Bob Dylan
26th August 2018
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd.
2018 marks the 40th year since Bob Dylan first played in New Zealand and going by tonight’s performance the man shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Love him or hate him one cannot deny the incredible body of his work, nor the monumental effect he has had on fellow artists and fans alike; Dylan is a Nobel Laureate after all.
Well known for his dislike of photographers or big screens at his shows, there was also a strict ‘no cell phone’ policy in place at Spark Arena this evening, and while this fact may have been unbearable to those whose desire to document such events on social media is all consuming it proved to be a well-judged move. For you see, when the house lights dimmed, and the stage came to life it was as if being transported back in time to an early 60’s studio session with Dylan and his band. A half circle stage adorned with floor to ceiling velveteen curtains was framed perfectly with Hollywood 5K studio lights that hung from the ceiling and without a single intrusive light from anywhere in the audience, the shadows drew the room in on itself, making for a feeling of intimacy and warmth.
Casually arranged the band stood amongst an assortment of instruments and amplifiers while the front right-hand corner housed the piano where Dylan would reside for most of the evening; to his left a bust of Athena the goddess of reason, wisdom and warfare, a rather appropriate muse for one such as Dylan, and one that has accompanied him for a number of years now.
While his five-piece band wore matching grey jackets embossed with glittering designs that twinkled under the soft lighting, Dylan himself opted for one of bone white which was accompanied by a wide legged stance as he kicked off the set with ‘Things have Changed’ from behind the grand piano. Many have already stated it, but Dylan’s voice is indeed sounding better than ever; robust and flavoursome, the gravelly undertones familiar in their uniquely Dylan-esque way, rolled through the arena captivating all in its presence.
Moving into ‘It ain’t me babe’ Dylan took a seat, proving that no matter how powerful the work the sands of time eventually take their toll on all; yet despite the fact that visually he all but disappeared behind those ivory keys, his presence never faltered an inch. Well known for never addressing his audiences – at least vocally – Dylan communicated in so many other ways this evening, whether it was the subtle tilt of the head during certain lines, the finger guns that made a brief appearance just above the top of the piano or the very slightest of wry smiles that made a fleeting dash across his pursed lips; Dylan conveyed so very much to those who knew how to listen.
His band of course communed with the audience brilliantly, from the stunning work of Donnie Herron on electric mandolin, violin and lap steel through to Tony Garnier on the bass guitar and double bass, the five musicians – which also included Charlie Sexton on lead guitar and Stu Kimball on rhythm – were in fine form this evening; George Receli’s drum solo a definitive highlight. And while Dylan may have relegated himself to the piano nowadays, his prowess with the harp has certainly not wavered, each time eliciting cheers from the audience.
While songs such as ‘Make you feel my love’ and ‘Early Roman Kings’ with it’s delicious juxtaposition of dark lyrics against an almost honky-tonk beat were easy standouts, it was ‘Love Sick’ that took the cake; Dylan ambling out to centre stage to strike some poses as he dipped the microphone stand like a lover in a back alley blues bar. Hand on hip, he had more swagger in his back pocket at that moment than most artists half his age. ‘Thunder on the mountain’ a crowd favourite soon gave way to the final song of the set ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ which in true Dylan style included new verses, demonstrating once again that while Dylan has often stuck to a pre-designed set list over the last few years he certainly ain’t no heritage act here to gift you a night of nostalgic whimsy tied with a neat bow. Instead he challenges, often changing not only the lyrics but the tempo and delivery, which in turn lets the tracks be seen in a completely different light.
Returning to stage for a two-song encore, this point was illustrated with ‘Blowin in the Wind’ before Dylan and his band took it home with the brilliant ‘Ballad of a Thin Man’ which saw Dylan once again take centre stage for what almost seemed like a tongue in cheek final rock n roll pose.
“Lot of water under the bridge, lot of other stuff too. Don’t get up gentlemen, I’m only passing through…”
Were you there at Spark Arena for this intimate folk rock gig? Or have you seen Bob Dylan live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Bob Dylan will be performing his last show on this tour at Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena this Tuesday, 28th August. Tickets are still available from Ticketek, but get in quick as they are selling fast!
Setlist:
- Things Have Changed
- It Ain’t Me Babe
- Highway 61 Revisited
- Simple Twist Of Fate
- Summer Days
- When I Paint My Masterpiece
- Honest With Me
- Tryin’ To Get To Heaven
- Make You Feel My Love
- Pay In Blood
- Tangled Up In Blue
- Early Roman Kings
- Desolation Row
- Love Sick
- Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
- Thunder On The Mountain
- Soon After Midnight
- Gotta Serve Somebody
- Blowin’ In The Wind [encore]
- Ballad Of A Thin Man [encore]
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This was my 13th time seeing Bob (originally from Vancouver, BC) and I just loved it as always. You hit the nail on the head with “for those who knew how to listen” as I found myself chuckling many times at little throwaways, movements and lyric changes. The magic of Bob live to me is always to see the changes in tempo, delivery etc. I don’t want the records, I want what Bob’s feeling on that particular tour. Great review, great show.
