nearly 17 minutes on the album) “Murder Most Foul.”
Abetted by a band of musical magicians—longtime capo Tony Garnier tripled on bass 6, upright and steelcaster basses; Donnie Heron manned steel guitars, violin and electric mandolin with Bob Britt and Doug Lancio on electric and acoustic guitars and Jerry Pentecost on drumkit—Dylan’s playful take on “When I Paint My Masterpiece” was upstaged when he momentarily morphed into his idol Little Richard on a raucous “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.”
Other times, especially on the newer tunes, Dylan and band felt like Stephen Foster on a hit of rock and roll. If this wasn’t the barnstorming band of his last visit, it certainly leaned into updated string-band in the parlor music. Still, the roadhouse band made its presence felt with standout arrangements of “Gotta Serve Somebody” and “Goodbye Jimmy Reed.”
|
|
Last time through town Dylan offered a dedication to Les Paul. On this evening he and his bandmates absolutely cruised through a nimble take of “That Old Black Magic,” that the Wizard of Waukesha could appreciate. Fittingly Dylan ended the encore-less show with yet another variation of his masterpiece “ Every Grain of Sand.”
