From: derek@prodigal.psych.rochester.edu (Derek Gross)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Rochester NY, 11 October 1992
Date: 12 Oct 92 14:50:27 GMT
Organization: University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)

Rochester _Democrat & Chronicle_, 12 October 1992, p. 6C:

[Comments in brackets are mine. -DG]

		  TIMES ARE A-CHANGIN'; BOB'S SONGS ARE, TOO

		      by Jeff Spevak, Staff Music Critic

  Like a Rolling Stone, but hammered into strange shapes that brought about
unexpected bounces, Bob Dylan rolled indiscriminately along his three-decades-
long road last night at the Eastman Theatre.
  The sometimes-compelling insect whine of his voice was intact. But neither
Dylan nor his songs sit still for long. They called him Judas when he plugged
in his guitar for the first time in the '60s, but now change is the norm for
Dylan.
  Backed by a wonderful rocking band of two drummers, bass, two guitars and
keyboards [nope, pedal steel and occasional mandolin] (and sometimes three
guitars when the keyboards were silent], Dylan hunched against the microphone,
his leg twisting sinuously as though he were a victim of ill-fitting jockey
shorts, before stepping back form the stage to join the band for its frequent
long instrumental breaks. It took them over 25 minutes to get through their
first four songs, starting with the opener, a full-throttle, three-guitar
rocking version of "Everything is Broken" from the _Oh Mercy_ album.
  Dylan has always been inspired enough by Jimi Hendrix's version of "All
Along the Watchtower" to play his song in that guitar-screaming style, too,
but last night's version was less guitar and more moody, with Dylan's sly,
low-key vocals leading to a long harmonica solo.
  Beckoning Hawaiianlike siren guitar chords and a flaming red backdrop
accompanied "Under the Red Sky", and "Tangled Up in Blue" was virtually
unrecognizable, coming off the stage through a curve ball of unexpected
guitar. "Maggie's Farm" was given a good, chugging melody. [Not.]
  Some of his albums, like _Desire_, were completely ignored. But Dylan showed
no reluctance to reach way back to the '60s for a great old song, then turn to
some of his later Christian-oriented material. [I don't know what he's
thinking of here -- there was nothing from the "Christian period".]
  A slow starter, Dylan began taking charge with a series of solo numbers
midway through the show. In fact, the 51-year-old Dylan was perhaps at his
best for his final encore of the two-hour performance, a solo version of "It
Ain't Me Babe" that followed a great rocking "Highway 61" and "Ballad of a
Thin Man" [too long].
  Less of a success was "The Times They Are A Changing". The impact of the
lyrics, one of Dylan's great social comments, was lessened by a bluegrass
cast, as though Dylan was strumming his guitar while standing in the _Hee-Haw_
corn field.
  By then, some of the 3,200 people in the sold-out Eastman left their seats
to form a ragged, adoring line along the stage, although many of these people
weren't even born when "Like A Rolling Stone" (which he did not play last
night) was the No. 1 song in the country and the voice of an entire
generation, the generation of their parnts.
  Dylan presented the proper aura of mystery throughout the show: He was
dressed in black, he didn't speak to the audience (he did bow twice after the
last encore), and the lights were often moody, leaving most of the band and
Dylan in shadows. And yes, there was the odor of pot wafting outside the
Eastman before the show. [And inside during the show, too.]
  The opening band, Poughkeepsie's Bobby Mesano and the New Blues Orchestra,
were some good ol' Hudson Valley R&B boys who will be welcomed back here
anytime.

--
Derek Gross                      "Cornflakes Inside Not Meant For Consumption.
derek@psych.rochester.edu                        For Conceptual Purposes Only."
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan