zombywoof Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 The wife and I went to E. J. Thomas Hall at the University of Akron last night to catch the show. This is the home of the Akron Symphony Orchestra. Amazing venue. Wonderful acoustics. It seats 4,000 (the show was sold out) with guys in black suits who escort you to your seats and a bar were you can get your hi-ball. I had not seen Mavis since the late 1960s and, as if there was ever any doubt, she still has it. She tore that playhouse down. If you did not have religion when you walked in her version of "Wade in the Water" would have made you a true believer. To answer Ramblers question, Mavis did have L.A. Holmes with her on guitar. When Mavis went low, he went low, when she went high, he went high. You knew when he switched from the Tele to the Lester they were going to reduce the stage to ashes. Dylan was in great voice. Certainly better than the last time we saw him in Kansas City. He never went near a guitar or harmonica but stuck with the piano. As you come to expect with Dylan, you will not be able to figure out what song he is singing until you hear the lyrics. Most of the stuff was off his last three LPS with Dylan pounding away on the keyboards or grabbing a mic stand and crooning. But he did launch into "It Aint Me Babe," "Tangled Up in Blue," "Desolation Row," and "Blowin' in the Wind." My two favorite songs of the night though were "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Ballad of a Thin Man" which saw Dylan sticking surprisingly close to the originals. The band was pretty much perfunctory. Sorry to say, Charlie Sexton left me cold. Last time we say Dylan, the warm up was Jimmy Vaughan who came back to join Dylan during his set. If there was a standout last night it was the pedal steel/fiddle player. But all in all a whole lot of fun. And you know you have been married too long when your wife refers to it as date night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Thanx for the report - always good to know what Bob is up to and rolling through Desolation Row w. the thin man behind the wheel for then to turn down 61 with the wind blowing can't be bad for a 2017 autumn. Btw. can't recall Dylan ever writing about this time of year. He should make the period between Indian summer and X-mas the theme for his next LP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Great review, I'm envious. Glad to hear Mavis is doing well- wouldn't have been the same without the appearance of her and the Staples Singers. Their music is drawn from a deep well that adds to it's power, and makes it hard to not be a believer. Sounds like you had an enjoyable "date night". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 Great review, I'm envious. Glad to hear Mavis is doing well- wouldn't have been the same without the appearance of her and the Staples Singers. Amen to that Brother. I only saw the Staple Singers once back in I think 1968. I am pretty sure Big Brother & the Holding Company and Ten Years after were also on the bill. Then again, it is hard to be sure of anything that happened back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickitPaul Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Sounds like a fun night. Did he play or jam with Mavis at all, or did they just each do their own thing? I saw Dylan back in summer of '94 - he was just playing the strat all night, then switched to a few acoustic with the band and that band was Loud! Stage was under a big tent at a ski hill base in Patterson, NY, near the CT. state line, really wasn't that many people there. As usual, he didn't say a word to the audience, but he rocked the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 Sounds like a fun night. Did he play or jam with Mavis at all, or did they just each do their own thing? I saw Dylan back in summer of '94 - he was just playing the strat all night, then switched to a few acoustic with the band and that band was Loud! Stage was under a big tent at a ski hill base in Patterson, NY, near the CT. state line, really wasn't that many people there. As usual, he didn't say a word to the audience, but he rocked the place. No Dylan did not bring Mavis up on stage with him which was a real disappointment. I did not see Dylan on tour during the 1990s (I saw him in NY in 1966 and in OKC in the 1980s) but my wife did. She said that Kenny Wayne Shepherd was the opening act and that he joined Dylan during his set. When we saw Dylan in 2007 Jimmy Vaughan and Lou Ann Barton joined him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 I took my 17 year old daughter to see Dylan this year in Paducah Ky. She loved the show and "gets it" which is a good thing. I fear many from her generation don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 5, 2017 Author Share Posted November 5, 2017 I took my 17 year old daughter to see Dylan this year in Paducah Ky. She loved the show