Stuck inside of Oshawa with the Dylan Blues

Architect Frank Gehry who has just revamped the AGO in TO describes himself as an egomaniac...but a Canadian egomaniac...which means he's still modest. While in Winnipeg Bob Dylan paid a visit to the childhood home of another modest egomaniac Neil Young... a pilgrimage perhaps to one who has remained of his times by one who is outside of his times now. No more obvious than at his Oshawa gig last night where a steady stream of patrons up and back down the aisles running between seats and the bar left the impression that Dylan had failed to engage them.
And how could he with one groove bar blues the likes of which could any night at Chicago's up on Simcoe St. It was the Bobby D Blues Brothers Revue....one song ran into another until the sound became an hypnotic blur...I did make out barely Tangled Up In Blue and Highway 61 although I should admit I'm not hugely familar with his massive back catalogue.
Bob is no modest egomaniac...he is not there to be heard but to play. The audience is irrelevant to him.  He stood perpendicular to the crowd at his keyboard ( no guitar) facing the band which formed an arc opposite him the best to hear Bob in a white preacher's hat deliver his guttural sermons. He would come out centre stage and shuffle his skinny ass dance, add colour with the harmonica and then click his way back to the board. He's more animated than in previous concerts. The set seemed based on the sounds and vibe of Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues only we were the ones who were stuck with the blues. His boogie woogie blues, waltzy blues, marching blues, jazzy blues, all following the same formula...the band holding down the groove waiting for Bob who never delivered...but it was mesmerizing to watch...he lulled us all in with a beat too slow to dance to, too fast to dream with...nothing to do but wait...until bang it stopped and he left.
He encored with Like A Rolling Stone but that familiar snare snap and kick drum gave way to a play on the riff that went nowhere and then closed with All Along The Watchtower which is a song thats owned by Hendrix.... no one can match it but his porkpie hatted band had a go. So no definitive versions this night but a reworking and reinterpretation along the lines of his Bootleg series.
Dylan famously found his electric backing band in the Hawks who became The Band. He found another scuffed up blues player on Yonge Street in the 80s...Paul James. James joined him on stage last night for some numbers.
Is Bob prowling Toronto and Winnipeg looking for that special Canadian Sound...is he secretly yearning to be a Canuck.... Ironic indeed as most of that Canadian Sound can be traced to his early work and his godfatherly role to Americana... weird old America that straddles the border and lives along the creeks and rills of the landscape.
I had hoped that the City might declare a Dylan Day and set up some tribute nights with local musicians at some locations along KIng...Isabellas, Atria, Fosse,  to promote the new Downtown. But again the crowd fled as if chased by an army of zombie crackheads or else crammed into Rileys.
I was bored so as no cameras were allowed I drew this picture during Desolation Row and whatever was before and after.

Comments

[poor pelly]

This show was fucking awesome. I would have gladly paid double to see one of my biggest heroes in my hometown. Anyone (and I'm not harping on you Will, you did say you don't know a lot of his back catalog) who didn't see what they expected doesn't know fuck all about Dylan. I hope he comes back. I danced all night.

[Glen Perrott]

I couldn't agree more, and it couldn't have been better written Will, Bravo!

[al cole]

Thanks for the review Wil...just confirms I'm GLAD I didn't piss away $75. for a lack-luster show.