| March 17th, 2005 06:10 AM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Bob Dylan's latest guise: keyboardist
Joel Selvin, Chronicle Senior Pop Music Critic
Wednesday, March 16, 2005-SF Chronicle
Bob Dylan refuses to stay still. Less than five months after performing a couple of dark, surly shows in the Bay Area, Dylan returned with a different band, playing a three-night run with country music immortal Merle Haggard at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland.
Opening on Monday with a jagged, deconstructed "Drifter's Escape" from "John Wesley Harding" that few in the audience probably recognized, Dylan tumbled to a start. But by the time his six-piece band was holding down the long, shimmering grooves on "Summer Days" more than an hour later, the band had found its center.
Leaning heavily on material from his two most recent albums, Dylan took the band through explorations of his older material, radically reworking the few well-known pieces he did perform, such as the garbled "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," and the broken-down "Mr. Tambourine Man."
He stood over a small portable keyboard and crouched into the microphone like a prizefighter every time he sang. At one point, all knock-kneed and pigeon-toed, he stood in front of the band -- no guitar; he didn't touch a guitar all night -- in the center of the stage and led the group like he was Neil Diamond, squawking on a harmonica and singing "The Man in Me" from 1970's "New Morning." He wandered out front again a couple more times, but mostly he kept to the sidelines and sang curled into the microphone without looking at the audience.
Now that he's a piano player, he has adopted a new singing style, too. Crooning and pushing his voice hard at the same time, Dylan made little turns into his upper register, tiny melodic burnishes that finished lines unexpectedly. He needs that surprise. He pushes at the boundaries of expectation and, if the result is sometimes chaos, it's impossible to tell if he is the master of his own destiny onstage or just hanging on for dear life.
He surrounded himself with a frontline of three guitars and violin. Guitarist Stu Kimball joined last year. Drummer George Receli has been with the band for a couple of years and bassist Tony Garnier is the lone veteran. But the other three members only started work this month. Guitarist Denny Freeman is an Austin guitar ace who once played with Stevie Ray Vaughan, and pedal steel player Don Herron is from Nashville band BR549. Fiddler Elana Freemerman, from Texas' Hot Club of Cowtown, brought a touch of feminine grace to the passel of boys dressed up in gray suits and black shirts that Conway Twitty's band must have thrown away.
Despite the instrumental lineup, Dylan never succumbed to playing conventional country music -- save for a fabulous performance of the old Johnny Paycheck hit (written by Hank Cochran), "A-11." Instead, he used the band harmonies to create big, sweeping grooves that worked most effectively on recent material such as "Can't Wait" from 1997's "Time Out of Mind," "Honest With Me" from the 2001 album, "Love and Theft," and even "Under the Red Sky," title track of a 1990 album from his wilderness years.
With his recent revitalization as a recording artist -- not to mention his more immediate currency as author of a best-selling memoir, "Chronicles: Volume 1" -- a new mythology has built up around his career. You could hear that in the Barnum and Bailey Voice of God introduction that brought him onstage Monday.
Hailed by the unseen voice as "poet laureate of rock" and "the voice of the counter-culture in the '60s," but "written off as a has-been in the '90s," only to come back and do "some of the best work of his career," Dylan now is presented as one of those old-fashioned show-business comeback stories.
But Dylan, 63, has spent his entire career reinventing himself. Haggard, on the other hand, has spent the last 40 years refining himself. He gave a smooth, assured demonstration of the high art of honky-tonk singing, bringing along an extraordinarily efficient troupe he called "a polished beer-joint band." Haggard, 67, knows that nuance is the highest aspiration of art and he invested a vacuous pop song such as "Unforgettable" -- his most recent CD is a collection of pop standards -- with as much emotion as he reserved for the medley he dedicated to the ex-convicts in the crowd, always a special constituency to Haggard, who did some time.
"Bob Dylan and I have a lot in common," he correctly observed. They are both staunch individualists whose music is fed by deep streams of tradition. Neither has been in step with the contemporary conventions of their field for many years, and neither care. Both are serious about their music.
But in front of a crowd that wasn't his for the first time in who knows how long, Haggard was loose, happy, genial, making corny jokes. When it came to playing, though, he was all business.. He opened with a 20-minute volley of song after song before stopping to say, "Hello, I'm Merle Haggard." The crowd exploded into a standing ovation. He played a dozen of his own hits, but closed with songs from his heroes, Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills.
E-mail Joel Selvin at [email protected].
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| March 17th, 2005 08:21 AM |
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| parmeda |
T-Minus 15 days for Martha and I (yay!)
...are you ready, girl? |
| March 17th, 2005 08:23 AM |
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| Gazza |
Just downloaded Bob's show on Tuesday night in Oakland on EZT. The man is on top form and his band is ace. |
| March 17th, 2005 08:27 AM |
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| mac_daddy |
thanks for the info...
is there a site to check the setlists..? (hopefully dylan is mixing it up night after night)...
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| March 17th, 2005 08:30 AM |
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| Gazza |
He is :
http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/dates.html#0316
Are you doing the LA shows next week, Mac? |
| March 17th, 2005 09:05 AM |
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| Martha |
quote:
mac_daddy wrote:
thanks for the info...
is there a site to check the setlists..? (hopefully dylan is mixing it up night after night)...
