Outside Counsel

I read Jeff Mier's review of Wendsday Dylan show with incredulity: I had been knocked out by the performance, but Miers was of the opinion that, "Dylan and his band delivered a disappointing set marred by missed opportunities, sketchy on-stage communication between the musicians, and a general lack of fire and direction throughout...." For some reason I can't locate Mier's review on line, but I thought it might be interesting to break it down a bit, and see just what about the concert he found "seriously muddled [and] directionless." It seems to come down to the fact that Larry Campbell isn't with the band any more: "The result is a shift away from the guitar-heavy, blazing improvisations of the Campbell band into a slightly more relaxed ensemble sound within which the twin fiddles do battle with Dylan's harp as the primary instrumental voices." Other than that, "The song selection was right on the money." Dylan's first harp solo of the evening (on "Wicked Messenger") was "inspired". On "She Belongs To Me" "the ensemble suggested that it had found a unique group voice." "Dylan himself was in good form, his voice a blend of syncopated bark and mellifluous coo, and his harp and piano playing were consistently great." So what was the problem? As far as I can tell, Mier's problem is that he didn't get to hear a guitarist that he likes. I'm sorry I didn't see Dylan the last two times he came through town-- if the band he had then was that much better, it must have been pretty amazing. In fact, I don't doubt that the Campbell led band was good-- Dylan's bands frequently have been over the years. I think the problem with Mier's perception of this show is that he went in expecting to see something like what he saw the last time. He should know better-- that is never what you get with Dylan-- I daresay it is part of his genius. When I saw the "Hard Rain" television program that documented the Rolling Thunder tour I'd witnessed a few months earlier I was so stunned I almost cried-- now I think "Hard Rain" is one of his most interesting live albums (and I wish I could see the documentary again-- too bad it is not available). The guy at the Albert Hall concert that yelled "Judas!" was surprised, too, as were people in Newport-- there is a trail of disappointed Dylan fans out there, and that's not his problem.

I stand by my opinion-- this was a Dylan show that exceeded whatever expectations I had, and least in part because my expectations included the possibility that the show might be awful. See him when he comes to your town, and be prepared to be surprised.