It is perhaps no surprise that the greatest living musician should be able to put on a fairly astonishing evening of music, yet Bob Dylan, now nearing the middle of his ninth decade, exceeded expectations at Usher Hall, enthralling both hardened Dylan veterans and newer fans alike.
His set, beginning at 7:30, and lasting the best part of two hours with no interval, held the audience captive for the entire time, thanks in no small part to the virtuosic and incredibly tight backing band accompanying him. This inclusion of the legendary Jim Keltner on the drums, a frequent performer on many of the finest records of Dylan’s career, along with others such as George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, was indicative of the standard of musical performance on display.
Dylan’s live performances are almost infamous for his flat refusal to simply play the hits. So many of the other performers of his vintage see this as the automatic option, and, were someone at a Paul McCartney show, even without being a fan, would probably still know most of the songs. This is not true for Dylan. His current Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour, as one might expect, features songs from the 2020 album of the same name heavily; and while some non-Dylan fans would scoff at the absence of “Like a Rolling Stone” or “Mr. Tambourine Man”, anyone who had taken the time to listen to his output in the last 25 years will know the music is still of an extraordinarily high standard. The older songs that Dylan weaves into his setlist are not only reworked to suit his age and current style but are also the tracks that are naturally more suited to who Bob Dylan is now. For all his brilliance, it is difficult to see this current Bob bringing the requisite raw energy to “Subterranean Homesick Blues” the way he can squeeze every last drop of soulfulness out of “Every Grain of Sand”, as he managed beautifully at Usher Hall.
Soulfulness and feeling have become the central aspect of Dylan’s performances. He is fully aware that he can never play piano like Elton John might, or sing like Freddie Mercury, but his awareness of who he is as an artist allows the fullest expression of his talents. His piano playing was energetic and spirited, and blended beautifully with the guitar; his voice, famously nasal and gravelly, but now hoarser than ever, was the perfect vehicle for all the storytelling and imagery embedded in his poetry.
To pick out highlights would mean me recounting the entire 17-song setlist, however from the newer songs, “False Prophet” and “Key West (Philosopher Pirate)” were outstanding, but nothing could come close to his versions of some of my personal favorites. Dylan opened the show with a subtle yet rocky version of “All Along the Watchtower”, a version which I would happily listen to over the John Wesley Harding (1967) album recording, but there was so much more to follow. “When I Paint My Masterpiece”, originally a 1960s track, but re-released on 2023’s Shadow Kingdom, was very cleverly reimagined in a new, minimalist style, and the Bringing It All Back Home (1965) track “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” was performed tenderly and beautifully. But above all else, being there for his reimagined “Desolation Row” from 1965’s Highway 61 Revisited, was truly extraordinary, if slightly surreal. Dylan charmed, amused, and challenged the audience with a fascinating reworking of one of his bonafide masterpieces, an experience I will never forget.
I must confess, as a Dylan fanatic, just to see the great man would have been more than enough for me. The fact that he performed so impressively, with a fantastic combination of classics both old and new, was a bonus, but it made for one of the most enrapturing musical experiences one could ever wish to see, and the five-minute standing ovation, carrying on long after Dylan and his band had left the stage, was testament to this.
“Bob Dylan (Bring it All Back Home Sessions)” by ky_olsen is licensed under CC BY 2.0.