The Times, They Ain't A'Changin'
When I saw Dylan play the O'Keefe Centre back 20 years ago or so I swore I'd never lay down money to see him again. I came away feeling I had been ripped off, .... that Bob and the band had had an off night, ... it seemed to me he was drunk because he kept having to be saved by his second guitarist when his fingers got tangled up in phrases. I was really disappointed because he was one of the few major acts I had never seen and I was up for it; wanted to see and hear a good show.
Fast forward to Tuesday night. Deja vu all over again. Never, ever again. Hyped up and let way down. One reason I wanted to go was that we have a new hall in town and Dylan is the first big name headliner to grace us at the GM Centre. So, what was wrong? Well, neither he nor the band once acknowledged the crowds presence - they might as well have been jamming through a rehearsal. The sound production was so bad that you couldn't recognize most of the songs. I could see the guy on the sound board fiddling with slides and switches and there were some minor improvements but not enough to make a real difference. Between Bob's chording on his keyboard and the bass & drums it created a prevailing muddy bottom end that the guitars couldn't get through. Vocals were unintelligible. Vocal delivery was harsh and hoarse. About the only thing that came through clearly was Dylan's harmonica playing. Song arrangements weren't good. The pedal steel player was so low in the mix that he might as well have had the night off - couldn't hear him. (which is a shame; very talented guy who used to play for BR5-49)
Like I said in my previous post I ran into a number of people I knew there. No one was happy no matter where in the hall they were seated. One of the counsellors I work with was there with his wife and were seated a couple of sections closer to the stage. He used to be a professional musician and said he could have produced better results on the sound board than what he heard.
Was there anything to like? Yes, a few flashes of brilliance from either of his two guitarists, his harmonica playing and they did a nice understated version of 'Nettie Moore' from 'Modern Times'. That's about all folks. Bad choice by me for a night out.
* To be fair I just checked online reviews - there were three of them - and they all glowed. One of them did mention the muddy sound mix. All I can say is they must have been right up front or they are such fans that they won't say anything bad about him. Or were they at the same show as me??
Fast forward to Tuesday night. Deja vu all over again. Never, ever again. Hyped up and let way down. One reason I wanted to go was that we have a new hall in town and Dylan is the first big name headliner to grace us at the GM Centre. So, what was wrong? Well, neither he nor the band once acknowledged the crowds presence - they might as well have been jamming through a rehearsal. The sound production was so bad that you couldn't recognize most of the songs. I could see the guy on the sound board fiddling with slides and switches and there were some minor improvements but not enough to make a real difference. Between Bob's chording on his keyboard and the bass & drums it created a prevailing muddy bottom end that the guitars couldn't get through. Vocals were unintelligible. Vocal delivery was harsh and hoarse. About the only thing that came through clearly was Dylan's harmonica playing. Song arrangements weren't good. The pedal steel player was so low in the mix that he might as well have had the night off - couldn't hear him. (which is a shame; very talented guy who used to play for BR5-49)
Like I said in my previous post I ran into a number of people I knew there. No one was happy no matter where in the hall they were seated. One of the counsellors I work with was there with his wife and were seated a couple of sections closer to the stage. He used to be a professional musician and said he could have produced better results on the sound board than what he heard.
Was there anything to like? Yes, a few flashes of brilliance from either of his two guitarists, his harmonica playing and they did a nice understated version of 'Nettie Moore' from 'Modern Times'. That's about all folks. Bad choice by me for a night out.
* To be fair I just checked online reviews - there were three of them - and they all glowed. One of them did mention the muddy sound mix. All I can say is they must have been right up front or they are such fans that they won't say anything bad about him. Or were they at the same show as me??
Labels: Bob Dylan, concerts, disappointment, live music, rip-off
posted by Norm at 11/14/2008 02:38:00 AM
4 Comments:
N - feel for you and the Dylan episode...it is so disappointing at times to see musicians especially that we adore in live performance. Some just do better in the controlled sound booth setting with the ability to add, subtract or whatever to the act. I had this experience seeing Aretha Franklin. It was a good show and it was fabulous seeing everyone dolled up in the Detroit Theater where she performed, but she hasn't taken care of herself and it showed in the performance even though everyone else was wild just because it was her and other parts of the act were tremendous. I adored that woman and I can practically sing every song in a certain time by heart so I know what her voice well treated and cared for is supposed to sound like.
That said - I'm always astounded by some of the bad reviews of plays in Stratford since I often get free tickets to things and attend and wonder if the critic and I have seen the same play. With theatre I think though it is very subjective.
Then - just thinking about my own experiences - we went to hear Gordon Lightfoot about 2 years ago here and I wish that he would lower the key his music is written in as he can't make the high notes any more - but....he is an amazing performer in that I've never seen anyone that works as hard for his audience as he does, so there is balance there with Lightfoot even though his voice is not what it once was.
Do you know one of the best performers I've ever seen if you get a chance is Colin James. He is so dynamic and just pulls the whole audience into his music and performance.
Hey BJ - Glad we got the commenting problem out of the way. I'll be looking forward to seeing more of you here.
I've gotten over the disappointment (largely) about the other night. I was so looking forward to it though.
I've never attended the Stratford festival but perhaps one day. We have enjoyed getting to local theatre but there can't be much comparison between the two.
Isn't Colin James amazing?? I saw his first performance in Toronto at the Horseshoe. He was 19 and blew the crowd away - incredible! One of a kind performer whether with a regular line up or his big band.
Sorry it was such a disappointing show, that sucks. Too bad the sound-board people couldn't get it together.
Grrrr.... Whewwww..... I have to keep getting over it... working on it, anyway.
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