Every Dylan tour the same. People commenting who have obviously never read anything about Dylan concerts in the last 20 years. I sometimes think of these folk as the Warehouse $19.99 Greatest Hits crowd. That’s what they expect to get. watched him in Christchurch last night and I thought he was in excellent form. I was in the second row just off centre and luckily on the piano side. I thought his sound and band’s sound was terrific better than I have heard him in quite a few concerts. For just over $200 if you got in early best seats in the house. I wish I could have heard what he was saying to the keyboardist as there was plenty of interaction there.
I’m not sure if I have been to many concerts where I could hear every word the artist sang. Cohen was good but if you watch the DVD of that tour you will see the interaction was exactly the same so real engagement or just off the script. I guess it is how well artists pull it off.
You are too kind Ross. More like the $9.99 greatest hits crowd. What a wonderful night in Auckland, to be in the same room as as Bob Dylan and oh what a band……..
The Spark Arena is a lousy venue. If you are not in the first 20 rows the sound is crap. I was in row 7 and could clearly hear every word.
In 2011 I was at the back of the Vector Arena, as it was then called, for a Dylan concert and the sound was terrible.
I have experienced this with many concerts in this aircraft hangar of a venue.
I was at this concert on Saturday night with three family members.
After reading your review, i think i must have been at a different concert to you.
We were totally disappointed, we could not understand a word he said, to me it sounded like he mumbled every song.
The band was overly loud and totally dominated the whole show.
As for him striking poses when he stood up, i think he was clutching onto that mic for dear life.
I wish i had have seen and heard what you did, but we actually walked out early, as a lot of people did, and we were all of the same opinion, we felt ripped off.
If i could get a refund i would be very pleased. We travelled up from the South Island to see this show, and we were very disappointed.
Because something is happening here but you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mr. Vuletich?
What is wrong with you people? You clearly don’t know Bob Dylan. Either that or I was at a different concert to you last night. Dylan never interacts with the audience – not verbally anyway – why would he start now? He’s 77 for goodness’ sake – and doesn’t need to change for us. I loved the show, the band was fantastic, the crowd where I was sitting were rapt and enthusiastic throughout, the interpretations of the songs were different at times but always brilliant, and Bob was totally on his game, with his voice the best I’ve heard it. So I didn’t understand every single word – I never gave – but the experience of having Bob Dylan playing to me was worth every penny of the ticket price!!
Never have, not never gave!
The Auckland concert was a huge disappointment. The sound quality was dreadful. We could hardly make out a word of what Bob was saying. The stage lights were dim and there were no big screens. It could have been anyone on stage. He didn’t say a word to the fans and neither introduced nor thanked his band.
When Leonard Cohen performed at the same venue we heard every word clearly. He was a humble, generous and gracious performer who involved the audience, uplifted them and clearly appreciated their participation. Dylan displayed none of those attributes.
Musically, the concert was amateurish. While you don’t go to a Bob Dylan concert expecting to hear the man sing in tune, I don’t think it is too much to expect all the members of his band to actually start and end a piece at the same time, not just drift into it randomly and end it equally haphazardly.
There was absolutely nothing to come back for. It’s a 1 out of 10 from me.
I thought Bob was excellent last night. Nearly every song in his back catalogue was rearranged and revitalised. He sang as beautifully as I have ever heard him and the bands was superb.
Yeah such a pity I have to agree with both the previous 2 comments ….although I had no issue with the stage set up. The band itself was great but totally destroyed any chance of hearing the words being sung. But you’ve got to hand it to the guy for an amazingly long career. Big shame though he didn’t feel like saying hello or goodbye.
. I was disappointed to,stage was so cheep .None of the greatest heats was on the list .So primitive not to exchange
any word with audience who pay money.No one around me was giving applause no one was happy .What hi was singing only He probably know ,He is ready to knock on the heavens door.
Hmmmmmmm. Winner of the Nobel prize for literature or an illiterate poster. Such a difficult decision.
I was very disappointed. No sign of the Bob Dylan I fell in love with 40 years ago. Sure we can have new stuff but nostalgia is what most of us want who bother to see him. Also he had no time to talk to us. I was lucky to see Cat Stevens recently. What a completely different story. Got the new but also got some of the old. He was so humble and talked to the audience like we were friends. I have gone off Dylan!!
Thanks Jenny.
I was at the Auckland concert and was stunned by the terrible sound quality.
We came to listen to this man who is all about his words. He’s a Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature, at the very least couldn’t the sound technicians have made sure we could hear his words?
The sound level was way too loud. Unbelievably, unnecessarily so.
The band’s instruments were indistinct and the overall sound was distorted and messy.
Wouldn’t Bob and the band want better than that for us?
I’m a Dylan fan but no amount of waxing lyrical about his creative reinventing of himself can make up for the sound travesty on Saturday night.
We all paid a lot of money for a concert ticket and a lot of us had huge additional travel costs to be there. Surely we deserve at the very least to have an awesome sound experience? Isn’t that simply technical professionalism?
I’ve been at that venue before to hear other artists and I’ve heard every word and had the kind of sound journey that allows the audience to sink into the concert knowing they are well cared for.
What the hell happened Saturday night?
40 years ago he was touring Street Legal. Have you heard of that album? In Auckland he didn’t play anything from Street Legal. Were you expecting him to?
Wrong place. Apologies.