Bob Dylan
Idaho Center Ampitheater
June 22, 2003

Review by: Dustin Pangonis
Date: 8/1/03

"That's it? He hardly played longer than his opening act!" That mildly disappointed statement may not sound like the most enthusiastic reaction the day after seeing a legend like Bob Dylan in concert, but it was hard not to feel a little disappointed when he left the stage. Not disappointed enough to regret going to the show, it was good-not-great, but you expect a little more from Bob fucking Dylan.

Looking back on it, though, the concert seemed underwhelming from the start. It seemed strange to me, a teenage rock fan used to waiting outside a venue for an hour, to just waltz up ten minutes before the doors open and see a few scattered people sitting in the shade waiting instead of a massive line. Even when the doors opened, the line didn't stretch back very far. The crowd had the biggest age gap of any show I've been to; young couples, teenagers (sometimes with their parents) whole families, and people old enough to have been at Dylan's first show. It seemed more like the crowd at a giant picnic than a rock concert.

The show started at seven. The opening act, The String Cheese Incident, did a good job dealing with the daunting task of opening for Bob Dylan. Sort of a country-rock jam band, the best way to see this kind of band is, of course, live. Supplementing the usual guitar, bass, and drums with keyboards, mandolin, and the occasional violin playing, the Incident ran through an energetic eighty-minute set, the highpoint of which was a reggae-fied version of the Steve Miller classic "The Joker". The SCI are also the only opening act I've ever seen come back to do an encore song, but I later realized that might have been a way to fill time for Dylan. At eight-thirty, the band polished off their encore and said good-night.

At around nine, Dylan took the stage. He, of course, brought the crowd to their feet instantly, but after a few songs it was mainly people relaxing on blankets on the hill enjoying the music. And, as mentioned, it was by no means a bad concert. The band sounded tight, the songs were good, and the crowded enjoyed it. Yet, it left many fans somewhat unsatisfied. So what was wrong?

One major problem was that many of the songs were unrecognizable. I myself, only a moderate Dylan fan, couldn't name a single song until the encore. My dad couldn't do much better. Dylan, who apparently varies his sets wildly, slightly let down fans who might have been hoping for many of his older songs. No "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". No "Maggie's Farm". No "Rainy Dan Women". And to my great disappointment, no "Subterranean Homesick Blues".

But the problem went deeper than that: with Dylan behind a keyboard mumbling unintelligible lyrics (even by Bob Dylan standards), and the band delivering the songs in a way far detached from the album versions, it took work to recognize even your favorite Dylan song (assuming he played it).

What Dylan lacked in number of hit songs, he also lacked in set length and energy. It was slightly sad to watch the aging rocker on stage, with barely enough energy to sing. Aside from the standard introduction of the band partway through the set and a quick "good-bye" at the end, Dylan said nothing between songs, not even to introduce them, which would have been a blessing on this event. He barely moved, aside from a bizarre habit of getting up and wandering around during the guitar solo or bridge of each song (I was waiting for a roadie to come out and guide him back to the keyboard, saying "Come on, Bob, we're not done with the show yet. Here are your pills.") It wasn't as sad as, say, watching Ozzy Osbourne forced to read his own lyrics off of a teleprompter, but there was a feeling of regret that Dylan was suffering heavily from his old age.

Skimming back over what I've written, it seems I've expressed more disappointment than I set out to. But that's kind of reflective of the concert: I enjoyed myself while I was listening to the music, but once I was on the way home the flaws started to pile up in my mind. As enjoyable as the concert was, I expected much more. But, hey, at least I can say I've seen Bob Dylan now.

(Dustin Pangonis is a volunteer staff writer for 2 Walls Webzine)