The last time I saw Bob Dylan was in the SECC in 1998 when he was supported by Van Morrison (who was not great). That night was almost a Dylan greatest hits show with fairly faithful versions of tracks like 'Blowing in the wind' and as a 20 year old I loved it. For a variety of reasons it took me nearly 25 years to see him again. My memory of that last show is ghostly faint but positive. Tonight was crystal clear and very different.
Dylan played an upright piano all night. His band was just brilliant. A great drummer, great guitarists, a great bass player and a multi-instrumentalist on steel guitar and others. Tone, sound and music was everything tonight with Dylan's voice, his vocal tone, another lead instrument. He played some big songs from his past but the versions while musically excellent were almost a parody of the more familiar versions. When I paint my masterpiece, gotta serve somebody, most likely you go your way and I'll go mine and I'll be your baby tonight were just tossed out, taken apart and rebuilt in very different. This was not a pop hits night, this felt like an improvised jam band that was punching above it's weight.
The bulk of the set was from the excellent Rough and Rowdy Ways and I was glad to hear that album live. Dylan is 81 and I'm not sure that he will play Glasgow again. Surely the never-ending tour must pause with time. I would love to see him again but I'm not hopeful.
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