Bob Dylan - London Wembley Arena - 15/11/03
5/5
By: Matt Tomiak
Set-List: 'Maggie's Farm', 'It's All Over Now', 'Baby Blue', 'Cry A While', 'Desolation Row', 'It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)', 'Boots Of Spanish Leather' (acoustic), 'Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum', 'Mr. Tambourine Man' (acoustic), 'Things Have Changed', 'Highway 61 Revisited', 'Every Grain Of Sand', 'Honest With Me', 'The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll' (acoustic), 'Summer Days', ENCORE, 'Cat's In The Well', 'Like A Rolling Stone', 'All Along The Watchtower'.
Sometimes, it really is best just to let the music do the talking.
What justice can a mere scribing do to a performer who not only invented popular music as we know it today, but also went a long way in re-fashioning the world's entire cultural landscape? Suffice to say, that Mr. Robert Zimmerman still commands as much devotion, respect and love in 2003 as he ever did.
And while 'The Times They Are A-Changin' may have dealt explicitly with the ever-widening divide between the older and younger generations in the early-60s, young and old alike have come out in their droves this evening. Indeed, few other artists could attract such a diverse audience as Bob has tonight. The man's achievements dwarf such trivialities as individual gigs; he's a legend.
Hunched over a keyboard throughout virtually the entire show, Dylan doesn't actually strap on a guitar once. But this hardly constitutes a criticism - tonight's show is excellent value. Barely anything he plays sounds anything like it does on record. Dylan sounds the way Keith Richards looks - this is a 'lived-in' voice alright.
And as a monumental 'Maggie's Farm' gives way to a haunting, trippy 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue', it's one that's still a shivering treat to listen to. Best moment? Without a doubt, the blissful all-embracing rendition of 'Like a Rolling Stone' that brings Wembley to its feet during the encore. Absolute magic, all told.
Artists in this article: Bob Dylan
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