Go to Bill Pagel's board for Dylan's setlists macdaddy. I'll go get the link....... |
| March 17th, 2005 09:09 AM |
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| Martha |
Oh Gary got it to you, didn't see that.
http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/dates.html
Pammy I am counting the days down girlfriend....you too Hazy! I cannot wait. :-)
I need to HEAR this band right away......Gary......hint hint! :-) |
| March 17th, 2005 09:38 AM |
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| gypsy |
For you, Martha...hope this makes you laugh:
 |
| March 17th, 2005 09:43 AM |
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| Gazza |
Gypsy
I recently downloaded that Bob/Oklahoma show you were at a few months back, if you ever need a copy |
| March 17th, 2005 09:44 AM |
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| Gazza |
quote:
Martha wrote:
Oh Gary got it to you, didn't see that.
http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/dates.html
Pammy I am counting the days down girlfriend....you too Hazy! I cannot wait. :-)
I need to HEAR this band right away......Gary......hint hint! :-)
Martha
You shall have some shows en route when the post offices open tomorrow. I will burn them now, ma'am!
And thanks for the susprise package I got a couple of days ago! |
| March 17th, 2005 10:08 AM |
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| gypsy |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
Gypsy
I recently downloaded that Bob/Oklahoma show you were at a few months back, if you ever need a copy
Gazza
Thanks - I'd love to have a copy! That was a great show. How nice of you. I'll PM you. |
| March 17th, 2005 11:28 AM |
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| Martha |
quote:
gypsy wrote:
For you, Martha...hope this makes you laugh:
Gypsy darlin' I loved that photo...it always makes me laugh out-loud. Bob is a funny man.....an introverted Imp. What a combo!
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| March 17th, 2005 11:30 AM |
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| Martha |
What's the date of the OK show Gypsy? I may have it from TMR and am getting ready to burn the 10 shows he sent me the minute he tells me I can circulate them. Phog...you'll be getting the shows you are waiting on then too. I hope to start burning them before I take off for the Windy City.
Now......Let's ROCK!
Gary.... I LOVE you!
xxoo,
M |
| March 17th, 2005 11:58 AM |
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| gypsy |
quote:
Martha wrote:
What's the date of the OK show Gypsy? I may have it from TMR and am getting ready to burn the 10 shows he sent me the minute he tells me I can circulate them. Phog...you'll be getting the shows you are waiting on then too. I hope to start burning them before I take off for the Windy City.
Now......Let's ROCK!
Gary.... I LOVE you!
xxoo,
M
September 3rd, I think. Well, if Gazza doesn't send it to me - I already gave him my mailing address - then I'll ask you for it. It may be better that way so he can save on postage. I appreciate it! |
| March 17th, 2005 12:02 PM |
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| Martha |
Ok I got it. Stay tuned I'll make certain I get it to you! |
| March 17th, 2005 12:12 PM |
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| gypsy |
Okay! By the way, I've been listening to that Tom Petty in Berlin that you sent me a lot lately. I love it. Thanks! |
| March 18th, 2005 07:56 AM |
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| Factory Girl |
Are any shows of Bob& Merle shows floating around? TIA! |
| March 18th, 2005 08:16 AM |
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| Gazza |
I have three of the shows from the last week
Seattle 7th & 9th March and Oakland on Tuesday night (15th)
Dylan sets only, however, if thats of any use to you. |
| March 18th, 2005 08:17 AM |
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| Gazza |
quote:
gypsy wrote:
September 3rd, I think. Well, if Gazza doesn't send it to me - I already gave him my mailing address - then I'll ask you for it. It may be better that way so he can save on postage. I appreciate it!
it's en route! |
| March 18th, 2005 08:24 AM |
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| Factory Girl |
Hello G.,
Yes, I'd be into it. But, does anyone in the US have it?
I'd rather G not incur high postage. TIA!
FG! |
| March 18th, 2005 08:49 AM |
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| Gazza |
there's not really much postage costs when you're sending CDRs without jewel cases. I'll pop them off in the mail to you early next week .. in exchange for some naked photos.
After all, Martha and Gypsy have both sent me such pics so it's the least I expect these days... :-) |
| March 18th, 2005 08:52 AM |
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| Gazza |
last remark was a joke.
Its actually only the guys on here who send me nude pics of themselves
[Edited by Gazza] |
| March 18th, 2005 09:02 AM |
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| Factory Girl |
I'll send you requested pics with both, guys and gals.  |
| March 18th, 2005 10:09 AM |
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| Lazy Bones |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
Seattle 7th & 9th March and Oakland on Tuesday night (15th)
Have you had a chance to listen to the 15th yet? Quality? |
| March 18th, 2005 10:11 AM |
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| Gazza |
up there with the 7th, Jeff. 9th isnt quite as great but still very good nonetheless
show me your boobs too and copies shall be yours |
| March 18th, 2005 10:33 AM |
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| Lazy Bones |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
up there with the 7th, Jeff. 9th isnt quite as great but still very good nonetheless
show me your boobs too and copies shall be yours
 you obviously relished in festivities yesterday far too much...
I'm on a vine for the 7th on Dylantree, but I am interested in the 15th.
I'll contact you tonight from the mother ship...
cheers |
| March 18th, 2005 10:44 AM |
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| Factory Girl |
Lazy, is Dylantree still doing trees?? |
| March 18th, 2005 12:30 PM |
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| Lazy Bones |
quote:
Factory Girl wrote:
Lazy, is Dylantree still doing trees??
No they're not. The Dylan and non-Dylan trade, vine and weed boards still run rampant, though. |
| March 20th, 2005 12:25 PM |
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| T&A |
Grabbed the Merle set from 3/7 as well off EZT. Great recording, fun show. Merle is the perfect foil for Bob - chatty, witty - and his band is red-hot, just like Bob's. Enjoyed his performances in oakland last week almost as much as bob's... |
| March 21st, 2005 06:02 AM |
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| Gazza |
Is Haggard getting a longer set than most opening acts tend to?
Just wondering because Bob's show is, by his standards, relatively short and I thought maybe the tour was a real double header like the ones he did with Santana, Van Morrison and Paul Simon in the last few years were the opening act got a full length set. |
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