Last weekend my university hosted a Bob Dylan concert as part of Homecoming Weekend. It was held in our fairly new basketball arena - a nice smaller venue seating about 5000 with much better acoustics than the football dome. The concert looked to be almost a sell-out with just a few upper bleacher seats empty.

There was no opening act for this show - Dylan and his band simply strolled out at the appointed time and went right into Rainy Day Women followed by one of my favorites, Don't Think Twice and Just Like a Woman. Bob's voice as he sings (or should it be as he speaks) his lyrics as only gotten more "Bob" over the years! He is sounding a bit like Jimmy Durante! Between my older ears and his older voice, sometimes it was hard to tell which song was being performed until I caught a bit of lyric. I'm afraid for this reason some of his new numbers were lost on me - maybe the folks in the front rows could understand him, but I needed subtitles!

But it was great to re-experience the songs of my youth and look around at all the others likewise re-living earlier days! 

Bob wore a rather formal long-jacketed suit (maybe a tux since the pants had a satin stripe down the legs) and wide-brim white hat. I was pleased that Dylan moved around more than the last time I saw him perform. In Omaha he stayed behind his keyboard almost the entire night and never looked at or said a word to the audience. Here in Iowa he regularly moved between the keyboard and playing his guitar or his harmonica. He interacted with his lead guitarist and did actually look out at and gesture to the audience - about as expressive as he seems to get!  Don't think twice - it was alright Bob!

Unfortunately Columbia Records sent out their "Web Sheriff" and asked (very nicely) that I remove my YouTube videos from the show. Gosh, that is just not the Bob Dylan we used to know, is it?? The clips are too long to post here so I just have to settle for a couple quick ones.

Brand New to Brandi Carlile

Last Saturday our campus performing arts center brought in a female singer/songwriter that I was unfamiliar with but I am so glad that I decided to give her a try! Brandi Carlile, from the Seattle area, has an extraordinary voice. For most of the show she was accompanied by not only her band members, but also our local Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, making it an extra special evening. But the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center has extraordinary acoustics, so at one point Brandi and her band treated us to one completely unplugged, a cappella number as well. Brandi’s set was diverse in tone and style, but many of her songs, sung in her unique voice, are haunting and continue to run through your mind long after the performance. I’m so glad she came to our area and I’ll be seeking out her albums. Cameras were prohibited at the show, however, so I have had to resort to existing YouTube videos to give you a sense of this new artist. Do give her a listen!

Dying Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI0ekIPIdp8

The Story  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJa-KazVMYU

What Can I Say http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxxMHFIxCP4&feature=fvst

Have You Ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j3R2FMfniA&feature=related

Closer to You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNYOea9eRPo&feature=related

Golden Moments With Gordon Lightfoot

One benefit of having gone to more concerts in the last few years is that I am now on various mailing lists alerting me to upcoming events. So I am no longer quite as oblivious to entertainment opportunities as I must have been for decades. For example,  in all the years that I have been a Gordon Lightfoot fan, I somehow always missed hearing about his tours or live performances. Until now. In some recent Ticketmaster or Live Nation email I finally caught sight of an upcoming Friday night Gordon Lightfoot show in Aurora, Illinois in time to buy tickets! Aurora was almost 5 hours away, but not too far from my sister’s house so it was a perfect opportunity to plan a “sisters night out”. Since hubby was gone on a 5 day business trip there was all the more reason for me to travel as well.

The only glitch in my plan was timing. I couldn’t leave campus until my late afternoon class ended, so I would barely have enough time to get to Aurora by 8 pm.

I made good time to the Iowa border but nearly pulled out my hair in frustration went traffic was backed up for about 5 miles when Interstate 80 narrowed to a single lane due to work on the bridge across the Mississippi - ARGH!!  Traffic was also pretty heavy as I approached the suburban Chicago area so I was glad I had emailed a ticket to my sister so she could get into the show even if I was late. I had not been clever enough to look into parking options near the Paramount Theatre in Aurora; Aurora had sounded ‘small town’ to me but it was crazy busy in the downtown district. After circling a few blocks I resorted to valet parking at the local casino and went off running (well, actually kind of hobbling fast after sitting in the car for all those hours) to the theatre. I walked in just as they turned out the lights!  (a little too close for comfort since Gordon didn’t have an opening act)

The Paramount is a magnificent old theatre which had all its gilding and elaborate wall and ceiling decorations renovated some years ago - a very special venue along the lines of the Chicago Theatre on State Street but more showy. Judi and I were seated in about the 15th row of the mainfloor on the leftland aisle. The rows are nicely tiered and staggered so that everyone has a good view.

Gordon stood at a center microphone for his entire performance, with a four piece band behind him. I was really surprised that he didn’t opt to move between a stool and standing during the night (as had Jackson Browne and also James Taylor at their recent shows), but I guess every performer has their own routine. Gordon is slender and wiry, with longish straight, graying brown hair (didn’t he almost have a curly afro look at one time?) and actually did a change of clothes during the intermission : )

It was wonderful hearing so many of “Gord’s Gold” live - those songs bring back so many memories. And, as my sister commented, Gordon is so good at telling a story in each of his songs. He also sometimes shared personal stories between numbers. 

His acoustic guitar work was sweet as ever as he plucked out the familiar tunes. His voice is no longer quite as strong and resonant as it was - how could it be after nearly forty years and some serious illness along the way. But he still commanded cheers and standing ovations and shouted requests and “We love you Gord”’s from the audience!

Here are a few highlights of the evening - sorry the lighting was not the best.

Sundown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9P7ej54cug&feature=related

If You Could Read My Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTQM2NZg0nE

In the Early Morning Rain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZr1RtP0Vkg&feature=related

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuMYLN0ayHU

Postscript: I was looking forward to another Friday night show this week - another artist I have never seen perform,  Richard Marx - coming to Iowa, no less! Sadly I just got an email that the show has been cancelled - no explanation given, : ( And he is off to Bulgaria next, so I guess I can't catch another show!

Had a Blast With a Blast From the Past: The Temptations and Four Tops

This week  the Temptations and the Four Tops put on a show at the performing arts center on my campus. I had bought tickets as soon as they were available because their music brings on such nostalgia for me. I thought hubby would be able to go, but once again he was off on a business trip, so my BFF Joan joined me for a fun Motown evening.

I played Temptations and Four Tops music before all of my classes this week. Many of these 'youngsters' were not familiar with these classic songs from my youth (big sigh). It was a sold-out show at the Gallagher-Bluedorn PAC, but not too many in the crowd were college students.

Only a couple original members of these groups are still alive and performing, but the replacement members, including a "son of a Top", stay true to the music and style of the originals and recognize the departed members during the show. Both groups kept us rocking, singing and laughing, so if you have such an opportunity, be sure to say "I'll be there!"

Temptations - Papa Was a Rolling Stone

Temptations - My Girl

Four Tops - Reach Out

Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Lovin