and "gets it" which is a good thing. I fear many from her generation don't. Good for your daughter! The thing is I think some of my generation does not get Dylan any longer either. I did hear some of the younger folks complaining that there was no jumbotron. But based on the conversations I heard among some of the old farts after the show there were those who were annoyed at what they thought was too much crooning while there some were less than thrilled with his reworked versions of the golden oldies. Me, I was overjoyed just to hear him do "It Ain't Me Babe" because I had never heard him do that one before. And "Desolation Row" loses none of its impact no matter how he performs it. Hey, Dylan always said he was just a song and dance man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 think some of my generation does not get Dylan any longer either. I did hear some of the younger folks complaining that there was no jumbotron. No jumbotron? Sheeesh. IT's about music people, not TV. Z, thanks for the LA Holmes report. Would to see him in Boston when Rod Piazza came through back in the day. As for the Mavis Experience, here is how she was and now, with the aforementioned Mr Holmes, with a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 5, 2017 Author Share Posted November 5, 2017 No jumbotron? Sheeesh. IT's about music people, not TV. Z, thanks for the LA Holmes report. Would to see him in Boston when Rod Piazza came through back in the day. As for the Mavis Experience, here is how she was and now, with the aforementioned Mr Holmes, with a little Hey, I do gotta admit though I thoroughly enjoyed Ronnie Woods guitar cam when we saw the Stones in 2001. Holmes played off of Mavis' voice perfectly. Getting to hearing him was just one big added treat. I was not familiar with him before but will be looking for him in the future. I thank you for the heads up in the other thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 I took my 17 year old daughter to see Dylan this year in Paducah Ky. She loved the show and "gets it" which is a good thing. I fear many from her generation don't. Good to hear that - I sometimes ask young people I meet fx standing in line or in bars, and most of them seem to know the name. The music however is in the fog - it's simply not real to them. A bit like youngsters of my generation had it with someone like Cole Porter or Ellington. And let's not forget some of us caught up on the classics (personally only did in rare occasions). At the other hand I know a woman around 30 who always reassures me. She says her friends listen to old gold as well, , , Velvet Underground, Dylan, Stones, Fabs, Young and even CSN&Y. Then again she's from the hip crowd - and this topic is a highly socially conditioned. We have a burger-place nearby called Jagger. For fun I drive Stones-quizzes with the staff while waiting for beefs. Have to say their standard is very up and down. The name rings a bell, , , maybe Mick too, , , yet further into fx titles, albums or Jones it gets totally dark. But they dig the game anyway ^ light up like bulbs. "My mother is big fan", would be the typical remark and who can blame them. Also ask young people questions 'bout other things. I gotta know what they know in order to understand what they understand about the reality around them - and on what level they qualify to continue the show. What strikes'n'worries me is that some crucial issues, fx the Cold War appears to be a diffuse video-game for most them. They simply don't have a clue. . I then tell them : Well, you sit by a table enjoying a meal, it's good tasting and very real, right - now don't come and tell me you're not aware of the chair, , , and that the chair has 4 legs. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 Nice report and that you had a good time and that Bob Dylan is seemingly enjoying life to a level where he wants to play out The 'young people and music' stories make me smile...like, in the late 60's how much were you guys really into the hip tunes and singers/bands of the First World War?, cos you do realise that's what you are asking/expecting of the young people of today (I.e 50 years hence) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 5, 2017 Author Share Posted November 5, 2017 Nice report and that you had a good time and that Bob Dylan is seemingly enjoying life to a level where he wants to play out The 'young people and music' stories make me smile...like, in the late 60's how much were you guys really into the hip tunes and singers/bands of the First World War?, cos you do realise that's what you are asking/expecting of the young people of today (I.e 50 years hence) Hey, my first band in the 1960s was known to break out "I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier." Me and the bass player arranged it as a blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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